Just back from 10 days in Bali, based in Ubud. Have a few general comments that should be of interest to most folks going to Bali.
The scene at immigration in Denpasar wasn't nearly as bad as described. I got through in 30 minutes. Perhaps my landing and exiting at mid-day had something to do with it. They still want $25 U.S. for the entry visa. (You pay 150,000 rupiah for an exit fee -- get your boarding pass first, then pay the fee). I took Singapore Air, which is an outstanding airline, from Singapore. However, later, I found out that Air Asia offers the same flight for hundreds less. Check the airline options carefully.
It generally takes an hour from the airport to Ubud, an hour and a half in bad traffic, although only 20 miles, due to the constant road congestion. I don't think I ever went over about 40 mph the whole time I was there.
I was based in Ubud the whole time (not into the party scene, so I avoided Denpasar and Kuta entirely). The central loop in Ubud has been basically ruined by the volume of traffic that runs around it, especially in the middle of the day when buses come in from other areas to visit the monkey preserve and the market. However, by walking out of town a short ways taking sideroads, you can get into beautiful rice fields and peace and quiet. Also, things are relatively quiet in the early morning and after the late afternoon.
As described, the Ubud market is very overpriced although interesting people watching. There are many fine stores in the main loop, including high end art galleries and clothing stores. The main hassle is people offering their service as taxi drivers. But the hassle factor isn't that bad compared with other places (like Egypt).
The monkey forest is interesting, but the monkeys are highly volatile, especially where food and sex are concerned. I saw two monkeys jump on a lady's back, as well as several monkey encounters that could best be described as rapes. The lady with the monkeys on her back kept cool, just talked to them, and they eventually got off without scratching her. Rabies needs to be kept in mind with these creatures (there's a troop on top of Mt Batur and in other places around the island as well). In general the signs advise to not feed the monkeys or carry food with you in the preserve and I agree.
In spite of the government reputedly killing 200,000 dogs on the island last year during the rabies epidemic, they are still everywhere, and many will aggressively confront you, especially in residential side streets. Talk sternly to them, don't turn your back on them, you'll be OK, they back off eventually. (This happened to me about 50 times).
Many Ubud tourists struck me as being focused on "doing their Bali trip" rather than being sensitive to the culture and Balinese. The Balinese are some of the world's most beautiful people. They are also very poor for the most part. Treat them as fellow human beings, not objects to "accomplish" your trip, and be as generous to them as you can.
Mt Batur climb: this is advertised in some places as being rather easy. It isn't. I climb at much higher altitudes where I live so I have some perspective on this. It's about 700 meters of elevation gain, you're climbing at night to see the sunrise, it's hard to see the trail even with a flashlight or headlamp, the trail gets steeper as you get closer to the top, it's loose, crumbly volcanic rock so you're constantly slipping and sliding and some of the steps up are high. I was hiking with people in their 20s and 30s and they were all suffering (although not saying anything). I was drenched with sweat by the time I hit the top and then it's freezing and windy up there. Definitely bring a good coat, and I would not recommend this hike to anyone who isn't in decent shape. The sunrise is spectacular though.
Mt Agung climb. Tourist literature truthfully describes this as hard and only for the fit. The shortest climb is 1200 meters of elevation gain, which is a lot. Then it's slick, volcanic rock, slippery roots, various dangerous spots on the route, a 10 hour round trip on average. You're hiking up in the dark, starting at about midnight. You shell out about $75 for a required "guide." In other words, unless you're an experienced mountaineer, do yourself a favor and take a hired car up to the Besakih temple at about 1000 meters and enjoy the view and the spectacular temple.
Accommodation: I stayed in Alam Indah and Kebun Indah in Ubud and just south of the monkey preserve and ate a lot of meals at the Wayan restaurant on Monkey Forest Road. These are all owned by the same people. The hotels are stunning, relatively not expensive, and the restaurant's food is outstanding. They have gift shops selling goods made by disadvantaged Asians. I cannot recommend this group enough, they really understand the Westerners and what they want. The owner is a Balinese artist and his works hang on the walls of the hotel rooms. The staff is incredible.
Tours: I took four tours with Bali Eco (Budaya): rain forest, snorkeling, Mt Batur climb and bicycling. The bicycling tour was at least 5 times better than the rest. The tours were all interesting, but some of the drivers were very aggressive (pass at all costs) on the usual two (or one) lane roads found in Bali, there are no seat belts in the back of the vans, and there was no safety equipment on a long lake crossing in a primitive boat on the snorkeling tour. Due to the nature of the island (small beat up roads, tons of motorbikes, almost constant road congestion), a lot of time is spent driving on tours. Safety should be a bigger concern for the tour operators. Even on the bike tour, you are coasting downhill 25 km on a tiny one lane road with tons of potholes and mud, with oncoming traffic on a regular basis (although not as bad as on a main road). You need to have some comfort with riding a mountain bike to do this trip safely, as easy as it is physically.
Biking and motorbiking in Bali. Biking anywhere in Indonesia is suicidal. I saw a few Westerners biking in Ubud, but being passed with inches to spare by motorbikes, cars and trucks. If you are really comfortable on a motorbike and want to get out into the boonies, you'll probably be OK although you need to be exceptionally alert as traffic is always chaotic. I saw motorbikes going the wrong way on one-way roads several times at night without their headlights on. Plus there are all kinds of bumps and rough spots on the roads. A helmet is required by law although about half the motorcyclists don't use one (probably because they can't afford it).
Balinese dances in Ubud: stunning, try to catch as many as you can. Usually not more than 100,000 rupiah.
Music: the gamelan music is fantastic. I brought home several CDs. You'll hear it at dances and also at any of the numerous processions that happen all over the island every day.
Living in Bali: the island is slowly being eaten up by "foreigner" villas and other developments. There is a delicate balance since the island needs the tourist dollars. However, a local told me for the first time last year Bali had to import rice, which is its main crop. Also, due to global factors, the price of rice has gone up a lot lately. This really affects the average poor farmer. Another local farmer told me that the real estate brokers buy land from the farmers, then raise the price ten times (yes, 1000%) before selling to non-Balinese. My real feeling is, as beautiful as Bali is, give the place a break and just be a tourist, even if you are staying there for months in retirement. Otherwise, the beauty is going to slowly break down, and that would be a real shame.
Last but not least, bring a good antibiotic with you to any underdeveloped country. I got the runs from drinking a few sips of water at a Hong Kong airport water fountain. Ciproflaxin is common and cheap. The drug can really save a trip. Also, bring a plastic bag with some TP and antibiotic hand cleaner with you wherever you go. Western toilets are only in the nicer places, you will really want to have your own TP and a way to clean your hands in some of the other.
Have a great time: this is the most beautiful place I've ever been (by a long shot) and the people are incredible.
Dennis C
Denver, Colorado USA
The scene at immigration in Denpasar wasn't nearly as bad as described. I got through in 30 minutes. Perhaps my landing and exiting at mid-day had something to do with it. They still want $25 U.S. for the entry visa. (You pay 150,000 rupiah for an exit fee -- get your boarding pass first, then pay the fee). I took Singapore Air, which is an outstanding airline, from Singapore. However, later, I found out that Air Asia offers the same flight for hundreds less. Check the airline options carefully.
It generally takes an hour from the airport to Ubud, an hour and a half in bad traffic, although only 20 miles, due to the constant road congestion. I don't think I ever went over about 40 mph the whole time I was there.
I was based in Ubud the whole time (not into the party scene, so I avoided Denpasar and Kuta entirely). The central loop in Ubud has been basically ruined by the volume of traffic that runs around it, especially in the middle of the day when buses come in from other areas to visit the monkey preserve and the market. However, by walking out of town a short ways taking sideroads, you can get into beautiful rice fields and peace and quiet. Also, things are relatively quiet in the early morning and after the late afternoon.
As described, the Ubud market is very overpriced although interesting people watching. There are many fine stores in the main loop, including high end art galleries and clothing stores. The main hassle is people offering their service as taxi drivers. But the hassle factor isn't that bad compared with other places (like Egypt).
The monkey forest is interesting, but the monkeys are highly volatile, especially where food and sex are concerned. I saw two monkeys jump on a lady's back, as well as several monkey encounters that could best be described as rapes. The lady with the monkeys on her back kept cool, just talked to them, and they eventually got off without scratching her. Rabies needs to be kept in mind with these creatures (there's a troop on top of Mt Batur and in other places around the island as well). In general the signs advise to not feed the monkeys or carry food with you in the preserve and I agree.
In spite of the government reputedly killing 200,000 dogs on the island last year during the rabies epidemic, they are still everywhere, and many will aggressively confront you, especially in residential side streets. Talk sternly to them, don't turn your back on them, you'll be OK, they back off eventually. (This happened to me about 50 times).
Many Ubud tourists struck me as being focused on "doing their Bali trip" rather than being sensitive to the culture and Balinese. The Balinese are some of the world's most beautiful people. They are also very poor for the most part. Treat them as fellow human beings, not objects to "accomplish" your trip, and be as generous to them as you can.
Mt Batur climb: this is advertised in some places as being rather easy. It isn't. I climb at much higher altitudes where I live so I have some perspective on this. It's about 700 meters of elevation gain, you're climbing at night to see the sunrise, it's hard to see the trail even with a flashlight or headlamp, the trail gets steeper as you get closer to the top, it's loose, crumbly volcanic rock so you're constantly slipping and sliding and some of the steps up are high. I was hiking with people in their 20s and 30s and they were all suffering (although not saying anything). I was drenched with sweat by the time I hit the top and then it's freezing and windy up there. Definitely bring a good coat, and I would not recommend this hike to anyone who isn't in decent shape. The sunrise is spectacular though.
Mt Agung climb. Tourist literature truthfully describes this as hard and only for the fit. The shortest climb is 1200 meters of elevation gain, which is a lot. Then it's slick, volcanic rock, slippery roots, various dangerous spots on the route, a 10 hour round trip on average. You're hiking up in the dark, starting at about midnight. You shell out about $75 for a required "guide." In other words, unless you're an experienced mountaineer, do yourself a favor and take a hired car up to the Besakih temple at about 1000 meters and enjoy the view and the spectacular temple.
Accommodation: I stayed in Alam Indah and Kebun Indah in Ubud and just south of the monkey preserve and ate a lot of meals at the Wayan restaurant on Monkey Forest Road. These are all owned by the same people. The hotels are stunning, relatively not expensive, and the restaurant's food is outstanding. They have gift shops selling goods made by disadvantaged Asians. I cannot recommend this group enough, they really understand the Westerners and what they want. The owner is a Balinese artist and his works hang on the walls of the hotel rooms. The staff is incredible.
Tours: I took four tours with Bali Eco (Budaya): rain forest, snorkeling, Mt Batur climb and bicycling. The bicycling tour was at least 5 times better than the rest. The tours were all interesting, but some of the drivers were very aggressive (pass at all costs) on the usual two (or one) lane roads found in Bali, there are no seat belts in the back of the vans, and there was no safety equipment on a long lake crossing in a primitive boat on the snorkeling tour. Due to the nature of the island (small beat up roads, tons of motorbikes, almost constant road congestion), a lot of time is spent driving on tours. Safety should be a bigger concern for the tour operators. Even on the bike tour, you are coasting downhill 25 km on a tiny one lane road with tons of potholes and mud, with oncoming traffic on a regular basis (although not as bad as on a main road). You need to have some comfort with riding a mountain bike to do this trip safely, as easy as it is physically.
Biking and motorbiking in Bali. Biking anywhere in Indonesia is suicidal. I saw a few Westerners biking in Ubud, but being passed with inches to spare by motorbikes, cars and trucks. If you are really comfortable on a motorbike and want to get out into the boonies, you'll probably be OK although you need to be exceptionally alert as traffic is always chaotic. I saw motorbikes going the wrong way on one-way roads several times at night without their headlights on. Plus there are all kinds of bumps and rough spots on the roads. A helmet is required by law although about half the motorcyclists don't use one (probably because they can't afford it).
Balinese dances in Ubud: stunning, try to catch as many as you can. Usually not more than 100,000 rupiah.
Music: the gamelan music is fantastic. I brought home several CDs. You'll hear it at dances and also at any of the numerous processions that happen all over the island every day.
Living in Bali: the island is slowly being eaten up by "foreigner" villas and other developments. There is a delicate balance since the island needs the tourist dollars. However, a local told me for the first time last year Bali had to import rice, which is its main crop. Also, due to global factors, the price of rice has gone up a lot lately. This really affects the average poor farmer. Another local farmer told me that the real estate brokers buy land from the farmers, then raise the price ten times (yes, 1000%) before selling to non-Balinese. My real feeling is, as beautiful as Bali is, give the place a break and just be a tourist, even if you are staying there for months in retirement. Otherwise, the beauty is going to slowly break down, and that would be a real shame.
Last but not least, bring a good antibiotic with you to any underdeveloped country. I got the runs from drinking a few sips of water at a Hong Kong airport water fountain. Ciproflaxin is common and cheap. The drug can really save a trip. Also, bring a plastic bag with some TP and antibiotic hand cleaner with you wherever you go. Western toilets are only in the nicer places, you will really want to have your own TP and a way to clean your hands in some of the other.
Have a great time: this is the most beautiful place I've ever been (by a long shot) and the people are incredible.
Dennis C
Denver, Colorado USA
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