Day 5, same same but different. Hitting the beach today, kids are so excited to see the beach side of Bali! Go to a huge shopping centre first, it's so hard because here there is no haggling just fixed prices and I still have no idea of the difference to Aussie dollars.
Head to Kuta with matt and Heidi have a wander then go to the beach, well try too.
The beach is a mix of hairbraiders, bracelet sellers, antique sellers, nail painters and massages, not forgetting the camping chair bars, ice cream vendors, spray tattoists and surf board hirers. As we hit the first strip we are flocked by at least ten people, 1 woman grabbing my shoulder... Massage madam I da best, one grabbing moniques hair to braid. A bracelet sarong and nail polish seller, tattoo guy and ice-cream.... All coming at us at once. We want moniques hair done by two people so we barter to 160000rp, about $15 dollars, the nanny had told us that's a good price so we agree. This one lady, Judy, want to do Madisons hair but she is too scared so she sits to chat. She has three children, all grown but none yet married. One is police. She tells us they pay 25% tax on their beach income and must clean the beach every night. She calls me shanna sexy bum over and over. I ask her to smile for a photo and she says " me can't smile, you make me too sad" I promise to return to see her before we leave.
Lunch at hardrock and head down for a swim. There is an invisible line at the beach that the hagglers aren't meant to cross, but they do. As you sit on the beach an Icecream seller will plonk next to you for 5 minutes trying to sell you something. They persist so you have to just ignore them even though it's rude where we are from.
From the beach we head home.
Cont...