Tourists and travellers to Bali have an abundance of places in which to shop for general goods and in fact, places where you can wile away the hours. Most newcomers to Bali generally head to Matahari Square for a bit of shopping and window-gazing. Although becoming less popular as an attraction these days, it is still a fascinating place for first-timers.
On occasions Candika and I will do the general shopping at Matahari’s in Matahari Square and after, imbibe in a cold drink at Dulang’s restoran. It is a great place to sit and ‘people watch’. I am always amazed at how, amidst the ‘westernisation’, the traditions of Bali are carried out on a daily basis. Matahari Department store is a 4 storey shop that stocks just about everything.
Outside the store, everything is ‘fake’ from watches, perfume and rip off DVD’s. Even the clothes; but what else is new in Bali these days. Head inside the Matahari and everything is fixed price (harga pas).The ground floor has a supermarket which is really handy for stocking up on goodies for your hotel room if you are staying nearby.
The ground floor also stocks souvenirs and handicrafts. Second floor is cosmetics and women’s stuff, third floor menswear and the top floor kids stuff and a bookshop of sorts. Matahari makes a great one stop shop to pick up souvenirs, clothes and food.
Matahari has security at the front door these days and so expect to have your bags checked with a metal detector. The one thing you must be aware of are the ubiquitous hawkers offering you cards in which you could win a prize. It’s a rip-off and so avoid them like the plague!
Matahari is open all day from 10am – 10pm.
