October 27, 2021

 Although Bali has been open for a couple of weeks now to international tourism, there is so far a decided paucity of takers--as in none. This is assumed to be due to the persisting COVID restrictions such as mandatory five day quarantine and two mandatory PCR tests. Sounds more like a visit to the doctor's office than a vacation. Moreover, there is the announcement that tourists will be closely monitored and will run the risk of fines and/or deportation if found breaking the quarantine rules. Whoopie. Anyone for a vacation in North Korea. 

Oh well, of course they must do what they must do. We certainly don't want another uncontrolled breakout of COVID on the island. The long and short of the thing is that it will still be some time before people can make an 'old-fashioned' visit to the island paradise.

Illegally building in Green Zones is in the news these days. Technically, building is prohibited in Green areas, typically land close to beaches or rivers. Nonetheless, building in these areas has been rampant over the years (it's all about money). What to do now? Well, probably nothing, as the Sanur Weekly points out. As a matter of fact, I do believe that my house (my rental, that is) is in a Green zone. I remember someone mentioning this early on, during the building phase, with a shrug of the shoulders. 

A domestic tourist and his Balinese guide have been swept away by waves at Kelingking Beach on the island of Nusa Penida. What, Nusa Penida again? Seems like that's often happening there. And these guys weren't even swimming at the time. 

The Sanur Weekly points out that it has been "extraordinarily hot" over the last weeks, which of course is something we already knew. The scientific folks tell us that this is because of the position of the sun directly over Bali in October and November. A bit of a no-brainer there. 

In my own neighborhood of late we have experienced an invasion of snakes slithering about on the road or in driveways or up and over the top of front gates. Most of these are probably two or three feet in length and apparently not of the deadly sort (or so someone told me). However, the neighbors do not care for these snakes at all and have rallied all the neighborhood residents to pitch in for a work crew to clear the mud from the roadside ditches and streams, which had risen nearly to the top and thus conveyed the snakes onto dry land. Where the snakes plan to go during this project, I do not know.