Bali - is this a vision of the future?

I last came to Kuta Beach, Bali thirty one years ago. It was a tourist place then, but low key and with charm and I have fond memories of that visit.

Now the reality is the beautiful beach and the friendly people that made it so attractive are still there but buried under commercialism; thousands of stalls selling the same mass produced tat, much of it aimed at the lowest common denominator of taste and a marketing philosophy of getting as much cheap alcohol into people as possible.

In case you haven't worked it out, definitely not to my taste.

Fortunately if you can get away from the tourist strip (which takes quite an effort given the horrendous traffic) the center of the island is still lovely, the scenery, especially the tiered rice paddies climbing up the hillsides and some of the small villages, are in places stunning and the people still friendly. I hired a dirt bike and a guide one day and seeing the small villages with him, and meeting his friends and family, was the highlight of the ten days here.