Bali - solo

Loco

Anyone been to Bali and have any tips for me?

I was thinkin of doing an extended stay on Kuta beach and learnin to surf, also maybe a bit of scuba diving but im not sure where
and then maybe a bit of island hopping(if anyone can recommend a tour or specific islands to visit it would be great)

thanks

Loco

and also if you know about visas. cheers

k974

irish nationals no longer need a visa for indonesia you get one on arrival at certain ports and airports, densapar is one of them

Loco

what about injections? i got the ones for thailand 2 years ago do i need any?

i will be travelling back up to thailand towards the end of summer i think, how long do my injections last? will ask gp anyway just wondering if ye know anything about it

RasTa

k974 wrote:

irish nationals no longer need a visa for indonesia you get one on arrival at certain ports and airports, densapar is one of them

You sure about this ? I was over there two years ago and had to get my visa sorted in Aus. Check the embassy site

drunkdaz

You def dont need a visa at denpasar, even though the indonesian website says otherwise, its just way out of date. I was there last August. Just make sure you have US dollars to pay for a tourist visa on arrival, i ended up payin by creditcard and mysteriously ended up payin double what i should have.... the airport is notoriously corrupt and lax on security.

On another note be careful when collecting your luggage from the carosel. When we got there about five guys in official looking unifroms marched over and asked us to point out our luggage. We thought it was customs. It wasnt, the porters were allowed to pass back and forth through customs at will.... and then proceed to demand cash from you for ensuring your easy procession through customs. It was a scarey thought what could have happened to my luggage, as this happened when Schapele Corby was facing the death penalty on a trafficing charge. Think she got lucky, ie 20 years.

On a more posive note the surf there is great, though probably not the easiest place for a beginner! Kuta beach is always full of locals looking to teach you for a few bob.

k974

dont need a visa, for certain airports and ports, i arrived in batam in 2002 didnt need one and bali last year didnt need one. be careful with your baggage preferably plastic wrap the bag, been a number of drug cases recently nothing to get worried about but just take the extra precautions that you normally woulny think too much about

Loco

whats the price of backpacker accomm over there? similar to thailand or more expensive?

kraggy

anyone been to Thailand and Bali?

how would the 2 compare re: cost of living. how much would a hut/room be a night and how much would a meal be? and how much would it be to rent a bike for a day?

have been to thailand and would like to go back sometime but then thought bali.

any thoughts would be helpful

k.

nodisco

Hey
Have been to Bali several times - surfing wise, get yourself a lesson from one of the guys on the beach on a mini mal board - haggle for a price before you begin - only go out when the waves are not too big - they don't tell you this but 20 or more people drown every year on Kuta beach - it gets very rippy and dangerous with a big swell.

Accomodation is way cheap - and generally includes breakfast too (unlike Thailand)
You will find accom for $3+ up to what ever you want to pay. $10 will get you a decent place with a pool etc but more if you want aircon.
Food is real cheap and real good too. Nasi goreng and mie goreng are staple food and are cheapest but you can get pretty much anything.

I dived with a few operators there - Bali Marine Sports was best - Ask for Made Wirawan - hes a PADI instructor and they have been going a long time in Bali. Diving is world class around Nusa Penida.
Nusa Lembongan island is 1.5 hrs by boat and is great if you want to dive/surf etc - beaches are not awesome or anything but its a nice place.

For real nice beaches - the gili islands off the coast of Lombok are the guts of a full day travelling - great diving too and are real party islands - if thats your thing - maybe/maybe not.

Bali is a fantastic place, as is a lot of Indo - every time I come home i just want to go back - the people are real friendly too. Have a great time.

kraggy

thanks

so it's as cheap if not cheaper than thailand. great...

where else would you recommend in indo? anywhere near bali?

rsta

I've been to Bali and Thailand, they are both fairly similar expense wise. Pretty cheap and cheerful. Accom prices can range from dirt cheap around a euro a night to 5 star hotel prices. I paid about 3euro a night for a nice spacious room in a guesthouse in kuta, breakkie included too. That was a few years ago though, but id say its still cheap as chips.

I went around the island, spent a few days chilling in Ubud and then went to Padangbai on the south coast for a festival, it was fantastic, loads of music and performance dancing in the streets, elephants all dressed up. What an experience. A lovely day trip from Kuta beach is to go and see the sunrise or sunset at the Tanah Lot temple.

rsta

Oh yeah as far as I remember I had to pay the tax on departing at Denpasar so make sure you keep a few rupiah notes on ya.

Cheers

kraggy

thanks for that rsta