Life keeps Drifting up in Sanur

KOMPAS/BENNY D KOESTANTO

A number of tourist speedboats lined up on Sanur Beach, Bali, Friday (2/2/2020). Entering the western season, which is marked by high waves, making tourist speedboat rental services deserted.

The development of Bali tourism cannot be separated from the dynamics in Sanur, Denpasar City. As Bali\'s tourism has quieted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sanur continues to thrive through the difficult situations.

Nyoman Sukadana (57) occasionally checked his cell phone. "The atmosphere in Sanur is not the same as other beach tourism areas in Bali," he said at his Men Weti Chicken Rice stall in Sanur, South Denpasar, in May 2021.

Until now, tourism in Sanur is still showing the pulse of life, although it is not as rigorous as before due to the pandemic. A few of foreign tourists are still seen walking around, while hotels, restaurants, kiosks, and business centers are still open even though there are not as many visitors as usual.

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The impact of the pandemic has been more severe since the suspension of direct flights to and from mainland China on 5 February 2020.

The number of arrivals from abroad has since dropped drastically, with the island having been unable to receive tourists directly from their home countries as international flight routes to Bali have yet to reopen.

Despite the pandemic storm, Sukadana’s culinary business venture remains open. His Balinese mixed chicken rice dish is among popular local dishes in Sanur and the Denpasar area. The stall is open every day from morning until noon.

"By continuing to sell, we are not only maintaining our customers but also responsibly retaining employees who have been working at this outlet for a long time," said Sukadana, who takes up responsibilities to keep the family business thriving.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Artist Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum (right) dances with a number of other dancers at the 21st anniversary event "Art and Peace, Made Wianta" at the Griya Santrian Resort Hotel, Sanur, Denpasar City, Thursday (10/12/2020).

Resilience against the pandemic is also being shown by Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, who runs the Santrian hotel group. Together with his sibling, he has managed the family business in the tourism sector for five decades.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic became gering agung or a global pandemic as of March 2020, Sidharta has staggered but somehow held on to keep the hotel and restaurant operational, although he has been forced to dig deep into his own savings because business income has decreased.

The sacrificial move has staved off layoffs of employees, who are mostly residents of Sanur.

Historical heritage

In a book Sanur, Merawat Tradisi di Tengah Modernitas [Sanur, fosters the tradition amid modernity] in 2017, it is mentioned that with Sanur area overlooking to east, the beachfront gives perfect spot to savor sunrise.

In fact, Sanur means “light”. The world is composed of “sa” which means satu [one] and “nur” denoting sinar [ray] or cahaya [light].

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During his visit to Bali in 1954, the then prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, expressed his amazement at the sunrise moment in Sanur. One of the notable figures of the Non-aligned movement, Nehru called the occasion "morning of the world". The phrase was adopted by the local community as the slogan for the 9th annual Sanur Village Festival (SVF) in 2014.

Sanur is an area that houses monuments and other historical heritage, like the Pura Blanjong. The Hindu temple sees an inscription dated 10th century. It explains about the existence of King Sri Kesari Warmadewa and carries the word Walidwipa which refers to the nickname of Bali Island.

After the Puputan Badung war in the 1930s, Sanur began to attract foreign visitors, one of them being Belgian artist and engineer, Adrien Jean Le Mayeur De Merpres.

The writings by I Nyoman Wijaya and Singgih Tri Sulistiyono published in PalArch\'s Journal of Archeology of Egypt/Egyptology 17 (2020) entitled "Colonial Tourism, Politics, Religion, and Ethnicity: Development of Denpasar City, Bali, The Netherlands Indies, 1906 -1924" recounts the arrival of other notable figures including classic novelist Vicki Baum, anthropologist Jane Belo, and photographers Jack Mershon and Katharane Mershon.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

The Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on Bali\'s tourism life, including in the Sanur area, Denpasar City. The atmosphere of a resort in Sanur, Denpasar City, Tuesday (22/5/2021), which is still operating even though there are few guests.

Light in Sanur

Life that continues to thrive in Sanur during these difficult times is partly attributable to the existence of the Sanur Development Foundation (YPS), the establishment of which followed the founding of the Sanur Village Development Board in 1965.

Rural business units later came up in Sanur, including the Sanur Village Assistance Fund Foundation (1966), the Sanur Village Development Bank (1967), and the Sanur SIDI Cooperative (1984).

We don\'t want Sanur to be like a dead mouse in a rice barn,

According to Sidharta, who is the chairperson of YPS, the foundation acts as a motivator, facilitator as well as a catalyst in the community. "We don\'t want Sanur to be like a dead mouse in a rice barn," he said.

Sanur is one of the three green zones in Bali designated to become a center for tourism recovery from the pandemic, which expected to serve as a momentum to restore the tourism life that drives Bali as a whole.

Having been clouded by the Covid-19 pandemic for more than a year, the "Island of the Gods" is awaiting a bright light. Hopefully, the bright sunrise at Sanur will lure the visitors back to the island.

This article was translated by Musthofid.