One of my very favorite things about being in Bali is that everywhere you go, you can see people flying kites. Whether it’s a single solitary farmer in one of his rice fields or a couple of kids running along the narrow street, everyone seems to have a kite. This was especially evident when we made our way to the nearby beach. Pantai Masceti is only a 30 minute scooter drive from our place in south Ubud and it appears to be very popular with locals. I’d never seen so many kites in one place!
These aren’t just your everyday average kites. They are huge and they come in some unusual shapes as well. We got to the beach around dusk and it was a great time to not only watch the kites flying high up in the air, but also to watch them being pulled back in again as their owners prepared to leave. This showed us just how big and long some of these kites actually are. My understanding is that they can be 1,000 feet long!
Watching everyone have such a good time flying their kites made me want to try it out for myself. I bought a kite at a local shop for IDR 50,000 (about $3.50 USD) and we eventually made our way back to the beach to give it a go. It took me a couple of tries but I finally got the hang of it. After several consecutive successful launchings and landings, I decided that flying a kite is a lot like fishing. It’s fun to cast off and reel in, and even more fun when you get a bite, but for the rest of the time it’s mostly just waiting. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the experience. It was a great way to enjoy the beach and the nice ocean breeze on a lazy afternoon. I may even do it again.
There are a lot of kites to see. Where to the giant ones come from, China perhaps?
I'm pretty sure they're made locally, but I could be wrong about that. 🙂