Local people in Bali are friendly and do not have the reservations about communicating and asking questions that many westerners do. When I go for a morning walk / run I make a point of saying hello to as many people as I can. I find I get good responses and it help to bridge the gap between cultures. They probably perceive me as a strange, rich white guy and having me show I am like them is a good thing.
In Indonesia I say Selamat Pagi for good morning. Many people just say Pagi for short. The response is the same. When the time between 9am-12pm you will say Selamat Siang. Between 12pm-5pm Selamat Sore (good afternoon). After that you can say Selamat Malam (good night).
I like to surprise Balinese people by asking Ken Ken Kabare, how are you? in Balinese. The reply is Becik Becik (bechik bechik) Kemantan. Other expressions that are used over here include Mau Kemana, which means where are you going and Darimana, which means where have you been. To a westerner it seems strange to ask these questions to people you do not know but in Bali it is accepted as friendly conversation.
Try a simple Hello, which means exactly what it does overseas, you will get many smiles back.
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G’Day Nick,
well put. Being friendly to everybody you meet in Bali (or anywhere in Indo) does ‘break the ice’ so to speak. Moreover, if you express only a few words of Bahasa Indonesia or Bahasa Bali, then the person or persons you wre speaking to are more receptive and accepting irregardless of you being a bule.
Even if you pronounce the word incorrectly, you will find the Balinese are pleased that you are at least attempting to converse in their language.
At the moment I am ploughing through a Bahasa Bali book and learning as much as I can. No doubt I will fall flat on my face when I pronounce some of the words, but hey, you learn by conversing with those who can correct you.
Languages are fun to learn and do break the culture gap as you said Nick. It’s surprising how many doors have opened for me in the past because I have conversed in Bahsa Indonesia.