Thousands Of Balinese See Off King Salman

Kuta (Antara Bali) - Thousands of Balinese lined the road to see the cars of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and his big entourage past from Nusa Dua to the Ngurah Rai Air Force base in Kuta from which the King and his 1,500 entourage left ending his 12 day visit to the country on Sunday.

"I want to see the King, hopefully he would open the window of his car," a local people Nurhayati said enthusiastically.

Nurhayati from Tuban, Kuta, closed her trading business temporarily only hoping to see a glimpse of the King, which had won the hearth of the Balinese during his nine day tour of the island.

"This is a historical visit. Very rarely I see an Arab king. I would be happy just to be able to see his car past by," she said.

By the time the cars appeared in procession, the people waved their hands repeatedly and enthusiastically.

The crowd did not stop waving their hands when the king arrived at the airport.

Security was tight with police and military officers watching the thousands of people lining the road side to see off the King.

The King arrived at the gate of the Ngurah Rai air force base at 10.50 local time.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifudin, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, Bali police chief Ins.Gen. Petrus Golose and Regional Military Chief Maj.Gen. Kustanto Widiatmoko were there to welcome the guardian of two holy cities Mecca and Medina.

The King then climbed to the aircraft using electronic stairs specially brought in from Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabian Royal aircraft Boeing 747-400 took off at 11.15 local time for Japan.

The King was originally to end his visit in Bali on March 9 but later he decided to stay longer until March 12.

King Salman, who is said to very much enjoys the sea view, was quoted by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, as calling Indonesia his second home.

King Salman called Indonesia his second home for the extraordinarily generous reception given to him by the Indonesian people, Kalla said after seeing the King off at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport for a short visit to Brunei before flying to Bali.

The Bali tourism will certainly gain from the extension of the King`s holidays on the island. It is not often a world leader extending visit to other country. In fact the King once cut his visit short to a resort area in other country.

King Salman and his entourage of 1,500 people including princes and ministers and business leaders stay at a number of luxurious hotels in Nusa Dua overseeing the Indian Ocean.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said King Salam has become "free endorser " promoting Indonesian tourism with the extension of his holiday schedule in Bali .

Yahaya said that the King`s visit to Bali would draw tourists from Middle East especially Saudi Arabia. The minister predicted the number of tourists from that region would rise to 350,000 this year from 250,000 in 2016.

King Salman is a popular leader in Middle East, therefore, what he does would draw attention, he added.

The King started his 12-day visit to the country including 9 days in Bali with a three-day state visit in Jakarta and Bogor.

He met and talked with President Joko widodo at the Bogor presidential palace and in Jakarta, and he impressed a group of religious leaders as a highly tolerant Islamic leader. (WDY)