bad batik
Bad batik. Really bad batik. So bad that it is actually painful to bargain and pay for it. But how can one appreciate the good without the contrasting bad?
At first I cheated and bought "bad with redeeming qualities" (see top row). Haphazard chopping/dyeing but an interesting pattern. The second row has a lot of smudgy black due to insufficient wax but luridly colorful.
The spot colors in the third row are sloppy but the real horrors are in the bottom rows. I wish I could say these sarongs were an anomaly but sadly, I see them at every market stall. Piled on the floor. RM10. "Batik Asli." Absolute crap.
That's not the worst of it. In 2006, new 5-star resort opened up on sleepy Pulau Duyong. It's beautiful. Could use a few shade trees but the developer spent a ton of money. Everything is top class. One of the amenities is a sarong for each guest in a nicely wrapped package. It's a Batik Asli sarong.
Epic fail.
