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In Bali, empty rooms and idle cabs worry locals
Floating on a surfboard a few hundred yards off Kuta an
hour after dawn, it's easy to see why Jawaharlal Nehru, India's
first prime minister, called Bali "the morning of the world."
Volcanoes soar above the broad swath of beach, and the light
sparkles. While many foreigners have been drawn to Ball for its lush
rice terraces or the promise of the perfect wave, just as many
stayed because they fell in love with its culture.
On this island, in the midst of the world's largest Muslim
country, a tolerant blend of Hinduism and older beliefs informs
every part of the day.
It's a way of life that has remarkably survived the onslaught of
tourists: Cheek by jowl with the nightclubs and shops are small
shrines to the gods. Streets are lined with offerings of rice and
flowers that Balinese make each day. And every week temple
festivals take place with processions of food and flowers, and the
metallic, percussive music of the island's traditional gamelan
orchestras.
Stephen Palmer, a semi retired representative for Quicksilver,
the world's largest surfboard and apparel company, left Australia
for Bali 28 years ago when Kuta was just a fishing village and
never went back. Broad-shouldered and gently spoken, Mr
Palmer says he's convinced that Ball's enduring culture will
ultimately help the island through its latest crisis, a terrorist
attack that killed at least 190 people. "The Bailnese will survive,"
he says.
But for now, the bombing of two popular nightclubs on Oct.
13 has shattered Ball's reputation as a haven from Indonesia's ills
and, with It, the tourist Industry that has made this the archipelago's
most prosperous island.

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