After two nights, my friend and I headed out of Denpasar towards Padangbai. As the one of us not quietly dying of bronchitis, I was in control of the travel details. I got instructions from the owner of our homestay. We were to take a bemo (a small van) to Ubung, for 5,000 rp. From Ubung, take a blue bemo to the bus station, 10,000rp. Take the bus to Padangbai, 25,000 rp.
Armed with this knowledge and a small map, I walked us towards the main street, checking periodically to make sure that my friend was still walking and breathing. On the way, it began to rain.
I hate the rain.
When we reached the bemo stand, a small wrinkled man in a baseball cap flagged us down.
"Bemo?" he gummed at me, "My brother is driver, he will take you. Where do you go?"
"Ubung" I said the word slowly, tasting the syllables to make sure I was saying it right.
"Aah..." he nodded, "Ubuung? 50,000 rp."
FULL STOP.
My eyelids lowered in disgust. 50,000? Seriously? That's 10 times what the actual price. I mean, I expect to hustled. I expect mark ups. But TEN TIMES THE PRICE has me ready to chew bullets and spit curse words. It's the principal of the thing.
I waved him off and headed towards another driver.
"Hey! Hey!" He followed me. "This way. My brother is driver. This bemo, this bemo."
"Not for 50,000." I said. We got into another bemo. "Ubung? 5,000." He nodded. "Let's stay here." I said. My friend, breathing shallowly, agreed.
We had just crunched ourselves into the seat when the first guy reappeared. "Hey!" he said, "This bemo, second bemo. My brother is driver. He is first bemo. No waiting."
"How much?" I said, "5,000?"
"Yes, yes." he nodded. We followed.
There were moments on the trip where I bargained quite brilliantly. This was not one of them. After we arrived at Ubung, we hopped out and I paid the guy, 5,000 for each of us. He looked down at the money, and pushed it back at me.
"50,000" he said.
I stopped dead, and my nostrils started flaring. The other drivers, hovering like bees to see where we wanted to go next stopped too, gaping. The man beat his palm, gumming his displeasure.
"50,000!" he said again.
"You said 5,000."
"Noooo" he shook his head, giving me a look that expressed how sadly mistaken I was. "Not 5. 50!"
"The ride costs 5. I know the price."
"No, no, 50!" He insisted. "I tell the truth with you. You are my friend, I tell you true. Good price, good price."
It was raining, my glasses were all spotty. My friend was sick and I wanted to get moving as soon as possible. People were watching, but not helping. I knew I was beaten. I shoved 50,000 rp into his hand.
"Here."
He grabbed my hand to shake it, smiling. "I tell the truth with you. You are my friend." It took all of my reserve not to whip my hand backwards and slap him. He hustled me big time. He knew it, I knew it, everyone watching knew it. No amount of smiling and hand shaken was going to change the fact that he took advantage of us because we were foreign and female. The other drivers looked at each other with uncomfortable side-eyes.
We got into a blue bemo to take us to the bus station. He, of course, wanted 30,000. I sighed and agreed. Once we got hustled by the one, it was only natural to expect everyone else to take a shot.
At the bus stop, my friend hopped out first, dragging her red suitcase on the wet pavement. She turned to me for instruction but before I could open my mouth we were set upon.
"Where to do you go?" A smiling young man with lush black hair smiled at me.
"Padangbai."
"Bus?"
"Yes, please." He guided me to the door. It was then that I noticed my friend had been taken hostage by another bemo driver.
"I drive to Padangbai" he had her suitcase held tightly to his chest, like a prize.
"What? Wait...my suitcase!"
What the heck is going on here? I was so puzzled I just gaped. The driver walked and she followed, hanging on the handle.
"Wait!" I told her, "we're taking the bus!"
Thankfully, the young man came to the rescue. He talked to the driver, who was petulant about losing his fare. "No, take bemo!" He looked at my friend like she had stepped on his puppy, still hanging tight to the suitcase. The young man managed to extract us from the bemo driver and put us on the bus. Which was only 25,000 rp, just like we had been told.
Finally, we were on the road to Padangbai!
For more posts on Padangbai, click here. For Denpasar, click here.
Armed with this knowledge and a small map, I walked us towards the main street, checking periodically to make sure that my friend was still walking and breathing. On the way, it began to rain.
I hate the rain.
When we reached the bemo stand, a small wrinkled man in a baseball cap flagged us down.
"Bemo?" he gummed at me, "My brother is driver, he will take you. Where do you go?"
"Ubung" I said the word slowly, tasting the syllables to make sure I was saying it right.
"Aah..." he nodded, "Ubuung? 50,000 rp."
FULL STOP.
My eyelids lowered in disgust. 50,000? Seriously? That's 10 times what the actual price. I mean, I expect to hustled. I expect mark ups. But TEN TIMES THE PRICE has me ready to chew bullets and spit curse words. It's the principal of the thing.
I waved him off and headed towards another driver.
"Hey! Hey!" He followed me. "This way. My brother is driver. This bemo, this bemo."
"Not for 50,000." I said. We got into another bemo. "Ubung? 5,000." He nodded. "Let's stay here." I said. My friend, breathing shallowly, agreed.
We had just crunched ourselves into the seat when the first guy reappeared. "Hey!" he said, "This bemo, second bemo. My brother is driver. He is first bemo. No waiting."
"How much?" I said, "5,000?"
"Yes, yes." he nodded. We followed.
There were moments on the trip where I bargained quite brilliantly. This was not one of them. After we arrived at Ubung, we hopped out and I paid the guy, 5,000 for each of us. He looked down at the money, and pushed it back at me.
"50,000" he said.
I stopped dead, and my nostrils started flaring. The other drivers, hovering like bees to see where we wanted to go next stopped too, gaping. The man beat his palm, gumming his displeasure.
"50,000!" he said again.
"You said 5,000."
"Noooo" he shook his head, giving me a look that expressed how sadly mistaken I was. "Not 5. 50!"
"The ride costs 5. I know the price."
"No, no, 50!" He insisted. "I tell the truth with you. You are my friend, I tell you true. Good price, good price."
It was raining, my glasses were all spotty. My friend was sick and I wanted to get moving as soon as possible. People were watching, but not helping. I knew I was beaten. I shoved 50,000 rp into his hand.
"Here."
He grabbed my hand to shake it, smiling. "I tell the truth with you. You are my friend." It took all of my reserve not to whip my hand backwards and slap him. He hustled me big time. He knew it, I knew it, everyone watching knew it. No amount of smiling and hand shaken was going to change the fact that he took advantage of us because we were foreign and female. The other drivers looked at each other with uncomfortable side-eyes.
We got into a blue bemo to take us to the bus station. He, of course, wanted 30,000. I sighed and agreed. Once we got hustled by the one, it was only natural to expect everyone else to take a shot.
At the bus stop, my friend hopped out first, dragging her red suitcase on the wet pavement. She turned to me for instruction but before I could open my mouth we were set upon.
"Where to do you go?" A smiling young man with lush black hair smiled at me.
"Padangbai."
"Bus?"
"Yes, please." He guided me to the door. It was then that I noticed my friend had been taken hostage by another bemo driver.
"I drive to Padangbai" he had her suitcase held tightly to his chest, like a prize.
"What? Wait...my suitcase!"
What the heck is going on here? I was so puzzled I just gaped. The driver walked and she followed, hanging on the handle.
"Wait!" I told her, "we're taking the bus!"
Thankfully, the young man came to the rescue. He talked to the driver, who was petulant about losing his fare. "No, take bemo!" He looked at my friend like she had stepped on his puppy, still hanging tight to the suitcase. The young man managed to extract us from the bemo driver and put us on the bus. Which was only 25,000 rp, just like we had been told.
Finally, we were on the road to Padangbai!
For more posts on Padangbai, click here. For Denpasar, click here.
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