Upon arriving at the bus terminal we got into a taxi to take us right into the famous surf area "Kuta Beach" We were surprised to find a vibrant, hectic and bustling town filled with young surfers (mostly Aussie's) and many, many shops lining the streets. The streets were very narrow and congested with motorbikes with surfboards attached to the sides. Walking was always a challenge and you had to be very careful about not getting swiped by a motorbike. Kuta beach is not the sort of place that you go for tranquility, it is a place where you can party hard all night and surf all day... if you want to (quite the opposite of what we had imagined Bali to be like). The budget accommodations are located a few minutes walk or motorbike from the beach. Our place had a pool and included a nice breakfast... our room was a joke, it was covered in graffiti done by drunken patrons and we had many laughs reading it.
It takes time... but Kuta really grows on you!
Our initial plan of staying in Kuta for three days, turned into a one week stay. The beach was huge and the surf was great for novice surfers like Andrew. Our days were spent on the beach... Andrew surfing and I under a rented umbrella and chair. Our nights were spent exploring the energetic town, eating great food and shopping.
Not only does Kuta have many street vendors selling crafts, clothes, jewelry and burned DVD's but they also have stores selling surf wear like Billabong, Quicksilver and Rip Curl etc. The beach sellers were relentless in their sales tactics. I have never been on a beach where they were so ruthless in the way they would "swarm" you in groups, sometimes up to five people all at once. They would keep persisting you buy their goods, but after a firm "no" they would take the hint and leave for the time being. They literally would beg and plead you to purchase, I was even asked blatantly if I would give one lady my hat, towel or sarong.
After a week of full time surfing, Andrew achieved his goal of mastering the art of "catching" waves. (I think he is a natural!) Now he wants to master the art of "carving" on the waves, he was very pleased with his improvements and techniques and felt ready to move on to another town for some bigger and more challenging surf.
At first we really weren't really diggin' Kuta because of it's resemblance to an Aussie College Frat Party, but Kuta is one of those places that really grows on you. We really felt like it was a cool place to be, although it could get wild in some spots with partying etc. It still had a good vibe to it and people were pretty friendly. The "Beach Snobs" (that's us) definitely wouldn't give the beach a high rating because it's not the picturesque post card type beach but for the over all atmosphere... pretty good.
~Nicola
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| Kuta Beach, Bali |
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