Tourists to Bali would be familiar with Kuta Beach. I suppose the beach is synonymous with Kuta city. When we first entered Kuta, the driver who took us to our hotel, had without any prompting, given us directions on how to go to the beach. You'd expect many lovely beaches in Bali for this is but the Island of the Gods, and a paradise to surfers. Perhaps, you'd rather hunt out for other lesser known beaches too especially now when the more popular beaches are becoming rather crowded and noisy. Our guide had taken us to one such beach called Padang-Padang which is about 25 minutes from Kuta. There seemed to be no facilities around and I remember walking down a steep staircase to be confronted with a dilapidated shack and then, surrprise of all surprises! - There was a crowd of Westerners flolicking on the white sand under the scorching sun, most of them under shades of course, and everyone seemingly without a care for the world! For a moment, you'd expect Leornardo DiCaprio(inset) to be in the crowd. Remember Danny Boyle's 2000 adventure drama film shot in Thailand's Koh Phi Phi Island which caused a controversy when 20th Century Fox bulldozed the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Lee to make it more paradise-like but somehow damaged the ecosystem. Padang Padang, luckily is still in its pure form! How would you spend your time here?
Traveling Tip: You don't have to go to some well-known places!
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