My thoughts on Indonesian society-part I

Nick,

Bali is an inspirational island, I love it.
I have been visiting 3 times a year, a month each time, for years.
However, the number of people who get sick here and the frequency is abnormal.
Some blame the cuaca, the dirty filters on the ac units in the hotels, the polin in the air, the pollution, etc.etc.
Someday they will discover the cause.
I consider myself a healthy person. I never get sick accept when in Bali.
I am sick and tierd of being sick and tierd.
Batuk kering sakit ie. lower bronchial infections.
Yes, I always have a liter of H20 at my side everyday.
I realise you probably won’t post this message because you are in the business of selling the island. I just wanted to vent my frustration.
Your website is fantastic, you are very talented.

Da-da Bali

ps. Would someone please bang the kul kul and inform the expat community, locals and visiting tourists ” SMOKING CIGARETTES CAUSES CANCER, YOU
F KING MORONS ” Wait one minute, let’s exclude the locals from this equation, they are uneducated, but everyone else !!!!

cukup

Your health is your wealth

Justin

Justin,

Not only Asians smoke too much, but Europeans do too. I don’t know about OZs.

Do y’all know that you can get lung cancer from second-hand smoking? If I were you I would avoid hanging out at smoke-filled places.

Do you often get stomach flu while in Bali? I do. To avoid stomach flu, you can take one tablet of pepto bismol a day. The medicine will form a thin layer of protective coating over the inner wall of your stomach.

Better luck the next time you are in Bali.

Tom,
you are so right about Europeans and other westerners smoking too much.
We sat in a restaurant in Bali next to the table of an American couple and an Australian couple. All 4 were quite happily sucking poison laden tar and nicotine into their lungs and then expelled it down wind accross our table while we were eating.
Every time I put food to my mouth, I recieved an entree of unwanted 2nd hand smoke from these selfish, inconsiderate turds. I am sure the Australians thought it was great coming to Bali, you can smoke where ever you like as our Australian anti-smoking laws are so strict. I am all for smokers having the right to smoke and screw-up their own bodies, BUT don’t do it at the expense of other peoples health, have some consideration for the people around you, don’t smoke around food anywhere in the world.
We were leaving Bali that night so I did not want to end the trip with memories of confrontation. I let them choof in peace. Fool am I. I will not let that happen again.

In 1948 I was 14 and my father was 50. He was a good looking, young looking man, with the body of a well muscled athlete. Then he was diagnosed with lung cancer. His doctors told him that it was almost certainly due to his heavy cigarette smoking. Yes, back in 1948, the medical people knew, but few people wanted to listen. He was dead at 52. My elder sister, a glamorous, fun loving woman, was by then smoking heavily and she too died of lung cancer at 62.

I believe that most people start smoking before they are old enough to be able to make a considered decision on anything as important as an expensive, harmful addiction, so it’s hard to blame them.

I’ve had a non-smoking home, car and office for 30 years and my garden is non-smoking too. Western Australia is quite good in this respect. The pubs are due to become non-smoking too and not before time.

I was in Bali last August/September and didn’t find it much of a problem. I don’t go to the nightclubs and when I’m in a restaurant I carefully pick my seat so that I’m not likely to get someone’s smoke in my face.

One evening we were at Sammy and Susie’s on the beach and a Balinese guy was trying to sell us a carved horse. I wasn’t really in the market for one, but it seemed very nice to me [I'm not an expert on Balinese wood carvings] and even the asking price seemed very reasonable. But no way was I going to let him hang around blowing his stinking smoke over us.

Another time a guy was trying to entice us into his shop. He was a nice friendly polite guy and his shop looked interesting, but no way was I going into an enclosed place with him smoking. Don’t they realise that they are losing potential business by going on like this?

I have a Balinese friend in Candi Dasa. Quite a young man, a good worker and smart organiser, who loves his wife and kids. In 2003 he told me that his doctor had told him to give up smoking for the good of his health. But he joked about someone having to pay govt taxes and keep the country running. Last year he was not joking, he was worrying about his deteriorating health.

I started smoking when I was only 13 and gave it up only 2 1/2 months ago. After smoking for 13 long years (half of my life) I can only say I never want to smoke again!!!
One big problem in Bali is not only the amount of smokers (virtually everyone… hehe) or the number of cigarettes they smoke (quite a lot), but also the fact some of the brands they have available are very, very strong in nicotine and the other stuff nobody knows what it is, except it will do you harm.

I totally agree with you Rex, people usually start smoking way too young, I bet if they would only wait they would never start.

Most people in indo smoke the KRETEK clove cigarettes that have a very-very strong nasty smell. I did try it once, and got headaches for the whole day.

A group of kretek-smoking indonesian students were having lunch at a Denny’s restaurant in So Calif, when suddenly cops in several cruisers arrived and almost arrested them for smoking, what the cops believed to be, pots (hashish). Lucky for them (the students), they were able to explain their way out.

If you smoke kreteks outside indo, you may be questioned by cops.