Letters: It is almost too late to save Ubud

This is a comment on an article titled “‘Best City’ is still dirty and noisy,” (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 8, on Bali page.)

I have been living in Ubud since 1986. I have been an Indonesian citizen for 13 years. I have two children that were born here. Ubud is our home. And I have many other friends in the same position. We all remember what Ubud was like 25 years ago.

Traffic and parking, cleanliness, sidewalks, and a more traditional, esthetically pleasing look to the buildings are essential. Sustainable progress that is controlled by a group of overseers needs to begin immediately.
It is almost too late to save our lovely town of Ubud, but if we start now we can overcome the obstacles. I believe Ubud could become a UNESCO World Heritage site if certain parties begin to understand that something must be done.

We cannot continue to ignore what is going on here. We do not need huge neon signs in Ubud. Smaller, traditional handcrafted signs that show tourists the talents of the Balinese craftspeople are enough to keep the cozy, artistic feel and advertise shops. Use places like Santa Fe and Taos as examples.

Create a board controlled by one representative from each neighborhood (Banjar) in Ubud. This board would decide what kinds of building fronts and signage were allowed and which were not. Start now, before it is too late.

If a charity organization (a yayasan) was formed to create a way to fund the work, I am certain that many Ubud citizens  would be more than happy to donate money, time, etc. to such work.


Caroline Miksch
Ubud, Bali