Bali Villa Fire

I have just watched a very frightening U-tube video of a fire that took place in Seminyak, Bali. And it reminded me a similar situation that I experienced. So I thought I would relate the incident.

I was at a friend’s party In Seminyak. It was a small affair as my friend was a tourist and she wasn’t traveling with a large group of friends. Also at the party was a good friends Indonesian wife. My friend had been unable to attend and he had asked if I could accompany Putri and make sure she got home safely.

At some stage during the night Putri approached me and to ask if she could chat outside. I was involved in a conversation and I feared I would get caught up in a soppy chat involving problems with her relationship. So I postponed the conversation. Putri was insistent however, she decided to wait at my side until I had finished talking. Eventually I relented and I broke off my conversation. I then followed Putri to the front door of the villa.

When we were outside, I asked my Putri what she wanted to talk about.  She then calmly directed me around a wall that was blocking my view and pointed towards a villa two lots down from us. The villa was obviously on fire. Smoke was billowing out from the thatched roof and flames could be seen licking over the far side of the building. Sparks were also being carried on the wind and flying everywhere. I was instantly alert. The building was twenty meters from where we were attending the party. And our villa had the very same flammable roof.

I told Putri to start knocking on doors and warning people. And I ran inside to tell everyone to get out of the building. My friends and I then scuttled around and sounded the alarm. Thankfully, fire trucks eventually arrived and the fire was contained.

While we were standing in the car park deciding if it was safe to return to our villa. I asked Putri why she didn’t just scream fire and warn everyone. Putri replied that she didn’t think it was important enough to interrupt the party. “It was only a fire,” she said. Putri is an intelligent woman. But when she said this I couldn’t help but wonder if they teach fire safety in Indonesians schools.

Due to Bali’s poor roads and high traffic congestion and magnified by of a lack of adequate training and equipment, the outbreak of a fire in Bali can be a very dangerous situation.  The u-tube video of the fire can be viewed on the Bali Raw face book page. www.fb.com/baliraw

©Malcolm Scott

Romance Travel (excerpt from Bali Raw 2)

 

Romance Travel

Men have a history of visiting Bali for sex. And it is true that Bali’s sex industry was probably built by men for men. But there is a growing trend for women to become involved in Bali’s sex industry.

Foreign women have been traveling to Bali with the intention of indulging in sexual activity with local men for a long time. The pioneers of this type of excursion were predominantly Japanese women. Bali originally became popular with wealthy Japanese because of the massage industry. Japanese ladies would invite young Indonesian men to their hotel rooms so they could receive intimate and sensual massages. The exchange of cash for a deeper, more satisfying service grew from these humble beginnings.

In the past, the pursuit of Indonesian men by wealthy Japanese ladies was rarely spoken about or reported. It was almost a taboo subject and certainly not something to boast over. Japanese women would travel to the island in pairs. And maybe they would compare notes, but what happened in Bali stayed in Bali. Now it is common knowledge in Japan that Bali is the home of sex for wealthy women. It has become so commonplace it is almost a cliché. If a woman from Japan should mention that she is traveling to Bali for a holiday she will almost certainly face sly looks, smiles or innuendo.

Western women seemed largely unaware of the situation sometime back. Adventurous older women sometimes brought men back to their rooms in the guise of receiving a massage. But as with the Japanese it was mostly a well contained secret that sex for hire was involved. All that changed with the release of documentary The Kuta Cowboys by Singaporean director Amit Virman. After the release of the film, western women came to realize that there was little stigma attached to being seen in the company of an Indonesian man.

Western woman are now far more comfortable dating Indonesian men. And they are quite happy to come to Bali in search of a two week seduction by a young and handsome man of Indonesian origin. These women have even given this type of adventure the pleasant sounding name of Romance Travel. And Romance Travel is becoming very big business in Bali.

The age group and M.O. involved in these relationships has also shifted. Where once older woman took young Indonesian men back to their rooms for a night of paid for passion. Younger women are now dating these men for longer periods. These short romantic interludes often involve the exchange of money or gifts. The woman is also expected to pick up the bill when it comes to food and drinks. In return they receive a tour guide with benefits, a handsome young man who is more than eager to spoil them, pamper them and make them feel beautiful.

It could be said that women who travel to Bali with the sole intention of paying Indonesian men for sex. And women that overindulge their Indonesian partners with gifts or money in return for emotional and sexual activity are doing the same thing - they are employing the services of male prostitutes.

Women who involve themselves in this type of relationship often argue this point. They say that the young man they are dating is either a holiday romance or a potential future partner. And that money and gifts are only supplied due to the difficult financial position of their companion.

Receiving money or gifts for sex is definitely prostitution. But should the buying and selling of companionship receive such a harsh label? Sex seems to be only part of the equation in these circumstances. Women who date Indonesian men often state that they also receive emotional support and friendship from these relationships.

Perhaps these women are only attempting to create the illusion. That someone in the world cares about them. Could this really be such a bad thing? 

Indonesian men often date foreign women in Bali and it would be a generalisation to say that all these relationships are based on an exchange of cash or gifts. So it should be clarified that a number of Indonesian men involved these type of relationships are not gigolos. And the women involved are not always paying for the company.

©Malcolm Scott

For more on the Kuta Cowboys www.fb.com/baliraw