Uluwatu Local Customs

f you are a western girl,
walking Dreamland Beach in a bikini,
and happen to fall amongst
a group of fully dressed Indonesians,
they are most probably,
traveling on one of he tour busses
parked up above on the cliff.

They’re not used to seeing a girl in a bikini,
and may be honored to have themselves
taken in a photo posing with you.

Nothing kinki…
just a straight out ‘say cheese photo’.

You will definitely make their day!

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Lots has change from
the early days of Dreamland,
when hardly anyone,
but the passionate surfer
would go there.

It seems that now a days,
it The Place to come dressed up,
and have your picture taken.

As you stroll the beach,
you will see over and over again,
happy posers in front of the camera
offering their best smile and pose.

As you walk along
the beaches of Bali,
you may come across
some trash which,
will be composed of
the elements used for ceremonies.

Most of these items are
a combination of organic material,
but then you will have the sweets which,
are wrapped in plastic
and maybe some other items.

It’s sad the lack of education and consciousness
that you will encounter in most of Bali,
towards keeping the environment clean.

At the entrance gate of Uluwatu Temple, as you paid a Rp. 3,000,- entrance fee, all visitors should use SARONG and Sash with no additional payment, it was Bali Custom if one enter a temple as well as the temple at Pura Luhur Uluwatu

Tommy was recently released from jail,
after serving only 4 of his
15 years jail term for
his role in paying a hitman
to kill Supreme Court Judge
Syafiuddin Kartasasmita,
who had sentenced him
to 18 months in prison in 2000
for a multimillion-dollar
real estate scam.

Prosecutors alleged that Tommy
initially tried to overturn
the corruption ruling
by bribing the judge.

Rather than face 18 months in jail,
Tommy went into hiding,
sparking a manhunt lasting more than a year.

During his time in hiding, they say,
Tommy ordered the judge's assassination.

Kartasasmita was gunned down
by two men riding motorbikes.
When the men were arrested,
they claimed Tommy had
paid them for the killing.

The farmers and owners of the land
adjacent to Dreamland Beach
are trying to battle him
for $19 million in court
for the 74 hectares of land that
they had been swindled out of,
by Tommy’s company.

In June 1998,
shortly after his father's fall from power,
Time Magazine estimated
Tommy's personal fortune in
the region of $800 million.

Development has re-commenced
for the Pecatu Project,
after a long pause caused
by the 1997 economic crises.
The project is to
include residential developments,
hotels, shopping outlets
and a very large golf course.

As you enter
the main entrance of
Dreamland Beach,
you will not only notice
the large signs promoting the
new golf & surf project being built,
but you will also encounter
hectares and hectares of land
which, has had a dark, tainted history.

There once was a time when the
ex-president Suharto ruled for
32 years, up until angry mobs
and riots pushed him into
the decision to resign after
massive accusations of corruption.

During his time in power
he and his family were alleged
to have amassed hundreds of millions of dollars
in personal wealth creamed off
from state assets and kickbacks
given in return for lucrative business contracts.

His equally corrupt and youngest son,
Tommy, had swindled
the local farmers of this area
of their land, so to develop a
massive 74 hectare tourism project.

Tommy was never shy
of flaunting his wealth,
driving in his shiny blue Rolls Royce
and his time spending millions of dollars
on a string of luxury homes around the world,
including a $4-million hunting ranch
in New Zealand, more than
20 apartments in England
and buying a Lamborghini.

Because the land in Uluwatu is
arid and not really productive for growing crops,
the local families here have learned to rely on fishing.

At low tide,
you will see not only the men,
but their wives and children
scouting under the rocks for squids, octopuses, etc.

You might even find freshly cooked seafood at one of the local warungs

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As you drive around Bali,
you will see very old trees dressed
with a black & white checkered skirt.

Usually, these trees are very sacred
and a place of worship
will be set up at the base of the trunk.

The black and white checkered poleng cloth
symbolizes good and evil forces in balance.