Ramblings of a Global Citizen

Russian Far East: Cold War Kurils

2011-07-29T00:33:00.000+10:00

In my previous blog post, I discussed the wilderness and wildlife of the remote Kuril Islands, but alluded, to in that previous post, the Cold War history, and to a lesser extent these days, World War II History. The abandoned military bases of the Kuril Islands give an amazing insight into our recent past. To be able to visit once top secret and extremely strategic bases in one of the remotest parts of the world is truly a fascinating experience.

Soviet propaganda featuring Comrade Lenin in the abandoned Kraternyy Naval base on Simushir

Three of the islands I was lucky enough to visit had remnants of the Cold War militarisation of the Kurils. The first and least significant was the border guards post on Urup. Next was the one time Japanese WWII Airbase, then converted by the Soviets on Matua. But by far the most dramatic and fascinating visit was to the abandoned and once top secret Naval base on Simushir, inside the crater of a volcano. Reportedly construction of this naval base started in 1978 and with the end of the cold war the base was abandoned in 1993. When the Cold War ended these bases were totally abandoned, simply walked away from. So much equipment and infrastructure was just left behind.

URUP

Compared to the following two islands, the Cold War remnants on Urup, or at least those I was able to see, were limited to a former border guards outpost.
‘
There was a lot of rusting communications equipment decaying in the grass, large watch towers, and significantly reinforced buildings, some of which are being “recycled” by Salmon fishermen, using them as a base during the warmer times for their fishing expeditions.

Urup is the next island in line to the disputed Japanese territories, so I can imagine the strategic significance of a surveillance post on Urup in the Cold War era.

Radio mast at the old Border Guards outpost on Urup

Sunrise over a distant watch tower on Urup

Decaying buildings at the old Border Guard post on Urup

The former Border Guards outpost on Urup

Electronics simply rusting in the grass on Urup

MATUA

Matua not only held Cold War relics of significance, but also significant WWII history as well. Several large concrete bunkers from the WWII era can still be found around the island, and the significant runway was constructed by the Japanese originally for use during WWII.

The runway had some quite unique engineering features, built in by the Japanese, such as geothermal vents running under the length of the runway heating the runway to allow it to be ice free through out the year. This feature would have been equally as significant in WWII as it would have ben during the Cold War.

Matua also held dozens of military helmets, most Soviet era, but possibly some from the Japanese in WWII. One of the most interesting finds was a 44 gallon (200 litre) drum with the inscription “Wehrmacht” and the date 1943. One could assume this was a remnant of WWII supply from Germany to their Japanese allies.

The amount of vehicles left on Matua was mind blowing. Tracked vehicles, armoured vehicles, trucks, trailers, electronics filled vehicles, dozens and dozens of them. And the number of empty 44 gallon drums would have been into the thousands., scattered around the island.

Also wandering around Matua it was easy to notice many underground tunnels. The state of them did not really invite deep exploration, but one got the impression there was significant underground installations on the island.

A Soviet tunic button complete with torn fabric oxidised to a piece of concrete, Matua

A decaying tracked utility vehicle, still housed in it’s garage on Matua

A Japanese WWII Era Anti-Aircraft Gun remains to this day at the base on Matua

The vehicle graveyard on Matua was significant

Numerous command and control type trailers, filled with decaying electrical and electronic equipment filled the vehicle graveyard

As seen on Urup, there was plenty of electronics equipment strewn around Matua as well

Significant Radar stations and associated equipment sit abandoned across the island

Empty 44 Gallon Drums numbered in the thousands

One of the many “solid” buildings on the island

Many military helmets were scattered around the island. I would argue they were all Soviet era, however others speculate there were some WWII Japanese helmets amongst them

This 44 Gallon Drum was particularly interesting, containing the inscription Wehrmacht and the date 1943. One could assume that it was left over from WWII supplies from Germany to their Japanese allies.

Another heavily reinforced concrete building, which was connected to significant underground tunnels

Many military helmets were scattered around the island. I would argue they were all Soviet era, however others speculate there were some WWII Japanese helmets amongst them

Japanese WWII era concrete defence bunkers still line the foreshore of Matua

SIMUSHIR

Out of three Cold War islands I was able to visit, SImushir was by far the most dramatic, interesting and fascinating. The island is essentially a series of four volcanic cones, with the northern one being a flooded caldera. In a situation reminiscent of the best Cold War James Bond movie, the soviets blasted an entrance channel into the caldera so Submarines and other vessels could access the base. And in a sign of the modern digital age we live in I was able to locate a picture of the actual blasting to make the entrance taking place (see below © All Rights Reserved by Sergey Nogovitsyn ).

In a sign of the times of this age of modern digital communication, I came across an original photo of the construction of the secret base, including this shot of the blasting of the entrance into the caldera © All Rights Reserved by Sergey Nogovitsyn

This NASA pic of Simushir, shows the four volcanic peaks in a line, with the final northern most caldera being the home of the Kraternyy Naval Base (NASA/Wikipedia)

A topographic map showing the northern Caldera and Broutana Bay (Map from my friend Wayne Brown at Ocean Adventures)

Construction of the base started in 1978, and went on to eventually house over 3000 people in the base town of Kraternyy. It’s no doubt given the era, and the fact it was constructed inside a volcanic caldera on an extremely remote island, that the base was “top secret”. However it’s quite ironic that abandoned as it is today, there is a sign on the hill naming the base and listing the units that were based there. Reminds me sort of like the bat cave, secret but everything labelled!

A declassified US Navy report I located on line described the base as having the role of using its submarines to lay sea mines across the lines of supply in Northern Japan and around the Kurils in the event of outbreak of hostilities. There was also reportedly radar and electronic reconnaissance equipment for surveillance on the island as well.

The following report was disseminated by the Reuters news agency in 1982, when the presence of this base became public knowledge.

Russians Said to Have Built Submarine Base Near Japan

Reuters

Published: October 24, 1982

TOKYO, Oct. 23— The Soviet Union has deployed attack type conventional submarines at a new base in the Kurile Islands in the north western Pacific, a Japanese newspaper reported today.
The mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun quoted Japanese and American Government sources as saying that the submarine base had been built at the northern tip of Simushir Island, about 250 miles northeast of Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido.

One could spend days or weeks wandering around this former town base. With numerous buildings, installations and facilities all pretty much left as they were at the end of the cold war. Nuclear Chemical and Biological warfare suits lay tossed around rooms. Once secret code rooms lay open to those who can get to the island. Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, gun racks, sleeping quarters, sports rooms, lecture halls, movie theatres, all just left to decay in time. Charts lay on tables, maps line walls, book shelves filled with once relevant military information lie exposed to the elements through broken windows and rotting infrastructure.

Exploring deep enough you can find secret stair cases to hidden rooms, some accessed through narrow passages with gun ports either side, that in its operational time would have allowed only authorised entry through threat of instant death to those who should not enter. In one such area I found an interesting curiosity, in one cupboard I chose to open, out of many that I could have, was a CIA sticker! A kind of tourist sticker from CIA headquarters in Virginia. Whilst it looked like it had been there a long time, it could also have ben placed there more recently as a kind of joke. It did make me think it had ben there since the Soviet days as there were several other “western” stickers located nearby including a Mars Bar sticker. Being this was in the secret part of the building through hidden entrances, one could speculate this was a KGB or Military Intelligence (GRU) area of the complex.

Kraternyy Naval Base, Simushir

Kraternyy Base, Simushir

Electronics inside on the buildings

Equipment inside the base

An old Soviet Naval gun mount stands as a monument at Kraternyy Base

NBC Warfare suits lay scattered everywhere

A former Soviet Submarine Tender that didn’t quite make it through the narrow entrance to the caldera during bad weather

Soviet propaganda covered many of the walls

I found this CIA sticker inside a cupboard on the base!

Inside the base

Maps and charts were hung on walls and scattered on tables

Several rooms were filled with gun racks

A sign shows 1978, the year construction began on the base

The irony of a top secret base, with a large sign on the hill declaring it’s name

And a further sign listing the units that were stationed there!

The Soviet Naval Ensign, overlapping the then former Russian Naval Ensign, which since the fall of the Soviet Union is once again the flag of the Russian Fleet

To be able to wander freely through this once great military base, to see the significant infrastructure abandoned, to see the equipment left behind was an amazing experience. Knowing the strategic significance of this area still today, it would not surprise me if one day in the future we once again see the militarisation of the Kurils.

As my comrade Huckorivitch would say; nazdarovya!

PART ONE: Russian Far East: Kuril Island Wilderness

So you want to visit the Kurils?

- being so remote and without airfields on al but the disputed islands next to Japan, the only way in is by ship.

- several expedition cruise companies offer expeditions through the Kurils in the warmer ice free months of the year, departing either from Kamchatka or Hokkaido normally.

- other than that its very difficult and expensive to get to these remote and unique islands

View Larger Map

Kuril Islands

del.icio.us Tags: soviet,russian far east,kurils,cold war,asia,WWII,world war two,japanese,soviet navy,submarine,mine laying,border guard,kruriles,urup,matua,simushir,broutana,kraternyy,caldera,secret,GlobalCitizen01

Flickr Tags: soviet,russian far east,kurils,cold war,asia,WWII,world war two,japanese,soviet navy,submarine,mine laying,border guard,kruriles,urup,matua,simushir,broutana,kraternyy,caldera,secret,GlobalCitizen01

Technorati Tags: soviet,russian far east,kurils,cold war,asia,WWII,world war two,japanese,soviet navy,submarine,mine laying,border guard,kruriles,urup,matua,simushir,broutana,kraternyy,caldera,secret,GlobalCitizen01

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

Russian Far East: Kuril Island Wilderness

2011-07-18T00:17:00.000+10:00

The Kuril islands stretch between Hokkaido in Japan’s north, up to the Kamchatka Peninsula that stretches off the Siberian mainland in the Sea of Okhotsk. All of the Kuril Islands are currently part of Russia and have controversially been that way since the end of World War II in 1945. Much like Sakhalin from the previous post, the Kurils have changed hands between Japan and Russia constantly during modern times.

Regional map showing the strategic location of the Kurils (from Wikipedia)

Map of the Kuril Islands, showing the historically moving Russian-Japanese border in 1875, 1855 and the current controversial border that has been in effect since 1945 (from Wikipedia)

And again like Sakhalin there has been various treaties and agreements (or disagreements…) over the sovereign rights to the Kurils, exacerbated by the strategic location between Russian and the US (and US allies like Japan) during the cold war. Currently several of the islands are in dispute between Japan and Russia. Tee southern most Kurils, only a handful of miles off Japan, are claimed by Japan as their Northern Territories. The Russian’s have recently reactivated a military base on one of these islands have announced one of their new large naval helicopter carriers being purchased from France will be based there. The Japanese claim to these islands is based around a treaty signed before the end of WWII, whereas Russia claims the treaty is overridden by the fact the Japanese lost the war, so why would the treaty be relevant, as the islands were taken during the closing stages of WWII. It is often said that as long as the US forces have bases in Japan, Russia will not relinquish it’s hold on the strategic Kurils.

A Cold War radar station on Matua

The rugged Kuril Islands have long been seen as a Strategic Buffer between the US and their allies and Russia

The points above withstanding, the majority of the cold war bases in the Kurils have been long abandoned. The islands are essentially void of populations with exception of the odd Salmon fisherman, or the odd scientific researcher or the odd adventurous traveller. The number one reason to visit the Kuril; islands today is for the wilderness and the wildlife. Large volcanic cones, steaming and erupting, surrounded by wild arctic foxes, seals and sea lions by the hundreds if not thousands lining the shore, and the diverse bird life which is almost unbelievable. In some places you can barely see the sky for all the birds!.

The sky absolutely full of birds, off Chirpoy in the Kurils

Marine Mammals are abundant, this photo was off Chirpoy

The many islands of the Kurils have different names depending on which country is giving the name. The Japanese have their own names for the islands and the original Ainu people who were the indigenous peoples of the region also had their own names. Since all the islands are technically Russian today, the “correct” names are also technically the Russian names, all political arguments aside….

The following were the islands I was able to visit, listing the main highlight for visitors;

Urup	Geology, old Border Guard post
Chirpoy	Marine Mammals, Birds
Yankicha	Foxes, Geology
Atlasov	Geology, old Prison Camp
Shumshu	Sea Otters, Marine Mammals
Skaly Lovushky	Marine Mammals, Birds
Matua	old WWII and Soviet Air Base
Simushir	old Soviet Naval Base

I intend to cover the former Soviet remnants in the Kurils in a later post, but here we will look at the wilderness and the wildlife, island by island;

URUP

The first of the group I was able to visit was Urup. Urup is larger than many of the Kurils and is just outside of the Japanese disputed territories. Originally inhabited by the indigenous Ainu who also inhabited Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the other Kurils, Japanese Colonists lived on the island during the times it belonged to Japan, and then Soviet Border Guards resided there from WWII till the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today apart from the odd Salmon fisherman, there is little habitation on the island.

A fishing boat on Urup

Wildflowers on Urup

Old Soviet Border Guard outpost on Urup

Mountains and glaciers of Urup

Local salmon fisherman camped out on Urup

CHIRPOY

Chirpoy and Brat Chirpoy (literally Russian for Chirpoy’s Brother) actually make up the island group known as Chyornie Bratya, although most visitors just refer to the islands collectively as “Chirpoy”. The native Ainu people called these islands Repunmoshiri, a word meaning “place of many small birds”, a a name still relevant today. As well as birds there was no shortage of Marine Mammals today either.

Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and other birds fill the sky off Chirpoy

A tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) floats off Chirpoy

Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Rookery, Chirpoy

Every available surface was used by nesting birds on Chirpoy

YANKICHA

Yankicha is one of the islets making up Ushishir in the central Kurils. The northern islet is known as Ryponkicha. There appears to have never been any permanent human inhabitation on the island, although Ainu certainly visited the island during summers. Yankicha had abundant wild Arctic Foxes (Vulpes lagopus) running around, who showed now fear of humans, and lots of fumaroles and other volcanic activity. Volcanically heated water made for a great impromptu hot spring bath, although finding the right temperature was difficult as the water really was super hot. As with all the islands, there was no shortage of birds.

Maxim, an officer from our navigation team, tries the impromptu hot spring feed bath

An Arctic Fox wanders the shore line of Yankicha

A raft of Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella) drifts until being disturbed off Yankicha

A slaty-backed gull (Larus schistisagus) stands proud while hundreds of Auklets and Puffins fill the sky behind at Yankicha

Another Arctic Fox prowls around the fumaroles and volcanic vents on Yankicha

ATLASOVA

Both the northern most island in the Kurils and the largest volcano, sitting off the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula. It’s often described as one of the world’s most perfectly shaped volcanic cones, giving Japan’s Mount Fuji a run for it’s money. There are remains of a Soviet prison camp on the island still today.

Atlasova, with it’s summit in the clouds

The old Soviet prison back dropped by Atlasova’s Volcano

One of Atlasova’s active volcanic vents

SHUMSHU

Like Atlasova, Shumshu is at the northern most end of the Kuril Chain, it was once home to a large number of Ainu and was significant Japanese base during the battles for the Aleutian Islands in WWII. The day of my visit was shrouded in fog, but numerous Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) and Spotted Seals or Largha Seals (Phoca largha) showed themselves through the mist.

Sea otters floating off Shumshu

A spotted seal pops up for a look at Shumshu

Another pair of Sea Otters off Shumshu

Spotted Seals are also known as Largha Seals, Shumshu

Seals and Otters were the order of the day at Shumshu

SKALY LOVUSHKY

Hardly an island, Skaly Lovushky is nothing more than a pile of partly submerged rocks, surrounded by underwater kelp forests. This pile of rocks however is home to several seal and sea lion colonies, including the giant Steller Sea Lions. Whilst the Stellers were the most spectacular, Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were by far the most numerous.

The giant Steller Sea Lions were in significant numbers around Skaly Lovushky

But the Northern Fur Seals were the most numerous

The Northern Fur Seals seemingly had no fear swimming right up to our boats

Through the thick fog the giant frames of bull Steller Sea Lions could be seen atop the rocks

The incredible diversity and more so density of wildlife in the Kuril islands is impossible to describe with words and pictures, it needs to be seen, heard, smelt and experienced to appreciate it all……….

PART 2: Russian Far East: Cold War Kurils

So you want to visit the Kurils?

- being so remote and without airfields on al but the disputed islands next to Japan, the only way in is by ship.

- several expedition cruise companies offer expeditions through the Kurils in the warmer ice=fee months of the year, departing either from Kamchatka or Hokkaido normally.

- other than that its very difficult and expensive to get to these remote and unique islands

View Larger Map

Kuril Islands

Flickr Tags: russian far east,kuril islands,kuriles,chirpoy,brat chirpoy,atlasova,simushir,matua,shumshu,urup,skaly lovushky,lavashky,sea otter,seal,northern fur,sea lion,steller,spotted,largha,soviet,asia,japan,volcano,wilderness,GlobalCitizen01,WWII,ainu

Technorati Tags: russian far east,kuril islands,kuriles,chirpoy,brat chirpoy,atlasova,simushir,matua,shumshu,urup,skaly lovushky,lavashky,sea otter,seal,northern fur,sea lion,steller,spotted,largha,soviet,asia,japan,volcano,wilderness,GlobalCitizen01,WWII,ainu

del.icio.us Tags: russian far east,kuril islands,kuriles,chirpoy,brat chirpoy,atlasova,simushir,matua,shumshu,urup,skaly lovushky,lavashky,sea otter,seal,northern fur,sea lion,steller,spotted,largha,soviet,asia,japan,volcano,wilderness,GlobalCitizen01,WWII,ainu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

the Russian Far East: Sakhalin

2011-07-05T11:17:00.000+10:00

Russia spans an enormous length across this globe. The Russia that most travellers are familiar with is the European end, but far far away on the opposite side of the globe is the Russian Far East. This area is difficult to reach for the average traveller. The simple remoteness makes it challenging, along with harsh winters and an administration system more akin to the former Soviet Union then “modern” European Russia.

A map from Wikipedia showing the Russian Far East in red and showing the expanse covered by Russia

A dominant feature in the Russian Far East is the island of Sakhalin. Once assumed to be a peninsula attached to the main land until someone managed to sail around it, today Sakhalin is the centre of a blooming oil and gas industry. Historically, as with the Kurils, Sakhalin has been claimed and fought over by both the Russians and the Japanese. During the Cold War the strategic location north of Japan and not that far from US territory in the form of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands meant Sakhalin was used by the Soviet Military to assert their authority in the region. Probably the most tragic example of this was the 1983 shoot down of Korean Airlines Flight 007 which strayed into Soviet Airspace and was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 Interceptor flying out of Sakhalin. The Soviets believed the Korean airliner was an American spy plane at the time of the shoot down.

The island of Sakhalin sits just off Russia’s coast on the Far East (map from Wikipedia)

Mikhail Gorbachev, one time Soviet leader, with his significant birthmark on his forehead, which Sakhalin residents, even to this day are quick to point out, closely resembles the shape of the island of Sakhalin! (pic – wikipedia)

A Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor of the kind that destroyed Korean Airlines Flight 007 over Sakhalin, on display in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk’s derelict military museum.

An artists rendition of KAL Flight 007 shot down over Sakhalin in 1983 (Wikipedia)

Even today in these post-Soviet times and the growth associated with the oil and gas offshore, reminders of the Soviet time are everywhere, particularly in architecture. Large drab, grey concrete, apartment complexes are everywhere. Significant military infrastructure, most of it appearing run down, lines the main road between the port of Korsakov and the main town of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk. At one military compound beside the road tracked amphibious vehicles by the dozen appear to be rotting away. In the heart of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk a military museum and function area is decaying, bricks falling off the building, the once proud military vehicles on display are now covered in graffiti and surrounded by empty beer cans and vodka bottles.

Typical drab Soviet Era buildings of Sakhalin

A Soviet era BTR Armoured Personnel Carrier decaying in the derelict museum

the now derelict displays at the old military museum

As with many Russian towns, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk has a giant Lenin Statue in the centre of the city and elsewhere numerous monuments to the soldiers who fought and died in various conflicts of the Soviet era. And again in common with most of Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church represents the majority in Christianity. The Orthodox Churches use significant amounts of Iconography within the churches, much more so than Roman Catholic or more contemporary Protestant Churches. I was also lucky enough to catch a traditional Russian folk performance in the park, with Cossack-style dancing and sword wielding, bear fur hatted men in uniform strutting there stuff beside traditionally dressed Russian women.

Dominant iconography surrounds the altar in Yuzhno Sakhalin’s Orthodox Church

Crucifix and Candles inside the Orthodox Church

Lenin striking a “gay” pose? In Yuzhno Sakhalin’s Lenin Square.

Heroes Square, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

Traditional Russian Folk Performance in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

This was my first travel experience to Russia, and whilst there was no shortage of wealth on display in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, particularly with the oil and gas developments, there were certain images that were exactly what I expected from a remote Russian experience. Run down Lada cars, drab buildings, homage to Lenin, and similar powerful icons of Russia’s past history were never far from the eye.

A dock worker and his dog in the port of Korsakov

A street mural paying homage to Lenin in Korsakov

Russian Border Guards giving travel writer John Borthwick the once over in Korsakov

An iconic Lada in Korsakov Port

A stereotypical image of an elderly Russian woman in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

The Russian-Japanese conflict in this area is intriguing. Sakhalin itself was at one point divided roughly in half with the northern half Soviet controlled and the southern half Japanese controlled. The city of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk was once the Japanese prefectural capital of Toyohara.At the end of WWII, after the Atom Bombs had been dropped, the Russians saw their chance to capitalise and took the southern half of Sakhalin and the nearby Kuril Islands. The southern most Kuril Islands sitting very close to Japan are still subject to controversy today. Whilst they are firmly under Russian control the Japanese still lay claim to them creating political tension to this very day. There are still remnants of the pre-1945 Japanese occupation of southern Sakhalin, the most notable being the building which today houses the local museum, still complete with the crest of the Japanese Royal Family on it’s doors.

Pre-1945 map showing the Soviet-Japanese division of Sakhalin (Wikipedia)

the old Japanese administration building is now a museum

So YOU want to visit Sakhalin?

There is a substantial airport at Yuzhno Sakhalin
Regular flights from Moscow, Seoul, Vladivostok and else where land there
Airlines servicing Sakhalin include Aeroflot, Vladivostok Avia and Asiana Airlines
Ferries from northern Hokkaido to Korsakov port are available
You will need to carefully check and comply with Russian Visa requirements for your nationality. Some aspects of the Soviet era die hard……

Flickr Tags: russian far east,sakhalin,russia,soviet,globalcitizen01,gorbachev,btr,su-15,kal 007,yuzhno-sakhalinsk,lenin,korsakov,lada,japan,WWII,cold war,kurils,russo-japan war,folk dancing,cossack

Technorati Tags: russian far east,sakhalin,russia,soviet,globalcitizen01,gorbachev,btr,su-15,kal 007,yuzhno-sakhalinsk,lenin,korsakov,lada,japan,WWII,cold war,kurils,russo-japan war,folk dancing,cossack

del.icio.us Tags: russian far east,sakhalin,russia,soviet,globalcitizen01,gorbachev,btr,su-15,kal 007,yuzhno-sakhalinsk,lenin,korsakov,lada,japan,WWII,cold war,kurils,russo-japan war,folk dancing,cossack

View Larger Map

Sakhalin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

Bali Revisited

2011-06-19T23:16:00.001+10:00

One of my first blog posts, almost exactly one year ago, was about a weekend in Bali. I spend a lot of weekends in Bali, as Bali is a good hub point to access more remote parts of the Indonesian archipelago such as West Sumba where I have just returned from. Bali means many different things to many different people. The experienced traveller will often proclaim they avoid Bali. And for good reason, the tourist “traps” of Kuta, Legian, Tuban and Seminyak with row after row of pushy vendors (usually from other parts of Indonesia) selling the same old crap. Street after street of loud, drunken, obnoxious, (often) Australian tourists with the obligatory Bintang Singlet and a bottle of Bintang in their hand. Terrorist attacks on Kuta’s nightclub strip in 2002 and 2005 didn’t do the area’s reputation much good either. But a real traveller knows there much more to Bali then just Kuta and it’s dirty beaches and drunken night life. There is much more making up the rest of Bali that's worth exploring and the natural friendly helpful nature of the Balinese people only adds to the whole experience.

The memorial to the lives lost during the 2002 Terrorist bombings in Bali

The natural light combined from the glowing charcoal and the gas lantern caught my eye on this BBQ Corn vendors cart on Jalan Legian in downtown Kuta, for a photo without using a flash

Denpasar as the capital of Bali and the centre of commerce and industry falls outside of the general visitors path. Apart from maybe transiting through en route to Sanur or possibly Ubud the average western visitor spends little time in Denpasar. But there are hidden gems to be found for the astute traveller in Denpasar. One of them is the annual Denpasar Arts Festival, in it’s 33rd year this year in 2011. I was fortunate to attend the opening street parade. Very few other non-locals were there. The majority of cultural groups in the parade were from various parts of Bali. Their Hindu culture, a legacy of the days when Bali was part of the Majapahit-Hindu Kingdom from 1293 to the early 1500’s, dominated the parade. It’s interesting how the Indonesian Archipelago took on the later Islamic and Christian faiths whilst Bali remained true to their Hindu roots even to this day. Many of the Balinese groups were acting out or representing parts of traditional Hindu stories such as the Ramayana. There were also groups from elsewhere in Indonesia, two groups from Kalimantan on the island of Borneo were popular with the crowds.

Indonesian Police Women (POLDA-Bali) undertake crowd control during the parade in central Denpasar

the majority of cultural groups in the parade were from regions of Bali itself

Balinese culture groups “perform” for the crowd

Several culture groups from Kalimantan on the island of Borneo were present

Typical traditional headdress of a Balinese woman. Stunning.

Some of the younger participants didn’t seem so impressed…..

Many of the Balinese “characters” represent parts of the traditional Hindu writings

The former Dutch colonialists are often parodied in modern Indonesia as having particularly big noses! Even the large nosed Proboscis Monkey is known as the Dutch Monkey in Indonesia.

Balinese culture has always had a strong theatrical element, religious stories even today are acted out by theatrical troupes, often numbering into the hundreds, in elaborate costumes. More often than not today these events are staged for tourists. One of the most popular groups to appear in the parade was a team of two Balinese theatrical comedians. The crowd literally went wild as they made their way down the parade route. Hundreds took their turn to get their picture taken with them and get autographs from the pair.

Probably the most popular appearance during the parade were two famous Balinese comedians who were totally swamped by the crowd as they passed

The highlight for me was the Bali Brass Band, although I believe they use the name G.C.K. MBudayana, as in Marching Band Udayana, from the Udayana University. These guys were awesome. Musically they were competent and their Balinese hybrid costumes just added to the whole experience. Their brass instruments have forward facing bells to project the sound, an American style so much more practical for street parades then the old fashioned upwards facing bells found in the average “behind-the-times” Australian Brass Bands. Another adoption from the US Brass Band style was a significant drum line and tonal bass drums. The old traditional brass bands had a single bass drummer, playing with one stick on one side of the drum only producing a dull thud. American Brass Bands several decades ago introduced a whole line up of different sized bass drums with the opposing sides tuned at different pitches so each bass drummer can produce two different sounds. A line up of say four bass drums can therefore produce eight different melodic sounds. It was great to see such a quality band from Bali, decades ahead of the average Australian Brass Band drearily marching is some Australian street parade.

The Bali Brass Band was a highlight for me. Not only were they musically competent, they knew how to put on a show, complemented by traditional Balinese costumes and an awesome drum line.

MBudayana in the Denpasar Arts Festival Parade

The MBudayana (Marching Band Udayana) use American style forward facing bells on their brass instruments

MBudayana had an awesome drum line with an effective tonal bass drum set up

At one point in the parade the band dropped their instruments and started singing!

You don’t have to travel too far from the Kuta tourist strip to start finding the real Bali. The areas surrounding Denpasar and Kuta are filled with traditional villages, hundreds of Hindu temples and multitudes of rice fields. This trip I found myself in Bangli, central east Bali, really not that far from Denpasar and Kuta. There are none of the traditional tourist types attraction here, but for the smart traveller there is so much to see and do here. My niece just happened to be in Bali this weekend so we grabbed some mountain bikes and some local Bangli guides and went for a spin around. Lucky most of it was downhill, some of the uphills nearly killed me. I also learnt that taking photos with a DSLR while flying downhill at high speed on a bitumen road was not a good idea. Much to the combined amusement and concern of numerous villagers and passing truck and bus drivers, I fell off. Taking a significant chunk of flesh out of my leg in the process. Despite the momentary pain it was a great ride, with some of the best scenery in Bali.

In the Kuta strip you see police carrying automatic weapons to counter the terrorist threat. Yet a short distance away villagers carry rifles to hunt for their dinner!

Ploughing the rice fields, as seen while zooming past on my mountain bike…

Great reflections in the rice fields while cycling past

A giant effigy of Hanuman in a small shelter beside a rice field near Bangli

the ubiquitous Balinese Rice Field

My niece and a local guide cycling through Bangli

the end result of taking photos whilst riding down hill at high speeds….

So don’t let anyone tell you Bali is just for drunken Australian yobos. There’s so much more to Bali, you just need to be smart enough to look beyond the tourist strip to find it…….

So you want to go to Bali?

Compared to most places I write about you will have no problems getting to Bali. The main airport, Ngurah Rai, is serviced by multiple airlines direct from numerous international ports or via Jakarta. From Bali dozens of carriers service other parts of Indonesia.
To then make the most of Bali you need to get away from the Kuta/Seminyak beach scene and discover the real Bali………

View Larger Map

Bangli, Bali

Technorati Tags: indonesia,bali,sunda,nusa tengarra,tenggara,asia,bangli,mountain bike,rice,paddy,paddies,sanur,denpasar,kuta,tuban,seminyak,ubud,arts festival,2011,balinese,comedian,majapahit,hindu,globalcitizen01,terrorist,bombing,parade,brass band,marching,drum line,tonal bass drum,ramayana,hanuman,mbudayana,marching band udayana,udayana university,polisi,policewoman,polri,polda

del.icio.us Tags: indonesia,bali,sunda,nusa tengarra,tenggara,asia,bangli,mountain bike,rice,paddy,paddies,sanur,denpasar,kuta,tuban,seminyak,ubud,arts festival,2011,balinese,comedian,majapahit,hindu,globalcitizen01,terrorist,bombing,parade,brass band,marching,drum line,tonal bass drum,ramayana,hanuman,mbudayana,marching band udayana,udayana university,polisi,policewoman,polri,poldda

Flickr Tags: indonesia,bali,sunda,nusa tengarra,tenggara,asia,bangli,mountain bike,rice,paddy,paddies,sanur,denpasar,kuta,tuban,seminyak,ubud,arts festival,2011,balinese,comedian,majapahit,hindu,globalcitizen01,terrorist,bombing,parade,brass band,marching,drum line,tonal bass drum,ramayana,hanuman,mbudayana,marching band udayana,udayana university,polisi,policewoman,polri,polda

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

In the Beginning…..one year on

2011-06-14T22:02:00.000+10:00

Hard to believe but it’s been one year since I started this blog.

Why I started this blog and why I continue to write this blog I can’t really explain, god knows I hardly have time to keep it updated!

However I have managed to make at least one or two posts a month and readership has steadily increased.

Today the blog is averaging about 20 new hits a week, mostly coming from Google searches.

There are about a dozen regular readers who keep coming back to read more!

Overall in a year there’s been about 1700 unique hits and 6000 odd page loads.

Most visitors come from the US, with Australia second and a lot of hits from South East Asia, most likely as the majority of posts are from/about places in South East Asia.

The number one page hit is the Savu Sawu Sabu page, my second post, most likely because there is so little information about Savu out there. The blog is often rated number one in Google for searches on “Savu”.

The blog has also rated top in Google searches for such obscure searches as “Vietnam Mafia” and more regular searches such as “Coron Palawan”.

Each post averages 6 Facebook “likes”

Given that I can’t really explain what I wanted to achieve from the blog, I guess it’s all good…..

Lets see if I can keep it up to the second birthday in June 2012!

Technorati Tags: beginning,end,globalcitizen01,one year anniversary,birthday,australia,savu,sabu,sawu,facebook,twitter,blogger,ramblings of a global citizen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.