Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

[BaliLife]

Gina..

And?? A couple of snippets that you've ripped from past posts doesn't expain much - it's not even worthy of defence.

As for your Homeo'pathetic' MD's, I have more faith in the designation of 'Raider Superhero' my son was awarded from Kellogs this morning when he opened his box of Coco Pops.

Ct

Ask me anything about nonsense and I'll sound like an expert.

[Jimbo]

Gina

You jumped at the chance to pontificate about Homeopathy. Most of us are not interested in the subject. If you want to fight take it to PM as your self righteous opinions are not welcome....by me at least.

[Roy]

"your self righteous opinions are not welcome....by me at least."

Should THAT matter? After all Jimbo, you have most often been the advocate of alternative expression! In fact, you were the ONLY one who felt Markit should be allowed to stay on this forum. So, can you explain please?

[Sanurian]

I'm glad you got some laughs out of my post, Roy.

The "funny thing" is that it's not really that funny. "Bali road carnage" may or may not be too strong a term for what's going on.

...Back when Matt was still alive, (I think you knew him too, or at least met him several times)...

I did indeed and he was a very funny, entertaining fellow. I particularly remember him driving a KIA at the time because he asked me once:

"Do you know what 'KIA' stands for? ... A Korean Inadequate Automobile."

I remember him every time I see a KIA on the road, (and I don't mean somebody from New Zealand when I say that)...

Back "on-topic", for a moment! I don't see any relevance to it with a new "debate" regarding homeopathy, personal academic credentials, and now, prostitution. Uh-Oh - maybe the latter is a relevant factor, (in mounting road casualties - no pun intended, yet again). Or boy-girl relationships, break-ups, etc.

What I mean by that is that I've seen local guys suddenly lose the plot because their woman is perceived to be "cheating" on them. Suitably lubricated with some Karangasem rocket-fuel, they decide to use their motorbikes as both a statement of power and a weapon of mass destruction.

It's not all bad, though. I remember one guy in the Bangli district who did this kind of thing on a regular basis. Miraculously, he never killed anyone, not even himself. I met him again a couple of years ago and he's totally reformed. Gentle as a lamb, contrite and excusing his previous hormone-powered adolescence. I think he's become an artist these days, possibly living comfortably in an estrogen bubble.

There are still a couple of hundred thousands out there trying to tame their hormones, with little or inadequate "guidance".

Should I ?
Or be -ed?

[mimpimanis]

You jumped at the chance to pontificate about Homeopathy

Balilife is the one that started the conversation.

There are plenty of other converstaions on here that dont relate to Bali.

I dont know much, if anything about homeopathy - isnt it natural remedies? and if so doesnt a lot of modern medicine originate from natural remedies?

[gina tyler]

Sorry guys I did not Bring up the subject of Homeopathy BaliLife Did.

Just replying to his remarks........................................

[milan]

It's not all bad, though. I remember one guy in the Bangli district who did this kind of thing on a regular basis. Miraculously, he never killed anyone, not even himself. I met him again a couple of years ago and he's totally reformed. Gentle as a lamb, contrite and excusing his previous hormone-powered adolescence. I think he's become an artist these days, possibly living comfortably in an estrogen bubble.

I love happy endings or positive outcomes

[Jimbo]

So, can you explain please?

I think she tends to advertise rather than just expressing an opinion. I respect anyones right to have an express that opinion....I was just expressing mine,

[Jimbo]

There are plenty of other converstaions on here that dont relate to Bali.]

That was not my point sweet dreams

[BaliLife]

I think she tends to advertise rather than just expressing an opinion.

I agree completely and that's why I kicked off the initial post on the matter, so yes I am guilty of instigating this one..

If you have a point to make, make it - but don't subtly advertise your cause and expect it to go unquestioned..

Ct

[gina tyler]

The point is:
http://www.Hpathy.com
Scientific Research Bibliography

[SG]

Jumping back to the original post in this thread. I find the whole road toll issue in Bali (and in Indonesia as a whole) absolutely heartbreaking and part of that is that so much of the toll is so easily preventable.

I find it rich and quite dishonest of the police to issue forth statements about the toll when so much of the solution rests with them and they do nothing.

Sit at any intersection and watch the overloaded motorcycles roar past police who do nothing. Bikes with 5 people on them veering from lane to lane, sometimes with kids standing; cars roaring through long red traffic lights; cars and trucks passing on the inside; following less than a meter at high speed behind the car in front; overtaking in every insane way you can think off; kids sitting on the backs of trucks or standing in them; grossly overloaded trucks and vehicles that would be pulled off the roads every where else in Asia roaring along; motorbikes pulling into traffic without looking at speed.

The police ignore every sort of infraction you can think of, and then release statements about the death toll, which they could halve overnight .

All of this, coupled with the selling of driver's licenses and the lack of driver education from the police and the government means that a huge proportion of the driving population simply have no idea of how to drive.

The introduction of a basic road code, which apparently does exist but no-one has any idea what it actually is, and the enforcement of that, coupled with an ongoing effective education campaign using TV and media would do wonders. A list of of ten basic rules which, distributed to motorists with a date for enforced compliance would slash the road toll. Enforced stopping at Stop signs and red lights, driver testing, a right hand rule, and the like. And, in the most honest way, these could even provide a revenue stream for the Police Dept.

If the police actually cared about the road deaths of course.....

Couple that with the very basic road maintenance..fixing traffic light bulbs, clearing the curbing stones that sit on the road for weeks after a car hits the curb, painting correct road markings (how long do arrows that point the wrong direction have to be on the road north of Sanur). A friend tells me that budgets are allocated for these things but simply disappear.

I've driven across Asia and nobody else seems to find these basic things that tricky. Why Bali?

[wepro]

Thanks SG jumping back to the topic. For me the forum is getting a little bit childish and selfish –see the other “unnecessary” and extended topic about Pempantu’s and the rest of the world’s hygiene.
Yes SG I agree with your statement 100%. I remember when I was in Malaysia the first times –it was around 1985- this country started also with motorizing. The traffic was -for me- crazy and heartbreaking. But after some years the Malaysian government AND police started to educate the people, the police watched the traffic and all participants without any exception and punished them. I don’t know if there was any other additional education program. But if you come to Malaysia nowadaysyou will find the traffic is going like normal i.e. like you are used to have in the rest of the world. That’s just a sample how it was handled in another country.
And it could be done in Bali as well. It should be possible here as well or even more easy because Bali is small and most of the traffic concentrated in the south (sorry folks living in the north ).
But here in Bali the police are just busy to escort some “Very Important People” to and from airport, to and from Tanah Lot etc etc. So until now I don’t understand why the local “VW Safari Club” (?) needs a police escort when they carry tourist around the island
But as SG said already: Just issuing statements and complaints mean nothing will change. Up to now there is nothing to find how government AND police want to improve the situation here in Bali.
We cannot blame it on the traffic participants here because they absolute do not know how to drive, they never learned it. If there is no traffic education Bali wide nothing will change.

Werner

[Roy]

And it could be done in Bali as well. It should be possible here as well or even more easy because Bali is small and most of the traffic concentrated in the south (sorry folks living in the north ).

Nothing to be sorry about...you can keep the traffic!

[SG]

And it could be done in Bali as well. It should be possible here as well or even more easy because Bali is small and most of the traffic concentrated in the south (sorry folks living in the north ).

Nothing to be sorry about...you can keep the traffic!

I'm actually writing from Penang right now and I've spent the past week travelling the wonderful roads of Malaysia, both inside and outside the cities and towns, major and minor roads, and nowhere have I encountered the insanity, and plain stupidity I encounter every day driving throughout Bali, both north and south.

It's also worth noting that the congestion is getting rather bad (and the driving is just as awful) in the Gianyar / Ubud regions too.

[SG]

We cannot blame it on the traffic participants here because they absolute do not know how to drive, they never learned it. If there is no traffic education Bali wide nothing will change.

Agreed, and the blame for that rests fairly and squarely on the shoulders of those who are bemoaning the traffic deaths.

But that said, I simply can't, no matter how long I'm in Bali, get my head around the fact that the most sensible, intelligent and gracious Balinese seems to toss common sense out the window as soon as they are behind a wheel or on a bike.

I have a (Balinese) friend who's lived in the US for years and he partially puts it down to a generational thing.... most Balinese simply have no parent who drives well to learn from or grow up watching. When you couple that with no enforcement or education and shitty roads, people die in large numbers.

It is such an avoidable tragedy.