Interested in Bali - Has anyone lived there? Or comments on visiting there?

[JimmyJ]

Still seeing it described as "Paradise" in articles and posts.

[jacko45k]

Hardly.

The place is extremely crowded and has some serious traffic issues that make Thailand look serene. The local people make the place though, wonderful.  Very much flooded by Australian tourists, many young backpacker types.

 

I normally stay near the airport as I fear getting there on time. Take a trip, easy from Thailand and it's quite a reasonable priced place away from the luxury resorts.

 

No public transport, all taxis. Gazillions of motorbikes!

Edited May 1, 2018 by jacko45k

[cornishcarlos]

It's like anywhere, has it's pros and cons...

Traffic in the tourist areas and city are horrendous. Police corruption is rife..

Food nowhere near as good as Thai but better than other Asian neighbors.

Some great beaches but also some packed with bogans (Aussie chavs)..

People are lovely and there are some great out of the way places to explore.

 

Worth a visit without a doubt..

[ubonr1971]

Obviously a completely different culture- hindu relegion. Corruption at its highest standard. Extremely expensive rip off hospitals. Ozzie bogans in most tourist areas. If you like chicken satai then go to bali. Food does not compare to LOS. Girls not as forthcoming as Thai ladies

[DoctorG]

As an Australian I think there are waaay too many Ozzies there.

Otherwise I quite like it.

[Peterw42]

One good thing is the exchange rate, no wild variations or drop against your home currency. 

[spidermike007]

Completely avoid the entire SW corner of the island. It is congested beyond imagination. Very over developed, and traffic is mind numbingly stupid. If you stick to Ubud, and and the rest of the island, the place can be quite charming. Amazing handicrafts (some of the best in the world), architecture, arts and crafts, jazz, and culture. That aspect of life completely blows away Thailand. Hands down. The people are nice, and the women can be stunning. Food is not bad. Bali and Indonesia in general have alot to offer. If only you could take a helicopter from the airport, northwards. Denpasar is a hellhole. So is the entire SW quadrant. 

[scorecard]

33 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

It's like anywhere, has it's pros and cons...

Traffic in the tourist areas and city are horrendous. Police corruption is rife..

Food nowhere near as good as Thai but better than other Asian neighbors.

Some great beaches but also some packed with bogans (Aussie chavs)..

People are lovely and there are some great out of the way places to explore.

 

Worth a visit without a doubt..

 

Plus a lot more English compared to Thailand, many people speak good to great English, easy to find. 

 

It's quite different to Thailand and to other Asian societies, gentle helpful people, food is great but different to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China etc. 

 

Some taxis can be rip-off, always take a Blue Bird taxi, 99% chance of no rip off.

 

Many cultural things to explore, architecture for one. The vast majority of Balinese people are Hindu, not Muslim.

 

Overall well worth a look.

 

 

 

 

 

[murraynz]

same same. there are far too many boozed aussies there.. the ladies are scarce, nightlife not so good,beaches not so nice. worst all--too -many people from  Java trying to sell viagra/drugs.its hard to walk anywhere without being hassled by these people..they are  calling out , before we even exit hotel grounds, then wait outside restaurant..its sickening..

the restaurants are good--very cheap food.

[AsiaHand]

In the 1960s and 70s it was a fabulous place to both live there or visit. Now it is over run with too many of the "Pattaya" type people ,hustlers,bums,hanger ons,dopers ,etc. 

[Aussieroaming]

Bali is a flea pit. Many good places in Indo to visit, with good food and people, Bali isnt one of them. 

[scorecard]

28 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

Bali is a flea pit. Many good places in Indo to visit, with good food and people, Bali isnt one of them. 

 

 

Flea pit... some truth in that and Aussies a big contributor to building that situation...  

 

Girls, well one part of the Bali tourist industry is a role reversal; Japanese female teens and older woman and females from many countries going to Bali for the surfie gigolo boys. Takes all kinds in every country. 

 

And many other flea pits: Pattaya, Phuket and more countries, foreign visitors big contributors to building the flea pit scenario.

 

Yes there are other areas of Indonesia which are worth visiting, Borobudur, Surabaya (but beware of crazy drivers) and lots more ...

 

 

[gaff]

if you like trash

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/asia/bali-declares-garbage-emergency-amid-sea-of-waste/news-story/3a18c66757d8d832f294fc90a3b4e1ab

 

 

[cornishcarlos]

5 minutes ago, gaff said:

if you like trash

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/asia/bali-declares-garbage-emergency-amid-sea-of-waste/news-story/3a18c66757d8d832f294fc90a3b4e1ab

 

 

 

That was in January and it's an annual occurrence... Gone long time ago

[F4UCorsair]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Completely avoid the entire SW corner of the island. It is congested beyond imagination. Very over developed, and traffic is mind numbingly stupid. If you stick to Ubud, and and the rest of the island, the place can be quite charming. Amazing handicrafts (some of the best in the world), architecture, arts and crafts, jazz, and culture. That aspect of life completely blows away Thailand. Hands down. The people are nice, and the women can be stunning. Food is not bad. Bali and Indonesia in general have alot to offer. If only you could take a helicopter from the airport, northwards. Denpasar is a hellhole. So is the entire SW quadrant. 

 

We tend to agree spidermike.

 

If you're into partying and genereally anti social behaviour, then Kuta to Canggu is the place for you, and it's best that you stay in there and spare the rest of the island your presence.  Denpasar is just another crowded Asian city, too many cars and pollution, although the craft market on the canal, Pasar Badung, is well worth a visit.

 

Ubud has become another, but lesser, Kuta, too many using it as another place to get drunk.

 

As a Bali visitor for 39 years, and having lived there back in 2002, my recommendations are head east to Candidasa area, north east, and around the top to Lovina Beach, very few tourists up there, relatively, and those that are there want a relaxed holiday away from idiots.

 

Try Masakan Padang, the cuisine of Padang in Sumatra, identified by the large china plates in windows, my all ime favorite cuisine.

 

You can stay in backpackers to top of the line 5 star hogtels with nightly rates in the thousands of $$.

 

If you're driving (using a car and driver) to the north coast, via the direct route north, I recommend you stay overnight enroute at Strawberry Hill Hotel in Bedugul, magnificent place, and my all time favorite location, cool and relaxed.

 

I've ridden motorcycles there since my first visit, and only had two minor scrapes, both caused by cars veering across my path without indicating, but not knocked off the bike.  It's a great way to see Bali, but not a place to learn to ride a motorcycle, attempted by too many, frequently with disastrous results.  

 

If you want to go day tripping, use a car and driver rather than a tourist operation minibus.   Try this guy     Ketut Mulyantara    mulyantara06 at yahoo.co.id       +628123956288     or calling in Bali     08123956288     I've known him over 30 years, hired bikes and cars from him, put plenty of friends his way, and he's a decent, and knowledgeable guy.

 

Enjoy Bali.

Edited May 1, 2018 by F4UCorsair

[samsensam]

 

if you enjoy places over run by tourists, and certainly many people do,  you'll love bali.

 

once i got to java and sumatra i started to experience and enjoy the real indonesia.

[F4UCorsair]

Just now, samsensam said:

 

if you enjoy places over run by tourists, and certainly many people do,  you'll love bali.

 

once i got to java and sumatra i started to experience and enjoy the real indonesia.

 

It's only over run along the south coast beach strip, and unfortunately those clowns are migrating to Ubud in numbers, but the bulk of Bali is not heavily touristed.

 

Those who spend their time propping up bars from Kuta to Canggu say they've been to Bali, but they've really only been to pubs in the south of Bali.

[Old Croc]

I had visited Bali more than a dozen times from the 70s up until I discovered Phuket early this century

In the early days it was every magical thing described and depicted in movies and song. The people were Hindu and very much into their culture. The scenery breathtaking and handicrafts and festivals fascinating. 

Unfortunately, the influx of tourism - Americans, Japanese and Australians changed the place dramatically over time. For Australians, in particular, very cheap package tours and close proximity, resulted in floods of people who wouldn't normally have been able to afford overseas travel. A bit like the Brits in Spain, the dregs widened their playgrounds. Parts of Bali (Kuta) became party central with all sorts of bogans and sporting teams on end of season trips, fouling the place up.

Bali had became the richest region in Indo which resulted in many Javanese flooding in keen to get their share of the riches. They were culturally sparse and greedy for tourist dollars to the point where they became serial pests. They, and the boguns,  ruined the southern tourist areas. That's not going to change for the better anytime soon.

However, Bali is 10x the size of Thailand's largest Island and there are still many areas an expat could settle far from a Kuta (Patong, Pattaya).  Some of my fondest memories are of stays on the northern coast. Read the posts above for some excellent advice. It's cheap to live there and visas less of a hassle than in Thailand.

Many people retire there. Real health care is only a couple of hours away.

There are several Bali  expat forums similar to this one, which would be the best place to ask questions.

 

[F4UCorsair]

I forgot to mention the breathtaking architecture, particularly the roof structures....from underneath.

 

So much going for the place if you get yourself away from the idiots, but I suppose that applies almost anywhere (getting away from the idiots)?

 

You don't have to pay more than about $40 for a hotel of a good standard, and the place I mentioned in my long post above, Strawberry Hill inBedugul, is only about $42.00 a night, best in town, and just fabulous.   Book direct rather than through an agency too.

 

In Kuta, and you may have to stay there a night at each end, you can't go past Poppies (same owners as Strawberry Hill), but it's becoming quite expensive.   I'm a regular at the Ohana Hotel, a stone's throw from the epicenter of Kuta, Bemo Corner (although there are no bemos there now), so very convenient.

 

If you're into shopping, Kuta has department stores, locally made designer fashions (not fake these days) at much lower prices than back home.

 

Another poster mentined corruption.   My only brush with corruption has been being pulled over by police on a motorcycle, checking licences and registration.   If you have both, there's no issue.

 

They claim to be big believers in karma, but apparently karma doesn't extend to business dealings, because they will screw you mercilessly in business, with nary a conscience.

Edited May 1, 2018 by F4UCorsair

[Laza 45]

I had a good holiday there a few years ago. It is not a place I would want to retire to but is culturally interesting. As mentioned above it is a Hindu culture.   Islam entered Indonesia in the 13th century and spread through the archipelago forcing the Hindu population into smaller and smaller areas.. Bali is one of the few areas where the Hindu religion managed to survive. The Hindu religion was at it's peak there about the same time as the Khmer empire dominated much of SE Asia before Buddhism really took over.   I find it interesting as it gives an insight as to what the culture of Angkor Wat would have been like a thousand years ago.  Superstition is at a level surpassing what you find in Thailand today.  There are good spirits and bad spirits.. offerings must be made on a daily basis to appease the bad ones and  encourage the good ones. There is a strong belief in curses and spells and shamans that can cast them or undo them. Traditional clothing, art, craft and dance are very beautiful and can be seen at the many festivals, celebrations, weddings and funerals. Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali today and well worth a visit.  What has been said above about the Ozzies, traffic, food etc is pretty accurate from my experience.  Some of the close by islands are nice for a relaxing holiday.. Nusa Lembogan & Nusa Penida are 2 that I enjoyed. I'll attach a few photos that I took...

[geisha]

Beautiful cultured people, colourful and smiling naturally. Very artistic. Mystic. Bad traffic jams everywhere unfortunately. Beautiful architecture.

[The manic]

It's an Islamic state where women are caned for reporting rape, gays are imprisoned, etcetc 

[tutsiwarrior]

1 hour ago, The manic said:

It's an Islamic state where women are caned for reporting rape, gays are imprisoned, etcetc 

 

that would be Aceh which adheres to fundamentalist islam and not Bali which is hindu...two different areas in Indonesia spelled with 4 letters, the confusion is understandable...

 

'are yew gonna let that boy rape yew next time insteada comin' here an' complainin' about it???!!!' 'yessir, please don't hit me sir...'

 

but then she would be stoned to death fer bein' a wanton woman...can't win fer losin'...

 

and Indonesia was such a nice place when Suharto was around...

 

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by tutsiwarrior

[theguyfromanotherforum]

15 hours ago, ubonr1971 said:

Girls not as forthcoming as Thai ladies

Aaahahaha

[F4UCorsair]

6 hours ago, The manic said:

It's an Islamic state where women are caned for reporting rape, gays are imprisoned, etcetc 

 

Bali is not an islamic state.   The predominant religion is the local brand, and holdout, of Hinduism.

 

 

[gintis0604]

Booked hotel and flight for 10 days stay. Bought a new flight after 4 days. 

Didn't want to spoil 6 more days of my life there. 

Only good thing was the hotel and the people. 

Never again Bali or Indonesia! 

[ubonr1971]

13 hours ago, The manic said:

It's an Islamic state where women are caned for reporting rape, gays are imprisoned, etcetc 

did you read that on the internet? you have never been to bali ka?

[JimmyJ]

On 4/30/2018 at 8:12 PM, Aussieroaming said:

Bali is a flea pit. Many good places in Indo to visit, with good food and people, Bali isnt one of them. 

What are the good places in Indo that you and others recommend?

 

Scorecard mentioned a few and I'll go back thru the thread and make note of any others mentioned.

Edited May 2, 2018 by JimmyJ

[jacko45k]

On 01/05/2018 at 7:44 AM, Peterw42 said:

One good thing is the exchange rate, no wild variations or drop against your home currency. 

Although dealing with those large numbers is a bit mind-numbing. Ten thousand is a dollar Oz,

[masuk]

On 5/1/2018 at 7:43 AM, DoctorG said:

As an Australian I think there are waaay too many Ozzies there.

Otherwise I quite like it.

Also an Aussie:   agree with comments.    solution  -  move down the beach a bit to the Brit Bogan section!!

 

Traffic terrible, smokers even worse, litter in the sea and on the beach beyond description.   Traffic jams at 4am!