Hi!
I just came across this site and wanted to ask about something other than just shopping. I have noticed that there seems to be a few folks using this site who are into the party scen--and a bunch of folks who take offense over sexual topics. Hopefully my post won't cause too much of a stir compared to some others. My husband and I are going to Bali for 3 weeks this summer. We will be in Kuta, Ubud, and northwest part of the island. We are from the USA and are fascinated by most of what we have heard about Bali so far from other American travellers. My question is kind of complex, so let me set it up with some observations first. There seems to be a lot of talk about prostitution by young girls in Bali. There also seems to be plenty of attention given to the whole Kuta cowboy thing. We are not coming to Bali for sex, but we are hoping to mix in some drinking and dancing in Kuta with our more sedate and politically-correct pursuits farther north. Many people have told me that it is good to find a local person that you can hire to help drive you around, show you the sights, and help you dodge hawkers and scams. That sounds like a grand idea, but it is certainly placing a lot of trust in a total stranger. I have also heard repeatedly that there are hassles sometimes from the local men if you are fairly attractive. I am in my twenties, about 6' tall, fit, and curvy, so I already get enough of that at home. Rather than hunt for some young guy to help us out during our stay, I was wondering if it might be possible to meet a fun youngish girl to help instead. Maybe she would be more sensitive to things from a female perspective...and also have some tips about shopping for clothes, make-up, etc. At another website, a couple of people hinted that maybe I was looking for a prostitute. That is not it at all. We are certainly not out to hire a girlfriend, exploit the locals, or anything like that. I am just curious if anyone has had any experience with using a local girl to help with transport and other stuff. The idea of meeting someone local to go out shopping, dancing, and sightseeing with me/us just sounds like a good idea for the times when my husband and I are not doing something more romantic. Don't get me wrong, I am not a prude--the notion of a beautiful Asian girl giving us a massage or something like that does not sound bad at all, but I am not looking for "working girls"...just a local contact that we could perhaps hire to help us with getting around. If anyone has any comments, ideas, past experiences, or contacts, I would love to hear from you by e-mail or in this forum.
Thanks,
Kristy