Things that are different, part 2

In Bali there seems to be no shortage of craftsmen that can create beautiful carvings and statues and paintings but for some reason they can't figure out how to install door latches in the hotel rooms.  More often than not they are installed backwards; from the inside you have to turn the handle to close the door and then the door can be opened from the outside by the wind or just pushing on it. You have to lock it from the inside to keep it closed. I have been tempted to take the latch out and re-install it correctly, but then maybe it is their artistic license?

In the non-food catagory of different/weird is a spa treatment where you sit next to a fish tank and put your feet in and little fishes nibble at your skin. These things are even at shopping malls.

It's tough to make a living here, high unemployment and difficult farm labor in the hot sun. Today I saw some poor guy wearing a huge Milo drink (some kind of flavored milk?) box walking around the grocery store. I could see his eyes behind the vision grill; he looked sad. Probably lo worse than the sign wavers on the corners in America.

When a hotel advertises that it has hot water it means: 1) they only have hot water, not hot and cold, 2) the hot water is only hot during the day when the sun heats the water.

I have discovered some more chip flavors that you will not find anywhere else: Spicy Chicken Paprika, Lobster, Octopus (seriously?) and Salmon Teriyaki. I thought the last one might be fun to try; I like teriyaki and I like samon, but the flavoring on all the chips is so subtle that it these chips barely registered a salmon flavor and not at all a teriyaki flavor. I also found casava chips (?) that are cheesberger flavored. These chips aren't from some local little manufacturere, they are made by Lays. I never see the Balinese buying or eating these things; who are the audience for them (besides me and I'm only curious)?.

Renting motorscooters is so casual here it is hard to believe. First it is pretty cheap, typically about 50,000 Rp./day or about $6. Sometimes they want you to pay one day up front and other cases you pay when you're done. No need for license or even indicating that you can drive a motorscooter (although it is very easy; it is driving in traffic or on the beat up roads that are the challenge). There is no insurance, if you wreck it you pay for it. If you damage it, you pay for the repair except they never repair the damage. On the islands you don't even sign a contract, just take the keys and drive off.

One last thing, you can tell that a country is poor when there is paper currency that is worth less than 12 cents (1,000 rupiah notes).