Bali’s troubled waters: from subak to tourism
<p>Gede lives in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. He participates in traditional activities such as community events, ceremonies and administrative duties and also hosts visitors in his guesthouse which he runs with his wife and two sons. The guesthouse is the primary source of income for the family and business has only increased over the years. The property is adorned with frangipani trees that carry beautiful flowers. The land was a rice field just a few years ago and is still surrounded by rice fields but under the surface of this scene lies a troubling reality.</p>
<p>Bali is a small tropical island, with volcanoes atop, rice fields and fruit trees on their slopes and reefs offshore the surrounding beaches. The flooded rice fields are an ever-present companion wherever one travels through Canggu and the mountainous regions of Bali. Canggu used to be a fishing and agricultural village. It is a semi-urban area part of North Kuta, outside the urban fringes of Bali’s capital Denpasar, approximately 20 kilometres from international airport Ngurah Rai, and 15 kilometres northwest of popular surf and tourism destination Kuta. Canggu’s tourism ‘scene’ revolves around surfing, and ‘happy hours’.</p>
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