In Reply to: I think I am really Shallow! posted by trayden on Sunday, 1. February 2009 at 09:31 Bali Time:
You have been to Bali many times and never seen any poverty - which tells me that you have not stepped outside the tourist bubble. Not to say you haven't toured outside of the Kuta strip, but you have stayed sheltered in your tourist bubble.
And that is completely fine. Many who visits a foreign country like Bali want to stay in a nice hotel, with a nice pool, and relax and have a good time. It is part of what Bali offers, and the great majority of tourists do just that. There is no need for you to look for an experience outside of that if you don't want to.
But what happens for some is that they are invited to visit a local's family home, or by some other means they leave the tourist bubble. They get to see how locals live, and realise that compared to themselves, the locals are poor. From that comes a desire to help. It is a personal choice.