Tourist-friendly or Money-friendly?
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Bali is beautiful. Surely it is. The landscaping, the sceneries and also the beaches. As the main tourism destination in the world, Bali has become the major source of income for the Indonesian. The government will do almost everything just to make the dollars keep coming from this source which including spreading such bombastic jargons of both Bali and the Balinese people. A paradise on earth, islands of gods, all those big ads board with fully smiley Balinese people, to name a few. Even it is said that main reason why tourists love to come to Bali is because the friendliness of Balinese people. Is that true? For some part maybe yes.
Just like other people on any other developing countries, Balinese people are not that perfect, especially those who are involved directly in the tourism industry. Yes, they have big smile in your hotels, in your taxi, in the airport etc but that is just because they are on duty. They must be as friendly as possible. Other than that, they expect something in return.
From my experience I can tell that from Balinese point of view, every single ‘tourist’ they see on the island is a rich people. Extremely speaking, they simply see every westerner as a walking money machine. Once I invited some friends from Holland into my home town in Nusa Penida Islands, yeah they were all enthusiastic gathering around them while asking a very disturbing thing. Money, money sir. Wth. Same thing could also happens with Balinese people in the city of tourist center such as Kuta and Ubud but of course with much more ’soft ways’, more ‘friendly’.
One clear example is that couple weeks ago some Balinese people in Ubud area have done something that really disturbing the image of tourism in Bali especially what so called Balinese friendliness. They asked some hotel in that area to pay some money to them just because the guests in that hotel would be able to view their paradisaic rice fields which are located just across the river in front of the hotel. Are you kidding me? While the request is still on discussion then those Balinese people (who own the rice field) put some super bright shinny flatted zinc on the rice field in order to block the view of the rice field from the hotel.
That’s really not part of Balinese friendliness, not tourist-friendly but money-friendly absolutely. Simply speaking, I would say that whatever is going on, both sides should calm down and not doing such action which could results in direct negative impacts to the visitors of this island.
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first commnt in this web
i agree now all the thing is altogether measured by money.
hi arya, yeah seems now there is a serious decrease of Balinese morality. I am not sure why. Modernization? tourism? or the the influence of capitalism brought by those visitors
if your girl friend is ‘friendship’ then ‘money’ is 3rd person who looked like a hot super model that tried to seduce you to have sex. Cure for this? only faith and good heart…
if it is a hot super model who’s trying to seduce me, then I dont wanna the cure LOL
but i agree to consider the farmer’s life.
While the hotel owners have been enjoying dollars, what our farmers have been benefited from tourism?
let’s find out the solution!
Wow, congratz for the blog bro! Nice post! Can I just use Bahasa to comment? Btw, what about balinese people who are working in overseas? Are they “tourist friendly” or “money friendly”?
*** kabur…
*** Balik lagi…
Just kidding bro! No offense…
Huehehehe…
@mohammad, yeah tourism kills agriculture however what the farmers have been done was not wise considering that was their first request and the thing was still being discussed.
you can not just charge your neighbor just because your garden is nice and the neighbor can view it from their home…
@suryawan, wakakakak of course money friendly bro wakkakak
*damn senjata makan tuan* (weapon eats owner?)
hey Mohammad hehe what’s the english of senjata makan tuan?boomerang?
The friendliness of the Balinese is legend. They are warm and welcoming, but there as elsewhere you have black sheep as well.
I find that in more touristy areas around the world, sooner than later money is all that matters. Worst example is maybe Phuket/Thailand. Sadly this is the case in Bali’s touristy areas also.
But not to worry - the solution is simple. Just leave the overcrowded places and find your “own” Bali. It’s still out there and well-worth visiting. Just ignore the touts, gangsters and money diggers, common knowledge will protect you easily from them.
Get out, find and enjoy the real Bali!
Cheers from Bali,
Chris
http://www.nomad4ever.com
Life is what you make it!
@Chris, agh you’re correct, it’s legend. Great to hear a perspective about Balinese directly from an ‘outsider’. Are still believe there is such place that well-worth visiting in these days? Love to know
That’s right@Bli devari,,,everything is money,,,here in bali,if you want to used public restroom,,you need to pay,,nothing is free here.I think is bali not paradise anymore just a Legends,,,,because alots of criminal with the visitors;Jambret,lier with the customer,cheating,so they are go to somewhere else,,which is more beautiful other than bali,,like turks n caicos islands,,,peoples there more cool,,,yaah man,,coolll,,cool man,,but hopely baliness people relised what been done,,that wrong,,,we need visitor to come back,,,,nothing else to put in your wallet,,hhahakakakakakkhhihihiiiiiiiiik
well…well what happen if your neighbor use your beautiful garden as highlight to make money..btw nice blog bro !! * bali english saya *
@noesa, yeah nothing such a free lunch
btw have you been to turks caicos island?
@balibuddy, what? did the hotel intentionally use/take benefit from the view of the rice field? like arranging a tour package/view tour package to the rice field?
Not yet,just here in noEsa,,,,ngarit padang,,hahaheheee,,,
but I’ve been heard turks n caicos so beautiful,and I
think all carribean islands,,,more nuture,,not raft like here in noEsa,,hhheheeeee
@devari hopely someday,,,,when got alots of money,,wakakekeek
hahahha the title made me laugh. Thats why they are so friendly !?
Oh my G, those farmers are so greedy (and funny). Don’t they ever think that the more tourist come to Bali, the more benefit they get because those tourist spend money and benefit to all people who deal with that business. They have to remember; tourism is essential to Bali economy.
halah ngomong apa sih aku ini kekekekkkek pokoke gitu deeehh
@dian, hehehe yeah they are friendly cos they are forced to do it.
those farmers? they just plain mindless. They do not consider the long term impact for what they have done. Not only covering their rice field but they set up a loud speaker nearby the hotel just to force the hotel to pay them $$$.
@ devari : Nice view considered an asset to increase their sale. you know how hard is farming and maintain the rice field this day….yeah you can say that’s your (farmer) problem not mine but when you (hotel and whatever) take an advantage of it that become our problem, personally I support the farmer to get ” a small piece of the tourism pie” just a small piece of it…not more..
@balibuddy, if the hotel take the advantage of that rice field, there must be a win-win solution to solve the thing. My concern is only they way it is solved, not by doing radical things. btw hey i a farmer’s son too so I know the pain
but i am not so sure one thing, did the hotel ask the farmers to maintain their rice field? i thought everything went natural. were they on consignment? on special agreement? let say, ok farmers you keep your rice field nice and hotel will pay bla bla…
something like that?
@ devari : Radical action comes from a reason mate! that why we have to support ( their voice can be heard) them to get their bla…bla….he..he…not putting them as greedy,not friendly, anything else??