I was feeling pretty darn good this morning (wonders never cease), so I decided to drive out to Bali Mall Galeria. This is a goodly distance away, although it seems much farther now than it used to. Back in the day, I would go there pretty much once a week in order to shop for groceries. In those days there were no large markets close to our house in Sanur. I would take my backpack, do my shopping at the Hypermart, then load up the scooter and the pack and be off on my way home. It did not seem a terrific effort then, but it does now. That's partly because I just don't have as much energy as I used to, and partly because of the pain in my shoulders and back, which is exacerbated by the effort required to steer the bike, use the brakes and accelerator, and so on. The point in all this was to go to the large Gramedia bookstore in the mall, but as it turned out, I couldn't find anything I wanted anyway.
Nonetheless, still feeling okay, I decided to press on another 20 minutes to Seminyak where a fancy new Starbucks has been built. I've been wanting to see it, as well as to see my old buddies who used to work in Renon but now work in Seminyak. I've not been to Seminyak in at least three years--maybe more.
Seminyak is one of the newer tourist communities in South Bali, tending toward the upper end of the market--wealthy, sophisticated, tasteful tourists, as opposed to the young Aussies, the Bogans, who come to party and drink and carouse in nearby Kuta (a place that I avoid like the plague).
I was somewhat surprised to find, however, that the clientele in the Seminyak Starbucks was mostly Indonesian. This seems a good measure of how much things have changed in eight years here. It used to be that Western establishments such as Starbucks, or all the foo-foo clothing stores in the tourist hubs, would be populated mostly be bules. But with the rapid growth of a middle class in Bali, these establishments are now frequented by the locals as well, who are now able to afford to frequent them (more able, for the most part, than I am, in fact). And, well, good on 'em.
At the same time, it is sad in a way to watch Bali so rapidly modernize and begin to look like any other country rather than like Bali. Little by little, the small shops disappear, the local sellers with whom one would haggle and bargain, the little food stalls--paved over by the logo and the brand name, the fixed price, a sterile sort of sameness. I saw this same sort of transition as I grew up from boyhood, yet somehow it seemed more natural then. I remember from my own youth the corner drug store and the little family owned markets, the corner candy store, the little bakery, all eventually surrendering to the encroachment of Safeway and Fred Meyer and Costco. A convenient, well-ordered sameness overtakes what was quaint. So it goes.
Perhaps it is time to look for a new island.
Nonetheless, still feeling okay, I decided to press on another 20 minutes to Seminyak where a fancy new Starbucks has been built. I've been wanting to see it, as well as to see my old buddies who used to work in Renon but now work in Seminyak. I've not been to Seminyak in at least three years--maybe more.
Seminyak is one of the newer tourist communities in South Bali, tending toward the upper end of the market--wealthy, sophisticated, tasteful tourists, as opposed to the young Aussies, the Bogans, who come to party and drink and carouse in nearby Kuta (a place that I avoid like the plague).
I was somewhat surprised to find, however, that the clientele in the Seminyak Starbucks was mostly Indonesian. This seems a good measure of how much things have changed in eight years here. It used to be that Western establishments such as Starbucks, or all the foo-foo clothing stores in the tourist hubs, would be populated mostly be bules. But with the rapid growth of a middle class in Bali, these establishments are now frequented by the locals as well, who are now able to afford to frequent them (more able, for the most part, than I am, in fact). And, well, good on 'em.
At the same time, it is sad in a way to watch Bali so rapidly modernize and begin to look like any other country rather than like Bali. Little by little, the small shops disappear, the local sellers with whom one would haggle and bargain, the little food stalls--paved over by the logo and the brand name, the fixed price, a sterile sort of sameness. I saw this same sort of transition as I grew up from boyhood, yet somehow it seemed more natural then. I remember from my own youth the corner drug store and the little family owned markets, the corner candy store, the little bakery, all eventually surrendering to the encroachment of Safeway and Fred Meyer and Costco. A convenient, well-ordered sameness overtakes what was quaint. So it goes.
Perhaps it is time to look for a new island.
2 comments:
Actually I am thinking of Sumba...
Christoph--Yes, I've heard both good and bad about Sumba. I have a friend here who is originally from Sumba.
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