Do the Locals Care What the Tourists Wear? Part II
If you read Part I, you would have learnt that Speedos or
bikinis are not exactly ‘a la mode’ on the streets
of Bali. Now that I’ve divulged this ‘pearl of
wisdom’ to you, I suppose you’re wondering, What
the hell should I wear then??
Well it may sound kinda boring and perhaps impractical, but
I have to say it: cover up! Not in the head-to-toe sense,
but basically you should keep it polite.
When you’re visiting someone you’ve never met,
for example, it’s a good idea to wear trousers if you’re
a guy and long pants or a long dress if you’re a woman.
Shorts, singlet tops and generally skimpy clothing are considered
inappropriate, even if the person you’re visiting welcomes
you with their shirt off. Unfortunately, like the rest of
Indonesia, Bali is a pretty chauvinistic, male-dominated society
and more emphasis is put on women covering up than men.
If you have to visit a government department, the officials
expect the public to wear at the least t-shirts and jeans.
Sandals are OK because they are pretty much national dress
in Indonesia. Don’t expect to get the best service in
the world if you wander in wearing shorts and a singlet.
In a previous edition I’ve explained what you should
and shouldn’t wear to a temple. The basic rule is ‘cover
up’, remembering ladies that singlet tops where your
shoulders are showing don’t qualify as temple garb.
The formality in temples sometimes seem a tad ironic when
you see the sexy, see-thru lace tops (kebaya) that women wear,
but hey, life in Bali is full of curious contradictions!
What is comforting in Bali, though, is that, on the whole,
a local will not have the heart to tell you that you’re
wearing something wrong. You may have to just keep your eyes
on what they wear—this may let the ‘fashion’
cat out of the bag.
