31/01/2001
  Benoa - Bali - INDO.
  S 08°47   E 115°13
  +51

It's quite difficult to leave Asia after only 23 days. But this is only the first trip on the long way of the Car@van.

This morning, the Team left the Muslim island of Lombok to go back to Bali. We have to realize your vote. In this way, after 2 hours on a 'Sea Cat', we embark on a small boat made of wood, to find the tortoises.

Nyoman, a fisherman, brings us in a small center in the Nusa Dua peninsula. It's a kind of touristy hospital used to protect marina tortoises. Here, they can reproduce, and be cured with the tourists money. We spend some time with the fascinating prehistoric animals, but we're not completely satisfied. Here, the tortoises are not leaving in their natural environment and we can't swim with them. Meeting of the Team. We take the decision to realize the second choice of the voting form, Mission N°9: find a snake, kill eat and eat it.

As the Team goes for looking for a snake, Aleko doesn't follow, for ethical reasons: "I wouldn't kill an animal for an internet purpose".

We go in the King Cobra Palace, a kind of store where are sold products made with snake, from medicine to meat. In the backyard, we find a cobras and pythons breeding. We opt for the Cobra. On shot on the head and the reptile's blood is poured in three Chinese porcelain cups . Vale, Theo and Maya drink the sacred liquid of the reptile with '7 lives'. Marco doesn't drink, pretending he has to hold the camera. But he will have some meat later.

Last mission in Asia accomplished twice. Tonight, we'll leave the 13 000 islands country. See you tomorrow in Australia.

Look the videos.

White sands, rice fields, cities of art. But also security threats and mafia struggles for the control of beaches. Here are the two faces of Indonesian islands.

South Asia is rich of traditions, music, dances, traditional masks, art of massage, paintings and sculptures, temples... Bali and Lombok still remain fascinating, but changed a lot since the 'hippie' era. Today the biggest air companies land here, Kuta suffered probably the most of tourism. In April 2000, the struggle for controlling the 'business of beaches' provoked a little war between Hindus and Muslims... a sign of bad-being yet unknown in Bali ?

We only hope that mass tourism won't go further, in order to preserve the mysteries and wonders of this part of the world.

MAYA: I'd stay for hours looking at the men and women working in the rice fields. This confirms my idea of Asia: a constant, deep and obstinate energy. So different from me and so fascinating.

VALE: Asia of colors, rituals, perfumes and flavors... I wouldn't get weary of discovering the offers and the simplicity of the people, thanking their God every day.

THEO: I often traveled in Asia, but I didn't understand it completely... and I think I'll never manage it. But what I appreciate the most are the long silences and the artistic elegancy.

MARCO: I'd like to use this little space to thank Mun, a small man who lives since ever on a little island... too little for him! Ciao Mundra !

ALEKO: I only regret I didn't discover these island in the last century... That must have been great !

 

In Asia, the Car@van could feel the wind of 'globalization': the TV programs look like the American ones, and the local stars like the occidental ones. The poorest countries exportations depend more on the US Dollar rates (Soros, the financial guru, predicted a Yen crisis).

Globalization has multiple aspects, some are positive like communications, others negative like standardization. We believe that Man's patrimony resides in diversity and respect of the cultural and social systems.

And what is the new status symbol? The high-tech man. As we show the Nomad technology - cell phone, PC, digital camera - people are very demanding.

We take off tonight from Denpasar at 00.40 am, to Darwin, Australia.

In two hours, we will pass from the Yellow Continent to the Red Continent... hard to describe !

See U tomorrow, the Team :)

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