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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Indonesia: Balinese Public Transport

Men fixing a Jeep in the Bada Valley
The Indonesians have an amazing talent for making their vehicles last forever; this makeshift garage is in Sulawesi's Bada Valley

Tuesday morning saw me standing outside the hostel in Kuta, waiting for a bemo (the local bus) while chaos erupted around me. Lining the street were loads of motorbikes, each with an owner hanging round nattering and waiting for something to happen. There was a policeman on hand, and all I could assume was that there had been an accident of some sort, and everyone was basically hanging around to see if anything juicy was going to happen. The fact that I understood not one word added to the confusion on my part; about three bemos went past before I realised I'd have to stand in the middle of the road to catch one's attention.