After a four hour drive, with two sick family members (Lily continues with her ear infection, and Leslie has been feeling nauseous and achy), we've arrived in the small municipality of Goris, in the north west part of Bali, very close to the 2 mile wide channel that separates Bali from the island of Java - home to volcanos and the capital city of Jakarta.
We're staying at a the very boutique property called the Santi Sari, where Leslie and I stayed last year. It is a peaceful location, away from everything. This part of Bali hasn't been invaded by the hoards of tourists found in the far south, and the biggest attraction in this region is the wonderful snorkeling and diving found around Menjangan island, just a few miles offshore, and nearby our location (we'll be headed there tomorrow for snorkeling, if everyone feels up for it).
This new airport, the location of which was just announced by the provincial government just days ago, ended years of speculation as to where the new site would be located. It would be over 2700 acres in size (compared to the small 550 acre footprint of the current international airport). It would feature two runways of length considerably longer than the current Denpasar airport, where the runway length is limited by the sea and other environmental considerations. The new planned airport will accommodate A380s, and will allow for the continued steep growth in tourism on the island.
What does that have to do with this idyllic location of Santi Sari? First off, land values will rise considerably. Secondly, massive infrastructure additions and new investment will likely create centers of tourisms to rival the main beach areas of Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua in the south.
This little, quiet part of paradise, where the fresh tropical breezes accompany (currently) the loudspeaker amplified muezzin from several area mosques (this part of Bali has many more Muslims than the south, given its location to Java), and the tranquil serenity is under attack by 'progress.' The southern peninsula is already overloaded with tourism; I fear that the north will fall to the power of potential profits as well.
The project will be a public-private development, and so far, no investors are attached with the project, but given that Bali is by far Indonesia's top tourist attraction, the government apparently would prefer to boost its tourism generated GDP over leaving parts of Bali as they have been for hundreds of years.
We're staying at a the very boutique property called the Santi Sari, where Leslie and I stayed last year. It is a peaceful location, away from everything. This part of Bali hasn't been invaded by the hoards of tourists found in the far south, and the biggest attraction in this region is the wonderful snorkeling and diving found around Menjangan island, just a few miles offshore, and nearby our location (we'll be headed there tomorrow for snorkeling, if everyone feels up for it).
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| View of Java from north-western Bali |
This new airport, the location of which was just announced by the provincial government just days ago, ended years of speculation as to where the new site would be located. It would be over 2700 acres in size (compared to the small 550 acre footprint of the current international airport). It would feature two runways of length considerably longer than the current Denpasar airport, where the runway length is limited by the sea and other environmental considerations. The new planned airport will accommodate A380s, and will allow for the continued steep growth in tourism on the island.
What does that have to do with this idyllic location of Santi Sari? First off, land values will rise considerably. Secondly, massive infrastructure additions and new investment will likely create centers of tourisms to rival the main beach areas of Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua in the south.
This little, quiet part of paradise, where the fresh tropical breezes accompany (currently) the loudspeaker amplified muezzin from several area mosques (this part of Bali has many more Muslims than the south, given its location to Java), and the tranquil serenity is under attack by 'progress.' The southern peninsula is already overloaded with tourism; I fear that the north will fall to the power of potential profits as well.
The project will be a public-private development, and so far, no investors are attached with the project, but given that Bali is by far Indonesia's top tourist attraction, the government apparently would prefer to boost its tourism generated GDP over leaving parts of Bali as they have been for hundreds of years.
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