About Bali
SOME SMALL TIPS FOR BALI
Dear Guest(s),
We welcome you to the magical island of Bali.
Introduction….
Balinese People are very spiritual and very proud of their old and special culture — and they will happily invite you to their beautiful ceremonies. If you are just watching a procession or cremation you should dress modestly and ask the person taking you what to wear. If you are going to a ceremony in a temple you should wear the proper attire. For a woman it is a stagen, like a long line bra, a kebaya blouse, a waist sash and a long sarong. For men it is a shirt, sarong, outer sarong, waist sash and an udang headband. The person accompanying you to the ceremony can help you find these items (rent, borrow or buy) and help you wear it properly.
Some of these ceremonies will last a long time. You are free to leave anytime, but quietly. You will see people chatting and looking at their phones, sometimes going out for a while and smoking a cigarette…. It’s not like church or mosque.
But do not walk in front of any priest, whether High Priest (Pedanda) or Lay Priest (Pemangku). For women: If you menstruate (have your moon or mens, as Balinese call it), you are not allowed to enter temples or attend ceremonies. Please respect that! And both men and women if you have a tragic event in your mind or are bleeding from any injury you also are not allowed to attend. In other words: Your heart and mind must be pure and clear.
Whenever you go there, please wear a sarong. You may buy one in a market and keep it with you, but if you cannot, please accept the ones they may have available to you at the entrance. In some of the large temples there may be rules written outside, but not always. Please be sure to follow the regulations very carefully. Tourists have been found to be desecrating temples and they are often arrested and deported for this cause. And rightly so.
Try not to walk on offerings, whether on the streets, in front of temples, shrines, houses or shops. They are religious offerings to the gods and each of the gifts inside them has a meaning:…
Outside of every house or villa is a small altar somewhere. Usually, in the early morning, someone will come and put a new offering there. Don‘t worry, they will come and go quietly and definitely not spy on you. But it will bring you luck.
Try not to gesticulate too much with your hands. The easiest way is to keep them behind your back. Balinese are very polite, you rarely hear a loud fight. Most of the time you will see that as angrier they get the more quietly they speak. So, please do not raise your voice or show anger or frustration. If you do have to point at something it’s better to use your thumb and not your index finger.
If you give or take anything (like money or an object), do so with two hands or with your right hand only. Do not use your left hand.
Also the head is sacred. Do not ever touch someone on the head, even to pat a child on the head.
Try not to go barefoot in the streets. This is considered very offensive all over Asia (and elsewhere). It is of course ok on beaches and similar environments.
Take your shoes off when you enter a house, even a shop. Many shops will tell you it is ok to keep your flip flops on, but it doesn‘t hurt. Tip: Just see whether there are shoes in front of the place.
Tipping
If you want to give some extra money to staff or someone you interact with, Balinese may first refuse it. Ask three times and then give it to them anyway. Likewise, when staff gives you a lift into town or pick you up. (Taxi drivers are different, they will sometimes ask a lot and you can haggle).
People do not earn much and Bali had a really rough time throughout the pandemic. They will very much appreciate it.
You will find plenty to buy and you could always haggle a bit. But not to an extreme….
LGBTQ+
Either Cis or LGBTQ+, Balinese people will respect it. But please don‘t flaunt it. No public kissing or making out, please. A pick on the cheek is fine, of course. Displays of affection between anyone in public is NOT appreciated and is unwarranted in this conservative society. This goes for same sex as well as male/female couples. So please no big hugging or kissing in public.
Some good words to remember
- Suksma (or Suksmo) >> Thank you
- Tari Makasi >> You‘re welcome
- Bokashi is the medicine in a green bottle that people use for bites and small itches.
- You’re welcome is Sama Sama or sometimes Kembali (translated loosely like “back to you”)
- Selamat Pagi >> good morning
- Selamat Siang >> 11 to 3 pm
- Selamat Sore >> 4 to 7ish
- Selamat Malam >> nighttime
- Selamat Tidur >> Have a good sleep
Actually, it is very simple: Please show respect. And if in doubt, just ask!
Books to read
Dear guests, this is a list of books that will tell you a little bit about Bali and Balinese history. It might look a little bit Western-centric. But…. (Not finished, I need to get some Balinese or at least indonesian writers)….)
- Vicki Baum: Love & Death on Bali (THE book on the uprising in 1906, a great novel)
- Nigel Barley: Island of Demons (fictional history about Walter Spies, a Russian-German who came here in the 1920s and helped to reanimate Balinese music tradition)
We wish you a wonderful time,
Petra and Andreas
You might also mention certain things that are good to do while here such as attending one of the Balinese dance and gamelan programs. They are wonderful! In normal times the Ubud tourist information office had a list of all the shows and which day of the week each of several venues had Kecak, Ramayana, Legong, etc etc.
