THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 437

NYALE FESTIVAL
Celebrated on Lombok and the more distant islands of Sumba and Savu, the annual Bau
Nyale, or Nyale Festival , is all about the sea worm, Eunice viridis , known locally as nyale .
The worms live attached to rocks in the ocean, but at roughly the same time every year, on
the nineteenth day of the tenth Sasak month (Feb or March), they begin their sexual cycle
and release brightly coloured male and female sexual parts, which rise to the surface ready
for fertilization, turning the ocean into a seething mass of fluorescent spaghetti. The num-
ber of worms is believed to indicate the success of the next rice harvest and draws huge
crowds to celebrate the festival. Around a hundred thousand people travel to Kuta's Seger
beach and other south-coast beaches to gather the worms - which are believed to be aph-
rodisiacs - and to enjoy traditional singing, dancing, poetry and a re-enactment of the Putri
Mandalika legend . This tells how the beautiful Princess Mandalika, distraught because of
the number of suitors who were fighting over her and loath to upset any of them and risk
plunging her country into war, flung herself into the sea where her hair was changed into
nyale sea worms.
Kuta and around
Youthful, laidback and surferish, with much cheaper accommodation than Senggigi, KUTA
is for the time being still strikingly low-key - not much more than a fishing village with
surfers' accommodation, tourist restaurants and a few upscale alternatives. Kuta is develop-
ing at a steady pace, with more upmarket accommodation and dining options available than
ever before, but they're still all small-scale; the opening of the new international airport a
mere 15km to the north hasn't lead to a building boom yet, and plans for a vast five-star re-
sort east of Kuta are still just plans. However, there's little doubt that the area won't remain
undeveloped.
For the moment there is plenty for all to enjoy and, apart from the Sunday market , the area
is astonishingly quiet outside July and August. Surfers return year after year to pursue the
perfect wave, most famously at Gerupuk , Mawi and, more remotely, at Ekas . The beach at
Kuta is scruffy and unappealing, with very persistent hawkers - but at least the proliferation
of illegal beach-shack stalls and restaurants has been halted after they were all bulldozed to
make place for a park. For a swim and a sunbathe you're better off heading to the breathtak-
ingly gorgeous sandy bays nearby, notably east at Tanjung Aan and west at Mawun , though
always ask locally about currents, which can be treacherous. To access the beaches and get
the best out of the area you need a car or motorbike - and strong nerves, as the roads towards
Gerepuk and beyond Selong Blanak to the west are prone to atrocious potholes.