American woman drugged in Bali bar

Hmmmm.

Lots of 'bartender did it out of sight' but on'y a little 'left drinks unattended'.
No hospital even though she could feel her body shutting down.
Her second time as it happened three years ago so she knew what to expect, but her massive dose this time didn't stop her trying to walk home; that and she warned her 'cool friends' who allowed her to leave unaided.
Apart from the really bad luck in being hit twice in three years, I'm inclined to see the story as suspiciously smelly in a cow after a hot curry sort of way.

Still, I'm old, fat and uncool, so perhaps it's normal for two ladies to sleep together when one is close to death after being poisoned with a drug that is well known to cause memory loss, but her account is very clear, and very well remembered .... oh, hang on ....

And....

there are claims is is common, but the hospitals won't know what to do.
Mmmmmm.

I remember being in a bar in Bali and the. Waking up in my hotel room with all my money gone from my wallet with a headache
I was so concerned I was robbed that I went back to the same bar that night and low and behold the same thing happened again. I never went, not because of the witchcraft at work but I had a plane to catch....

It's sad to hear that this kind of thing happens in Bali. I've heard it also happens quite a lot in other places like Thailand  too.

Luke, well done!  Your sarcasm is masterful.   

“It's sad to hear that this kind of thing happens in Bali.”

A)    This sort of thing can happen anywhere.

B)    Fred's points are spot on, and I too find her entire story to be full of holes and lacking credibility.

C)    The source is dubious.

The fact is, there are a lot of questionable, if not outright vicious lies, to be found about Bali on the internet with the objective of disparaging Bali for one reason or another. 

That being said, Bali is certainly not without crime, especially in the over developed and “party zone” areas of southern Bali.  Any women who has supposedly lived here “for decades” as she claims, would be well aware of this. 

While I would be the first to support posts on this forum that point out specific and viable potential dangers to both expats and tourists on this forum, and in fact have made such posts myself (as with the most recent ATM warning thread), I urge others to vet their sources before contributing to unwarranted hysteria and hyperbole.  And those who support this sort of activity by way of their posts (“sad to hear”) would be wise to consider this as well.   

Roy, what's more disturbing is the reports of illegal alcohol on Lombok and the lack of knowledge of how to treat someone who drinks it because the cure is relatively simple.

As you know (of) , there are some pretty dark and dodgy bars in Bali where angel would fear to tread yet even in those places I have never considered the alcohol to be tainted.

Back in the wonderful world of Jakarta, down in Jalan Jaksa there is a bar that after a certain time at night stops serving vodka and coke and starts serving watery vodka smelling coke for the same price.

Luckily all my alcohol comes in a bottle which is opened in front of me and carries the red star of socialism.

Yes, Luke. 

Indeed, home "grown" arak and tuak can be a problem here in both Bali and Lombok.  To a lesser extend, the same can be said of the popular (and again "home grown") sweet rice wine called brim. 

There are documented cases where arak has been "spiced up" by adding ground up mosquito coils...the theory being that it increases the "octane" (potency) of the drink.  This has had deadly consequences.  Again, this is well documented by reliable and credible sources. 

As you say, if a person wants to drink alcoholic beverages here...stick to what you know to be safe...and consume those beverages in public restaurants or bars, and not in some "dark or dodgy" place.

surely a major function of any expat forum is the health and safety of the community, if posting this article saves 1 woman the misery of an experience like this in the future its positive .

this is on W A today by an accredited journalist

Tel522,

You are right it is a serious issue and there are lots of stories and warnings regarding illegal alcohol and the dangers for tourists.

Here are some links from different sources.

From the NZ Government

https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/news/ind … g-methanol

From the Australian Government

http://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/a … nesia.aspx

From Inside Indonesia

http://www.insideindonesia.org/more-tha … attraction

The full article about the original post

http://beachgrit.com/2016/07/balis-date … g-problem/

From the Mail online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … l-you.html


My concern is more for the methanol and illegal Arak that is sold on the islands to unaware tourists because people die from it and that is a true tragedy.

“this is on W A today by an accredited journalist”

Really?  Where?  Have a look for yourself…their web site is here:

http://www.watoday.com.au/

I looked all over their site and could not find that story.  Then again, I might have missed it, or over looked it, so perhaps you could produce the link directly to WA, Western Australia Today? 

That said, I very seldom regard most any "journalist" piece coming from down under and relating to Indonesia as being either credible, or objective.  And that opinion is based on innumerable occasions where I have found articles coming from down under which were either outright wrong, containing erroneous facts, without credible secondary documentation, or were simply outright biased (commentary) as opposed to journalism.   

And it still boggles my mind why anyone seeking honest and informative information about Indonesia would consult such sources.  And, if you'll recall, we've had this sort of discussion already in the past.   

In any event, accredited journalists don't write or publish articles based on Facebook…which is clearly the source (and cited as such) for this article.

"I leave the drink on the bar and go to the bathroom," she posted to Facebook."

And please, can we all agree that "Beachgrit" is not a credible source as well?

http://beachgrit.com/2016/07/balis-date … g-problem/

Do you honestly believe everything you read on Facebook?  This entire story, the whole event, is NOT based on journalism, but rather it is entirely based on her Facebook entry.

Use the link above and you can read her Facebook entry.

Ubudian wrote:

“this is on W A today by an accredited journalist”

In any event, accredited journalists don't write or publish articles based on Facebook…which is clearly the source (and cited as such) for this article.NOT based on journalism, but rather it is entirely based on her Facebook entry.

Use the link above and you can read her Facebook entry.

Lots of hacks write lots of stuff, but that doesn't mean it's true.
I saw a guy on facebook claim, "How's up" means how are you, but I don't think it's correct.

Points well said Fred, but I'm personally getting tired of posts on the Indonesia board which are offered as being well intended, and in everyone's best interests, when in fact, they are not.  IMHO this board is all too often being abused by some who have a clear agenda…an agenda which is not in the best interests of this forum.

`'Goodbye Bali and F--- You': Woman's harrowing...
www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/goodbye-bali...

as requested

tel522 wrote:

`'Goodbye Bali and F--- You': Woman's harrowing...
www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/goodbye-bali...

as requested

HHhh.. Beauty of Bali may make someone insane... Bali itself is an Alcohol... Just leave your soul free to experience this "Masterpiece of Gods and Goddesses"...  morning of the world.... no one can match your beauty..

I just can mourn on this tht u are leaving the Island of Gods and Goddesses... Remember we can not find "another Bali"...

Tel522...I tried your link...three times, and I got this:

"Sorry, this page could not be found (404 Error)."

That isn't what I requested.  I'm not requesting to play games either! 

Listen, this is the simple fact...ANY news organization which simply re-writes, re-posts, or re-prints something from social media...like Facebook, is NOT practicing journalism....and I'm of the strong opinion that those of us who post here are responsible to figure that out BEFORE we make a post like your original post which is clearly titled:  "American woman drugged in Bali bar"

I think my point is very, very clear, and I think my complaint is entirely legitimate.

This is the second time you've recently made a post involving a spectacular title, and then found to be from an entirely dubious source.  **

the link was working b4 , here is the full article

    Home News WA News



'Goodbye Bali and F--- You': Woman's harrowing Rohypnol ordeal
Emma Young July 11 2016

    Emma Young
    Follow

An American woman living in Bali has warned women to watch their drinks after being slipped what she believes was a monster Rohypnol dose in a bar at the island paradise.

Mara Wolford said she went to the bar for a drink on July 4 with two friends and ordered mojitos.


Mara Wolford, an American living in Bali, believes she was drugged at a bar in the Indonesian holiday spot.

"I leave the drink on the bar and go to the bathroom,"

"All of these acts – ordering mixed drinks, not watching them being made and leaving a drink unattended – are fatal errors in Bali, but this evening, I wasn't too concerned.
Bali businesswoman Mara Wolford claims her drink was spiked in a local bar.


"Half-way through the second ... Rohypnol kicked in with fury. I knew what it was because this happened thee years ago and it was terrifying. From the speed in which this was happening, it felt like multiple doses."

Panicking, Ms Wolford muttered a warning to three other women nearby and asked them not to let anyone follow her out.
Advertisement

She thought she could make it to her house, 200 metres away, but got about 20 metres before collapsing and falling straight on her face.

"A motorbike passes, circles back around and stops. I can remember no detail about the driver other than he was Caucasian. My face is split open."

"He was trying to clean my face up, and I remember telling him it was fine. I know what is going to happen next and I don't want him to witness it."

She asked him to take her back to her friend's house, and they arrived home from the bar at the same time and the motorcyclist told them what happened. 

"I am now nearly paralysed and can barely talk," she said.

"Between projectile vomiting and loss of all bodily function, I nearly go into organ failure. I can feel my body shutting down."

Her friend cleaned her up and put her to bed, she wrote.

"She sleeps next to me because she is really worried. My breathing is superficial and interrupted, a symptom of Rohypnol overdose. She doesn't sleep much that night. She saved my life," Ms Wolford wrote.

"I know it may sound weird that we wouldn't go straight to the hospital, but the hospitals here wouldn't know what to do either, in the case of severe benzodiazepine poisoning, and my stomach and bowels had already been purged."

She came to late the following day, she wrote, feeling as though she had been hit by a truck.

"I really don't know who would think it was funny or a good idea to slip a 51-kilo woman enough Flunitrazepam as to nearly kill her, but it reconfirms for me that they aren't the type of people I want around me. Bye, Bali and f--- you, as well."

She urged others to share her post and commented later that she went for a blood test after the ordeal and the result was that she had received a "radical" triple-strength dose of Flunitrazepam, another name for Rohypnol.

She said over the two days she had made the post she had received nearly 100 private messages from women who had survived similar experiences in Bali.

"Many of them did not know what was happening to them, many of them were alone, many were raped or sequestered for days ... I'm certain many more are too ashamed to talk about it," she said.

"This is a hidden epidemic. I have lived in Indonesia for decades, I should have known better to be more careful - less trusting - and I got really lucky. Most of these women were tourists on holiday.

"They have named the locations of the bars and restaurants, but suffice to say the places are in Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu. That is exactly why I put this out there. This is not acceptable, and if women are not respected or protected here, this horrific problem will most certainly tarnish the reputation of tourism in Bali."

"Many beautiful Indonesian women have told me it's not only tourists. They got clobbered as well. This is hideous."

    Follow WAtoday on Twitter

tel522 wrote:

`'Goodbye Bali and F--- You': Woman's harrowing...
www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/goodbye-bali...

as requested

EDIT with thanks to Prascilla for finding the page (Post below)

‘Goodbye Bali and F**k you

I think that quote tells quite a story in itself.
I suspect the bar owner and staff might well be doing that to her, but in a legal action sort of way.

@ tel522 > I think that this is the link that you tried to insert before :  http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/goodb … q2wpj.html .

It is always important to put the exact link to the source of the information so that other users can also verify.

Thank you,

Priscilla

tel522 wrote:

the link was working b4 , here is the full article
    Follow WAtoday on Twitter

Just the same thing re-vomited by a lazy hack.

I wonder what the seriously libeled bar has to say about that - Tell you what, let's not wonder, let's hear how he says she told a pack of lies.

https://www.facebook.com/echobeachsport … 8676570950

ECHO BEACH Sports BAR
8 July at 11:37 ·
Hi all beloved Customers
This another option for you, about the issue, as a fact from our side, just try to look 2 side of coin,
So we already wrote a text message on Mara Wolford FB (The Woman on this case), not yet reply. so here the text message that we are send to Mara.
Hi Mara,
My deepest condolences with what happen to you recently.
I don't really know you, I saw you on my Bar on Monday night, and now you are getting so famous in social media. To be honest I don't really want to pay attention, but this issue matters are getting so huge and involving my business and my staffs who are just trying to feed their family at my Sports Bar and I have to start take action.
First of all, I would like to clearify few things first, because I was there on my Sports Bar that night when you came to my Bar.
On your posting in Facebook, you said you came on Tuesday night to Echo Beach Sports Bar, NOT TRUE/FALSE !!!. because no one order Mojito on tuesday night in my Bar, You came to EBSB on Monday Night, with Spanish Man who introduced himself as a policeman from Spain and showed that He is really good with playing cards tricks and performs cards trick showed in front of all our female customer, there is no way you forgot about this charming middle age gentlement arround 50 yrs old Spanish man with his blue hat who steal the show and impressed most of the ladies guess that night.
Second, you arrived at EBSB that night arround 1am, and you said on your FB post you arrived after you have something to eat on the beach and go straight to EBSB after you eat, that means less then 15minutes you were walking from the beach to EBSB. So, you finished eat around 12.15 am, but sorry Mara, there is no restaurant open on the beach at 12am.
Third, at the Bar, your drinks were paid by this spanish man, 2 mojitos and you guys were showen kissing and also he paid the drink for another young spanish woman who look likr half african and half spanish, and bought you guys a few more tequila shots, and you guys were really drunk that night.
Fourth, you left EBSB that night around 2.30am alone, and the spanish man still stay in the bar and continue having a good time.
Fifth, you said after you left the bar and you were walking around 20 metres, you were falling into the ground and split your face, thats mean you were falling right infront of Guardian Store and thats diatance very close to my bar. I wonder why no one of my guest or staff saw you and we all know on Monday night 5th june 2016/tuesday 6th June 2016 early morning 2.30am, my bar are full with customers.
Sixth, on that night EBSB has a lot of customers and according to our sales in the system 7 Mojitos solds thay night including 2 mojitos that the spanish man bought you and no one of the customers who has same drink like you that night experience what you felt as your statement said, that there is Rhypinol in yours mojito, only you felt like that.
Just try to think for a while if you are really a smart woman, what is the benefit for us, if my bartender will do such as terrible thing like you were accusing him !!
The Bartender with small tattoo on his face that you were accusing him putting drug (Rhypinol) in your drink, just recently work with us, He is a very good man, responsibility and ex-employee from famous Potato Head Bar as a Bar Back/Bar Support, who has a wife that he really loves so much, and 2 yrs old daughter that he adores. He is a Baliness that believes in Karma, there os no way he would do such as thing like that. He couldn't even hurt a fly !! And there is no benefit for him what so ever to make you drunk with Rhypinol, as your accusing him !!
Its different with the spanish man who bought you drinks and kissing you, of course he has interested in with you, who try to impressed you with his cards performance, bought you drinks, kissing you. Now think for a while with a clear mind, Who Actually Do This To You ??
So Mara, please find the real facts before you go and posting something on FB and accusing innocent people without any facts that support your statement. The Bar was full that night, its a public place, it could be anyone who put Rhypinol in your drink or somewhere out there before you get to my bar. And maybe you should try to talk and start investigates with this Spanish man also. Have you asked him about this matters yet in personal face to face ?
This is clearly UNFAIR to us who are just trying to feed our family with this little Sports Bar.We were treat you and welcome you into my bar that night with very nice and kind. But its okay, it happen and GOD is not sleep and blind, He can see what happen that night and what goes around comes arround !! This is totally SLANDER.
And if you are still assuming that my bartender do such as terrible thing like that, please do file for reports to the police and showed sone evidence to back up/support your statement, like Medical Visum, witnesses, etc. involving this matters. so they can start some properly investigation.
If your statement is correct the officer will capture our bartender and also they gonna permanently closed my bar. But, if you wrong, you must be ready for responsibility what you already wrote and show to media.
Thank you for making our Bar so famous right now, and hopefully you can recovered quick.
I would really like to meet you in personal face to face and discuss this matters, just inbox me , the place and the time.
Warm Regards,
Rhino Noy Amin
EBSB

What, is there now some question as to the validity of the story?

I've just checked her FB, but the posts seem to have been deleted.
One wonders why, but Indonesia has some serious defamation laws and a very angry bar owner, not to mention the staff.

This is from her profile on Etsy which was posted July 15, 2011:

“I have recently relocated from France to Bali, Indonesia…”

https://www.etsy.com/people/SavonniereNaturelle#

That can be cross checked with her Linkden profile (link below) and it's clear that she's lying outright:  “I have lived in Indonesia for decades, I should have known better to be more careful - less trusting - and I got really lucky.”

https://id.linkedin.com/in/mara-wolford … ename-name

As you mention Fred, Indonesia does indeed have some very tough laws concerning libel, slander and defamation…and they are considered criminal, not civil.

If she and her son haven't already left Indonesia, I wouldn't be surprised if she were paid a visit by some of the nice folks at POLDA.      

Nothing like a lesson in karma from the friendly folks at POLDA.   

Her linkedin

Plant manager
PT Ratu Ubur Ubur
Juli 2014 – Saat ini (2 tahun 1 bulan)Denpasar dan Sekitarnya, Bali , Indonesia
Production manager for organic open-pollinated heirllom seedlings and seeds.
General Manager
PT Ratu Ubur Ubur
September 2013 – Saat ini (2 tahun 11 bulan)Denpasar dan Sekitarnya, Bali , Indonesia
Propriétaire
Belles d'Ailleurs Sarl
April 2008 – Oktober 2012 (4 tahun 7 bulan)

In Indonesia for a little short of a decade ... sorry, a lot short.

Her profile picture

http://viola.bz/real-life-mermaid-beaut … n-wolbert/

Oops, even that is suspect.