Pulau Nusadua Local Customs

Because the local government
became concerned about the "immortality"
of the western hippie communes,
which developed in Kuta, it was thus decided
to isolate future tourist resorts.

The development of Nusa Dua was therefore carefully planned.

In the 1970’s the government engaged
a French firm of consultants,
called the Société Centrale
pour l'equipment Touristique Outre-Mer (SCETO)
to devise a master plan for the development
of tourism in Bali in a sustainable manner.
The SCETO plan proposed a
self-contained resort complex by the sea,
removed from the main population centres
to minimise the impact of tourism on Balinese culture.
The site they proposed was Nusa Dua.

Nusa Dua means "two islands".

A By Pass from the North was built in the early 1980’s.

Today, while Kuta is still synonymous
with sun, fun and youth, Nusa Dua is
home to the five-star resorts.
In all, over 45 large hotels
and resorts can be found in these areas.

Residential areas have also sprung up in these localities.

And because of its remoteness, however, Nusa Dua
also offers low-price rental properties-ideal for the expat surf enthusiast .

Transient surfers often prefer to hang out
on the opposite coast of the Bukit peninsula,
where they stay in grass roofed beach side accommodations
adjacent to the source of their passion.

It was in the late 1960's
that Nusa Dua was just
an obscure strip of coast
on Bali's southern Bukit Peninsula,
with striking white sand beaches
and two peninsular islets.

It was the resting place of fishermen.

The only access was by a road
over the Bukit (hill), because
the swampy northern shore
made road building impossible.

The adjacent, Bualu was a small isolated village
and Tanjung Benoa a tiny, remote port.

Behind the coconut groves,
the villagers of Bualu were barely surviving.
They used to take the long and arduous journey to Denpasar,
to barter their salt or coconuts for rice.
The arid soil was unsuitable for
growing much besides coconut palms.
There were no roads, market or electricity.
Food and freshwater were scarce.