Bali and Westin Nusa Dua - Part II

We arrived around 3pm (from a 6:50AM flight from Manila) at the Denpasar International Airport in Bali, Indonesia. Customs was a breeze and it was hot and humid as well. We stayed at the Westin Nusa Dua Resort, and if I compared it to even Shangri-la Mactan or Hyatt Mactan, it was a far third from our local resort hotels.

Bali offers nothing fantastic, but the people are friendly, courteous and nice. What puzzled me is that the Philippines has much more to offer than Bali. The Filipinos are friendly, warm, hospitable and can speak much more fluent English than any nationality from other Asian countries I have visited. What is it in the Philippines then that stymies its growth as a tourism capital in this part of the region?

I guess this is the puzzle that Tourism Secretary Ace Durano has got to break. Anyone in his position should be able to fix the puzzle on why tourism in the Philippines has not gotten as much recognition as it deservingly should. People can always say that there is the peace situation in Mindanao that deprives us of tourism. But these are isolated cases. You just know where to go to in the area and I tell you, you can isolate Mindanao as a tourism venue and you can still promote the Philippines! Look at Bali. They bombed that place a few years back and the terrorism sown there looked like it was forgotten. In spite that it left hundreds dead, a year after, they were back in business.

Our flight from HongKong to Denpasar was FULL even on Business and First Class. And they were mostly foreigners going there for a vacation.

So why are they preferred destinations when the Philippines can offer more?

The following day after our meeting, my team and I decided to do some local shopping. We walked from the hotel to the nearest local stores. I was amazed at the peace and security in the area. I mean, while there are locals that ask you about taxi service and bartering with prices of local goods, they are not like the Filipinos who literally harrass their way to close a deal. There, you ask how much this is, bargain with them and if they don't want, simply walk away. The local people will just look at you. They do not impose! And you can walk the streets without fear for your life or that a snatcher or a drug crazed addict will cross your way and start knifing you or steal your wallet.

And I see these in many of the Asian cities I go to. In Thailand alone, their laws impose a more severe punishment if a Thai commits a criminal act against a foreigner than if a Thai commits a criminal act against a Thai.

It saddens me that I live in a country that is more beautiful than many of the places that I have seen in the Asian region, but is underappreciated by fellow Filipinos and foreigners as well. If the government is bent on using the natural resources and beauty of the country as its jumpboard for tourism, then it needs to throw its financial towel over this industry. It needs to implement a program that addresses discipline among the Filipino people. Clearly, the pathetic state of discipline in this country is its very waterloo. Sadly though, this is not the primary concern of the present government. Imagine, feeding a country through tourism will practically empower the people in the various provinces all over the archipelago! Then there would be no need to rely on funds from OFWs and no more migrants into the urbanized zones in the country.

When I left Bali after 2 days of a fruitful business meeting, I was saddened by the reality that at the rate our government officials are running this nation, it will not be far that we will have hit rock bottom as a nation. And that this once proud nation that has contributed to wealth and knowledge worldwide will simply be known for exporting OFWs to help its fledging economy.

Talk about how politics sucks! But that's another story...

Bali and Cathay Pacific - Part 1

I had a business meeting in Bali, Indonesia from April 14-16. My first time to visit this noted tourist spot in Indonesia.

Although Indonesia is probably about 3 hours from Manila by plane (direct flight), there were no direct flights from Manila to Denpasar. My colleagues from the other Asian regions (Taiwan, Hongkong, Japan and Korea) had surprisingly had direct flights from their home countries.

Understandably, there would be limited or no flights to Denpasar from Manila. In the first place, the Philippines is a haven for beaches as well, so there would be no need for the Filipinos to fly there for some sun and fun or for conferences for that matter. Secondly, Manila is NOT a major hub in the Asian region. The flights to and from Manila are predominantly for the OFWs who comprise a majority of the frequent flyers to this side of the continent. You can palpably feel this at the airport where majority of those on the flight are off to their final destination of work. It's a pity because on the flight from HongKong to Denpasar, the plane was full! Full of foreigners who made Denpasar their final destination for fun, relaxation or business!

There were three flight options from Manila.

1. Philippine Airlines - Manila-Singapore-Jakarta- then switch planes to Air Garuda from Jakarta to Denpasar.
2. Cathay Pacific Airlines - Manila-Hong Kong-Denpasar (7 hours flying time)
3. Singapore Airlines - Manila-Singapore-Denpasar (7 hours flying time)

My team and I took Cathay Pacific. It had the shortest waiting time, but it meant that we would have to fly North then fly down South again, passing the Philippines once more.

On board Cathay Pacific's newly configured plane, the business class section is reviewed in this blog.

The plus factors: individual seats (with no one beside you), a larger TV monitor, a larger work area, a lie flat (180 degrees) bed, a foot rest (cum ottoman), several individual lighting areas in one seat, and of course an electric outlet for recharging your gadgets.

And now the negative factors: the individual seats were slanted about 30-45 degrees, which was troublesome because I was disoriented during take-off and landing. Of course, when it was time to touch down, I wanted to look out the window but it was difficult to contort my body. The windows were at my back and the seat was blocking the view to all the windows.

All in all said, the flight was a smooth one, to and from Manila.

I'll blog about Bali in Part 2 of this review.