Little Russia

I read the other day that the town of Canggu, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade, is now being called Little Russia, or Little Moscow, this due to the large influx of Russians, and Ukrainians, who have immigrated to Bali since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. My ex-wife tells me as well that part of Ubud, up in the hills to the north, is also now being called Little Russia. Of course, these folks have come because of the war - - the Russians to escape being pressed into military service and the Ukrainians to escape being killed by Russia's random missile attacks on their country.

It is also true that the greatest number of deportations lately have been of Russian nationals. These have been carried out for a number of reasons, from overstaying visas to disregard/disrespect of the culture and figures of authority, such as the police, and downright criminal activities. I'm sure that not all Russians misbehave, but those who do certainly are giving a bad name to Russian immigrants and tourists in general.

Sanur, happily, seems a bit too quiet and tame for the Russian appetite, and I am glad of it. We don't have the popular bars or any nightclubs at all, mostly just older people, like me, and young families. So not much to see, not much to do, I guess. Hopefully things will stay that way. But for those who predicted the death of the tourist industry in Bali after the pandemic, boy were they wrong! Bali is booming.