In Reply to: Driver rate ??? posted by kent on Tuesday, 16. November 2004 at 23:52 Bali Time:
Dear Kent,
If a driver (who drives his own car) is somewhat popular among tourists and gets full day customers for 20 days at 250.000 Rupiahs per day (leaving ten days of the month for rest, maintenance of car and ceremonies etc.), it means an income of 5 million rupiahs per month. Add the commission from the purchases the clients do (restaurants, shopping etc.) and the sum probably doubles. Then compare this amount with the salary of a person who works as a waiter/waitress or a bartender. He/she also has to survive as well as feed a family on his/her salary. They, too, are not sure if they have a job or not tomorrow.
I am more than sure that even the loans to the bank for the car can be repaid as well as maintenance and petrol with an income of 5-10 million Rupiahs per month, although it may take time.
It is not practical to compare salaries in Bali with salaries in Australia or Europe - it simply does not work. And, by the way, the cost of a litre of petrol in Bali is but a fraction of what it is in many countries in Europe.
By our coming to Bali we do help the Balinese as well as we can, don't you think? We travel, we shop, we eat, we drink, we give "tips" and we have a place where we sleep. Most of us are not really good at bargaining so most of us pay too much when we shop or use "transport". We give gifts to the Balinese and sponsor children so they can get a proper education. What else do you want us to do? Pay through our noses? Accept being cheated? Well, if that is the case it is probably better for us to travel to a destination where we are not, literally, taken for a ride as soon as we step out of the hotel. Kent, I am quite tired of the moaning about the horrible situation in Bali. Tourism to Bali is in fact picking up. Then look at the rest of Indonesia where people are less spoilt by income from tourism. How do these people manage?