avatarArlo Hennings

Summary

Russian tourists in Bali, facing financial difficulties due to sanctions and a lack of resources to return home, are struggling amidst social inequality in Russia and international tensions exacerbated by the Ukraine war.

Abstract

The article "Stranded in Paradise" discusses the plight of Russian tourists stranded in Bali due to the impact of international sanctions on Russia, which have left them unable to access funds or return home. These individuals, often perceived negatively by locals due to past misconduct by some Russians in Bali, are now dealing with the consequences of their country's actions and the resulting social and economic divisions. The author, who has lived in Bali for a decade and run a guest house, reflects on the historical anti-Russian sentiment in the West and the current state of affairs where the average Russian citizen faces economic hardship while the elite benefit from the country's wealth. The article highlights the irony that despite Russia's resource richness, its citizens face intense social inequality, and the tourists stranded in Bali are likely from the wealthier echelons of society, unlike the average Russian worker who may never earn a decent salary.

Opinions

  • The author notes a prejudiced track record for Russians in Bali, including theft, breaking VISA rules, and various forms of trafficking and scams, leading to a bad reputation among locals and hoteliers.
  • The anti-Russian sentiment is deeply rooted in American consciousness, partly due to historical propaganda and the current Ukraine conflict, which has further alienated Russian culture.
  • Despite being resource-rich, Russia suffers from extreme social inequality, with the top 1% controlling the majority of the nation's wealth, leaving average citizens with bleak economic prospects.
  • The author expresses a lack of sympathy for the stranded Russian tourists, believing they are part of the elite class and not average working people, and suggests they should be able to find their way back home.
  • There is a sense of resignation and irony in the author's tone, as the world faces deep divisions due to the actions of Russian leadership, which has disrupted global relations for what is seen as a romanticized land grab.
  • The author acknowledges the fear and uncertainty among the stranded Russians in Bali who are trying to help each other, but ultimately believes they are not the ones who should be pitied given their previous privilege.

Stranded in Paradise

The Russian Haves No Way Home

People watch the sunset at Kuta beach near Denpasar on Indonesia’s Bali island on October 7, 2021. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka
Winner of the Medium Fan Award

No money for surfboard wax, hotels, food, booze, and prostitutes? A vacation nightmare.

Bali is a tourist island. It is part of the Indonesian 17,000-island archipelago. People from all over the world visit. It is big with the Instagram travel blogger crowd.

The promise of an exotic experience with the Balinese and cheap prices draw many to the once quiet island.

I’ve lived in Bali for 10 years and I have plenty of stories about the Russians. I owned a guest house. Many were my customers.

I don’t want to seem sounding prejudiced or stereotyping but the track record for Russians in Bali is nothing to brag about.

In 2020, Russian tourists dominated Bali’s deportation list. The crimes were theft, breaking VISA rules, running out of bills, drug and weapons trafficking, animal smuggling, and ATM scams. Bali newspaper.

It got to be so bad that hoteliers wouldn’t book them for fear they wouldn’t pay their bills.

One Russian tried to smuggle a live Orangutan out of Bali in his suitcase.

It takes a few bad apples to make the whole bunch look bad. It’s sad. But, for decades the bad Russian was promoted in America.

The whole 60s-era anti-commie thing was crazy. A guy with long hair was called a commie.

The anti-Russian American propaganda became front and center starting with McCarthyism.

Even though Russia is no longer a communist state. America needed an enemy.

Today, that Russians can’t be trusted has been sewn into the fabric of American consciousness. The Ukraine war has only alienated the culture more.

Likewise, Russians who grew up during the Cold War were taught to hate America.

Most of my knowledge about Russia comes from Hollywood. Books, and second-hand accounts of artists I know that toured there.

Good stories about average working people. Hungry to learn and exchange culture with the West.

Russians have over recent years been migrating to Bali. Building a little Moscow. Complete with a Russian-speaking mall, websites, and closed-end community. The locals depend on their money. But now their money is gone.

Over 1,000 Russians are stuck in Bali and 7,000 in Thailand. ATMs have shut off Russia.

Video credit. South China Morning Post

Should I care? Why didn’t they see it coming? Most arrived in January during the strict pandemic protocol. Other tourists didn’t come but it didn’t stop the Russians.

Do you wonder how a 27-year-old man from Russia can afford to wax a surfboard in Bali?

Are these innocent tourists?

I don’t have proof. I have hunches. Are some the children and relatives of Oligarch and mafia? My American-raised paranoia? One thing is for sure they are elites.

48 percent of urban Russians said they will never live to see a decent salary.

This was before sanctions. Half of Russians Say They’ll Never Live to See a Decent Salary.

The monthly minimum wage in Russia as of January 1, 2022, amounted to 13,890 Russian rubles, or approximately 177 U.S. dollars. In the capital Moscow, it was set at 21,371 Russian rubles or over 272 U.S. dollars. (Feb 15, 2022, Statistica)

Remember that while Russia is a resource-rich country, it suffers from intense social inequality. The top 1% of the Russian population control 71% of the nation’s wealth.

So, this again. The Russians stuck in Bali are not the average working-class people. And why I don’t care they’re stuck. They got there. They can get back.

The wealthy are on their own.

Mac Donald’s is open in Bali. But Cryptocurrency and the Russian state-sponsored “virtual card” won’t get a French Fry.

The world is divided all the deeper now. Like a Black Hole sucking in a galaxy, Putin has turned the world upside down for a romantic land grab.

The Russians in Bali are trying to help each other. They keep their distance. They’re frightened. Not sure of their future or how foreigners perceive them.

Without money, I don’t know how long they can remain in Bali, Thailand, or anywhere else.

The world ended while on vacation.

For those caught up in the conflict by mistake, I hope we come out of this alive.

I’d rather sing “Why Can’t We Be Friends” than “Back in the USSR.”

Other writing by the Author

Russia
Bali
Ukraine
War
Money
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