Do the Balinese like westerners and other Indonesians

Seems like a thread is once again unravelling.
Who needs to discuss geedee's original questions ?
So I'll contribute to the off thread banter.
I grew up in Wahroonga, next to Turrumurra, Pymble, Warrawee, S'nives and to be more specific, Isis street, which is just next to Pearces Cnr.
Isis now means something completely different to what it now represents.
Much like this thread really.

The rain has arrived, what a relief.
 
Steve Rossell said:
Seems like a thread is once again unravelling.
Who needs to discuss geedee's original questions ?
So I'll contribute to the off thread banter.
I grew up in Wahroonga, next to Turrumurra, Pymble, Warrawee, S'nives and to be more specific, Isis street, which is just next to Pearces Cnr.
Isis now means something completely different to what it now represents.
Much like this thread really.

The rain has arrived, what a relief.
Click to expand...


Are you in Bali now? Where is the relieving rain just starting?

I think threads unravel because they start, and receive contributions, and then the well runs dry but someone says something and it runs from there.
If lots of threads unravel then that is the norm, IMO. The nature of the beast.
And, I don't think this website has the controlled expertise to actually create an informatively catalogued base of information, even though some members think that is the go.

I was born in N.Ryde and grew up in Mosman and Fairlight (Manly) and went to school in Dee Why West then Bellevue Hill.
School and I did not really see eye to eye but that's another story. Later, I found that didn't matter a whole lot.
 
matsaleh said:
This just jumped out at me. I was born in Mosman and grew up in North Ryde. Reminds me of the movie "Six Degrees of Separation".
Click to expand...

I can safely conclude we weren't swapped at birth then.
 
Steve Rossell said:
Seems like a thread is once again unravelling.
Who needs to discuss geedee's original questions ?
So I'll contribute to the off thread banter.
I grew up in Wahroonga, next to Turrumurra, Pymble, Warrawee, S'nives and to be more specific, Isis street, which is just next to Pearces Cnr.
Isis now means something completely different to what it now represents.
Much like this thread really.

The rain has arrived, what a relief.
Click to expand...

Not far at all Steve
I'm on the highway next to Turramurra near Bobbin head rd
 
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matsaleh said:
This just jumped out at me. I was born in Mosman and grew up in North Ryde. Reminds me of the movie "Six Degrees of Separation".
Click to expand...

Although I would like more opinions of this seemed like the best answer was 1.Yes 2 Not really.
ANY MORE OPINIONS?

Mats i am proud of you actually going off thread.
North Ryde has changed a great deal
Top Ryde centre huge now and a very large extension to the Macquarie centre
Also a new busy train station at Macquarie has meant lots more units(apartments) a huge price hike
lots of businesses there now and of course the Uni.
Traffic a nightmare down Ryde Rd mornings and between 4pm - 7pm
 
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Curzon Hall

geedee said:
North Ryde has changed a great deal
Click to expand...

All these 'blast from the past' names. I think that's why the Balinese like the older Australian foreigners. Because we reminisce.

If you want to know if Balinese like foreigners, do what I do and ask a cabbie.
From Korea - no.
China - no.
Australia - half and half yes/no because lots of the younger Aussies who stay in Kuta become loud and obnoxious after several grogs.
Americans - yes.
Dutch - yes.
French - yes.
That's all I can remember.

When i got married (one and only time) I used Curzon Hall (in Ryde) as the venue. Is it still there?
I tell the Balinese about it sometimes because the women here always ask 'Where you live? You live with family?'. Etc.
Then I have a wide range of ongoing stories to tell which I do using as much bahasa Indonesia as I can.

The Kuta cabbies are pretty much a good lot and talking with them is good value. Then give them a tip as well as paying the fare. They're happy with that.

My bi-polar ex g/fr from some time ago now, when we were in a cab in Kuta, noticed all the sepeda motors there. She said 'This place ought to be called Skuta'
That was pretty funny at the time.
 
I brought it down with me from Singapore PSW. :)
We've been getting some solid falls of the stuff in Ubud for about a week now. Some daytime and lots of night time.
I was a nipper at Queenscliff and much later lived in a flat at Sth. Steyne and then around the walk way to Fairy Bower on top of the old milk bar. The 144 bus to St. Leonards and the ferry across the 'Heads' and Sydney Hbr. to the city and more surfing than I can remember along the northern beaches.

geedee, although I haven't visited my old stomping grounds in years I do remember the area very well and with fondness. Primary school at Waitara, youth group at Pymble, Wakehurst Parkway, Mona Vale rd. and the Baha'i temple on the way to the beach. Hornsby station on the way to Byron Bay, back in the cretaceous period.
Chasing the girls from Hornsby Girls High, Loretto at Normanhurst and PLC at Turramurra? Pymble?
Fighting with the boys from Knox and Barker.

matsaleh, I had cousins that were frequently visited at Ryde and Normanhurst and remember Australia's first KFC opening at Pennant Hills to much fanfare but the local fish & chip shop served up a far superior plate.
My brother went to Macquarie Uni and was so academically inclined he won a tennis title there. :)


You might be right geedee, "Maybe that is the expertise." :icon_mrgreen:
 
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paulseawind said:
All these 'blast from the past' names. I think that's why the Balinese like the older Australian foreigners. Because we reminisce.

If you want to know if Balinese like foreigners, do what I do and ask a cabbie.
From Korea - no.
China - no.
Australia - half and half yes/no because lots of the younger Aussies who stay in Kuta become loud and obnoxious after several grogs.
Americans - yes.
Dutch - yes.
French - yes.
That's all I can remember.

When i got married (one and only time) I used Curzon Hall (in Ryde) as the venue. Is it still there?
I tell the Balinese about it sometimes because the women here always ask 'Where you live? You live with family?'. Etc.
Then I have a wide range of ongoing stories to tell which I do using as much bahasa Indonesia as I can.

The Kuta cabbies are pretty much a good lot and talking with them is good value. Then give them a tip as well as paying the fare. They're happy with that.

My bi-polar ex g/fr from some time ago now, when we were in a cab in Kuta, noticed all the sepeda motors there. She said 'This place ought to be called Skuta'
That was pretty funny at the time.
Click to expand...

Curzon Hall is a beautiful building. That's marsfield it's still there and looks like a large English country manor
 
Steve Rossell said:
I brought it down with me from Singapore PSW. :)
We've been getting some solid falls of the stuff in Ubud for about a week now. Some daytime and lots of night time.
I was a nipper at Queenscliff and much later lived in a flat at Sth. Steyne and then around the walk way to Fairy Bower on top of the old milk bar. The 144 bus to St. Leonards and the ferry across the 'Heads' and Sydney Hbr. to the city and more surfing than I can remember along the northern beaches.

geedee, although I haven't visited my old stomping grounds in years I do remember the area very well and with fondness. Primary school at Waitara, youth group at Pymble, Wakehurst Parkway, Mona Vale rd. and the Baha'i temple on the way to the beach. Hornsby station on the way to Byron Bay, back in the cretaceous period.
Chasing the girls from Hornsby Girls High, Loretto at Normanhurst and PLC at Turramurra? Pymble?
Fighting with the boys from Knox and Barker.

matsaleh, I had cousins that were frequently visited at Ryde and Normanhurst and remember Australia's first KFC opening at Pennant Hills to much fanfare but the local fish & chip shop served up a far superior plate.
My brother went to Macquarie Uni and was so academically inclined he won a tennis title there. :)


You might be right geedee, "Maybe that is the expertise." :icon_mrgreen:
Click to expand...

FYI. The McDonald's at Pennant Hills is the busiest one in Australia. It actually open xmas day and you can't move , people having breakfast on the way out to visit family.
Did Loretta have blue uniforms back then ? Knox will never change. Google Knox for the scandals about 2 years ago.
These schools charge $30,000 per year for year 11.
 
Yep, the Loretto girls had blue uniforms that us boys were always dreaming of getting them to shed.

I heard about the Knox thing. It didn't surprise me, being a boarding school and all.
 
I have heard many people say they consider Balinese (men) lazy. Perhaps the continual time off work for ceremonies is a reason why people employ Javanese and people from other islands. I remember about 2 years ago at a friends house 2 Javanese men each with a shovel dug a swimming pool. Started at sunrise until about 10pm until hole dug. Pool about 7x4metre. Not sure how long it took to complete job as I left Bali at that time. I doubt Balinese guys would tackle that.
 
I think there's a big difference between "like them as a person" and "like them for the money they give and the way they act while spending that money".

After 8 years in Bali, and having married a Balinese women who is growingly ever more discouraged by her home island, I would say that Balinese truly only like other Balinese.

They'll tolerate others in a lot of situations, but most Balinese don't really have a deep internal to spend their time with anything but other Balinese. Of course, there's exceptions ot that rule, and those that like to have foreign friends, but most just want to be Balinese, with other Balinese people.
 
I think you need to be careful and compare Apples and Apples.

If you have Balinese working for you they will be from your local community and have families. You will pay them the going wage. They turn up at 8 and start around 8:20, go on steadily until 12 then off for lunch. They reappear around 1ish and promptly sit down for 20 minutes and have a kopi then start again, steadily, until 5pm ish. This all repeats itself forever if you wish - they don't kill themselves, but get the job done.

They will be cheerful and happily chat to you in or out of work and are everso proud when you walk through their village and greet them by name. You will get invited to weddings/cremations/cleansings/etc regularly and will be treated like the guest of honor.

If you employ Javanese they will be there solely to work and then back off to their families on Java.

If your house should burn down or you just need some ongoing maintenance (which you will do after the first 6 months) who will always be there to help you?

Lots of Bule think Balinese are lazy and untrustworthy - I have a completely different experience of them. I treat them with the same respect that I would wish from someone who's come to live in my country and wants to be a part of my society.

And hey, guess what, it works a treat.
 
Steve Rossell said:
I brought it down with me from Singapore PSW. :)
We've been getting some solid falls of the stuff in Ubud for about a week now. Some daytime and lots of night time.
Click to expand...

We are getting afternoon good quality rains here in the North. The frangipanni trees really like it. Their leaves are fully erect and they have greened up. And flowering like they are on steroids. My 3 mint baskets are going OK too. And, one knows whether the roof leaks or not. I fixed mine a month ago and it's all good.


Steve Rossell said:
I was a nipper at Queenscliff and much later lived in a flat at Sth. Steyne and then around the walk way to Fairy Bower on top of the old milk bar. The 144 bus to St. Leonards and the ferry across the 'Heads' and Sydney Hbr. to the city and more surfing than I can remember along the northern beaches.
Click to expand...

Sounds so familiar. This is golden 'past blasting'. I lived in Queenscliff with the family. One night I took the family car out for a drive and got it back safely. Can't remember how young I was but maybe 14? My sister dobbed me in and my dad gave me a hiding. I also bought a Vespa motor scooter then and hid it somewhere and we'd take it to the dam (?) or some reserve with 3 on it. Through the main streets, as I recall. No license. No rego. No helmets. Not even number plates. But we didn't care. I also bought an FC Holden for $40 and used to drive that over to Paddington to go to the pub. It was light blue, and in those days the cop cars were that colour. It had rusted out flooring but went OK. No rego. I can't recall how that was disposed of. By then, my parents realised if they didn't stop me I'd become a criminal as a career. I ended up in boarding school - Cranbrook - and we played Knox, Barker and many other associated schools at footy, cricket and swimming. I did rowing as a sport and was stroke in the First Four. I loved it and developed a lot of strength and the smaller kids were wary of me. Many stories.
I have caught the 144 to St Leonards. I remember those old 2-storey buses vividly. And the Many Ferry and the hydrofoil also. But I didn't do much surfing aside from Queenscliff. I had a really thick board that must have been 9 feet long. Later on I bought an Ocean Pacific pintail for $180 and I still have it. It's in my hangar at Darwin. My first trip to Bali way back, I took that board with me and rode it probably at Kuta but I was never game to try Ulu Watu. But I have surfed 'The Bower'. Just watch out for the rocks on your left. My fav place to surf was Freshie. And Curl Curl. I think I even paddled around from Queenscliff to Freshie one time. We didn't care about sharks in those days. And, let me ask - why didn't we carry water bottles with us, like we do now? I remember if you wanted a drink just find the nearest tap and use it. And then there was skate boarding. My sister lived in Balgowlah Heights. One night (I was half pi$$ed) I used one of her sons skateboard and, of course, fell off and somehow I protected myself by putting a closed fist out under my rib cage. A couple of sore ribs for a while. Gee, the list goes on.

Steve Rossell said:
You might be right geedee, "Maybe that is the expertise." :icon_mrgreen:
Click to expand...

This one has gone right past me. Me no unnerstan.
 
Normy said:
I have heard many people say they consider Balinese (men) lazy. Perhaps the continual time off work for ceremonies is a reason why people employ Javanese and people from other islands. I remember about 2 years ago at a friends house 2 Javanese men each with a shovel dug a swimming pool. Started at sunrise until about 10pm until hole dug. Pool about 7x4metre. Not sure how long it took to complete job as I left Bali at that time. I doubt Balinese guys would tackle that.
Click to expand...

My German neighbour said pretty much the same thing.
If you hire Balinese they will be off for ceremonies, etc. But the people from Java will turn up on time and do the job.

Trouble is, it's considered the right thing to do to hire from your village.
I have done 19 projects for Rp130jt since April 2013 and I have used Balinese on each one.
Usually a good result because I am here to watch them.
But if the boss is away then they sleep or don't turn up but still hold the hand out for salary.
I am fair with them but I am not stupid and they know that.
I will fire anyone who doesn't do their job.
That's a good way to 'motivate' the others.
First, pay a bit more.
Second, fire someone for slackness.
It works.
 
Been here 8 years and built 3 villas and have yet to fire my first person.

You go firing locals and you are in a world of hurt.

Famous saying from East German workers - "they pretend to pay us and we pretend to work".
 
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