Bali

will3k

Hi folks,

Heading to Bali at the end of September , just wondering if anyone has any advice for a sweet trip to Indo (surf, gear rental, food, hotels/accom, transport/car rental, things to do/see, etc.)

Thinking of staying in Kuta for first week anyway. Probably do some horse riding too, anyone ride in bali :rolleyes: ?

book smarts

Kuta and Legian are OK breaks but tend to close out if they get big. Quite polluted also. Dreamland is good but has a sharp reef, and Uluwatu or G-land if youre a serious surfer. Other breaks too.

You can hire a board for 2500 Rupiah(E2.50) for 2 hrs, or 10000 Rupiah(E10.00) for the day. You can hire a motorbike with side bracket to carry it, which you'll need to get to some breaks, taxis are too expensive. Bring an international driving licence, get a permit at a police station, and be prepared to pay off the cops when they stop you for nothing.

Bali's fairly cheap, cheap hotel maybe E4 a night up to E100s for luxury resorts. Dinner maybe E3-4 minimum.

Plenty of temples etc to see. Can climb volcano, go snorkeling etc. Try and see some local culture, the Kecak dance, monkey forest, Singaraja, cock fighting etc.

Kuta is very overdeveloped, and has been hit hard by the bomb, still hasnt recovered. 50% of people are unemployed and they hassle you constantly everywhere, more aggressively then other Asian countries.

The cops are totally corrupt, have nothing to do with them. An investigation by the Australian government concluded that they were involved in the planning for the bomb. They have also imprisoned several people on trumped up drug trafficking charges, when they "found" drugs in their luggage at the airport.

Make sure you have an onward ticket when you arrive, or they will make you buy one from Garuda Airlines, the state owned airline. Look up Wikipedia for their abysmal safety record, including one that crashed on landing in Surabaya, Java, killing 22, about 6 months ago.

They will issue you a 30 day visa on arrival, but if you know anyone in Indonesia, try and get a 90 day visa with them as sponsor. If you overstay they will throw the book at you. Dont go near drugs as many people are in cahoots with cops to bust you.

Learn some lingo, (Keken Kabare= Hello),the people are lovely, and enjoy the sunset on Kuta beach!

book smarts

Kuta and Legian are OK breaks but tend to close out if they get big. Quite polluted also. Dreamland is good but has a sharp reef, and Uluwatu or G-land if youre a serious surfer. Other breaks too.

You can hire a board for 2500 Rupiah(E2.50) for 2 hrs, or 10000 Rupiah(E10.00) for the day. You can hire a motorbike with side bracket to carry it, which you'll need to get to some breaks, taxis are too expensive. Bring an international driving licence, get a permit at a police station, and be prepared to pay off the cops when they stop you for nothing.

Bali's fairly cheap, cheap hotel maybe E4 a night up to E100s for luxury resorts. Dinner maybe E3-4 minimum.

Plenty of temples etc to see. Can climb volcano, go snorkeling etc. Try and see some local culture, the Kecak dance, monkey forest, Singaraja, cock fighting etc.

Kuta is very overdeveloped, and has been hit hard by the bomb, still hasnt recovered. 50% of people are unemployed and they hassle you constantly everywhere, more aggressively then other Asian countries.

The cops are totally corrupt, have nothing to do with them. An investigation by the Australian government concluded that they were involved in the planning for the bomb. They have also imprisoned several people on trumped up drug trafficking charges, when they "found" drugs in their luggage at the airport.

Make sure you have an onward ticket when you arrive, or they will make you buy one from Garuda Airlines, the state owned airline. Look up Wikipedia for their abysmal safety record, including one that crashed on landing in Surabaya, Java, killing 22, about 6 months ago.

They will issue you a 30 day visa on arrival, but if you know anyone in Indonesia, try and get a 90 day visa with them as sponsor. If you overstay they will throw the book at you. Dont go near drugs as many people are in cahoots with cops to bust you.

Learn some lingo, (Keken Kabare= Hello),the people are lovely, and enjoy the sunset on Kuta beach!

will3k

Thanks for the good info book smarts.

book smarts

Other tips:

Check out http://www.fugly-bali.org/
and http://www.nasty-bali.org/

Don't let Taxi drivers divert you to travel agents. They will ask you in a "friendly" way, when do you go back etc, but this is just so they get their commission.

There is a feeling that another bomb could go off at any time, anywhere. It's weird standing in the very spots where the bombs went off, like the monument at Paddys Bar on Jalan Legian, with loads of dodgy looking Indonesians sizing you up (as always). I couldn't relax 100% anyway.

Uluwatu is Andy Irons' favourite wave.

book smarts

Actually, you may be better off not bothering with the motorbike, because Police "fines" can add up. 50000 Rupiah(E5) per cop x 20 times maybe. Up to you, some tourists can get away with no stoppages.

will3k

Thanks again booksmarts, dont think I'll get a bike, bit hairy I'd imagine. I was talking to others aswell and one of the most common things I hear is about dodgy cops.

Think I'll only stay in Kuta few days at the start to settle in, then get the fuk out, sounds like bit of a kip. Maybe head up to medewi or down to dreamland / Uluwatu area.

local surfer

Have a look on http://www.baliwaves.com/ for upto date conditions.