In Reply to: 2nd trip posted by balitoofar on Monday, 30. June 2008 at 15:12 Bali Time:
It's not fair to compare what we earn with what the Balinese earn. Of course their wages seem absurdly low to us but costs & labour are far less there & that's one big reason why we go there - it's very cheap for we Westerners.
Yes, it's a shame that the Indonesian Government reaps big bucks from tourism yet doesn't have a Social Security scheme such as we have in Australia. But by & large the local village infrastructure takes care of those villagers who genuinely need support. In Bali the Banjars have done so & continue to do so for those living within their ambit. Many people have chosen to leave their villages to work in the tourist strip & so they don't have the Banjar support. And no, the Balinese working in touristy places down from Tuban to Seminyak don't complain because what they can earn from one sale of a few T-Shirts is what a family in the hills earn in more than a week. And driving a cab sure beats breaking your back in the rice fields.
Personally, I very much dislike being hassled constantly, being beeped at - give me a break! I disliked being grabbed by the arm (as happens in Poppies 2 often) to look at tat the same as the tat in the several shops before & after. I dislike being beeped at by cabs when it's obvious I'm walking in the opposite direction. I dislike being beeped at period! It's a shame that so often the Balinese innate niceness does a runner when they spot a tourist with dollars. Shopping & walking around in Ubud is a totally different experience - almost no hassling - sometimes hard to get a shopkeeper's attention. Try it sometime.
You CAN do more to help these wonderful people. If you seriously want to help there are several charities run by expats who do great work. This forum host has one, Smudge has one, Helen Flavel etc etc.
I like Bali a lot. I have lived there for a year & returned many times since. I do not have rose-coloured glasses about it or the people.
My 2 cents worth.