the dental floss mystery

[lise]

greetings all. I have just emerged from my two week tutorial on life in Bali... I'll start out with the silliest and most trivial question for y'all before I dive in to the more complex topics... Can one buy dental floss in Bali? My friend insists that it is not to be found ANYWHERE...that it just isn't sold there. My western mind is of course, running through the logic of this and saying, "it can't be so.", followed by all the reasons why it must exist there...tourists, expats, dental hygiene,peanut sauce, etc. and he of course replies that I need to throw that way of thinking right out the window before I get on the plane because it will not serve me well. So, what's the answer? Can you buy dental floss in Bali? :?
Since we're on the dental topic...who are the best/most affordable dentists on the island?

cheers~

 

[Lothar]

what is

Dental Floss? Does it look like my Bamboo brush?

 

[Gloria]

Dental what???

Yes Lise, I think your friend may be right...now um Dental floss??? I have never seen it, however I have never looked for it, so it may exist lurking on some high up obscure shelf in the heavens of the Apotik...who knows....actually if you'll forgive the pun...who cares...The Balinese use a stick or one of their special finger nails, grown as a tool for many things. I dont think they use cotton buds either as the tool would suit that also...As for nose hair clippers, you will need to bring a good supply with you, thats if you cant live without them..I think you may have to think again about some of your "cant live without em thingies". Good ball pens are a problem too...just cant buy good ones anywhere...and make sure to bring a good supply of cutlery coz it is very expensive here and inferior quality and I hope you dont have the same problem as in our house...cutlery seems to grow legs....talking of legs...bring your favourite depilatry cream or ladies razor coz they are hard to find and if you do will cost you an arm and a leg...sorry for these puns...I had actually forgotten all these little "luxuries" and now wouldn't know what to do with 'em if I fell over 'em...it seems that beauty treatment in my house consists of a cold shower,bar of soap and a toothbrush, comb and a lick and a promise. Oh, forgot, Claudia (age three) does a good foot massage with coconut oil. But just one bottle of nail polish would be a pleasant change for me, and a lipstick, preferably childproof. Better bring a nit comb too as there are a lot of lice about...Hey Lise, toughen up...and take a look at the "moths" postings...what I don't have I dont need...You'll survive...best of luck and have a wonderful Christmas...thats another thing we don't have...G...

 

[lise]

Cheers Gloria,

Yea, it's funny...it's just such a common western thing...even when you're on airplanes they give you dental floss...He just mentioned it to me as a "bring with you" item along with the pens and good rain gear. Again, it seems like I misrepresent myself when asking these questions. I'm not at all the type to bring it all with me...a book and a toothbrush and I'm fine...I'm more "Thoreau" than "Emma." Plus, I've already done the third world island living thing...(so yes, I'm prepared for those roosters and cold showers!) My friend said my biggest challenges will be accepting the pollution/plastic problems.
I will mention that since you're in search of a good lipstick I heard there's a MAC makeup store in Kuta...

 

[Py]

By the Bushel...

10yards, 50 yards, 100 yards, menthol or plain. Coming from your specialized toothbrush or coming from a small plastic box. How you like it, this place got it. Up to speed with the rest of the world until February when the general consensus is if things don't get better, well there'll be a 'little' Banjar sanctioned wilding... 'N heads may roll, (Forget the Parum Samigita). ...Us foreigners aren't specifically in the cross-hairs, so keep low and don't be collateral. General feeling is who the f*ck knows, but keep February in a watchful state.

 

[xpat2b]

Gloria commented: "and make sure to bring a good supply of cutlery coz it is very expensive here and inferior quality... "

We've heard the same comments about cutlery from other expats setting up household. So we've been thinking on bringing ours from home. Couple of potential problems there, though. One is that coming into Bali with a full set of cutlery is bound to put $$ signs in the customs agent's eyes at the airport. Last time, we had to pay US $20 "duty" (no receipt of course, it just disappeared into his pocket) on some cabinet drawer pulls we bought here at home to install in our house in Bali. He didn't care that they were used, or that we didn't intend to sell them, etc. Now I didn't get bent out of shape, really, about it. This is simply the way a lot of the world works, whether I like it or not. But a full set of nice cutlery could perhaps get the customs agent thinking of much higher "duty" than just a $20 bill.

Any thoughts on this from those with more experience at this? Also, just how bad is the cutlery there anyway? Based upon our experience with restaurants, it certainly isn't fancy, but appears serviceable.

Additionally, a full set of cutlery is too heavy for carry-on baggage, and constitutes a large mass of metal going through airline security in the checked baggage. Last trip we brought a heavy duty voltage converter in our checked bags and I was pulled out of the boarding area at San Francisco airport, and had to go down into the bowels of the airport to stand there while they searched my bag thoroughly. This process, plus getting back through the security gates to the boarding area, took forever and I almost missed the flight. My wife commented it was clear they weren't going to hold the plane for me.

Of course, she never said clearly whether or not she would have gone on without me....perhaps I shouldn't press her....

Dennis

 

[juskiff]

Things to buy at Costco...

Whenever we fly to Bali, we always bring items with us which are hard to find or next to impossible to get in Bali. Almost everything you need, you can find at Costco... believe me!!

Must get items: Cutlery, stainless steel utensils, Extra large heavy duty frying pan, 1000 tablets aspirin, Multi vitamins, Neosporin, cotton swab, Cotton pad, first aid kit and a bag of Starbuck Espresso roast and of course a decent espresso machine (very expensive in Bali), for this machine you may have to buy a tranformer from a 110V to a 220V, or you can buy what they call a Stavolt anywhere in Denpasar!

Secondary items: Bay leaves, 33 gals trash bags, saran wrap, alluminum foil, booze, nice fluffy and extra large cotton towels, linens, dental floss, deodoran, spices etc.

I know it sounds crazy, but hey, there are two of us so why not maximize the weight limit given to you?

Good luck with the move.. and hope to see you next year.
Brrrrr It's El Nino season again so it's cold and miseable here in Southern California..... can't wait to be back home in Bali.

Augie and Jeff

 

[xpat2b]

Thanks for the tip, A & J. When you've brought in "heavy metal" like stainless steel utensils and frying pans and cutlery, did the customs guys take notice at all? Our bag that had been examined at San Francisco airport was marked with a white chalk X when we retreived it from the baggage claim upon landing in Bali. I noticed it but didn't think anything of it until we got to the customs point and the agent said he needed to check the bag "with the chalk". That's when he charged us the "duty" on the drawer pulls.

Any such experience or advice?

 

[juskiff]

The white chalk mark...

This white chalk mark is actually done at the Denpasar airport... if you want to be daring like us, just wipe it off with a damp cloth discreetly when you get your luggage... we've done this many times.

But when custom decides to open it up anyway, remember that there is nothing wrong with bringing anything at all especially pots and pans or household goods (as long as the total value I believe is under $400 - not too sure, but it says on the declaration)... my advice is, when they request to open, be polite, don't hesitate just start opening your lugage and start with the bigest one.... smile and just relax, as long as you can explain everything, you should be able to go thru without having to reach your into your packet... remember don't hesitate and don't give them a hard time... smile, smile, be polite, and create small talk... as long as they feel like you're not hiding anything they will let you go!!

Trust us on this one as we fly back and forth between LA and Denpasar almost every 4 months for the past 6 years and never have to pay anyone . We brought alot of stuff from LA to Bali..... cappucino machine, scanner, printers, laptops, stereo systems, booze, etc etc

Hope this help you a bit...

Best
Augie and Jeff

 

[xpat2b]

Hey A & J,
Thanks so much. Very helpful. A moist toilette shall be an essential accessory upon retreiving our baggage! A cappucino machine? A scanner? Wow...

Dennis

 

[Bert Vierstra]

Had two computer in my suitcase.

Costed me 20 euro.

 

[lise]

My friend reports that great knives can be found at Gourmet Garage...at a price, of course. I only use three... hopefully they won't arouse too much interest.

 

[Gloria]

Cutlery

I bought my cutlery from Oz with me when I moved to Bali but had to hand it all in to an official at Perth airport, who gave me a receipt and told me I could collect it at the other end. This was the case and I had no problems at all. Maybe they thought I was a potential terrorist who would fork the pilot at the drop of a hat...still never mind I got it back and half of it still exists in my kitchen. The other half disappeared....along with my garden tools and my battery operated drill...minus the battery charger, silly thief didn't understand the workings of a battery drill....G....

 

[Ringo]

Taking Goods - Q's

Had two computer in my suitcase. Costed me 20 euro.

Your compu's survived the journey in your suitcase in good health I hope?

And did you 'announce' them on the lill' leaflet one has to fill out in the plain?

Did you go tru 'nothing to declare' or 'declaration of goods' upon arrival?

 

[Bert Vierstra]

Your compu's survived the journey in your suitcase in good health I hope?

I dissassembled them, bought a LCD, and a laptop. Bought a case and PS in Denpasar, wich blew up 2 harddisks, a motherboard, and a CD writer.

And did you 'announce' them on the lill' leaflet one has to fill out in the plain? Did you go tru 'nothing to declare' or 'declaration of goods' upon arrival?

No, I found out about the white cross on the suitcase the hard way :?

 

[Ringo]

Thanx Bert

this would be s.t. for the tips & tricks section :!:

 

[juskiff]

More tips

My friend reports that great knives can be found at Gourmet Garage...at a price

Indeed the Gourmet Garage do carry a good selection of kitchen accessories - restaurant quality, BUT extremely expensive...... You'll be glad you bought yours at Costco

Getting thru Custom: When there are two of you, fill out the custom form separately, after getting your luggages, get two push carts and devide the luggages evenly... don't pile everything onto one push carts. Wait until there are a lot of people trying to go thru custom at the same time and the custom officers are busy, thus allowing you going thru it with no questions asked. Each person should go thru custom separately hoping if custom decides to open your stuff, at least of you went thru it.

There is one female custom officer there - (I'm not sexist or anything) but Avoid female custom officer!!!!

Again smile, be friendly, "hi good mornning", "oh I'm tired it's been a long flight".... blah blah blah... You'll be just fine.

Augie

 

[lise]

Augie and Jeff,

It sounds like I should send my KitchenAid with you!