Kuntu

Meet Kuntu.  Although we could only speak to her through a translator, it was one of the most meaningful interactions and exchanges  we experienced on Bali.  She spends all day collecting wood for fire that she will sell at 2kgs for around 50 cents. That's breaks down to two buckets full of wood for 50 cents.   She does this everyday during the low tides to make ends meet.   She lives with her daughter in Medewi, a little fishing town northeast of Kuta. The town of Kuta is hugely impacted by tourism and after talking with a few local workers in the Kuta area we were curious to find out more about Balinese workers outside of tourism. Kuntu is part of the informal work force making money to survive beachside in a small town. Medewi is gaining more popularity with surfers + surf tourism and is slowly transforming from a sleepy fishing town to a destination for good waves that many make the drive from Kuta to surf. It will be interesting to see how Medewi transforms over the next few years as its waves become more and more popular among visitors and what that might mean for locals like Kuntu..