There's no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

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It's official. The next president of Indonesia is former army general Prabowo Subianto. Quite how the next five years will pan out is anyone's guess but hopefully the foreign pundits who always bring up his dodgy human rights record will be proven wrong. Nonetheless, on policy making, Prabowo's popularist move to literally offer the poor 'a free lunch' every day of the week does not augur well for the future. Such a policy - if it ever came to fruition - would cost a phenomenal amount of money and likely lead to huge inefficiencies (food waste) and poor incentives (make people lazy). Another concern is Prabowo's strong nationalist bent. Thus, in the possible event that he finds himself with his back against the proverbial wall in the face of stern economic challenges, there is a big chance that he will simply scapegoat foreigners. But he will have to be careful. Construction of the new capital city, Nusantara, for example, is highly dependent on foreign in
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Blue Lagoon, Padangbai, Bali

Padang Bai is a sheltered little bay in the eastern part of Bali. It’s idyllic enough but there is a downside – it is also the place where rust bucket ferries depart for the long and slow trip (anything from 5-7 hours) to Lombok. As a result, there is a lot of traffic coming through - mostly tatty trucks and belching buses.

But is it worth coming to Padang Bai, even if you are not getting the ferry across to Lombok? Well, possibly it is. If you are heading north to Amed, for example, and are too tired to continue your journey, Padang Bai is a good place to stop given the availability of affordable - albeit rather basic - accommodations like this one.

What makes Padangbai worth visiting, though, is its secluded beach called the Blue Lagoon.

It’s located to the north of the village and you just have to climb a small hill to get there. At the top there is a small carpark and a signpost showing the way. If in doubt just ask for directions.

Blue Lagoon, Padangbai

The Blue Lagoon is certainly a very nice spot and doesn’t get too crowded. When we were there, there were only a handful of other tourists - a far cry from the mayhem at Kuta! If you are lucky and the sea is calm – which is not very often! – the snorkelling is said to be pretty good. Otherwise just lie back and soak up the sun!

Blue Lagoon, Padangbai

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