Visiting Bali? Some Cultural Do’s and Don’ts to Stay Respectful

Hey guys!

Today, I’ll be sharing some cultural tips with you guys. I visited Bali, Indonesia again last year. It’s seriously one of my favorite go-to places. The beaches are lovely and there’s so much to take in regarding folklore and food!

It’s one of the best places to go to if you want to really experience intact cultural traditions of the SEA (South East Asia). So without further ado, let’s jump into cultural Do’s and Don’ts!

Keep your left hand to yourself

This might take a bit of getting used to. There is a reason for this though. As it turns out, toilet paper has never really been a thing in Bali. So they do all their washing business with the left hand. As such, they consider it vastly impolite to touch or even hand something to another person using the left hand.

Do yourself a favor and be mindful about this rule. The last thing you’d want is to offend a newfound friend in Bali.

Dress respectfully

The culture here is modest. If you’re ever going to go out and visit cultural landmarks like temples, it is critical that you dress appropriately. Traditionally, they require sarongs for the legs and temple scarves around the waist. They’re totally cool about flip-flops though as long as it’s not flashy. If you’re worried about the sarongs and temple scarves, chill. They rent those out by the temple entrance. Or you can do one better and buy local. That way you’ll get a better deal and you’ll get to keep a piece of Bali with you. Also, you’d have ended up helping a local. Win-win for all!

Please watch what you step on

I had a bit of a rough run-in with this rule back when I was 14. I was going around and I noticed these little packages on the street. These were little woven palm leaves and they were everywhere. Dumb kid that I was, I never really thought they were anything special until I stepped on one. Boy! Was the local lady who saw me super mad!

As it turns out, those things are offering to their God. Since then, I’ve been super careful to avoid anything laid out on the streets no matter where I go.

I’ll add more as I keep adding to this blog. Until next time you guys!