'They knocked the hotel down while I was inside': Aussie tourists reeling as Bali hotspot destroyed

Bingin, a boho enclave in Bali famous among surfers, is currently being sledgehammered in controversial circumstances, with some locals fearing the Island of Gods is at risk of becoming the island of beach clubs. 

Sledgehammers are piercing the air in Bingin, Uluwatu's hippie sister.

This beloved beachy community, known for its boho vibes, clifftop shacks, sprawling homestays and local warungs sits just north of Uluwatu.

Though it has become more busy in the last twenty years, it's still less busy than Uluwatu, which has beach clubs, luxury hotels and now plans for a great big road carved into the cliff. 

Bingin is also home to one of the most mesmerising waves in the world. Bingin is one of the easiest barrels on the planet, and because of this it draws thousands of surfers every year to try their luck at it. 

However, this week authorities started demolishing more than 45 "illegal" businesses on the cliffside. This includes a mix of Western-backed joints and locally-run places that have been passed down the generations since the 1980s - from restaurants and bars to homestays and villas.

Footage has emerged of demolition crews smashing down local bars with hammers (parts of the cliff are too steep for bulldozers) as distraught employees look on. 

As for the tourist experience on the ground, one Aussie surfer in Bali told Escape (under the condition of anonymity for fear of deportation) he was in a hotel with his partner when demolition began. 

"I was in the first hotel they targeted. No warning they just started knocking down and breaking sh*t while I was in it with my fiance."

See also: Incredible photos show what Bali was like in the 1980s

Eviction notices were sent a month ago, but due to their strange request that business owners tear their own joints down, locals hoped it was just bluster. Turns out it wasn't.

After a few weeks of social media outrage, online petitions and community protest, the Badung Regency Government ignored business-owners' pleas and gave the green light to the demolition crew.

Aside from devastating the local culture and economy, this has sparked outrage among surfers all over the world. 

11-time world champion Kelly Slater said on Instagram that this detracts from "the culture and beauty of what attracted everyone there in the first place.”

Bingin has one of the best waves in the world. Picture: iStock.

Mr Slater also said: “Awful to hear and see that the beachfront at Bingin in Bali has been bought up and all the local (eateries) and other businesses will be demolished to make room for some kind of beach club and not sure what else?” 

“Bali has been completely mishandled and ruined by foreign interests in recent years."

Bingin Beach is only reachable via super steep staircases plunging and weaving down through the cliffside buildings that are being demolished, so the state of future beach access is unclear, news.com.au reports.

There has been much social media protest, so far to no avail. Pictures via Instagram (@savebinginbeach and @niluhdjelantik)

Social media account Uluwatu Community, which is protesting the demolition, also raised the question: “Rumours are spreading: is this really about law enforcement or about clearing prime land for bigger investors with deeper pockets?”

“It seems the idea of an 'undeveloped' cliff no longer fits into certain visions for the future.”

It also said that Bingin residents and business owners have hired lawyers hinting that a legal battle may just be getting going.

Social media account Save Bingin Beach wrote: "Why doesn’t the government take the side of the locals? Why are family-run warungs and small businesses being destroyed while money-hungry beach clubs are allowed to stay?"

They added: "Why does Bingin’s natural beauty have to be sacrificed just to make room for unnecessary developments? This isn’t progress – it’s greed."

See also: This once-secret Bali beach is about to get a glass elevator, and tourists are furious

Aussie travellers are now scuttling to find new accommodation, with one holidaymaker posting on Facebook: "If you have accommodation on the beachfront / cliff in Bingin I urge you to contact them… hotel / villa owners are dealing with a lot at the moment and some are not being proactive in contacting their guests to let them know they will not be able to stay there…"

Bali surf shop @daya.surf mourned the demolition on Instagram.

Others warned of similar things happening to them in the past at other locations in Bali. "Be careful" one Facebook user wrote in a Bali tourist community page. 

 

"We bought really nice accommodation to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, got to the resort and the pathway was being built on the beach at Seminyak. No access to the beach at all and the noise kept us awake all night every night!!!"

Others guessed authorities were: "Making way for the next new concrete monster" like they did in Dreamland (another nearby beach).

"I remember when Dreamland was really a dream in 2007," another Facebook user wrote. "Small local warungs near the shore, in front of a beautiful big wave breaking outside on a big swell and when the tide was low. I really miss so much that little piece of heart."

Aussies have also been warned to let the local community do its thing and not get involved, as foreigners caught protesting in Indonesia risk two weeks in jail followed by immediate deportation and a ban from the country.

Should a big development now pop up in this prime piece of real estate it could hardly be considered a coincidence. As surf magazine Stab points out, ownership of nearly all of the Bukit has emerged in an informal and at times legally-ambiguous fashion. So why single out Bingin?

Stab reports: "The developers lean heavily on the thin reed that these businesses are violating spatial planning laws and building regs. In plain terms: the land families have occupied, built homes and businesses on for generations, back when Bingin was still jungle, is officially not theirs. It’s always belonged to the state. The government, after decades of apparent disinterest, has decided to enforce that technicality."

Bingin locals like Mega Semadhi have urged the government to involve the community in the reshaping of the land - or at least keep the land a truly protected green zone. 

"I realise coastal land belongs to the state," Semadhi said. "But these buildings have been standing since the 1970s, long before current laws and regulations existed."

"For years, they've been trying to engage in dialogue, urging the government to regulate development to prevent excessive growth and maintain Bingin's authenticity. But this is the result: unilateral evictions, with no real protection for the local community."

"If demolition must be done, I beg you: Give the Bingin community the opportunity to collaborate with the banjar/traditional village/government agency to continue managing this area, as they are the ones who have developed, maintained, and made Bingin known internationally."

"Or, if not, make Bingin a truly protected green zone. Let only coconut and pandanus trees grow, not the new beach clubs that are mushrooming in Bali."

"Bali is Island of the Gods not Island of Beach Club," he added.

Footage of locals and tourists gathering together for one last time to watch the sunset yesterday before yet more demolition occurs provided a shred of hope for some.

Lucky Fish Lounge, a Bingin bar, posted the following from @tropicamuse on Instagram: "A day after the demolitions began, I walked down to the beach. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But what I found surprised me: Locals had gathered for a sacred ceremony - not to celebrate, but to pray, to hold on, to hope for the best."

"Tourists, too, had come  - maybe for one last time, to sit, to watch the sunset, to soak in the beauty before it’s gone. Yes, some businesses are already leaving. Furniture being carried out. Doors closing. Others are staying, still hoping, still standing."

"Traces of demolition are there. But so is the beauty. So is the spirit. If this place means something to you - go. Support the local businesses while they’re still standing. Let the memory stay with you."

The fight to reverse the decision (or at least involve the local community more in its transformation) is apparently ongoing. The petition to save Bingin from forced demolition has 18,141 signatures and counting at the time of writing, and can be signed here. 

The petition page claims that reports that local businesses are unwilling to pay local government taxes are inaccurate and says: "On the contrary, local businesses have demonstrated a high level of cooperation and a willingness to comply with all applicable requirements."

According to the petition page, the local government has not issued the necessary permits to allow these businesses to register and fulfill their local tax obligations.

"Meanwhile," the petition page alleges, "a well-known property developer and operator of one of Canggu's most famous beach clubs has begun promoting property investment opportunities using the image of Bingin Beach, despite the lack of official development approval, let alone consultation with the local community."

Originally published as 'They knocked the hotel down while I was inside': Aussie tourists reeling as Bali hotspot destroyed