Bali - What Would You Like to Buy Today?

The Ubud Market

The concept of stores here is so different from home.  There are one or two larger stores to shop at for groceries, and one of those has ‘wearables’ upstairs.  But for the most part, the streets are lined with tiny little shops in town.  In the villages, many people have created a little storefront at the street-side of the family compound.

Typical little roadside grocery store in front of a family compound

A small 'warung' at the end of our road.  The men of the
village come here to chat and share a beverage.  The table
is where they all sit!  This is Wayan, our driver.

This is the 'warung' at the end of our driveway.  You can buy
propane, eggs, bottled water, beer and other treats.  Run by the
woman who lives in the compound behind it.  Sign language
required as she doesn't speak English!

The village stores are usually filled with eggs, snacks for the kids, bottles of gas for scooters (those bottles are usually recycled alcohol bottles!) that are sold for the equivalent of $1, propane tanks, bottled water and Bintang, the local beer.

A common sight is old liquor bottles filled with gasoline and sold
for the equivalent of $1.  These are nicely displayed in the little
red shelves at this store.  

At first we thought it was bootleg liquor being
sold at the side of the road.  But gas stations are
few and far between, so the entrepreneurial types
buy it, bottle it and sell it at the roadside.

Walking down a country lane, we often see little furniture shops, thatched roofing materials, basket weaving or carving shops, and many shops filled with paintings.

Wood carver working outside his shop

Wind chimes, and wood carvings

Hand-woven baskets

Beautiful carved wood handles on a higher-end art gallery

We are very used to seeing things that have been machine-made at home and it took a bit of convincing for us to finally recognize that pretty much everything that is sold here is made by the artisans - aside from the numerous touristy clothing shops.  We did walk right into a clothing factory one day though - not much of a factory in the North American sense, but the parking lot was filled with the workers scooters.

Weaving cloth from the thread that she spins.  Then they
cut it out and make custom-made clothing.

Spinning the threads to weave.  

Lots of shops with paintings

Beautiful hand-made furniture

We have watched woodcarvers, basket-weavers, furniture-makers, painters, spinners and weavers all at work. The time and effort put into their creations is not reflected in the prices that are charged for the goods.  Although Glen loves to bargain, I often stop him and tell him to pay a reasonable price to the artisan.  

Glen wants one of these tables BAD.  Too big for the suitcase!

Bathroom supplies - beautiful stone tubs, sinks . . .

Thatched roofing supplies here.  They are making them just
behind the pieces on the right.

You can buy chicken sate on the street corners.  I wasn't brave enough
to try though - we stuck to the restaurant.  

The laundry business is a big one here - there are a number of little laundry shops along any road - usually about 8’ x 10’ with a couple of washers, an ironing board and sometimes a dryer.  Glen asked about pricing at one - 80 cents for 8 pieces.  

They have machines here - I don't think any is done in the rivers!

We have also had the good fortune to have a couple of local women bring us home-cooked dinners to the villa, as we don’t like going out every night.  The grocery stores are filled with very unfamiliar items and so it’s been easier (and more delicious) to have dinner brought in - usually at a cost of $10 - $20. with plenty left over for lunch the next day.  Of course, we do plenty of eating out as well - the most we spend for a meal is about $30 and that includes appetizer, meal and a couple of drinks each.  We haven’t had a bad meal yet - everything is fresh and delicious.

I'm not sure why, but there are an extraordinary number
of penis souvenirs available to purchase here.  We resisted.

At the woodcarvers shop.  Seriously.

A local restaurant.  These pigs are always hogging
the best table.

Need some flip flops?  That's all they sell in this shop.

A roadside restaurant.  I liked the name!  Didn't eat here though.
We ate at one once and didn't like the effect on our bellies, so
we stuck to 'real' restaurants after that.

This store sells the hats that the men wear to temple

The name cracks me up.  

Clothing for sale at the Risky Shop

Need some doors or furniture?  I have no idea how they lock this
place down for the night.

One of several hundred shops where you can purchase
a sarong.  These little shops bring out my inner crow -
everything is so colourful that I just have to go look!