Responsible tourism in Bali

Bali attracts a wide variety of people, with entirely different interests and cultural backgrounds. Its hard to write a set of rules everyone should abide by, because something simple like being outgoing, or being upfront, things appreciated in the US and Australia, can seem rude to people from other cultures. Here are a few general thoughts on responsible tourism in Bali.

•Good attitude:
A good attitude will overcome 99% of all travel problems in Bali. The Balinese love to laugh at mistakes, their own and yours. This can seem childish or even rude to visitors, its just their way of dealing with problems. If you have a small problem, whether it be bumping into someone, knocking over a drink or even a ‘fender bender’ you can usually diffuse the situation with a smile and relaxed attitude. In practice the Balinese can come off as crafty sometimes, looking for an angle, but as soon as you break through with a joke and a smile, they seem willing to give you a break.

•Littering:
Littering is something many local people do. While driving you will often see glass bottles, offerings, candy wrappers and other non-organic waste being thrown out of car windows. You will also garbage along the side of streets all over Bali. I read on a travel message board a while back that an expat saw a massive pile of garbage by the side of lake Bratan. He asked a local why the garbage was there was was told ”because it hasn’t rained yet.” Same thing on Legian beach, where plastic garbage is collected, swept into piles, then buried in the sand, only to be washed out with the next tide.

So many things come wrapped in plastic and then a plastic bag, that its hard to break the cycle. You can do Bali a favour by at least placing your garbage in a bin, rather than slinging it where you stand.

•Ceremonies:
Bali is a special place no question. Geographically its special (Bukit peninsula for surfing, mountain lakes for rice cultivation, stunning scenery), but the thing that sets Bali apart is its culture. Upacara (ceremonies) are a life long fact for Balinese people and without them the culture would unravel. As a tourist there are a few thnigs you can do to help the
Balinese with their ceremonies. These include not getting frustrated when your route is blocked by a funeral procession.

Instead of honking or getting upset, realize you are in a special place where people take these events super seriously. We’re lucky to have ceremonies and they do make excellent photo ops.
Many temples in Bali will allow tourists to enter. Dress code in long pants / dress, or sarong. You will a need non-revealing top and a sash. Its possible to pick up a sarong and sash at a local art market for 30,000rp, to take with you on your Bali trip. You can also rent these at the temple most times.

When attending a temple ceremony you may take photos, but do not stand in front of the people while they are praying. That goes for the beach too, during a cremation or purification ceremony. On the beach its courteous to keep your distance rather than wander up in a pair of Speedos and staring. Cell phones and other music devices should not be used in or around a temple ceremony as it could interupt the proceedings. While at a wedding ceremony you may be offered a front row seat. If you are accompanied by other tourists make sure not to chat during the wedding ceremony, I’ve seen this happen before.

•Pollution:
Pollution is a factor affecting Bali and one that will only get worse. With 3 million people on 1 small island there is a lot of garbage to deal with and no real answer in sight. Right now locals have 2 solutions to garbage…burn it or dump in in the road / lake/ river/ ocean. Add to that the amount of waste water created by hotels and villas and you have a problem. Resorts hotels and responsible restaurants such as Kori, on Poppies II, have their own waste water management system.

As a tourist you can tell the owner / manager of your hotel / villa that the water quality on the beach outside is dirty and that is the reason you won’t come back. If they hear this enough times they might do something about it. Write a letter to the Bali Tourism Authority reporting areas of dirty water and tell them where you’re staying, encouraging villas / hotels / restaurants with proper waste water management, refusing to rent cars with bad exhausts. When choosing a car to rent tell the renter you will not rent a car with a dirty exhaust. Bringing your own bag for shopping. Cloth bags are available around every corner in Bali. For your daily run to Circle K / supermarket, use a cloth bag rather than 10 separate plastic bags.

•Bargaining:
Some people think bargaining ‘grinds the local people down’. It doesn’t, and is part of a system of business that has been part of Balinese life for hundreds of years. There are 2 reasons why you should bargain. Firstly, you’ll always get a better price with a simple request for a better price, secondly if you don’t bargain the prices will keep rising. You’ll find that the item you bought for $10 a couple of years ago that was good quality, is now $50 and is badly made. The reason for this is locals will lose respect for people who seem to throw money away. People willing to buy without bargaining must have money to burn and the locals will adapt by knocking out cheaper and cheaper goods for higher prices. Remember, people will not sell stuff for less than they paid for it, even if they tell you otherwise. While bargaining be civil and try not to let the seemingly combative nature of bargaining get to you, as you can always walk away.

•Corruption:
If you encounter blatant corruption, contact the Bali Tourism Board and the Tourist Police. Corrupt people will only change when they are caught, or made to believe they will lose business.

•Attire:
Bali has tropical climate which encourages some tourists to walk around town in the bathing suit. I have seen western men in bars and restaurants at night without a shirt. The dress code in Bali is sufficiently relaxed that you can show up wearing whatever you want, so please wear SOMETHING to spare the rest of us having to look at a sweaty body while eating our pizza.

•Being honest:
Its not just the locals who pull stunts in Bali. Car rental owners often have stories of tourists renting a car for 2 days, then calling up extending for 10 days, the car later being found at the airport. This just isn’t fair and will lead to other nasty things being done back to tourists.

•Learn the language:
No one is expecting a tourist new to Bali to speak great Indonesian, but a few sentences will often help you out. Go through the sentences in your guide book for a start.

•Family safety:
Safety standards are lax in Bali and you cannot sue anyone. Travelling with the family means a risk of possible injury at some point, especially if you are hiking volcanoes, surfing, or riding around on motorbikes. Travel insurance could be something you might consider. Local conditions vary in Bali and that alos covers the ocean. Check with a local whether a beach is safe to swim on, look for red flags / surfers / other swimmers. Generally a beach that is good for surfing is not good for swimming and vice versa. If you have more than 1 young kids to take care of, it can be a good idea to visit a beach with a reef, such as Sanur or Nusa Dua, where the waves / undertow are minimal.

•Using local businesses:
Using a locally owned business helps the economy as the money stays in Bali, whether it be a hotel or convenience store. One factor that can disuede tourists from using a locally owned place is trust. When a locally owned place does a good job, feel free to tell them why you like them and why you’ll recommend them. Remember to tell them its because they are honest that
you’ll be using them again.

•Travel message boards:
Indonesia is opening up under President SBY. He is looking for solutions to problems such as corruption and publications can now print articles without fear of jail (everything is relative of course). If you have good things, bad things or other opinions to express about your trip to Bali, feel free you use one of the many travel message boards, where freedon of speech and a wide ranging audience are guaranteed.