European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse A duster of tourists gathers on the main Beach of pm Phi Island once matted the Quot perfect pm pm Island rampant tourism turns exotic Island into euro resort by Denis d. Gray the associated press there Are fresh croissants for breakfast sausages at a German Beer Garden scuba diving lessons in swedish and a British band that rocks through the night in Phi Phi Island Thailand. Not Long ago the few tourists to this Island a dubbed the Quot perfect Paradise Quot a slept in villagers huts and bathed at a communal Well. After Sunset the Only sounds were those of Waves slapping against soaring Limestone. Cliffs and fishermen bringing in their catch by lamplight today s visitors to Phi Phi could Well mistake it for a european or american resort one slightly More exotic than Miami Beach. Villagers laugh when asked if they still fish pointing to a mini Armada of boats catering solely to snorkelers and sightseers. The uncontrolled development has brought a barrage of criticism from news Media environmentalists and some thai officials but with Only marginal effect the flood of tourists has swamped the government s ability to protect the area. Trash washes up onto beaches. Sewage is discharged into the sea. Once gorgeous Coral Beds Nave been reduced to lifeless rubble. Phi Phi is part of a stunningly Scenic area of the Southern thai Peninsula that includes the larger Island of Shuket which was Quot discovered Quot by foreign tourists and thai developers a decade ago. According to government statistics 1.2 million tourists flocked to Shuket last year compared with 670,000 six years earlier. From a trickle a decade ago arrivals at Phi Phi soared to 736,000 in 1991, Many of them Day trippers from Shuket brought in by giant ferries speedy motorboats and even seaplanes. Many of Shuket s beaches now sprout High Rise condominiums and hotels with Many More on the Way a recent editorial in the nation an English language daily lamented that the Quot tourism rot Quot had spread to Shuket from other Seaside resorts such As Battaya to Samui Hua Hin and Cha am. Quot but Shuket is especially poignant because life on the Island was so Good before the outside investors arrived Quot the editorial said. Quot Shuket people Are now strangers in their own even critics admit that the tourist Boom has brought some benefits including better roads and government services and More Cash for families directly employed in the Industry. But offsetting this Are the soaring prices the 174,000 residents of the two islands must pay for everything from Rice to plots of land shortages of water encroachment on Public land by developers and a deterioration in human relations. Quot local people can t even go to some of the beaches. They la get kicked off by the hotels or feel like Odd ones out As they say the Only thais one sees Are in Bow ties hotel waiters or bikinis prostitutes Quot said ing Kanjana vanity an environmental activist who has worked in Shuket for several years. Locals say that with the race for profits at full tilt conflicts Between longtime residents erupt More frequently while the once easy open attitude toward tourists is often replaced by treating the outsider As simply a Money source. At Phi Phi foreigners Are charged $20 for hiring a Motorboat while thais pay $12 a one example of widespread Quot two tiered Quot pricing in the thai tourism Industry. On the other hand foreign women insult conservative Muslim villagers by sunbathing in the nude while a number of visiting males bring along prostitutes. Phi Phi s degradation is particularly worrisome to environmentalists because it is not Only a Small fragile habitat but a National Park that by Lav must be Quot preserved in its natural state for the Benefit of Public education and Anu Chaya Chan Ankit an official of the government s National Parks division in Bangkok said some of the land on the Island was privately owned before the Island was declared a Park in 1983, Quot they can do anything on their land if it is not against the Law. The forestry department can Only warn them not to do anything that will destroy the environment Quot he said in an interview. The reluctance to evict or buy out villagers within National Park boundaries has plagued Thailand s entire Parks system. In Many cases including that of Phi Phi villagers sell their land to developers. Although some of the tourist development a including simple bungalows made of local materials a probably conforms to National Park rules one Developer is building a Large three Story Concrete hotel and several luxury Quot Bungalow Quot resorts have sprouted the past few years. Environmentalists and Parks officials have a led to Stem the tourist tide on Phi Phil to on Shuket itself vigorous local groups made seme gains. The construction of a Marina huge resort Complex has been stopped a d t a from moving a school a Carer a. Was Tor hotels. Ers were prevented c t-.d>2s to Mateja Vanourney to the source of the ultimate cup of Java by Barbara Hansen. Los Angeles times there s nothing like sipping a cup of Java in Java. And it tastes even better when your own Houseboy brews it better still if you drink it on the veranda of your Bungalow following a bracing morning walk under canopies of rubber Trees past glorious stands of tropical Flowers and through the streets of a Little Village where people Rush out to say Quot Selamat Pagi Quot a Good morning a in indonesian. This is life on Kalik fatal a Coffee Plantation in East Java. Here the Coffee is Strong Rich Mellow and Sweet. Just the Way indonesians like it. You d expect a great cup at its source but the Coffee is wonderful everywhere in Indonesia whether you drink it a As i did a at a Street stall in the javanese City of Yogya Karta on a cauda Indonesia airways flight from Biak Island to Bali at an exotic dinner in Joyu Cusuman Palace in Yogya Karta or at a Fisherman s Shack on a crowded balinese Beach. In three weeks of travelling in Java and Bati i never had a bad cup but none of it was Good to the list drop. That s because indonesians grind their Coffee to a powder then Combine it with boiling water sugar or condensed milk. As the mixture stands the grounds Settle to the Bottom forming a thick dark sludge which you leave in the cup like turkish Coffee. It is almost impossible to find such Coffee in the United states. Most of the indonesian product that is shipped to the United states is integrated into blends and instant Coffee. Only the Premium grades Are sold pure and most of those in Indonesia. The Best place to get the Coffee powder Quot Bulbuk Quot is there where you la find packets at colourful outdoor markets Coffee outlets supermarkets and at major airports in Coffee producing regions. That alone would be Worth the trip. But then there s the food the music the Art. But Don t try to buy Coffee at Kalik Latak. The Plantation is so noncommercial that even guests can t Purchase the spices Cocoa and Coffee produced there. Their crops Are transported to buyers in surabaya the capital of East Java but what you can do is tour the estate and learn How Coffee is grown and processed. Located on the forested slopes of 9,000-foot mount Merapi Kalik Latak is the largest privately owned Coffee Plantation in Java. Fine gardens and a Cool Pardike setting make it a pleasant place to relax. A few bungalows Are available for guests most of whom Are dutch who remain inveterate tourists in the country they once ruled. I booked a room at the Plantation and hired a car through a travel Agency in Bali s capital of Denpasar. The drive toward Kalik Latak took me past splendid uninhabited beaches in West Bali and through a National Park where Monkey gather along the Road in Hope of a snack. When i arrived Samono the Houseboy was waiting at a Bungalow still higher up the Hill. My quarters consisted of a sitting room a bedroom and a bathroom that was half Western and half indonesian. For a Shower i rinsed with water scooped from a tiled tank soaped up and rinsed again. Samono promised to heat the water and i got one tepid scoop Ful then resigned myself to minimal washes in shivering by cold Mountain water. The Only source of Power was the estate s Generator. The went in at 5 . And switched off at ii making a
