In Reply to: What drivers do while you eat posted by Micronesian Steve on Sunday, 13. March 2005 at 19:23 Bali Time:
don't worry, tour guides ONLY take you to places that they receive a commission from, and as well they usually get a meal and drinks gratis; And trust me, the commission is NOT diddly squat.
We even have a special restaurant JUST for guides & drivers..
And if you are kind enough to invite your guide to join you & buy a meal for him/her, he then claims the full cost of his meal as an extra to his commission.
They are well catered for; if restaurants do not cater for guides, then that restaurant gets very l'il business.
But that's OK, it's business....
I just get peeved when some (*minority) use standover tactics..
I usually tell this type to P$%# off, and tell them to take their poor unsuspecting guests somewhere else, (bigger commission but Krap meal)... Hey, it's not my problem if tourists employ this kind of tour guide.
While this may sound heavy, after 10 years playing in Bali, I've had enough confrontations that support my stance. Yes, we pay commission, that's globaly standard proceedure, but we DON'T buckle to intimidation.
So don't worry, guides are quite happy to take a break from their guests, and chill out.