Treacherous money changers

As frequent visitors to Bali we have occasionally encountered money changers cheating tourists out of money by exploiting their unfamiliarity with Indonesian currency.

Our present visit to Bali, however, has given us the impression that the whole bag has gone rotten. With every single currency change-over -- and there have been many, and always at different locations -- the money changer tried to shortchange us to the extent of many tens of thousands of rupiah. This can hardly be a coincidence and presents a serious problem for Bali.

The same trick is always used; substituting Rp 1000 notes for the Rp 10,000 denomination to make up the final amount over Rp 100,000. The racket seems so ingrained that on two occasions after being caught shortchanging us from A$500, the money changer would only change A$100, apparently anxious to have more luck with his next customer.

The experience has been very upsetting and has partly ruined our holiday.

It is time the authorities looked into this problem, not only for the tourists' sake, but also regarding potential damage to the tourist trade in Bali.

BILL DE RUITER

Victoria, Australia