This is Bali

There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass, Or night-dews on still waters between walls Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass; Music that gentler on the spirit lies, Than tir'd eyelids upon tir'd eyes


This is Bali. You cannot shrug off the beauty and joy that awaits you when you land on this island. A sunny smile, a wicked grin, and a handshake that never seems to end, is one of the wonders that the island has to offer, courtesy of the Kuta Cowboys. A refined bunch of hillbillies with bodies like Arnold and a devil may care attitude. These are the new age Lotus Eaters with a difference, guts, grit and ingenuity. You can spot them on Kuta beach with muscular bodies, bare chests and shorts that look like they are going to fall off at any moment. They never do. Somehow they defy gravity.


When I first arrived on the island I had met quite a few of these gentlemen but never for a moment did I realise that they were local legends! Michelle, a young surfer from Sweden sidled up to me one day on the beach and asked me to introduce her to Jay, a Kuta Cowboy with a mane like an African lion and a smile that could disarm a crocodile. I promptly called Jay over to meet her. From then on they became inseparable on the beach. I could see them riding the waves on their surfboards, holding hands and grinning like Cheshire cats. It was poetry in motion, no vulgar gestures, and no obscene displays, just the sunrays dancing on the waves and reflecting on their bodies.

To know who the Kuta Cowboys are is to forget their gigolo like image and scratch beneath the surface. Down under the layers of smiles, sensual bodies and fantastic feats of surfing are young boys who make a living day in and day out on the beach, in the scorching sun, just to go that extra mile to make the girls notice them and with it comes business for the family; tours of the island, stay-overs at hotels and a friendship that lasts all of one week or so. Then the next wave of tourists hit the shore and the high jinx starts all over again.

Nyo the undisputed Cowboy of Cowboys is known to ride the waves on full moon at Uluwatu, a short distance from Kuta. Here the waves are comparable to that of Hawaii, very rough and treacherous. Many have been injured or simply washed out to sea. Nyo smiles to himself when I asked him what it felt like to be out there in the surging water alone on the surface riding the waves. "Yus, I feel I ride horse, you know wild horse, but um no scared. I like it, like riding womun. No, No, um jus jokin. Womun good but sea waves better, everyday it is like a new womun, you don't know what will happen. Yus, it's good." Looking at his scarred body and eyes red because of the salt water, I begin to understand the true spirit of the Cowboys. They are like dare devil rodeo Cowboys who make a living from the sea, the reward being the tourists. But they have to work hard, riding the sea everyday.

Nyo, who owns a stand that rents out surfboards, is unmarried. He tells me he is waiting for his ladylove to return to the island paradise in August. I quiz him as to her whereabouts. He answers that she is from Sydney and that he wants me to photograph her when she arrives. I ask him to introduce me to her. He says he doesn't know her personally! Great, I thought, this is classic. Love at long distance. But that's the Cowboys for you. Basically, they are decent folk with an innocence that belies their abilities.

Deborah, a lady from Oz, who I met on one of my many walks on the beach, speaks affectionately of the Cowboys. "They are naughty boys, but I like them. You know I visited the hotel just across the road about six months ago and spent a lovely evening drinking and dancing with one of these guys. I returned there after nearly six months and this guy walks up to me and narrates the events of the evening we spent together complete with details of my clothes etc. Just imagine how many people he must have met after that evening and yet he remembered all the details! Gosh what if they used their intelligence for something better?" she giggles. I disagree with her. I tell her that the Cowboys are an integral part of the island's continuous celebration of life and without them the joyful experience would be incomplete. She agrees with me.

A week after this conversation with Deborah I took to Kuta Beach early one morning to complete my photo assignment on surfers, little did I realise that I would be confronted with an apparition of sorts that showed me what Bali was really about.

As I was standing on the beach watching the surfers in the distance through my camera lenses some people walked in front of the me. I cursed and looked towards them. Strolling in the early morning golden sun were a couple and a small naked child between them kicking up the sand. It was a perfect sight. The couple holding hands and glancing down adoringly at their child. The sea smashing the shore. The roar of the waves. Nothing seemed to bother them. It was as if they existed in another world, another time zone. It's only when they passed me by that I noticed the man was an Indonesian, his wife a foreigner and their child, a beautiful creature of love. The golden rays of the sun covered them like a cloak. They appeared to be of one colour, one joy. For me, this was the Bali I was looking for, a confluence of cultures meeting in harmony as a whole.

When I mentioned this incident to Jay he looked away. In his eyes I saw for the first time a hint of lost loves, of the women who had come and gone and left residues of love to keep him going. He yearns to meet a Bule woman who would fall in love with him, buy him a motorcycle, car or house, start a family and probably a warung. Of course, not necessarily in this order. The concept of marriage to him is one of mind, body and soul. Naturally, the paper work is considered dispensable.

Often I would see the Cowboys huddled in a group near the surfboards playing chess and quietly discussing the day's takings and lady loves. When I approach them talk ceases. They glance at me smiling politely. I take the hint and walk away. They are in some ways genteel folk.


Kadek, the drinks vendor, has many stories to tell me about the Kuta Cowboys' surfing feats and shenanigans, but confides in me not to divulge the details. I must honour his request. All I can say is that if you are on this wonderful island, drop by Kuta Beach and meet with the Kuta Cowboys. You will have company, loads of fun and adrenaline days with the riders of the sea.

This island is not for the faint hearted. It is Asia's own little paradise with all the love, joy and happiness waiting for you at every corner. You just need to ask. It's there for the taking. Sorry we cannot introduce you to Ulysses, the Kuta Cowboys say he left a while backs for Greece with his mates.

If perchance you meet Nyo or Jay fold your hands and bow your head ever so gently. Peace to all and happiness to those who bring love with them. For, as John Lennon said, Love is all you need.