Bali Tourist Trap Tips by 34N118W

Shoo hawker! You're bothering me!

People say that Kuta is the nicest beach on Bali, but it's not really worth it when you've got beach hawkers constantly pestering you.

Unique Suggestions: I took my daughter out to the beach and found an empty plot of sand. It wasn't more than a few minutes before I was swarmed by a group of women wanting to braid my daughter's hair and paint her nails. My daughter is only 3 and she's already quite the princess, so she jumped at the chance. There were about 4 different ladies surrounding our beach towel and I was attempting to bargain with them all at once. Admittedly, I wasn't a very good bargainer in all the chaos. I agreed to a price in all the confusion. Later, I worked out that I was being charged $18 for the braids and $12 for her nails. I had to do some forceful bargaining to change the price after the fact. I sat there and asked myself what I would pay them in Vietnam (where I currently live): just a couple dollars each. So that's what I ended up giving each of them. They weren't very happy about it, but I realise now that their strategy is to bombard you like this so you're too confused to think straight. Best thing to do is not to deal with them until you've got a price in mind first. If you get caught off guard like I did, it's still not to late to work it down to a reasonable amount. Just keep your cool and be firm.

Fun Alternatives: Best thing is to avoid this whole scene and go to other beaches and destinations on Bali.