Actually 3 1/2 stars. This was nowhere near as good as the author's other two books particularly Hotel K.
Snowing in Bali tells the story of a number of drug dealing surfers in Bali in the 1990's and early 2000's.
As we all know Bali is an anomaly, a tiny speck in the otherwise largest Muslim country in the world, and these people do not take drug use and drug smugglers and smuggling lightly. But they are also horribly corrupt so one person may get 5 years in prison for getting caught with 5 kilos of cocaine, while some dumb tourist with no money and no connections gets 15 years for 5 grams of cocaine.
It is full of the usual excesses that you expect from hedonistic drug dealers, but outside of that it lacked any real storyline, or path, and really had no one worth caring about except Andre, who really was an amazing escape artist.
It is surprises me, that even today, people will run the risk of imprisonment in a 3rd world hell hole country/prison for money. Bali is definitely not the country to try this in, as the penalties are severe, and the government, court system, and many of the people are horribly corrupt.
So in closing the book had a few interesting insights, a lots of details of excess, and some interesting smuggling devices, but Hotel K about the prison you will first visit if caught with drugs in Bali is a far better book. ( )

After a bit of fiction I felt like dipping into a bit of non-fiction and decided on Snowing in Bali by Kathryn Bonella. I have read one of her earlier books, Hotel K. It would appear that her work on Hotel K and No More Tomorrows has gained her a certain degree of trust within the drug dealers in Bali. This book has detailed accounts of how the major drug dealers did their business, lived their lives and how their inevitable downfall came about.

The book is a great mix of an account written by the author and quotes by the actually people involved. The people involved are not just the drug dealers but also the chief of police, the drug runners and bar owners. The tales of excess are simply mindblowing and it would seem it was allowed to continue as everyone was getting a cut of the action. Although it is not blatantly stated the suggestion is that the crackdown only came about once the police realised they could get richer by clamping down.

Due to the character behind some of the drug importers they came across as likeable despite their trade. This meant that when they were ripped off by the police I couldn't help but feel an odd sense of injustice. Pretty much all of the people who smuggle the drugs into Bali are busted by customs at various airports.

Its not all sunshine and roses though. There are many ruined lives directly because of the drug trade and many families broken up. This is before the horrid conditions of the jail (Hotel K) are revealed. This is covered in much less detail than in Hotel K but the issue of bribing to get better rooms is still mentioned.

This is a fantastic book for fans of true crime and in particular the drug sub-culture ( )

Actually 3 1/2 stars. This was nowhere near as good as the author's other two books particularly Hotel K.
Snowing in Bali tells the story of a number of drug dealing surfers in Bali in the 1990's and early 2000's.
As we all know Bali is an anomaly, a tiny speck in the otherwise largest Muslim country in the world, and these people do not take drug use and drug smugglers and smuggling lightly. But they are also horribly corrupt so one person may get 5 years in prison for getting caught with 5 kilos of cocaine, while some dumb tourist with no money and no connections gets 15 years for 5 grams of cocaine.
It is full of the usual excesses that you expect from hedonistic drug dealers, but outside of that it lacked any real storyline, or path, and really had no one worth caring about except Andre, who really was an amazing escape artist.
It is surprises me, that even today, people will run the risk of imprisonment in a 3rd world hell hole country/prison for money. Bali is definitely not the country to try this in, as the penalties are severe, and the government, court system, and many of the people are horribly corrupt.
So in closing the book had a few interesting insights, a lots of details of excess, and some interesting smuggling devices, but Hotel K about the prison you will first visit if caught with drugs in Bali is a far better book. ( )

It's snowing in Bali. Among Bali's drug dealers it's the code for a huge cocaine shipment having just landed. For the men who run the country's drug empires, it's time to get rich and party hard.

Snowing in Bali is the story of the drug trafficking and dealing scene that's made Bali one of the world's most important destinations in the global distribution of narcotics. With its central location to the Asia Pacific market, its thriving tourist industry to act as cover for importation, and a culture of corruption that can easily help law enforcement turn a blind eye, Bali has long been a paradise for traffickers as well as for holiday-makers.

Kathryn Bonella, bestselling author of Hotel Kerobokan, has been given extraordinary access into the lives of some of the biggest players in Bali's drug world, both past and present. She charts their rise to incredible wealth and power, and their drug-fuelled lifestyles, filled with orgies, outrageous extravagance and surfing. But running international drug empires in Bali can also be a highly risky business, with terrible consequences for those caught and convicted.

From the highs of multi-million dollar deals to the desperate lows of death row in an Indonesian high security jail, Snowing in Bali is a unique, uncensored insight into a hidden world.