It has always seemed strange that so many surfers, even those who have been there many times, know so little about Balinese history and culture. If for that reason only, this book comes highly  recommended. To travel in Bali, or the rest of Indonesia for that matter, without some knowledge of the place and its people, not only lessens the experience, but also raises the risk of the kind of culture clash in which the traveller inevitably comes off worse. Nor can it be suggested that these are dull subjects. The brief history given in the first 100 pages here should have anyone with an interest in the place hungry for more. Drugs, sex, slavery, exploitation, war, disease and intense violence characterise the last 500 years.  

Surfing and surfers are merely a late and perhaps ultimately insignificant part of Balinese history.  It is a point the book, intentionally or otherwise, makes clear. Indonesian politics and the international tourist industry have shaped present day Bali. Surfing has had an impact here and there, perhaps bringing a level of development to the Bukit and a few other areas more quickly than might otherwise have occurred. But the culture surfing brought with it was far too often indistinguishable from the kind of exploitative, drug fuelled, Eurotrash culture that can be found around the Mediterranean, for it to have made any substantial difference.  

Phil Jarratt seems to be settling comfortably into his role as the historian of Australian surfing. Having dealt with the broad scale in Surfing Australia: A Complete History Of Surfboard Riding In Australia, he has moved on to examining its individual parts in more detail. There are some comparisons here with John Witzig, although they work in different media. What they share is a focus on the culture surrounding surfing, rather than on the surfing itself. Both are comfortable with the actual surfing but, to a very large extent, it is the culture that catches their eye and it is this that broadens their audience by creating a bridge to those with no particular interest in surfing.

So this is not a book aimed totally at the surfing market. It is aimed at all those who have visited Bali, fallen in love with the place and its people and want to know more about it. That many of these people are likely to be surfers allows substantial focus on surfing and connects surfing culture to the broader changes in both Australian and Indonesian society that have occurred over the years since surfers first discovered the quality of the waves.  

As with his previous work it would seem hard to fault his research or his analysis of it. Even those who have visited many times or lived there are likely, from time to time, to be surprised by what he reveals. In terms of the initial period of surfing in Bali, through to perhaps 1975, his will probably be the definitive version against which other sources, published, unpublished and word of mouth, will need to be judged. Beyond that though there are some difficulties. The main problem being that there is no unified tale to be told. So many surfers, so many changes, so many interpretations and opinions, all combining to defy any single narrative. 

To overcome this he sticks closely to the long term ex-pats and the scene around Kuta. For many surfers this leaves a gaping hole in the story. For every surfer who connected with the Kuta community, there was another who, as time went on, put down their roots at Uluwatu and very often these were the hardcore surfers, sleeping in the warungs, camping out illegally in the forest at G-Land, totally disinterested in the tourist traps, land deals and drug dealing bullshit that so quickly came to characterise the whole Kuta/Legian/Seminyak scene. So while Uluwatu receives numerous mentions no attempt is made to chart the change from a small community of subsistence farmers and fishermen to the new world that has taken its place. It is a story that deserved inclusion. It is to be hoped it has been saved for another book.

Bali is presented through the eyes of the mostly affluent ex-pat community and the elements of Balinese society to which they are connected. This inevitably narrows the vision. This might have been necessary to some extent but it is hard to avoid the feeling that a wider view might have created a more interesting portrait. Surfing culture has an ever increasing divide between the high and the low. At one extreme are the surfers from the wealthy caste of businessmen touring the archipelago in luxury yachts. At the other end are the hardcore surfers living cheaply in the local communities. But however wide that gap it will never match the equivalent gap in Balinese society. 

That said, there are some great stories here that provide personal perspectives to events such as the 2002 bombings as well as providing a deeper understanding of the lives of those, particularly the children, caught between the cultures.  There is also as good a brief history of Bali as you are likely to find anywhere. So even if you think you know it all already, this is well worth reading. //BLINDBOY

Bali: Heaven and Hell is published by Hardie Grant