BALI ESCAPADE - SHOPPING SPREE

I will randomly post the stories of Bali as I had been to too many places at such short period of time that I actually lost track of the names of the places I visited!

Before the trip, I was given a few pointers by friends who had been there and loved everything about Bali. Among the few good advices, I find these few handy:-

(1) Don’t bargain with the peddlers on the street, unless you are serious about buying something from them, or else, they would continue to bug you till your earwax fall off.
(2) Wear sun block all the time (which I conveniently ignored on the last day as I was lazy, and had to pay hefty consequences of having disgusting skin flakes on my neck line and face now.)
(3) If you were to buy anything, negotiate till at least 50% off the initial offer price.

I didn’t think much during the entire trip. The previous worries or problems that plagued me – no matter how petty, miraculously slipped my mind. It is THAT relaxing. I was feeling totally at ease. Bali feels like a second home.

The itinerary is almost fixed for every arranged tour. Very commercialized.

Places that we had been this time, in this particular order:-

Kintamani tour: the Barong show, Mas, Celuk, Gunung Kawi, an agriculture farm in between Gunung Kawi and Tampaksiring temple, Tampaksiring temple, Goa Gajah, Ubud, UCCI Coffee head office.

Bedugul/ Bratan/Tanah Lot tour: Puri Taman Ayun, Lake Bratan, Bedugul Market, rice terrace, Tanah Lot.

Southern Bali tour: Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua

The Traditional Show

Barong show

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Just some dancers with big eyes rolling. You won’t understand shit about it. Don’t waste time.”

That was what the agent told us, when we booked our trip package at Matta Fair last September when we enquire about the show.

Somehow, I was quite surprised that it was still included in the itinerary and it turned out to be fine. Just that, the information given in the leaflet to the tourists is totally way off context and inaccurate. I did some studying on my own and appreciated the show more. It shows goodness always prevail in the end.

The Shopping Places

Bali is well known for its artistic handicrafts. Most of the stuffs being sold here reminds me of Jonker's Walk in Melaka. The vast difference is the price and also, the variety.

Mas, Celuk

A bit overrated. This is the place famous for higher end wood carvings, stone carvings, authentic paintings and also silver and gold. Of course, being there on the first day, I didn’t buy as I was preserving my money for some other stuffs as requested by friends – beaded shoes, cheap wood carvings, cheap paintings, etc. I prefer to have a go at haggling for prices at local markets rather than galleries which cater for tourists with more spending power.

Ubud

We were disappointed that the people here didn’t really give us much way to bargain. I couldn’t apply the 50% rule here. Further, there seemed to be lack of variety. Probably, we just didn’t have the mood to shop. I ended up with some really neat post cards.

Tanah Lot

A shopaholic’s heaven.

Apart from breath taking scenery, like other markets, Tanah Lot offers a whole range of colorful handicrafts, ranging from beaded slippers to t shirts, paintings to artistic carvings, sarongs to bags.

Here, I bought most of my stuffs as I was advised that the things here are cheaper compared to other parts of Bali. And I get to apply my 50% to 70% rule here.

It was an indeed putting my thin patience to test when it comes to shopping with WY. Even if we were in KL, we hardly shop together.

I was ultimately annoyed when WY kicked up a fuss when she was selecting beaded shoes – too loose, too big, not symmetrical, etc. For a price of RM8 per pair, I guess we should exercise moderation when it comes to selection. I tried my best not to look pissed but to no avail.

Here, I gotten 7 pairs of beaded shoes, bags and t shirts.

Bedugul market

A fruit and vegetable market like the Cameron Highlands. Heck! I haven’t even been to Cameron Highlands. People from all over Bali would congregate here to get fruits and vegetables almost at cost price. A box of strawberries is going for only RP8,000 (RM3.20!!) and that was considered expensive. During peak seasons, the strawberries could come at only RP5,000 (RM2.00).

Here, you get to see vegetable vendors peddling their goods on their heads. Wayan Mudra, our guide, told us that the ladies here have very strong necks. They always carry things using their heads. When it comes to collecting paddy harvest, it was the men who would harvest the paddy and it was the women who would transport them on their heads to the warehouses. I guess the term, “break neck speed” doesn’t apply to the ladies here. Heh!

Here, I got myself 5 metres of batik with phoenix motives at RP100,000 (RM40), which they said is quite expensive. For me, I think it’s worth it. According to Wayan, the batiks originated from Java and I couldn’t possibly get them in Malaysia as Muslims are prohibited from wearing clothes with animal motives. I checked with my clerk. He was telling the truth.

Nusa Dua market

A rather quiet place to cater for the holiday makers staying around the area. As almost every market offering the same stuffs, I bought wood carvings of little owls and beaded purses. Slightly more expensive compared to Tanah Lot.

Kuta Square

The handicrafts here are more defined compared to other places that we went to. When we were passing by a shop selling beaded shoes (not again!!), I quickly distracted WY’s attention to somewhere else. I was too late. She went into the shop and complained that the designs here are far more intricate and neat compared to other places that we had splurged our dough. My heart screamed “MURDER!!” but reminded myself of the 5th Commandment of the Bible, “Thou Shall Not Murder”.

Here, we got our paintings and some really nice fridge magnets. I spent a total of RP1.2 million (RM480) on shopping alone.