Bali Oct 2010

Never thought I would actually revive my blog, but here I am again. Thanks to a dear friend who encouraged me to do so. Well, gonna keep this with minimal personal stuffs and load u with info on my humble travel tips and pics. Hope u will find it useful.

Money matters

§ Rupiah is widely used in Bali, though some ppl may tell you to use USD, but rates may fluctuate and you may regret having some bad exchange rates for using USD. So my advice is, use rupiah!

§ Hubby & I allocated RM900 for 4D3N (excluding accommodation & transportation). With RM300 averagely daily, you will have just enough for semi-luxurious (not moderate, but semi-luxury, not bad oso lah) shopping/food/flexibility on spending. If you’re on a honeymoon trip and plan to do plenty of shopping, max luxury, everything max, then allocate RM400/day. Our friends all told us that we brought more than enough, but actually it was just enough…

§ Be aware of the last day airport taxthat you must pay CASH in rp (rupiah) during your departure from Bali. 150 000 rp/person. Prepare that money! J

Transportation

§ Cabs are everywhere. You can even rent bicycles/scooters/cars.

§ My suggestion: since you’re not familiar with the island, spend more for more comfort and less worries. Go for private driver! I recommend my previous driver to you, Wayan. Contacts:

bima_1974@yahoo.co.id

Tel: +6281 338 517 551

He speaks moderate English, and BM. Communication is not a problem at all.

§ We were charged 1 000 000 rp (negotiated rate) for a full 3 day private tour, with intermediate stops at anywhere we like, and suggested by tour guide in between spots in our itinerary for photography, sightseeing, meals, etc. Include: Petrol, parking fees, mineral water, tour guide accommodation.

Accommodation

§ Kuta - Range of the 2-3 stars hotel or B&Bs should be 30-35USD. For 4 stars hotel, ~50USD.

§ Ubud – highly recommend going for B&Bs than hotel, because the architecture of B&Bs is so much more traditional and cozy, just like what Ubud really is. Look for those located near paddy fields.

§ Lovina – rates in this town is relatively lower than most places. You can get a nice 3-4 star hotel at 30USD, or even lower if the locals help you get a good deal.

§ Tips:

If you already have a private driver, get him to look out for hotels for you, usually they can get better rates for you (pls do benchmarking online first). Plus they are more aware of places which has so called ‘territories’ where tour company A cannot step into tour company B’s territory. Hence if you accidentally book a hotel which is not of your tour guide’s territory, you will be obliged to take the tour packages (such as snorkeling, boat rides, etc) from the corresponding company.

Food

§ Crispy bebek (duck) – MUST TRY. I had mine in Sari Restaurant at Kintamani

§ Babi guling – it’s really something like ‘siew bak’ in Malaysia, but really famous all over Bali. Well, just try for the heck of it :P

§ Italian fine dining – there’s this restaurant in Seminyak (near to Kuta) where you can overlook beautiful scenery, great place for a romantic dinner. Ask your tour guide about it. Expect >RM120 meal for two.

§ Jimbaran seafood – WARNING: seafood here is really NOT CHEAP! We spent ~RM180 for 2, with 1 big crab, 1 big fish, 4 big prawns. Seriously, sounds kinda expensive, u can get this in Tambun for RM150.

Things to do

§ SPA – 2 hours for RM70 each. I went to Aruman Spa.

§ Go see dolphin if you go to Lovina

§ We went to Banjar hotspring… err.. seriously nothing much to do there lar… water is murky. I think Tambun hotspring is so much better!

§ Waterfall in Gitgit – we didn’t get to go, but seems like a nice waterfall, 80m high. Don’t compare with those in Silver Creek lah!

§ Sightseeing at temples. Uluwatu one is quite nice. Tanah Lot looks nice from outside, but there is really NOTHING inside. Since it’s a landmark of Bali, just go lah! Candi Kuning is a nice temple. My friend advised to NEVER EVER go to Besakih, NEVER!!!! Entrance fee is RM30, other typical temples are RM3-5 only. Journey is 3 hrs from Kuta, not worth it! Remember to bring Sarung if you are wearing anything above knee length. Else you can use theirs, but many ppl use b4, you may not like it. So try to borrow from your friends.

Places to visit:

§ It depends on your itinerary really. Your tour guide should be able to bring u to intermediate stops, so it varies from individual to individual.

§ Mine general itinerary: Kuta à Ubud à Lovina. For more details, kindly go through my albums in facebook. They have all the details of the places we went. Too many to mention here. U see the pics then you choose which one you like lah! My FB album on Bali starts from here.

Shopping:

§ Ubud market: Slash 80% from the initial price. If they say 100 000 rp, u say 20 000 rp. Then they say kenot, u tell them 25 000 rp. They may tell u 40 000 rp. If they still say kenot, just walk away, and you can get it for 25 000 rp. :P

§ Anywhere you go, get at least 70% discount for shopping. Just be street smart ;-)

§ Just keep all your shopping items into your bag so that they don’t see the plastic bag colors given by the previous stall owners. “This is a shopping tip in Bali: Whenever you buy something from the market, the locals will give you generally 3 types of plastic bag. Pink: Customers who don't bargain, Black: Customers who bargain reasonably, White/Black&White: Customers who bargain to the MAXX!!!”