Bali's (Other) Abandoned Plane

If you’re craving donuts while exploring the southern tip of Bali, you might be pointed in the direction of the Dunkin’ Donuts on the Ngurah Rai Bypass. Upon arrival, you may be surprised to see an abandoned Boeing 737 sitting in an empty lot next door.

No one seems to know for sure how a Boeing 737 ended up in Kedonganan in Kuta, Southern Bali. It’s in a built-up area known for seafood restaurants, located a mile or so south of Ngurah Rai International Airport (and clearly visible on Google Maps).

The 737 has apparently sat there since 2007. Most locals claim that the owner bought the Boeing to turn it into a tourist-friendly restaurant, but ran out of money and later abandoned it in an otherwise empty lot. Others say it was meant to be turned into a home.

Either way, there it sits, held up on stilts, its tail clearly visible from the street. Its engines are missing and the turbines not boarded up, its right wing stretching out above a wide alleyway and almost touching the Dunkin’ Donuts next door.

Strange, yes. Unique? Well, not quite. There’s actually another abandoned Boeing 737 about five miles to the south, located in an old quarry just off the Raya Nusa Dua Selatan Highway. They don’t seem to have any connection to each other, beyond the fact that both have become strange tourist attractions in their own right. Maybe it’s a Bali thing…