Local Flavours
People you don't know but should
The Veterinarian
In Bali you can't go far without seeing an animal. There are elephants, camels, orangutans, wildebeest, lions...no wait, that's the zoo. But Bali does have a large profusion of dogs and cats, both wild and domesticated, and from all sectors of the pedigrees available the world over. Which all goes into making Made Restianti's job all the more necessary, for she is a veterinarian, and it's a nonstop, seven day a week, labour of love.
Her father was a vet and she grew up around animals all her life so her career path was pretty well mapped out for her from birth. She has been working in her field for nearly 20 years and has been in private practice in Pererenan, just north of Canggu, since 2002, where she looks after the pets and backyard animals in a wide area of Southern Bali.
She provides every service imaginable from toe clipping to sterilization, and orthopedics to emergencies. She charges according to a person's means and even does work in her local village for free. She does house calls too.
Call her! Your pet will love you for it. Open 8am - 8pm, seven days 0361 744 2430 or 081 2395 2470. www.balivetclinic.com
The Pool Valet
Everyone has a pool in Bali, or at least friends who do and they are an essential part of life for playing, socializing and just playing, They look easy but they are also easy to get wrong. Rainy season flooding, cheap chemicals, and unforeseen muck. Your crystal-clear shimmering jewel can easily turn into a slimy, green, primordial hellhole in no time at all and there is nothing worse than having to vacuum up all that filth and dead frogspawn before it clogs the filter and wait for those three to four days before you can swim again.
Yudi has been cleaning the pools of the rich and infamous of southern Bali for a long time and has a reputation for never letting the side down. Three times a week is about right for a balance and chemical application to keep the kids, dogs and of course your friends happy and swimming all year round. Yudi and his cousins are currently taking care of the pools of numerous homes and hotels in Bali, don't charge the earth, include chemicals in the price and are extremely discreet. The only way I know they have been in to do the work is that the filter is running when I wake up.
Yudi 081 647 37927
The Pearl Seller
Looking for a gift for a female family member? You can't go past a string of pearls, especially at the prices Nyoman offers. Yes you can go to Mikimoto and blow the deposit on a house if you wish, but in these frugal days where cheap and cheerful is the new expensive and decadent, cheap pearls off the beach are a sure fire way to social climb in 2009.
Nyoman has been plying the sands of Seminyak for years and always has a smile and a greeting and of course an offer to buy. But, just say no, and it's no.
He can be a bit persuasive though as he always seems to throw in a little something extra with each necklace or pair of earrings.
The pearls are grown in Bali and Nusa Lembongan and do actually come from the oysters. They come in all colours from the original pearl (obviously), to pink, blue and black and come in a variety of shapes, styles and colours for they are ready strung and prêt a porter.
You can find him down on the beach most days in front of Anantara next to Gado-Gado, or not too far away up the beach. Tell him Exotiq sent you!
