In Reply to: Help - Disillussioned and Desperate! posted by minty on Saturday, 13. May 2006 at 21:47 Bali Time:
though I am already looking to go again next year, I completely understand how you feel. I felt a real sadness this time when I came home. I think it stemmed from some of the Balinese being more "desperate" this trip. We have our families and orphanes that we support and our usual vendors that we buy from and you can't help everyone but I felt like I wanted to. I paid too much on several occasions because I felt like it might help the people I was buying from. I guess what saddened me a bit, was that even though I paid too much for something with a particular vendor, knowing full well that they were ripping me off, they tried to do it to me with other things the next day and it sort of took the shine of overpaying them in the first place. I thought I was doing a nice thing but they probably saw me as an easy mark and that I would fall for it everytime. In the end I was too "shopping exhausted" to barter anymore. One day on the beach, I had bought a bunch of necklaces etc from one of our long time ladies and I know I paid too much. The other vendors we always see in the same group kept trying to sell to me as well and I really didn't need anymore sarongs or sunglasses or anything really. Plus we had just given them 5 bags of clothes for them to share between themselves and their families. In the end, I gave them each 50,000rp as well (there were 6 of them). I figured they still made some money, and I didn't have to bring home more stuff I didn't really need but my husband got really cross with me and said "that we couldn't support everyone in Bali!!!" I just couldn't stand the thought of bartering with them all.
I guess as the tourism situation becomes more desperate overthere, so will the people and it is hard to not want to help.
We just need to keep in mind that they are a lovely people and remember all the things that drew us to Bali in the first place.
Regards
Maria