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Airdate: Bali: The Dark Side of Paradise

Nine has a news special on Bali which presumably contradicts what Getaway has been telling us for years...

2013-07-12_1148Nine has announced a news special Bali: The Dark Side of Paradise presented by reporter Denham Hitchcock, which presumably contradicts what Getaway has been telling us for years…

Nine is also due to screen a Schapelle telemovie this year even though there has been no word on casting or production commencing.

Bali – they call it the Island of the Gods. It’s exotic, enchanting, and it’s Australia’s favourite holiday destination. So what’s not to love about it?

Plenty, as Bali: The Dark Side of Paradise will reveal on Sunday, July 21, at 8.30pm in a Nine Network special presentation hosted by reporter Denham Hitchcock.

From the moment you step off the plane, Bali is a sensory overload. From the sweaty chaos of the streets where designer stores compete with pushy hawkers to the air-conditioned luxury of the resorts it’s a grand bazaar of sights, smells and sounds framed by Bali’s famous beaches, with some of the world’s best surfing.

It’s not surprising that one million Aussies visit Bali every year. But there’s another statistic you won’t read about in the guidebooks: the number of Australians injured and killed in Bali. In fact one Australian dies there every nine days.

Many of these deaths are from misadventure, especially drownings and motorbike accidents. But there’s another, far more sinister side to this tourist paradise – the robberies, the shocking rapes and the murders.

Bali is a shadowy world where sometimes it’s hard to know who’s the criminal and who’s the victim.

In this Nine Network special, we take viewers inside the feared Kerobokan Prison, where you’ll see for the first time what it’s really like for Australians behind the razor wire … the drugs, the weapons, the wild parties – and just what it takes to stay alive.

Denham Hitchcock shows you Bali as you’ve never seen it, the other side, the dark side of Australia’s most popular holiday playground.

Sunday, July 21, at 8.30pm on Nine.

8 Responses

  1. There’s potential of crime in every country, not only Bali, Indonesia. As a reader, the title of this show is not relevant to the topic. If you wanna to talk about Lapas Kerobokan, don’ t write in general like Bali is kinda nightmare for Australians! Try to look during this holiday, there’s many Australian teenagers drunk in Legian or Kuta and having “fun” crime. For example, they drunk and don’t want to pay taxi! Some get naked on the street, kissing or snogging while pretending they’re in New York. This is not Vegas, you need to respect the culture and tradition when you’re here, in Bali. For me, that bad tourists like them are far from travel-manner!

    1. Thanks for submitting this comment from Bali. I guess we will have to wait and see what the documentary shows, but I agree with you that what we have heard from Channel Nine so far is concerning.

  2. I was in Bali recently for my wedding, at the urging of my sister in law. It was my first time there, and I loved it. The people were lovely and I felt safe at all times. Mind you, I did not go out partying late at night. As the old saying goes: ‘Nothing good happens after midnight’

  3. Bali have never held any interest to me and never been somewhere I have wanted to visit. Having to watch what I eat and drink is not much of a holiday.

    1. Another myth. While there are many countries where you’d be advised not to drink tap water it’s not difficult to get bottled water. You can just as easily eat bad restaurant food in Sydney or Melbourne and delicious food in Bali restaurants. Like any location, you choose your venue as a street smart customer.

  4. Ha ha, awesome first line, David. If I’m reading the last part of the media blurb correctly, this is more about what goes on in Kerobokan Prison rather than an exposé on the dangers to Aussies posed by the locals.

    However, I concur with what maxx and poss have said regarding the way that certain Aussies seem to treat the whole place as a massive p!ss-up. Quite disrespectful to the indigenous Balinese who btw are ethnically and culturally distinct from the majority of Indonesians. The Bali experience was vastly improved when the govt moved non-Balinese (mostly Javans) off the island if they didn’t own property there, since they tended to be the pushiest (most-harassing) sellers but the behaviour of some drunk Australians is an ongoing issue.

  5. I have lived and worked overseas, and the only time i have been to Bali, was the fact every plane i have flown on stops overnight there.
    I agree with maxxdude if you are only going to another country to check out the night life, stay home.
    I must say i have never felt threatened or frightened in another country …… This is just a poor attempt at selling a non story.

  6. It is the Aussies who have made Bali such a dangerous place & ruined the island’s culture forever. Just like Aussies have done to the Gold Coast & Phuket they treat Bali like one giant bar. It is the drunken Aussies who in turn have encouraged the gangs, drugs & prostitution to follow.
    Having lived in Indonesia (in Jakarta) I am sick of the media bashing from Australia. Indonesian are generally the most loving happiest people on earth. Unfortunately Bali is far from Indonesian anymore,

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