selling well.

A recent interview with a Finnish newspaper

 

Somewhere in Bali

Why and when did you leave Bali?

I left Bali three years ago, my reasoning was pretty simple. I had spent eight or so years living on the island and I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed by the small stuff, the traffic, the rip offs etc. No matter how beautiful the place, when that starts to happen, it’s probably time to move on.

What did you do for living in Bali?

While I lived in Bali I was involved with a development company. Most of my work was done within the marketing side of the business.

How long did you live there?

Eight or so years, but I travelled back and forth regularly before that.

Are your brothers still living there? How many of them?

My brothers no longer conduct business in Bali; my family visits the island occasionally for holidays.

Where are you living now?

I now live in Thailand, there is a similarity that I’m used to, and I could not give up on South East Asia altogether.

Would you consider Kuta area as a dangerous place to visit?

Like most places in the world Kuta is as dangerous as you want to make it. I would advise any person that is thinking of traveling to a foreign country to keep their wits about them and to understand the environment they are entering into.

Indonesia is a very large country and there are people that travel to Bali seeking vulnerable tourists. That said most high profile tourist destinations seem to attract a criminal element.

How does the criminality in Kuta show on everyday life of an average tourist?

Most of the criminality against tourists is generally small scale, rip offs, over charging, pick pocketing, villa break-ins, etc. However, problems with violence do sometimes occur along the nightclub strip in Kuta.

In your advice, how can tourists avoid the problems?

  
My advice would be to never become in involved with in an altercation with the locals or any nightclub security staff in Bali. I have seen a lot of tourists get hurt this way. I would also only carry small amounts of cash and a cheap phone on any night out.

Is there a lot of criminality in other parts of Bali than Kuta also?

Kuta would be the hub of criminality in Bali, that said it is a small island and most of the bad element lives in the capital Denpasar.  The criminal element then travel to Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur, and other tourist destinations. The distance between these places is relatively short.

Can the police be trusted? Are they only corrupted or also straight involved in criminal activity?

It is always wise to have some money in your wallet if you intend to trust the police.

Can you trust anyone there? Locals or westerners?

Most Indonesians are good people that will do anything to help travellers in their country. Unfortunately there are also a small number of people that cannot be trusted. I guess it comes down to the individual judging the person they are dealing with.

Are all the gangs locals or have the western people formed those too?

A few western motorcycle gangs are moving into Bali, but at the moment the locals have most of the control.

What's the difference between a local and an expat criminal?

The local will generally have relatives or they will know somebody with connections. The local will generally win most disputes. 

How can an average tourist spot a scam? In other words, how not to get screwed?

Do due diligence, check everything twice or three times, and always hire an outside source to go over any paper work before signing. Never accept the lawyer or Notaris that is offered to you in any land deal.  Sometimes it helps to ask someone who has lived in Bali a long time to recommend a trusted lawyer or Notaris.

You've probably seen a lot of other destinies like that? Is it very common?

Bali has its own uniqueness but most places in South East Asia, if not the world, have their problems.

What about the good sides of Kuta / Bali?

I would not have been able to live in Bali for eight years if it didn’t have a good side. When I wrote Bali Raw I had grown weary of all the wonderful things that were being written about Bali. I wanted to level the scales slightly, tell people about the other side of Bali.

What's your upcoming book about?

I have written another book about Bali that will be published soon, I am also close to completing a book about Thailand, but at the moment most of my focus is on screenplays. 

I have completed  two screenplays at present. One script is based in Cambodia and it is titled, ‘No Negotiation No Ransom’ it is the true story of an Australian who was kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge in 1994. 

The other is a horror/comedy titled Dog House that was written for the American market. I have recently started another about the Bali Bombings that is loosely titled, Heroes.

Anything else you'd like to say about Bali?

Not really, I hope I said everything that needed to be said in my two books.

Five Safety Tips for Anyone Thinking About Reading Bali Raw

1.       Do not read Bali Raw in public. I would advise that before you pick up a copy you ask yourself one question. Do I really want people to know that I am reading a book that contains stories that involve drinking, violence and prostitution?

2.       Do not try and bring a copy of Bali Raw through Bali customs. Indonesia has some very strict laws pertaining to foreigners criticising or saying unpleasant things about Indonesia. And I do not want to be held responsible if you are arrested for bringing contraband into the country.

3.       Do not read Bali Raw if you are any of the following. A Catholic nun, a pacifist, a hippy, an Indonesian Government Censorship officer, a person with their own aspirations of writing a travel book about Bali or Jakarta, and a person that never wants to read anything bad written about Bali. As a further warning this book should also not be read by a person who is under the age of eighteen.

4.       Do not read if you have a weak stomach, believe me some of the things that I find funny are just plain awful. Case in point these safety tips.

5.       Do not read Bali Raw if you have a dislike trailer trash attributes, for example: Swearing, drinking, fighting, sex, working girls, happy ending massages, and all that other stuff that you are not supposed to like. Unless of course you live in a caravan, you smoke two or more packets of cigarettes a day and you drink your wine out of a box.

Finally please feel free to apply these safety tips to Bali Raw 2, the follow up installment should be available in 2014

©Malcolm Scott

Bali Raw Hits #1

Bali Raw Hits #1 

Wow, Bali Raw has hit the number one spot on Apple's Aussie iBook store and I’m excited!

Thank you Monsoon Books and N.G, and thanks to everyone else who has supported Bali Raw and the Bali Raw Blog. To celebrate I would like to offer a special discount for anyone that has not yet read Bali Raw.  

Bali Raw will be available for AUD $ 2.99 on Apple's Aussie iBookstore until Christmas. You can download the ebook to your ipad or iphone from iTunes or the iBookstore.

Please get in quick. It is the most shocking book you will ever read about one of the world's favourite holiday destinations.

Exposing the Brutal Reality of Gangs, Drugs, Violence and Prostitution

Some people seem to have a problem with Bali Raw being too violent or
mentioning what happens between expats and prostitutes, and that's fine.
Everyone has a right to their opinion including myself. But I have to ask
why people that feel this way would pick up and read a book like Bali Raw in
the first place. 

Bali Raw is violent and there are stories about prostitutes in its pages. It
isn't a nice book about Bali. This should be evident from the blurb. If
these things offend you then maybe it isn't for you. But then Bali Raw also
gives an honest view about what Bali has become. And it is a view from an
expat that lived there for eight years. 

Some people also seem to feel that Bali Raw is about Kuta and not about
Bali. For the most part this is true. But I would then pose the question,
what is Bali without Kuta? 

Everyone who travels to Bali visits Kuta at least once and anyone who has
been to Bali more than once has been to Kuta. Kuta is a must on most Bali
tourists travel agendas, even if it is only for the shopping, or to gawk at
the nightlife. Maybe people won't like it. But to me the two are so
intertwined that they could be considered as one.

Bali has its wonderful side, but people already know that. But in the pursuit
of keeping Bali's pleasing image intact, are visitors to Bali being given all
the facts? Bali has sold itself so well over the last twenty years. It is
advertising genius, especially for someone like me with a background in
marketing. Put the name Bali in the title or headline and people want to
read it. But then a lot of bad things happen in Bali. All anyone has to do
is type in "Bali crime" on a search engine and scroll back a few years to find
out about them. It could be said, that in part, by writing Bali Raw I was
trying to wake people up to this fact. 

Bali is a great place and a delightful holiday destination. But it does have
a dark side. Do people want to know about this dark side? 

I think they do. Bali Raw wouldn't be selling so well if they didn't.