In Reply to: ? Progress in Bali, last 40 years posted by AdrianS on Wednesday, 11. April 2012 at 08:27 Bali Time:
When you are referring to the early 90's, my recollection is quite different, its funny how we all remember things differently.
1992 - Legian Bali, stayed at the Sanih Royal Bali (now bulldozed) on Panta Kuta - my memory isn't that great but where I cant remember I actually have the photos as well.
Beach at Kuta/Legian was still extremely dirty in Dec/Jan, the sand seemed blacker, no wall along the beach, not even the small one they demolished in recent times. The hotel warned us not to go into the ocean as it was dangerous (toxic).
Only a few hotels along the beach, but that's been that way right up until recently.
I do remember the glass on the walls, and walking up Poppis 1 seemed to take forever as there wasn't much in the street then.
I do remember the smell being worst and when it flooded you didn't move, now days I walk through the water, back then you could see the sewerage float past, tourists were stranded on high steps for hours (the locals waded through it). It reached nearly a metre outside the old Materhari.
My crotch and many woman's were grabbed on a number of occasions by Balinese boys at nightclubs, such as Paddy's, Sari, Bounty, never happened at Double 6. Some woman told me it happened in the street as well, or a breast.
Waterbom park had a nicer feel back then.
Traffic Jams around Kuta Square were still there, like a carpark, didn't move for ages, I remember having to put my feet up on a car once as I nearly got squashed between a taxi and a minbus in Kuta Square as everyone drove more aggressively.
The new road to Tanjung Benoa was very quiet though, I have a photo of one white minivan on the road and no other cars in site. Tourist police on motorbikes would pull you over often to help you negotiate the price of jet ski's, was just furniture stores were on the road then.
Poppies 2 when you walk off the beach looks exactly the same but at the other end its changed a lot, Bagus Pub is still there but opposite was a hair salon and not much else. No circle K's of course.
After the Bounty etc closed everyone headed to Double 6, was a mad traffic jam on the road through the rice fields/empty paddocks. One set of traffic lights that the cops controlled to keep the traffic flowing.
McDonalds sat in the middle of a rice field next to Poppies 1 and it had a "McDesert" Bar with a grass roof - have photo due to spelling.
The Balinese played drinking games with the tourists and always out-drank them, stripped them naked and robbed them of their clothes, for memory the drink was called an Illusion and it was worn with a string around your neck, plastic container with a built in straw and made from Arak and other stuff, 1 was fine, 2 was a wipeout.
Men followed you everywhere wearing baseball caps piled high, one on top of their other yelling out "wanna buy a hat boss". Most shop keepers slept in the middle of the day so you had to step over them and then give them a shove to take your money.
You had to hand your passport over then when you wanted to rent a motorbike.
Transport Boss, Hat Boss, Watch boss just continued everywhere you went until you were in the safety and quiet of the hotel.
Visit to Ubud on 2 occasions, dirt road joining the Monkey Forest and the market, little boy sitting outside the toilet selling toilet paper per piece. Great boot maker made me leather hiking boots that are still working well. No hat sellers etc up there but guys on motorbikes following you to give you directions or 'help you' but made me feel uneasy and one even showed up at our hotel in Legian one day, back then the Balinese could not get passed security so he just sat there waiting until we came out and then demanded money for his petrol for showing us how to get to the Monkey Forest and the market. My boyfriend at the time felt a little cheated as he had thought he'd made a new friend, he had bought the guy lunch that day and gave him the t-shirt he was wearing with some Australian reference on it (which meant a lot to him), only to find on our last day the guy had driven down just to demand money and had completely changed his demeanor.
I actually vowed never to come back to Bali after that first visit, it was 3 weeks of fun with my friends but the Balinese themselves left a bad taste in my mouth, they were nasty, aggressive and dirty minded young men. And the woman on Poppies 2 spat at customers and screamed abuse (while making offerings).
I now live here and have a completely different view and realized it was just one area of Bali. Mind you, I am not naive, the young men have not changed, they have just learnt that a smile goes a lot further in making money.
I have heard them talking in Indonesian to themselves in Legian and the things they say they want to do to 10-15 year old girls walking past them with their parents is beyond vulgar. Especially the boys outside the Jayakarta and up from the Melatsi, all along Jalan Padma, that group are arrrgggh, cannot even put it in writing as that is such a family area and it upsets me too much. Its why I now try to avoid Legian as much as possible but many friends stay there and love it so I sometimes have to visit.
I also don't mean to offend as I know many on this forum have 'friendships' with Legian Balinese, my personal opinion is to keep an open mind if you have teenage girls.
Just passing on my memories version of early 90's in Bali