The decision we made to visit and stay in Lovina, 4 hours drive north from Kuta was ended as an excellent decision. We were quite surprised that there were not many tourists in the town but as there are always good points are come along the bad ones, less tourists made us enjoy the quietness of the town more and also have opportunities to get closer to the local people's life. Instead of joining day tours, we decided to travel ourselves and used local transport called 'Bemo'. Most of our tour was walking around rice paddies, local temples, traditional markets and browsing areas where locals live so we could see and feel more about local people's real life. As I wished learning new things more through our journey, I gladly admit that there are plenty of things to learn wherever we go.
Hereunders are what I have learnt so far in Bali and I would like to share them with you.
1. How to negotiate : Many western people would feel quite awkward to try negotiating the prices when there is no price tag and given price from the seller is ridiculously expensive. In Bali, you need to negotiate the price down as the seller's price is far higher than fair price and they know that you will start negotiating down the price. Funny thing is that often you think you negotiated very well and got a good price, and then got out of the shop proudly, you can find out that you could have gotten even cheaper from the next shops. I normally compare more than dozen of shops where I offer less than 40% of asking price to figure out fair price and buy things based on the price. Sometimes negotiating prices can be annoying but if you try to understand their cultural background and nature of business based on tourists who don't know the real price, it is not too bad and it can be a good fun.
2. Ask to get things needed : if you ask, you will get most of things what you want here. Let's say, there are endless flexibility and availability for what you need and want here. When we arrived a hotel in Lovina, the room was very nice and clean but seems to be bit smaller than the photos on their website so we asked if we could get a bigger room as there was nothing to lose. Of course, we got a bigger and better room without extra charges. Many things are working like this here. We took a Bemo for one destination and asked for extra one more destination with little more money so we could get the final destination quicker and easier. As I have an Asian background, it was quite hard for me to be assertive and ask questions but now I know how to get what I want and need.
3. Be positive : I am trying to live and see things positively but when I see the people here who giggle all the time even though they are extremely poor and working very hard to survive every day, simply I don't know how they manage to keep themselves being positive. Obviously having more money can help us to enjoy more but money can't be the main source of happiness. Be happy with who you are and what you have is crucially important and I am glad that I can see and meet the live samples here.
4. Be modest : Having a modest life enriches our trip more. Having local food, using local transport and wearing local clothes make our travel expenses lighter and also our life simpler. There is nothing to show off and no need to put ourselves into a certain level of social status. The fact makes me feel so free.
5. Value of money: The money that I cannot buy anything in Australia means a lot here. With less than $2, I can buy my favourite lunch in a restaurant here. 4 hours driving by a taxi costed us about $35 here when we have to pay more than $100 for 30 minutes driving to the airport in Australia. I am learning here about the value of money and proper attitudes on spending money. I believe learning how to spend is more important than how to earn money and I am happy that I am in the middle of the learning process.
6. Be resourceful : people here are incredibly resourceful. They don't waste anything. What we think rubbish or useless stuff can be wisely used here. Financial hardship makes people here not to waste anything and reuse them to creat money to survive. This lifestyle teaches me to rethink my behaviour on using and discarding goods at home.
7. Business minds that always open to new chances: Bali people are always ready and open for new business opportunities which can bring money. The driver who brought back us to Kuta from Lovina would be a good example. He owns a small shop in Lovina that sells clothes, groceries and simple medications. A part of the shop is being used as a money exchange office and also travel information centre for tourist. He also works as a driver and property agent for Foreign investors. He owns three shops and get rental incomes from the tenants. While he was driving us, he didn't forget to offer us some properties for investment. Many of Balinese are doing similar things to earn as much money as they can. I know that this can only happen in a third world countries as there are still unclear rules on business setups but I do highly recognise their constant attempts and open minds. I have been wanting to have my own business for a quite long time but I haven't had enough courage or open mind even though I have far better conditions to start anything than they have. Therefore, looking at them is very impressive to me.
Of course, there are tons of things people can't stand here. Too many annoying sellers, unbelievably lazy people, tricky young guys, uncleanness, too much focused on money, etc... However I believe that there are more things to learn and educate myself to be better here. As I love the journey of my trip, I am truly happy to learn new things and different attitudes on the way through.
No comments:
Post a Comment