Pasar Seni: Jl. Melasti in Legian Bali

Riding by the pasar seni (art market) on Jl. Melasti in Legian, I stopped to snap a photo. This strip of stalls sells the exact same stuff as you will find in Kuta and the Australian family scene that Jl. Melasti attracts has provided a target rich environment over the years. With Aussies staying away after the 2005 bombing, the bottom has dropped out of the t-shirt and shorts market. Plenty of stressed inventory here right now, plenty of room to bargain.

You see those white surf shorts the guy has hanging up behind him. You can probably get those for 20,000rp. The material they use isn’t much different from the material used in shorts sold in surf shops for 250,000rp. Best way to bargain is to get an idea of pricing by asking several vendors what the same thing goes for. When you get an idea, pick out 10 pieces and offer an amount, say “I’ll give you 100,000rp right now for this pile.”

The lady in the picture is selling coffee. There is a whole group of Muslim women from Java who patrol selling make up and womens products. They must be related because they are all about 4ft tall.