Visitors to Bali often like to shop for cheap gifts to bring home for friends. Even if you have a large, extended family, there is plenty of choice in Bali. The main places you will find the best selection of cheap gifts are Pasar Seni’s (art markets). In my opinion you could equally refer to them as junk markets, as there is nothing in them I’d actually buy, but for cheap nick-nacks they are handy.
An art market is basically a line of stalls, next to the street with goods spilling out all over. The most popular art markets are:
•Southern end of Kuta Square, close to Matahari department store, in between Jl. Kartika Plaza and the beach.
•The length of Poppies II heading back from the beach.
•Jl. Melasti in Legian.
Most popular stuff sold:
Bintang t-shirts, knock-off surf wear, place mat and other bamboo accessories, jewelry, hats, hanging decorations, sunglasses, watches, bags, cup holders, DVD’s, kids toys, paintings and wind chimes. There are of course hundreds of items, all mass produced and subject to negotiation.
In the past I have bought a soccer shirt at the pasar seni in Tuban. Asking price was 300,000rp, I paid 170,00rp I think. I later learned you can get them in Denpasar for 30,000rp. This pretty much is the rule for everything sold in art markets. Not much point in me telling you what things cost, as its up to you to convince the seller to part with it for your desired price. If you buy several items from the same vendor, your barganing power goes up.
Once in a while you might see a special gift that close friend would love, like these elegant paperweights. No harm in browsing, you can swoop a dozen gifts in an hour, for not much money. You do get what you pay for though, and a cheap watch will probably not work for long. Art markets usually open from around 9am-9pm.
{ 7 comments }
How big are the paperweights, Nick? It’s difficult for me to gauge scale. (I sound like my wife) They look like floor standing umbrella holder size, but could be 6″.
Chris,
Those paperweighs will keep your notes in place even during a windstorm. They are about 10 inches tall.
Aussie readers shoule bear in mind that anything made of cane, reed, bamboo or any other plant material will be checked very carefully on arrival.
I bought three nice photo albums as presents recently, and they were all taken by the Quarantine Service, as the covers were made of some sort of banana bark.
Also, the shells collected off the seas around Bali, and the occupants destroyed, are an environmental no-no, and anything with a trace of turtle shell in it also goes in the bin, and the risk of a fine.
I’ve been bringing back items to Australia made from wood and bamboo for years. I make sure that they are clean, with no borer holes, sawdust or spider webs. I’ve also brought in lots of sea shells and shell screen curtains. Again no problem. I declare them and pack them all in the same bag so they can be easily inspected.
One time I had some shells which we’d found in the sand dunes at the back of Canggu beach. They were completely clean and dried out and we thought they were some kind of sea shell. But they were shells of the giant African elephant snail [this isn't some kind of joke!] and were confiscated. Apparently this snail has established itself in Bali. It grows very big and is extremely voracious and would be very unwelcome in Australia.
We once saw a live one in the Tjampuhan Hotel garden.
i declared a snake-skin belt to perth quarantine on wednesday 13/9/2006 and was pleasantly surprised when they told me it was ok, i asked if it was genuine snake-skin, and all he said was “i dont know, but it`s not what we`re looking for“.
well do you no any sites of clothing please help
Even if you already left bali you can still get awesome 100% natural body care made in east bali by a small profit-sharing cooperation. Visit sensatia.com and support a local bali economy. Thanks
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