Bali Day 3: Sanur Beach braids!

31.3.2013

Tim:

We deferred our excursion a day to let JP recover.  We got the cash situation taken care of, did a small bit of shopping and loitered on the beach chasing ghost crabs.  The girls said they would like to get their hair braided so we walked over to the peddlers along the beach.  A gaggle of ladies instantly got engaged.  They grabbed Alexis and Emma by the arm telling them to come along while negotiating with me.  300k for both. How about 100k? They scoffed at the temerity of the counter offer.  As we walked away they agreed they could do both for 200k.  All of this happened quickly so we didn't fully appreciate the dynamics of what was happening until things were in full swing.  First, the braiding was an hour-long event – this made our 200k deal seem quite the bargain.  As two women began braiding a third became more vocal and agitated in her protest. "Don't you remember I talked to you yesterday?" "Now they are braiding." "You need to come look in my shop." "20k t-shirts." With all the selling and negotiating, this lady had gotten elbowed out and she was going to complain loud and long.  Tim and Devon found a quick solution – JP, want to find some ghost crabs?  No sense in the shorthaired folks standing around for the meticulous braiding event.

Shelley:

I hate this!  I am ready to punch anyone else who grabs my girls and I am going from anxious to angry. I was sorry to agree to buy anything at the beach.  “I do not want anything! Please leave!” was my mantra.  That was an intimidating experience.  I feel for these ladies but at the same time I do not want to be ripped to shreds.  I stood between my girls and these women! (ok, now it is funny and I wish I had taken more photos!  Here are two photos of the girls afterward.)

( It was a lot of fun to have a pool two steps from your room!  We seemed to have mermaids in it most of the time!)

Tim:

This area's peddlers are particularly aggressive, accosting every passerby asking if they want a massage, boat rental, carving or any other variety of things.  The first ‘no thank you’ is returned with, ‘come look in my shop’. The second ‘no thank you’ is met with a ‘how about tomorrow?’  The taksis are also aggressive, honking and yelling "transport".  ‘No thank you.’  ‘How about tomorrow?’

Shelley:

We walk down the street and people are trying to drag us into their shops.  My quandary is how can I be polite and yet firm?  I hate saying no and I feel bad for these people whose only livelihood is tourists.  I do not want anything I am so turned off by the strong-arm sales tactics.  Run away!  I hate being honked at incessantly!  (Racism is bad!  I hate it!  I wish I could be anonymous!)