When exams came to a close come the end off 2009 there was only 1 more right of passage to fulfill before our post-school lives began.
Surely our parents were hesitant at first, but in the end 24 of us were packed up and on a plane over to the beautiful Bali.
Maybe they let us go because they trusted us? Or maybe it was the fact that more than a few of us knew the island quite well(myself having traveled there several times beforehand)and knew exactly what was in store for us and how to deal with it.
We got there and it began- 10 nights at the Bounty hotel- so we were sure to see our fair share of wildness.
But something happened...
-when someone got too wild there was always a mate with half a clue to take the reigns.
-we kept the parting and drinking to the clubs and not on the streets because we knew that it wouldn't be a good idea, nor very respectful
-we spent our days like regular tourists/paradise enthusiasts... Not drunken idiots. Because to us this was actually more of a holiday at the end of school. Not necessarily "schoolies".
2 years have passed since our trip and it word had certainly gotten out. No I'm not claiming that we were the first ever group to ever go to there for "schoolies", but it seems things have snowballed.
The stories of how crazy the nightlife was, and the lack of rules may have overshadowed the days we spent checking out the culture or going surfing.
Kids are cutting loose with little guise from parents and a fat wallet to entice the locals. I won't elaborate on any horror stories as I'm sure you all know a few, but I do fear for the future of Kuta.
I know what my kind are like and all this negative hype is only making kiddies more and more excited for next year...