The majority of visitors to Bali simply adore going to the markets because of the great shopping bargains, the enjoyment of walking around the stalls seeing almost the same product in each stall, getting hassled by stall-owners to but their goods, and in general, the sheer delight in bargaining the price of the product you want to buy whether it be a sarung or one of those trashy ‘Fuck the Terrorists’ T-Shirts or even a bedspread. The list goes on. In Kuta, everybody heads down to the Kuta Art Market albeit smaller now after Kuta Square was built and in doing so reduced the once large market into a few alleyways of choc-a-bloc terror, a nightmare for those first timers to Bali. The crowded and dusty-dry market in Denpasar is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is all part of the joy of market mania.
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Bali has an array of restaurant taxes that are a reflection of the rest of the tax system. Most locals on Bali don’t pay personal tax, unless they earn and declare over 1m rp per month. Businesses do pay tax, but most ‘cook the the books’, declaring way less than they earn. I know this because business owners have told me.
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Bali is hot right now, as I’ve been saying for a while. The sun is as relentless as ever and yesterday, after going to the gym and then to Kuta, wearing a short sleeve shirt, I realised my forearms were rather rosy. Being one of Britain’s paler citizens, that’s something that’s always going to happen. One recent visitor reckons its too hot to shop in Ubud.
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After a 10 year absence from Bali having had these years in Yogyakarta, Central Java, I returned in 2003 to see many changes had occurred on the island of Bali. One place that particularly took my attention was the near completion of the Discovery Mall on Jalan Kartika Plaza. At that time I can recall mentioning to my wife as we passed on our way from the airport that the white edifice would be a ‘white elephant’. How wrong was I in my statement. Of course every year I have returned to Bali since 2003 and over the years I have seen the Discovery Mall evolving into one of the best shopping complexes on the island. There are not many tourists to the island that dislike the place as it offers an excellent choice of restaurants, coffee shops and stores, but also affords spectacular ocean views from the rear of the building. Little by little over the years a new shop or restaurant has been added, another bank installed in the complex making it a delightful place to spend a few hours, or in some cases with over-enthusiastic shoppers, a whole day.
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Casual tourists to Bali stroll around the markets in Kuta, Sukawati and Ubud checking out the nick-nacks and deciding what to buy for Auntie Flo. Bali has for decades supplied cheap gifts that can by bought for a couple of dollars. There is a newer side to the Bali shopping scene that has gained worldwide attention, luxury interior goods.
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Bali is a tourist destination, so the business hours are skewed as a result of the need to cater to tourists. Banks are open from 8am / 9am to 2pm /3.30pm, depending on the bank, closed Saturday generally. Restaurants are often open from 10am-11pm or later, with some opening at 7.30 am for breakfast and staying open till late. The fusion of restaurants and lounge bars blurs the line when places close. Bali has a selection of 24 hour businesses which include:
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Most people who come to Bali pick up a few souvenirs, in the form of Bintang t-shirts, surf wear and copy watches. Some people go positively berserk, filling holdalls with DVD’s, stacks of batik, carvings and host of other nicknacks. One might think Indonesia was a great place to shop, but as the Jakarta Post points out, we’ve got a long way to go.
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