Joanna's Singapore adventures

Compared to Singapore Bali seems like a different world entirely. Before I'd even made it out of customs I'd already been scammed. In most countries if someone in uniform grabs your bag in the customs area, they are customs staff who want to check it. This guy was actually a porter who demanded a S$10 (AU$8) tip for carrying the bag a small distance. How such con artists are allowed inside what should be a secure part of the airport I do not know. Here things are a lot more chaotic- concepts such as road, food, or fireworks safety don't seem to be given a great deal of thought. The roads can be a bit crazy, especially all the motorcycle drivers.

My auntie I'm staying with and I don't intend to spend much time in the really tourist areas. We did however briefly visit Kuta which is a favorite of Australian tourists. The last few months I'd seen relatively few Australian bogans (the alcohol is probably too expensive for them in Singapore). In Kuta they were out in force. It was like the Gold Coast with extra crazy drivers. The place had all the bogan essentials- surfwear shops selling clothes that reveal too much, (likely unsafe) tattoo parlors and of course, plenty of pubs and bars. I even had someone try to sell me overpriced copies of the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper! I'm not sure what exactly compels them all to come to another country to be in an Australia-like environment. It is a shame many stay in Kuta because there are other parts of Bali that are much more interesting.