Commerce, Bali-Style

Here's a photo of a beachside surf rental shop like the ones J and I get our boards from. Working at one of these would be a sweet deal!


Here's another shot of Dreamland Beach, which Jon blogged about. Beautiful, and empty of local people.


And here's a shot of one of the hundreds of market stalls along the streets and lanes of Kuta Beach, all selling classy, high quality merchandise like what you see in the photo!


So far I've bargained for the following buys: surfing lessons, beachside pedicure and shoulder massage, adapter for my camera's battery charger, Thai fisherman's pants, gauzy shirt, fake Louis Vuitton flip flops, sarong to lie on beachside.
Buying something here is like a battle of wits: the seller starts high, buyer goes low, and ideally you meet somewhere in the middle. It's quite an experience for the uninitiated, as the first quoted price is often over-the-top. For example, Jon paid about $2.50 for a pair of fake Oakley sunglasses where the seller opened with an offer of about $130.00!