Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/462634
16 | www.travelweekly-asia.com The Bali Hotels Association has defended itself against what it calls "recent hype surrounding the travel warning which is being sensationalised through the Australian media". BHA said there had not been a change in Australia's travel advice for Indonesia and statements on the Australian government's Smart Traveller website "are not related with the level of security or threat that Bali may experience". "We are disappointed to read that this somehow normal information has been relayed in the press as a 'Travel Warning', BHA said in a statement. to Australia's decision to deny Indonesians the same right to visa-free entry to Australia. "Indonesia is miffed that their proposed goodwill gesture of providing visa-free holidays for the one million Australians travelling to Bali every year has not been reciprocated," he said. Taylor, speaking to media outlets in Australia, said Indonesia was also unhappy with the high costs associated with entering Australia. He said an Australian family of four travelling to Bali paid about $140 for visas on arrival, but a Balinese family wanting to holiday in Australia had to pay $520. At one end of the wide sweep of sand that marks out Bali's Jimbaran Bay, close to where the big jets fl y into and out of Ngurah Rai Denpasar airport, the beach action starts early. For early risers, the Kedonganan Fish Market at Jimbaran Bay is a chance to watch the Balinese go about their day-to-day business, hauling huge baskets of fi sh ashore from the fl ag-festooned boats that line the bay. Large wooden boats - colourfully painted, festooned with fl ags and lights - arrive before dawn from across the Indonesian archipelago, their craft weighed down with baskets of fresh fi sh. Giant trevally, tuna, Spanish "We can only deplore, as we have done so for the last few years, that the Australian travel warning system relays information that is often linked to hearsay, is not location specifi c and most importantly that each time new information (regardless of its importance to security) is posted, it pops-up as a 'change in travel warning' and every time replicating fears that are not founded." Bali Hotels Association said the situation in Bali had not changed "and security measures that have been in place for a few years are constantly monitored, audited and reviewed". BHA added that "tight and regular cooperation with police and other security and safety-related agencies ensure that BHA member hotels and guests are well protected; security and safety standards of BHA hotels are amongst the highest on the island and served as the basis of numerous safety and security policies in Indonesia and other parts of Asia". Another irritant between Australia and Indonesia is Indonesia's refusal to remove its entry visa requirements for Australians visiting Bali, despite relaxing the rules for other nations including Japan, South Korea and Russia. Ross Taylor, head of the Perth- based Indonesia Institute, said he believed the move was linked BALI HOTELIERS DEFEND SECURITY MEASURES mackerel, wahoo, mahi-mahi, sailfi sh, barracuda, ruby snapper and amberjack might be part of the catch on any given day. Chefs from across the island – many from Bali's fi nest restaurants – arrive early to snap up seafood supplies caught the previous night. The big boats are met by Balinese jukungs, graceful vessels which use only one main 'crab claw' sail, although in favourable winds these nimble craft can skim quickly between the islands, chasing, catching and selling whatever they can pluck from the ocean. The jukungs are built to a strict set of religious guidelines. A fi sherman will carefully choose a particular tree that will be used for the timber of a new boat. Once selected, the tree must be cut down on an auspicious date in accordance with the Balinese calendar. Another signifi cant day is chosen for construction to commence. Their work done, the jukungs are hauled ashore, helped by the fi sher kids of Jimbaran, the young boys who will one day go to sea themselves. There is a strict order of business at the fi sh market even though the process appears chaotic. The baskets of fi sh are loaded from the larger fi shing boats onto the smaller jukungs, and from there they are transported to the crowded shore. Porters rush the baskets of fi sh to brokers to be assessed and weighed before they go on sale to the public. Strung out in a line between the sea and market, women squat and sell small amounts of fi sh to all- comers. Cheeky boys ambush the porters, snatching small fi sh from their baskets and scampering away. It's a scene that goes on most days, except at times when the sea is too rough to allow the boats to land their catches. Hotels in Bali will organise chef- led tours to the market. The chefs will happily suggest what to look for in a fresh fi sh (bright eyes, fi rm, shiny skin), help with a seafood selection and then prepare and cook the fi sh for guests to eat at lunch or dinner that day. At the InterContinental Bali on Jimbaran Bay, guests set off in small groups accompanied by a chef from the resort who will help with a selection of mud crabs, red snapper, giant prawns and squid. A visit to the nearby Spice Market allows the chef to gather fresh herbs, fruits and aromatic spices. Later, around noon, the group will meet for an interactive cooking class at the InterContinental's open kitchen. Four traditional Balinese seafood dishes are prepared using purchases from the morning market run: crab soup, squid lawar (traditional Balinese salad), pepes udang (steamed prawns wrapped in banana leaf) and a fi sh dish, dependent on the day's catch. And after a couple of hours, all that's left is to enjoy the meal. Bon appétit – or as they would say in Bali: selamat makan THE JUKUNGS OF JIMBARAN By Ian Jarrett PRODUCT: SUN, SEA AND SAND