To many, Bali is a place of escape. It’s a place of bliss, exoticism, warm hospitality, and, of course, the venue of some of the finest waves on the planet. To others, particularly the locals whose Balinese lineage goes back several generations, Bali is increasingly becoming a place of immoral and illicit activity, as money and greed transforms the local landscape through, for example, overdevelopment and environmental degradation. For these reasons – not to mention the hordes of surfers who occupy the once-desolate local lineups – people are looking elsewhere to reside and enjoy their idyllic holidays.
Surfing legend Rizal Tanjung and Marlon Gerber have learned from Bali’s mistakes and are setting up a surfer’s retreat on the beautiful island of Java. Their intentions, however, seem to be taking a much different avenue than their Balinese neighbor. Rizal suggests that the land purchase is perhaps the beginning of a new form of surf tourism—one that seeks to be culturally and environmentally sensitive in order to preserve the very thing that drew them there in the first place. I don’t know about you, but I’m completely sold… Where do we sign up?
