In Reply to: Very normal... posted by grover on Sunday, 3. April 2011 at 22:04 Bali Time:
Seriously, this behavior is not acceptable. A tourist told me the other day that at Uluwatu on the beach she was told by an old lady that wouldn't leave her alone that she "would kill her", she was being polite saying, no thank you, no thank you, and this woman threatened her life.
It's got to stop, unless tourists don't start taking it a little more seriously then some tourist will get killed.
I haven't been hassled since I was a tourist 20 years ago, those days they chased you down the street saying, 'want transport boss, want to buy a hat boss, hey boss'. I don't get hassled anymore and I do not make eye contact, nor do I even say No, I do not say anything, I hate having to go to Kuta/Tuban for this reason I just keep walking and don't stop. If the tourists go shopping somewhere else then they may wake up.
If you get grabbed, I suggest you loudly say 'Police'. That will stop them. They stopped doing it after the bombs, then it was 'thank you for coming to my Island". How, easily they forget that you can all stop coming again.