In Reply to: so you totally missed the point posted by cliff on Wednesday, 19. October 2005 at 17:31 Bali Time:
But I think you missed mine. Unfortunately, we the tourist have changed things over the years but unfortunately, the younger generation have lost the traditional skills and ability to farm as in the old days. Sad but true. We cannot turn back the clock. As you commneted, if we had never gone they'd have more to eat...but we did. The money I spent on shoes probably did go to a foreign owned company and yes I may have contributed to the CEO's Merecedes. But I was served by a balinese girl and yes some of money how ever small, contributed to keeping her in a job. The balinese are begging for tourists to return - every single balinese person I came across told me this. THEY want the tourists. If you ask them what they would prefer - no tourists back breaking work on the farms and rice paddies or the tourist and selling shoes, I know what their choice would be. Sad but true. We can all have our own opinions but the Balinese want us there. They prefer the working life that we the tourist provide. I appreciate your comments and yes you have provoked some interesting points that I perhaps never considered.
Cheers.