Urban tourism, Schoolies and Toolies - Made Wijaya

Urban tourism, Schoolies and Toolies:Once famous for its pristine villages and natural scenery, Bali is now embracing a new form of tourism centered around increasingly popular bypasses and ring roads. Enlightened developers, wary of the inconsistency of Balinese culture — once known as “Unity in Diversity”— are now putting their full weight behind a “cerebral neutral” culture that involves mindless “mallscapes”, sea horse motifs and fire dances modeled on the watered-down cultural shows of Waikiki. Budget hotels are popping up on highway greenbelts like magic mushrooms. They guarantee a mediocre, culture-neutral experience with panoramic views of some of the best traffic snarls in Asia. Just before Christmas I spent three blissful hours in the traffic on the way from Canggu to the airport and got to see so many exciting budget hotel bedrooms — glass curtain walls are de rigeur — and gatherings of my countrymen as they struggled along the fast-vanishing adventure footpaths..... Original http://www2.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2012-12-29/i-love-bali-urban-tourism-schoolies-and-toolies.html