INDONESIA | Thursday, 20 June 2013 | Views [332] | View Smaller Image
With a little bit of haggling, your every whim can be catered to for an absurdly reasonable price in Bali. Even as I walked the streets of the famed Ubud, the 'cultural hub' of Bali, I was never more than a few meters away from resort-style accommodation, shopping extravaganzas and celebrity worthy pampering of all sorts. Holy temples and souvenir shops stood side-by-side. The sidewalks were lined with friendly locals wearing mundane uniforms and making half-hearted sales pitches for hair baths and body massages. Fancy restaurants boasted 'authentic western cuisine'. The ancient Monkey Rainforest was littered with trash and mischievous monkeys baring their teeth and pick-pocketting. I couldn't help but feel that I had been gypped, as if the widely advertised 'cultural experience' was hidden by a parade of cheap bells and whistles.
