BALI TIPS
HOME (2004-2005 info; updated 2007)
AIRPORT: You will fly into the very pretty Ngurah Rai airport, which is quite close to the major population centers. Citizens of countries who need a visa (including the U.S.A.) first have to get into a queue to pay $25. You can pay by credit card, and you can use some other currencies too, but it is easiest to just have U.S. $25 handy. How fast the queue moves depends on how many people in front of you are using credit cards. About 15-30 minutes to get to the head is average.
Next you join a queue to get the actual visa. This involves pasting a visa on an entire page of your passport - which is why you must have at least one whole page available. Note that the last couple of pages in your passport which are meant for endorsements do not count – the visa will not be pasted on these. If you run into trouble of this kind you may try ‘sweetening’ the deal for the visa officer. If he is receptive, then less than $5 ought to do it. Once you get this you step to a third counter where your newly acquired visa is stamped, and you are through. Visas are given for 30 days - the counting begins the day you arrive - and cannot be extended.
Next, your carry-on luggage has to go through an X-ray machine. Once you get through the X-ray machine you pick up your checked-in baggage. Note that the airport's ATM machines are just to the right of the X-ray machine, and before you exit Customs. Moneychangers' booths can be found after you exit Customs.
GETTING TO YOUR HOTEL: After you emerge from the Arrival Hall you will see a counter to your right marked Taxi or Transport or some such thing. You can get a coupon here for a taxi - it cost 25000 rupiah to Kuta, 40000 to Jimbaran. A porter will help you with bags here - this is not the taxi driver and you do not need to use his services. Though it may be easier to let him lead you to your taxi, and tip him 5000 rupiah. You will get to Kuta in less than 30 minutes, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua will be slightly more, as will the Seminyak area.
WHERE TO STAY: Most people will have
their own views on this. If you prefer to stay in the center of things
this would be Kuta. If you want to get more particular, it would be Poppies
Lane 1 or 2. But keep
in mind that the two Poppies are highly commercialized. Though the vendors
recognize you after the first day or two and don't bother you after that. The
Bounty and the Barong, two popular hotels in Poppies Lane 2, can be
extremely noisy at night. If you prefer a good night’s sleep you should
definitely consider other hotels.
Ubud,
which is an hour or so from Kuta, is another place to consider, based on a
brief visit to the central marketplace there. And if you are looking for a more
solitary, or laid back, visit, then a seaside room in one of the eastern
seaboard villages, like Candi Dasa, can do wonders.
HOW TO BOOK: If you call a hotel directly to book a room, and get the answer that none is available, do not despair. You may be able to get one in the same hotel by going through one of the Internet booking agents. But do have all confirmatory emails available, because it is possible that when checking in the staff may try to charge more than the Internet agent had quoted. If nothing works, take the room and then contact the agent you had booked through. In many cases they will be able to fix the problem. So, check directly with the hotel of your choice to see what rate you can get, but also check with some Internet booking agents. Make sure to check several - they have different rates.
MONEY MATTERS: Unlike many places, you get a lower rate when you use an ATM card in Bali. In September 2007 this was less than 9300 rupiah to the US dollar (after accounting for the ATM fee). For $100 bills cash the amount was 9300 to 9350 rupiah. Not enough to change plans, but worth mentioning. Much has been made of the shortchanging ways of some Bali money changers. It may not be as serious a problem as suggested, based on a small sampling. It is something to keep in mind though. And you can ask the hotel clerks which money changer to go to, and they will usually recommend one nearby, with decent rates. You may need to change some money at the airport for taxi, tips etc. The ATM machine is in the Customs hall, before you exit. There is a row of money changers after you exit. The rate for cash is lower at the airport than the city, so change just enough to get by.
Despite the somewhat lower exchange rate provided by ATMs, you may decide to rely mostly on them.. This is because moneychangers create a lot of trouble changing U.S. currency - even if you have taken pains to carry clean, unmarked currency. According to a report, one $100 note was rejected by three different moneychangers for three different reasons!
Do not take any notes printed before 2000. But if you are desperate, you can get older notes exchanged for a lower rate - ask around.
GETTING AROUND: Metered taxis are the way to go, and usually they cause no problems. The blue Bluebird company taxis have a good reputation, but other brands should be okay also. Taxis are so cheap and plentiful it is not worth looking for buses etc. for normal transportation within the city.
Bluebird taxi drivers used to be good about carrying change, However, it was noted recently (2007) that many of them did not have adequate change, or at least said so. It is advisable to carry change in various denominations so that you don’t have to pay taxi drivers more than the meter reading. This may also help discourage them from trying such tactics.
TOURING AROUND: For touring the island you could take one of the guided tours that have fixed routes (see note below), or you can rent a car and driver. You can book the car through a travel agent near your hotel - you tell them what route you want to follow and they will quote a price, and even suggest places to stop. The price is always negotiable, but it is not horrendously inflated. To Besakih, returning via the rice terraces near there, Klung Kung and Ubud, one traveler's negotiated price was 250,000 rupiah in 2004. However, this will be higher now because of higher oil prices. To Tanah Lot, and then north to Bedugul, the Gitgit Falls and returning via the beautiful Three Lakes, the cost was 300,000 rupiah. These were 10-hour days.. The cost included gasoline, but not entrance fees or food.
While going on an organized tour is a good
way of seeing a new country, tours in Bali are a tricky proposition, and
even the Lonely Planet book is wrong on this account.
Group tours are very hard to get – they simply do not exist. All tour
companies offer group, or shared, tour rates, but when you ask them, they do
not have any tours to offer. If you are two or more people they will quickly
put one together for you, because the rates they are charging per person are
very high. If you are single, they have nothing.
If you are two or more, you are much better off renting a car and driver –
it will be much cheaper and you will have more control over the trip. Do not
hire by the hour – instead tell the company where you want to go and the
places you expect to stop, and they will come up with a price. They will
even suggest places to see on the way. As an example (2007 prices), to go
from Kuta to the far north, Lovina, with stops in between, you should not
have to pay more than 400,000 rupiah (maximum 500,000 depending on vehicle)
for a vehicle that will easily take up to 4 persons. That includes car,
driver and gasoline. If you ask a company for an organized tour, the minimum
they will charge for 4 is 1.2 million.
NOTE: Avoid the tour companies in Kuta Square . In particular, there have
been bad reports about Permata Tours, which has a counter in front of
the ‘ New Zealand ’ ice cream store. They try to replace tours, not go to
advertised places, and hand off a guide who may know nothing about the area.
It is run by a person named ‘ Berlin ’. This company is different from
Perama, which is a much bigger company with offices in Jalan Legian and
other places.
BETWEEN CITIES: If you are making a one-way journey between cities, then probably the most convenient way is to book a shuttle at one of the travel agents. The price was 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah (2007) for many popular destinations, and the van will pick you up at your hotel. However, when going to a nearby place, like Sanur, you will be better off taking a taxi.
WHERE TO GO: Most of you will have a good idea already. And regular travel books/sites will give you more information. The places mentioned above, in the Touring Around para, are great. Others: The Holy Spring Water Temple (where the Goddess of Knowledge is featured); one or more of the dances; Uluwatu Temple.
BESAKIH: This is the site of Bali's most holy temple, high on the slopes of the Agung volcano. It is a stunning site, as you can tell from the posted picture. But it is full of corrupt villagers, so much so that all tour agencies in Bali have stopped taking group tours to this site. The only way you can go is if you arrange for a car, or get on a small tour. The villagers work by forcing you to hire a guide. You do not need a guide! You are not required to get a guide for any reason! Sometimes they will pass themselves off as guardians of the temple. They are not! They are just villagers trying to make a fast buck. Sometimes they will walk alongside you, pretending to be a friend. They are not! All they want is your money. They had nothing to add. Not every villager can be a trained guide! You are better off with a Lonely Planet, or something similar. Just as we try not to corrupt bears by giving them handouts, stay away from these fake guides. This is corruption on a village-wide scale, and you should not encourage it. If a villager insists (they will) just ask them to show you something official, and keep on walking. Think of it this way: this is the only way we can bring this beautiful place back to visitors.
FOOD: Indonesian restaurants, called warungs, are good, and there are several off Poppies Lane 2. Indonesian food seems to be a very watered version of Indian food. (Indonesians: please do not get mad.) But there is a wide variety of cuisines available, including grilled seafood.
SHOPPING: Shopping can be a real adventure. And it is obviously up to individual tastes what they like. There is a ton of local handicraft to buy in Bali. Some points to remember: Bargaining is expected. The rule of thumb, halve it, is no longer valid. sometimes, items quoted at 300,000 can be bought for 60,000 or 70,000. But it is exhausting, all this bargaining, and you may prefer to go to Matahari, the department store. They have good quality, slightly higher prices, but you will probably not get ripped off. And they have great brand name clothing. Don't forget to ask if there is a discount. The recently opened Carrefour complex, and Discovery Plaza, are also good choices.