In Reply to: A question re correct way to dress posted by dromomaniac on Saturday, 6. May 2006 at 07:18 Bali Time:
When in Bali, most of the time I wear what I wear here in the hot weather, sleeveless teeshirts and shorts. One of the reasons I like Bali as a holiday destination is the general easy-going attitude. I wouldn't visit a temple dressed like that, but I don't go to Bali particularly to visit temples anyway. My wife was also pretty laid back about what she wore for casual occasions.
We made so many friends in various parts of Bali, both touristy and comparatively quiet, and were always genuinely welcomed back each time we returned, so we can't have been offending people.
We talked to Balinese people about many things, including their attitudes to what visitors wear on the beach and elsewhere. Just as in Australia and elsewhere, different people have different ideas about what is acceptable, but in our experience most of them didn't really care. Before Bali became a popular holiday destination, Balinese women went bare breasted and this can still be seen amongst mainly older women in some of the quiter villages.
I think we can worry too much about what we assume others may expect when it comes to so-called dress standards.