Syringes on the Beach

[Martin Hash]

Bali is where Australian college students go for Spring Break, primarily to the beaches in Kuta, so my wife, Gwynne & I, were looking forward to some lazy afternoons in the sand. However, our first introduction to the reality was sobering. The narrow street to our hotel was lined with motorcycles, young males lounging on the seats. When I walked by with Gwynne, they were unobtrusive, but when I passed them a little later, alone, it was a whole other atmosphere. Those guys were focused on getting my attention: "hey, you want a woman?" one guy whispered, accompanied by a back-n-forth movement of his hand; another assured me of a "happy ending;" and many attractive young girls yelled out "massage," one even grabbing my hand, hard, trying to pull me inside: "no, no, no," I insisted, "Gwynne!” I yelled, trying to escape unmolested.

Massage Girls.JPG

And what did we find at the beach? Rough waves, piles of garbage, and medical syringes in the surf.

Kuta Beach 2.jpg

[Montegriffo]

You are going to have to plant a million trees when you get back to offset your carbon footprint. Enjoy seeing the world while it's still there Martin.

[Fife]

I blame Western patriarchy.

[Montegriffo]

I blame Western patriarchy.

I blame subsidized airlines. I flew to France to visit Dad for one cent once. I never paid more than it cost me to get to the airport and back.