We travelled around Bali with a local driver booked via KKday. He is our window to life in Bali.
On the first day, we passed by Mixue. I commented we also have that in Singapore. He said he tried once and it was 16,000 Rp (S$1.40) and it was considered very expensive to him.
We gave him a treat, he was so grateful
When he brought us to have lunch, we insisted he ate with us and we treated him. He only chose the lowest priced set and tried to offer us the crispy pig skin that was the highlight of the set.
In a supermarket, Hippo saw him he looking at a formula milk which costs 108,000 Rp (S$9.47) and bought it for him with our combined shopping funds. He was very grateful and told us how happy his wife was when he told her. I asked how old his kid was. To our surprise, he shared his son was actually 15 years old and malnourished, so he wanted it to let him have it together with his meals.
Being a typical Singaporean, I was almost about to blurt out how cheap the drinks at Mixue are, but this S$1.40 drink is a luxury to a Balinese local.
A treat that costs S$2.63 would not mean anything to us but to a brother, it was an amount to save on. If our kids in Singapore suffer from any condition, we would be so worried and would be anxious to provide him/her the best medical attention we can get.
This anxiety as a parent is the same as the driver’s. There is only a limit to how much he can afford financially.
It took a Balinese to show me that a S$1.40 drink, S$2.63 meal and a S$9.47 box of formula milk actually mean a lot.
Through this window, I also see how we have taken how lucky we are to be in Singapore to an extent we take many things for granted.
Image source: Singapore Atrium Sale/Facebook, Google Maps