In Reply to: It's so hard to remember posted by Colleen on Wednesday, 23. February 2005 at 23:56 Bali Time:
nothing.
I was so over-prepared the first time I went, on account of doing heaps of research for my wife (we scored a free trip coz she wrote some articles about Bali). So when things happened, I was like "oh... there's THAT one". It was as though I was just ticking things off my list. And I think I was probably looking for the ones that hadn't happened yet.
And even when I popped over to Yogya for a couple of days, I pretty much followed the recommended path of other forumites. Even though I had a ball and it was a very emotional experience for me (and the reason I've been back twice since then), I didn't really get the full effect of being lost in a strange land.
That occurred the second time I visited Bali and Java, when I was alone and free to just jump on the back of a stranger's motorbike and say, "Take me somewhere". That was when I got to see how people lived and what goes on behind the veneer of Balivegas.
I'm still waiting to be mugged, stabbed, kidnapped, robbed, ripped-off and blown up in Java (as promised by virtually everyone). Maybe next time.
I realise this won't help your nervous friends much. But then, presenting them with a twenty-page document of dangers might not help much either. They may end up spending the entire time locked up in their hotel room.
I suggest you let them know about the obvious scams, and otherwise leave them to their own adventure.