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/span>Bali is a melting pot of world travelers and Inez Baranay captures their cultures in the book The Edge of Bali.

Many people love Bali, a tiny island in an archipelagic country that has become a popular world holiday destination.

History has followed the paths of foreign visitors since the colonialism era, from artists like Walter Spies and Le Mayeur to surfers who have come and gone. The island's future changed drastically after an international airport was opened there in 1966.

From then on, more tourists arrived, but what made them visit the island in the first place ' the nature, the beach or the culture?

Through the book, Australian writer Inez Baranay, who lives in Istanbul, presents her exploration and offers her search for the answers.

In The Edge of Bali, Baranay shows readers the lives of travelers in Bali through the eyes of her three characters ' Marla, Nelson and Tyler, who come to Bali for different reasons.

All of her characters experience feelings that make them unsure whether to remain or leave the island through the things that attract them and let them down.

The first part of the book centers on Nelson Boldie, a young woman from Sydney who had saved a fortune to return to Bali in the hope of being reunited with her Balinese boyfriend. Instead she becomes embroiled in a crime scene.

Boldie's character is similar to many young travelers who come to Kuta Beach - those who perhaps think the culture is complicated and impenetrable, while finding that it is more interesting to explore the island or stay at the beach rather than learn how to make a religious offering.

The second character is Marla, a woman in her forties who has a deep understanding of Balinese culture and prefers to live in the 'cultural heartland' of Ubud.

Marla is typical of long stay travelers who want to become as authentic as possible ' staying in a thatched-roof hut, going to the traditional market to buy exotic fruits every day and teaching herself Indonesian.

The third character is Tyler, a New Yorker who comes to Bali on a mission to find his lost friend but gets involved in eco-tourism.

The culture of tourism in Bali has long held Baranay's interest. Visiting Bali for the first time in 1970s and returning in 1986, she decided to pen her story.

First published in 1992, the book was rereleased last year, 20 years later.

Although the book has a renewed pertinence and relevance, some parts still give us the feel of Bali 20 years ago.

In the book, Baranay vividly describes how travelers want to become detached from their everyday western lives and are willing to try different things. They refuse everything that reminds them of home and prefer to blend in.

The book also shows an understanding of the tourism culture, on how her characters interpret things that happen to them in and around the area where they are staying, something that at times is different from local interpretations ' a point which is perhaps captured by the book's title: no matter how hard an outsider tries to assimilate and understand, you will always be on the edge, never on the inside.

Just like in a scene where Marla visits a traditional market in Ubud, Baranay helps readers explore her view of how locals might think of tourists: 'Why do they come? Do they know why they come? It must be that in their country they don't have beaches or markets or temples. It is said that in their country they don't have ceremonies, they don't cremate their dead. They're clever but stupid'.

What makes The Edge of Bali interesting is how Baranay bravely reveals myths and stories that have long been whispered or passed down through travelers, such as the gay scene that was rooted back in the 1930s.

She also discusses how Bali is being exploited for tourism. As a melting pot where millions of people from all around the world come in, Bali experiences changes from time to time.

From the era of colonialism, hippies, mass tourism up the plan of making the island a high-end destination, tourism plays a major part in shaping Bali's look and life.

Many have raised concerns that Bali is being exploited for tourism ' a concern which Baranay pointed out as having started since the 1930s ' but through the story and essays accompanied in this book, she underlines that Bali is not exploited but experiences evolution ' it's evolving.

As an outsider, Baranay has witnessed big changes in Bali from time to time and The Edge of Bali is a translation of what she has perceived in her experiences when visiting the island and connecting with its culture.

However, although her stories are remarkable, at times, she does not offer much color when it comes to fiction.

But overall the book is quite entertaining for a casual read, shedding light on the nature of tourism, especially back in 1990s, and allowing readers to get inside the minds of people in a foreign land.

The Edge of Bali
Author: Inez Baranay
Published: Transit Lounge, 2012
293 pages