I took a look at the trailer teaser on the documentary entitled Cowboys in Paradise which has upset the Balinese by its imputation that Bali boys are sex toys for female tourists.
As a long time fan of Bali who has travelled there more times than I’ve been anywhere else in Asia, I think the documentary has been intentionally provocative by making what’s a minor activity that can occur anywhere, even right here in Singapore, into a major activity, if not attraction, of the island.
hotel attraction
Bali has many attractions like food, shopping, super hotels, culture, sea, beaches and a certain mysticism, but alas its indigenous men are rather sub-standard when compared to its other lures.
The Balinese authorities by kicking up a fuss over Cowboys may be unintentionally helping the film and its Singapore-based Indian national director Mr Amit Virmani, in his 30s and a first-time documentary film-maker, gain more attention than either would have otherwise done — because sex for hire is such a big yawn in today’s widely permissive climate.
The authorities should instead take a closer look at who is behind the truly vituperative blog that has been spewing its poison against all things Bali for more than two years. I am of course referring to http://balibollocks.blogspot.com
If anyone deserves to be hauled over the coals it is the person/people behind the blog.
As for Mr Virmani, the next time he wants material for a documentary to raise eyebrows and perhaps cause controversy, he should first take a stroll across the beach from Petitenget to where the Oberoi is in Seminyak!
FOOD fuels me to talk... 