Christmas / New Years season busy with tourists

The Christmas / New Years season in Bali attracts tourists and a the recent break in bad weather brought them out. Driving anywhere in Kuta / Seminyak one will notice the license plates (DK = Bali, L = Surabaya, B = Jakarta and so forth). Lately there is ample opportunity to stop and spot out of town license plates due to the traffic jams.

On many Kuta streets the road is wide enough for 1 car and 1 lane of motorbikes, Jl. Legian being a good example. Out of towners often don’t realize this and try to go 2 abreast, getting stuck at the first wide parked car. The scenes this creates can be frustrating or hilarious depending on your point of view. The other night on Jl. Kunti in Seminyak a westerner was patiently waiting in his SUV to squeeze down the narrow street. A jam occurred and other cars and bikes piled up to prevent anyone backing up. Jumping out of his car and hollering “Use your heads, just use your heads,” he attempted to manually direct the cars backwards. When his turn to go came a local lady on a bike pulled in front of him, generating unkind words from him. She is reciprocated and for the rest of us it was like viewing some sort of unruly sitcom. The best way to handle these hold ups is to sit tight and think of something funny.

My next door neighbour went to Gili Trawangan for Christmas. Not sure what she was hoping to find, some peace and quiet with her rain? Wanting to return yesterday she as told the boats were not sailing due to high winds and waves.

People in Bali for New Years might like to check out the nightlife activities for the next couple of days, courtesy of the Beat Magazine.