In Reply to: gifts for balinease posted by chizz on Saturday, 29. March 2008 at 11:06 Bali Time:
‘Oleh-oleh' are small gifts given when you return from a journey, something you might take for a friend when you return to Bali.
A gift given to your host for their hospitality, or to a friend for kindness or simply as something you would like to do is ‘Kado' or ‘Pemberian'. If you win the raffle or a prize or 'buy one get one free' that's 'hadiah'.
New babies are very special in Bali. They are seen as having come from the Gods and are as pure as a human can ever be. I've been told that a very welcome gift that respects Balinese tradition is nice, new, clean money (value not important really) in a red envelope. The red envelope is obviously a hangover from part of their adopted Chinese traditions. If you decorate the envelope with your own artistic talents, even a carefully written or printed Babies name will do, but more is better to tickle their artistic sensibilities, like stick-on cartoon figures or shiny stars, glitter adhered with a glue pen or stick, etc (see your local newsagent).
The money is a symbol of your wish for the child's prosperous life (what Balinese does not want a rich child to look after them in their old age) and the hand decorated envelope is a very personal touch that is seen a super special for that baby.
Put the envelope in the right (clean) hand of course and the parent will help in this regard as they will immediately recognise what you are doing. Remember not to touch the babies head.
Anything after this dims into insignificance, almost, but you might find some suggestions below.
It may not be a good idea to give out presents to every child that you meet as this could set up an expectation that all that visitors are good for is handouts. If in doubt ask the parents first. (Think of yourself as a parent in similar circumstances - ‘What is that stranger giving my children?')
Large handouts of sweets may not be in the best interests of children's health.
I really can't recommend the unbelievable suggestion I recently read that tourists drive along the streets and throw out sweets to children from the moving car. Apart from the dangers it seems to be a waste of a golden opportunity to talk to them.
Children love soap bubbles, readily available in little bottles with blowing rings attached under the lids, from party supply stores. Also now available at Matahari's and other supermarkets in Bali. Keep one in your pocket and casually blow bubbles in the street when you come across some kids. You won't believe how big a hit you are - but have a good supply if you're going to start giving them away.
Families welcome bottled water dispenser (20-litre size) with tap.
Women like bright fabrics of western pattern. 1.5m. for kebayas (upper garment). Rp15,000 for tailor to sew.
Even though western style goods are available in Bali they are not often bought by the Balinese for themselves, - the younger generation excepted perhaps, so don't shy away from purchasing locally.
Blokes are not easy to get something for although strange things such as formal ties (expensive in Bali and often yuk!) and even bow ties are sometimes welcomed by drivers and young blades out to impress the lady of their fancy as wealthy men of business substance
Some favour body sprays such as Lynx, deodorants etc that they would never spend their money on in Bali. Baseball type caps with Aussie (or your home country) style logos. Picture postcards from home. Picture books of animals or plants from home or home travel books with pictures - local auto club or tourism office.
Short sleeved dress shirts in Plantation white and pastel colours. Even condoms so I've heard although I've never been asked for them. Sunglasses which is another surprise but even cheap Aussie ones are better quality than the cheap Bali ones.
For musicians a plastic Recorder (wind instrument) or a set of guitar strings. For drivers try car shampoos and waxes or Aussie style stickers of rampant kangaroos etc.
Good quality playing cards, chess sets, even a box of fishing tackle and good quality line if they are shore dwellers and have an interest in this direction
A small bag of lollies (sweets) to share around at unexpected times (or a big bag on the beach - or a bag full of small bags) is a great treat. Good chocolate bars. Bali chocolate is not as sweet as ours. Try Cadbury Dairy Milk, Caramello, mint chocolate etc. Also Natural Food Company candy, jubes etc.
For children small dolls or miniature cars and motorbikes are welcomed, as toys are not high on the Balinese shopping priorities. Little kangaroos and koalas with clothing clips. Badges and stickers, address books and autograph books, drink holders, magnets. Super bouncing balls in 6-packs in the party section of your local supermarket.
Lipsticks, nail polishes, skin creams - even the unused remnants of your own supply when you leave at the end of your holiday.
Cheap bangles in bright colours. Small toy cars. Sun visors in preference to caps. Water pistols. Hand-held maze games with little ball bearings in them that you have to roll into holes. 'Magic Blackboards' (lines disappear when the film is lifted). Keep an eye out at local garage sales. Small mirrors; check your local plastics store of wardrobe manufacturers for off-cuts of plastic mirror which can be cut and shaped with regular woodwork tools.
Colouring books and pencils, particularly with animal shape erasers on the end. Hair bands and clips. Lollies and chips from the local supermarkets. McDonalds toys. Tennis balls. Plastic whistles. Balloons, particularly if they blow up to animal shapes rather than just round.
The shopping bags that are now common in Australia - green or blue and particularly the brightly coloured ones just available for our June '06 trip.
Stickers and transfers. Coloured lip salves that youngsters use to paint stripes and flowers on their cheeks. Face paints and brushes.
Warm clothes (old jeans and jumpers) for people living in the cold central highlands particularly.
Best of all - photos of themselves, with or without you, enlarged at the nearby Kodak shop (very cheap in Bali) and put in a frame for them. Perhaps an extra one of them with you, for their parents/children/friends.
Picture books. Jigsaw puzzles (no language problems, available for all ages and both sexes and re-useable for generations). School writing books, lined or graph and blank. Text books and old novels in English are fine, particularly if there are pictures that relate to the text. Try your local Op Shop where you might get a dozen for $2 or even a number for free if they know you're giving them to a school or village library in Bali.
A bit of a different gift to take to a special friend in Bali is Aussie chocolate. Smoother and more to the Balinese taste than even their local brands you will be a hit at any party.
Paper hats, masks, Indian headdress (with feathers). Sheets of stickers for school books and other prize possessions.
Balinese women particularly love to get your old bras as they are beyond the means of most family budgets to buy new. Take up a collection of them at the office and donate to a worthy cause.
FOR FAMILIES;
'Sembako' is short for 'Sembilan bahan pokok' or the government proclaimed nine food staples. These are -
- rice
- sugar
- cooking oil
- kerosine (or kerosene) (or other heating fuel such as gas in steel cylinders_
- eggs
- milk (powdered or tinned best for poor families - remember no refrigeration)
- salt
- meat - beef, chicken or fish.
Large boxes of instant noodles will also be a big hit as they will be something different in their diet.
Frozen beef.
Biscuits in the Australiana tins.
Sheets and towels, pillows and pillow cases, maybe even a good quality mattress if you know this would be welcomed.
Odd kitchen utensils - big spoons, egg flips etc. Plastic containers with good seals for storing rice, meats etc. Pots and saucepans, frypans, baking dishes, colanders, strainers, fine mesh skimmers, ladles and big serving spoons, tongs, meat tenderisers, wooden spoons, mops and brooms, dustpans, food processors, mixers/beaters/whisks/ rice cookers (buy locally), cutlery, crockery, glasses, mugs and cups, teapots, kettles (open fire and electric, cleaning equipment,
Bags of mixed lollies (candy). Tubs of ice-cream and a stack of plastic spoons.
A big bag of fruit. Most families grow some fruit and veg but can't grow every thing, or every variety, so fruit is always welcome particularly so if you know what they don't grow themselves. Similarly tea, coffee, sugar, green vegetables, fish and meat, chillies, garlic or onions, powdered milk, hot sauces and rice are always welcome. If possible accompany your friends to their markets where they can select their produce and you pay for it. This not only ensures that they get the quality of vegetables etc that they prefer but a side benefit is the heightened esteem that their friends have for them when a foreign visitor goes shopping with them. It also means that you are supporting the very local economy rather than someone unknown in Java or somewhere.
Store medicines and health supplies as simple as Bandaids, cotton balls, ointments (local ones if you can), adults and kids Panadol etc are also welcomed. Ointments and salves that sting like crazy or smell outrageously seem to be thought of more highly than mild ones!
OTHER SUGGESTIONS;
If a friend is due to have a birthday a hand made birthday card in a decorated envelope is about the pinnacle of respect that you can pay to the artistically inclined Balinese.
A cheap or disposable camera. Bought Duty Free it's not such a great expense.
Electric fans are fairly cheap to by in Bali. Check the family needs first. An old radio/cassette tape player. The men particularly are often chess fanatics so a chess set and board will elevate his standing amongst his friends.
Balinese are passionate about soccer (the world game) and soccer balls at schools and orphanages are always welcome.
Badminton is a national sport and racquets and 'birdies' are great, particularly for the girls. Frisbees for the beach. Beach tennis bats and tennis balls, soccer balls (particularly miniature balls for the younger children) and even Aussie rules footballs (again smaller sizes for children). Balls that have super bounces, particularly if they are clear with animal/bird images in the middle of the ball.
All sorts of school supplies in any quantity. School fees are between Rp30,000 and 45,000 per month per child. Uniforms and materials are on top of this as are fees for ceremonies. It is common to see children going into schools on Saturdays armed with whiskbrooms instead of books. They are expected to clean the buildings. There are no government concessions of any sort for education (even for the children in orphanages) in Indonesia. Wax crayons, Textas (felt-tip pens) and coloured chalks. One traveller regularly collects pens, pencils rulers etc from polling booths after elections for donating to orphanages and schools. Get approval from the electoral office beforehand, in writing if possible. Many regular travellers sponsor a child's education as an on-going gift to a Balinese family or to an orphanage child. Fees are about Aus$100/year for primary education, doubling for secondary school and even more if a student proceeds to senior secondary.
For school sponsors consider a set of wall maps for the classrooms. In '06 I came across a supply on the first floor of the Super Nova department store on Jl Raya Kuta. If you want a valued gift that's a bit different get a topographical one of 'Provinsi Bali' at 1:150,000 scale showing roads, towns, ports, rivers, lakes and provincial borders for only Rp20,450 or Aus$3.00 approx. How cheap can a reasonable quality wall map get? They also had similar maps of Indonesia, Australia and the world.
Indo-English dictionary. If you're sitting out in the cool of the evening chatting with friends and a food cart ('kaki lima') goes past buy them all something to eat. Its only about Rp3,000 each or 40 cents a meal!
Sales brochures for cars (particularly for small 4-WD's like their own ‘Kijangs') and motorbikes with lots of pictures - and your home prices so they can ‘Oooh' and ‘Ahhhh'!.
Packs of Disney cards. Kids sun glasses, TeleTubbie dolls ***(or whatever is the current television cartoon craze amongst kids). Key rings with a flavour of you own country.
Beads and string for bracelets. Skipping ropes. A4 or Legal size paper, envelopes of all sizes, sticky tape, pens and highlighters, calculators, computer software, glue sticks, ‘Post it' sticky notes, stamps and stamp pad, clip boards, manila folders, staplers and staples, photo albums, plastic envelopes, rubber bands,
You can take English language schoolbooks and educational magazines for the free English teaching program run in the smallest Bali villages. Gaye will pick them up from your hotel. Ph 758 737 or you can drop them off at her shop called ‘Eclipse' on the right side in the Kuta markets as you walk through to the beach.
If you're good at tying little animals and stuff with those long thin balloons you will be an instant hit in Bali - but make sure that you can tie them fast and take an enormous supply.
The current crop of brightly coloured eco-friendly shopping bags available almost everywhere in Oz are great favourites. Get one for each family of friends, or one for each member of the family and put other little gifts into them that you think that person would like.
FOR SCHOOLS - Schooling is not free in Indonesia and the costs of education and required uniforms is not cheap, especially for the orphanages of course. If you want to help with a child's education there are organisations such as the Helen Flavel Foundation and YKIP that will give you good advice. The costs seem to vary inexplicably with the Foundation giving the best options but it only operates in the northern areas at present, mainly from a lack of reliable and trustworthy contacts 'on the ground' in other places.
The usual school supplies of pens, pencils, erasers pads, books and so on are always welcome because they are always being used. Buy them cheaply in Bali to save on your freight weight and to give the students the size and style of materials that they are familiar with. Coloured pencils are sometimes seen as an extravagance as there is not the money to replace them when they are worn out. Don't forget the teachers who work under similar handicaps to the pupils. Red and green pens as well as black and blue. Stamps, stamp pads and replenishment inks. Chalk, good quality with strong colours not the wishy washy sort. Dustless chalk. Blackboard erasers. Blackboard paint and a good brush. Books about your home flora and fauna. Illustrated books with simple English text. Pencil sharpeners, particularly the good type rotary ones that are screwed to the wall or door frame. Coloured crayons. Rulers, setsquares and French curves, lettering templates in a variety of sizes. If you really want to make a lasting impression offer to fund playground facilities such as paving bricks to eliminate the rainy season mud and the dry season dust. Sporting goods are always welcome. Soccer is a passion in Bali, as is chess and badminton is almost a national game with world champions being local heroes.
** Head lice are not uncommon in Bali and are often rife amongst orphanages and schools. PediTox is a local shampoo available from Apotics (local chemists) for Rp3.000 a bottle. Try the Apotic next to the Bintang Supermarket on Jl Legian. Nits are called 'kutu' by the Balinese. If giving to locals away from the tourist areas explain the need for EVERYONE to be treated on a regular basis until the nit-egg cycle is broken. A small trigger bottle for spraying in the corners of rooms and amongst bedding might also be useful. Take care that there is not broken skin on the scalp from frustrated scratching. The best long-term prevention is probably regular hair care with a good shampoo and a good conditioner. A bulk purchase of this for your friends is much better than a bulk supply of nit treatment solution.
FOR BABIES - Money is always welcome and considered not only lucky but is also essential for the 3-month and 6-month ceremonies. It would be seen as good luck if the first thing you did was to put a note in the baby's hand. (Much like the custom of tapping all the goods in a market stall with the money from the first sale of the day.) It will also be especially valued if it is a crisp, new note, and is put into a new, sealed envelope containing a nice ‘congratulations' or ‘baby' card and which is especially hand written and decorated to honour the occasion.
If money is not really a factor a pram, pusher, bassinet or cot will seem luxurious to new parents. On a less-grand scale disposable nappies for special occasions or soft cloth nappies (and pins) will be welcomed. For struggling families a supply of baby formula and/or long life milk. Perhaps a baby bath bought in Bali.
Lightweight baby sleeping bags with a bunny rug for a throw-over. Heavier weight sleeping bags will be useful for a family living up in the mountains where it gets damn cold even though Bali is generally thought of a tropical.
Bonds suits or other one-piece clothing is not commonly used as kidz run around without nappies for many months.
Traditionally within Bali a package is put together for a new baby. In a woven basket there will be a new set of clothes, soap, powder etc, and for the parents some rice, sugar and coffee. This helps to feed the visitors who will come to see the baby and who must be offered food and drink.
Some supermarkets have gift vouchers (Matahari).
Hand drawn flowers or toys done with coloured pens and glue sprinkled with glitter will appeal to the Balinese love of handcrafted things.
Grow suits, such as Bonds, are not used by the Balinese.
A toy (stuffed) or mobile will be appreciated, as the usually scarce monetary resources would not be spent on such ‘luxuries'. If it's been used that's OK - wash it in your machine with a dose of antiseptic before you take it.
Mittens and bootees, in cotton, will be used. A shawl or jacket in crochet, particularly if you can make it yourself, will become a family heirloom. Formula milk powder (buy in Bali) baby powder, heat rash cream, nappy rash cream.
Used toys scrounged from friends and neighbours at home will be welcome. Soccer balls (they're soccer mad in Bali) volleyballs and nets, table tennis gear, exercise mats, running shoes for boys and girls, tennis racquets and balls.
First Aid stuff such as antiseptic cream, sticking plasters, cotton balls, Detol, bandages, tweezers, Panadol/aspirin, eye wash cups, aloe vera gel, cotton sheets.
Hair brushes and combs (clean with antiseptic solutions before taking them if they have been used), towels, face washers, sheets, pillow cases, hairclips, electric iron, fans, talc powder, shampoo and soaps, hair clips and ribbons. See also nit control advice above.
Jigsaw puzzles and other table-top board games, creative toys such as Lego, sewing kits, educational posters such as world maps or maps of Asia, posters of places people of different cultures, the human body, musical instrument posters, portable tape players., pop star posters,
Take your old and no-longer-favourite music cassettes. If you find a nice driver he will probably have a player in his vehicle and will welcome your old tapes as a relief (?) from the ever-present gamelan orchestra.
PAPER for gift wrapping, and stationery, from Garuda Wisnu, Jl Teuku Umar almost into Denpasar on the left coming from Kuta about 1 km past Hero's and Libby supermarkets. Set back a bit off the road. Old building reflects the long existence of the business.
Also Inti Grafika, also Teuku Umar. Ph 231 552 and the Bintang Supermarket in Seminyak.