Tourism in Bali over the last few decades has brought life-changing economic opportunities for tens of thousands of Balinese families.

But the transition has created an economy dependent on tourist arrivals, and a disruption of Bali's uniquely sophisticated 1000-year old agricultural way of life, leaving many of the remaining farmers and rural working class in a tough spot.

The Farmers Carrying in Bali's Tourism Economy on their Heads

While millions of tourists stream into Bali's paradises each year, fueling the $8,000,000,000 tourism economy, local women put their bodies on the line to carry in the building blocks of the hotels, luxury eco-villas, and new swimming pools for dollars a day.
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Sareng Sami - “ALL TOGETHER”

During Saraswati, the Hindu holiday honoring the goddess of knowledge, I talked with Dwick - a young father and local property owner in Ubud - about the economy, the workers on his land, and the Balinese concept of God and the self.

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Images from a Rice Harvest

Kecak

The kecak, known as the monkey dance, is a Balinese theater performance based on a traditional mythological tale, often performed for tourists

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