Indonesia. Bali. Paradise or myth.
Good day to all.
Came from Indonesia. I really want to write a review. Write how to cry in a vest,
write and may let go.
In a few words, I am disappointed. If in more detail ...Read.
For some time now, I consider myself an advanced traveler. My advancement is
that I go where I want and when I want. And if you go to Indonesia - I give you such a rest
I even strongly recommend it. There are more pros than cons here. First, you are not tied
to the hotel and tour operator. Secondly, you are not tied to dates and deadlines. YOU ARE FREE.
We went to Indonesia spontaneously. They just wanted to relax and thought about a sea cruise.
And suddenly, as it sometimes happens, I came across a photo with exotic nature. Bali. Bali?
Why not. We looked at hotel prices and airfare prices. Looked at offers
tour operators. And they realized that it was cheaper to go by forty percent, which in the end turned out
- savings of 60 thousand rubles. We chose a hotel. Booked it. Bought air tickets. And all through
Internet and without leaving home. The only thing I had to leave the house for was to buy
accident insurance for the duration of the trip. About $40 per person.
The lion's share of the cost of the trip "ate" the flight. We booked tickets 20 days before departure.
And I didn't really have to choose. But if you book tickets 2-3 months in advance, save
maybe 50% more. For interest, visit www. ozone. travel, and you will see, the further in time,
the cheaper the tickets. It was more difficult to choose a hotel. Used www. booking. com. Is there some more
and agoda, it is even cheaper, but they ask to send a photo of a credit card and a photo of a passport. somehow
it's stressful. Booking does not ask for anything, it does not even block money. Some hotels have tried
book directly. But it turned out that it was more expensive than through booking.
We decided to stop at Sanur, "with its
snow-white beaches..."according to advertisers.
Chose a mid-range hotel
categories on the first line. It took a long time to decide - how far to go? Decided: a week on a beach holiday
and shopping, a week on the islands, a week on Bali itself. And that: 21 days. Here is the departure time
approached. Let's fly.
In the course of the story, I will give some advice that you naturally may not
stick to. Advice. If you are flying to Bali on your own and have a hotel booked,
contact this hotel by email in advance and arrange a transfer from the airport to the hotel.
It will cost money, but what does 10-20$ mean compared to that welcome ceremony that
arrange for you.
If no one meets you, do not despair, the entire area in front of the airport is packed
cars, and the drivers themselves pounce on you in the literal sense of the word, so much
great is their desire to take you where you order. I will warn you right away - nonsense, they are just
they want to rip you off completely.
Catch a blue cab and ride the meter and you'll see what
three times you wanted to heat the first that's for sure.
And here you are eating in your own, separately allocated within the hotel, heaven on earth. But not everything is so simple.
You have to ride among the narrow, dirty streets, with complex traffic. And you will see that
heaven on earth is created by local boys and girls, men and women, with sad tired eyes,
That the entire space from the airport to your paradise is filled with stores selling everything from
fruits to motorbikes, from clothes to gasoline in plastic bottles. Everything is filled with cafes -
from those designed for tourists, to eateries for locals, with a heavy sour "flavor". Everything is filled
workshops where they make everything that you can imagine. In the form of parts of temples according to the principle
LEGO (more on that later), to interior items and furniture.
PHOTOS OF ROADS AND WORKSHOPS
I already said that we chose Sanur. But we visited all the beaches, well, or almost all
the beaches of Bali. The "white man" in Bali has one indisputable advantage, "he is a guest" and we
this was often used. What does it mean? And the fact that you can freely enter the 90%
Bali hotels. Why aren't 100.10% of Bali's hotels built like villa complexes? And even if
you will freely enter the territory of the hotel, then you can enter the territory of the villa in
accompanied by an employee of the hotel, and then under the pretext that you want to rent this villa. On the
the territory of a simple hotel, regardless of the star rating, you can go through the main entrance,
where you will be greeted by the doorman, and passing by the reception you will get a lot of smiles from
staff you meet. Next, you can go to the beach, or take a walk in the park, you can
swim in the pool. They just won’t offer you towels, although for the money you get both it and
cold drinks. That's the concept in Bali, maybe they see you as
potential client. OK. Let's talk about beaches. To begin with, the entire coastline on
Bali is a free territory. And you can walk freely from dinner to the horizon, and not
who won't stop you. But the sea in different parts of Bali is radically different from each other, like
the color of the water, so the depth and condition. But let's go in order. Let's start with Kuta.
PHOTO OF KUTA AND THE BEACH.
Kuta is an interesting, but for me, noisy place, where hotels and cafes are closely intertwined,
shops and discos. Kuta itself is youth oriented. The sea set the tone for everything. It's on the beaches
Kuty is restless. High waves roll all the time. Only their height changes. In the sea here
practically no swimming. There is no place for relaxation here. But here is a paradise for surfers. And all
establishments targeted at young people. A lot of inexpensive hotels on the 2nd 3rd and other lines,
Lots of cafes with inexpensive menus. In the evening, the streets are filled with young people, laughter is heard everywhere, everyone
, you have not yet paid for accommodation in
hotel? , the breadth of smiles of the hotel staff will let you know that they are glad to see you and will be glad forever, well
or until the day you leave the hotel. This is another plus in solo trips, the staff makes
everything possible so that you do not move to the hotel opposite. Let's go back to Nusa Dua. It's really
Paradise, but without the sea. More precisely, there is a sea, but it is either at low tide or at high tide with mud and
algae and household waste. If you dreamed of a beach holiday, then Nusa Dua is a good option,
but without the sea, only the pool awaits you, and when choosing a hotel, keep in mind that you are in the pool
spend the whole vacation, choose not a hotel, but a pool. The isolation of Nusa Dua is both a plus and
minus. The minus will be big if you want to see the island, plan to visit
excursions, and indeed do not plan to spend the entire vacation on the territory of the hotel. Road from Noosa
Dua in Kuta, Denpasar or on excursions will take a lot of time.
Narrowed roads, dense
traffic, eternal traffic jams personally spoiled my nerves. Again, this is assuming you don't
are going to explore Bali.
Let's go further. Sanur. The south and central part of Sanur is also subject to significant changes.
coastal zone of the sea due to the ebb and flow of the tides. But in the north of Sanur, this phenomenon is practically
not noticeable. The beaches around the Inna Sindhu Beach hotel are just wonderful. You can swim
almost any time of the day. The sand of the beach is golden millet washed up with water
Amazing beach in Patangbai bay.
And I personally liked the beaches in the north of Bali in Tulamben. Unusual black color of sand. Blame
around the tuff of volcanic origin. Time and waves have done their job, turning the coastal
stones in the sand.
That's all about the beaches. And if you still do not yawn from my opus, I will describe to you all my rest and maybe
my experience will be useful to you in your trip to Bali.
Small note before starting. I don't speak English. More precisely, I know 10 words, best of all
I get: - Aim know speak English. I'm not proud of it, it's more of a minus to me than a plus,
but I did not feel flawed in any country in the world, I compensated for the lack of knowledge
English with my disarming and charming smile. Well, there are also fingers on the hands.
I mean, don’t be afraid of anything and don’t complex, in the end, you didn’t come
get a job as an engineer, and relax. And the fact that you want beer and chicken will understand you
everywhere. Well, maybe only the chicken will be stuffed with chili peppers ...In this case, shout in advance:
- Nou was in a hurry.
We flew on November 27 to Denpasar. Paid for a visa upon arrival $ 25 per person (accepted in
many currencies except the ruble). And went to SUMMER. The taxi driver immediately jumped up. I knocked it down by $5
below and here we are going to Bali. I'll tell you right away. You will not notice the move from one locality to
another settlement, due to the fact that houses along the roads go continuously. in Bali because
increased seismic activity is dominated by one or two-story building type. Considering that
Indonesia has a population of 250 million, with Java and Bali being the most populated, all
it will become clear why Denpasar flowed into Sanur, and you did not notice it. Along construction roads
are a mixture of different buildings designed for different functions. Here and
fancy boutique, followed by a miserable shack. Then comes the hotel, followed by a repair shop
motorbikes. And there is no end to all this. And all this is tiny, with narrow roads through which
tiny cars scurry about. They even have trucks no larger than our GAZelles. I imagine if there
release KAMAZ. There will be a complete collapse.
40 minutes and we are at the hotel. Hotel 38 rooms. Small, very cozy. The staff are lovely smiling people.
We were quickly placed and we fell into bed.
Fatigue from the flight affected.
Then there was an acquaintance with the hotel, with the sea. They looked after that the hotel was not occupied by half, and
that there are better rooms in terms of location. We asked to change, we were immediately overpowered by
our desire. To be honest, I still don’t know the reason for their loyalty, or are they all like that, or
affected by the fact that we have not yet paid for the hotel.
This is how our vacation began. We had breakfast at the hotel (breakfast included). Lunch was asked to be brought
to the sea, if it was too lazy to leave the sunbeds located under a large tree at the very edge of the water.
We dined only once at "myself". Each dinner was chosen in a new restaurant. Didn't look for where
cheaper, I love my belly and do not eat anywhere. Searched for where the atmosphere of the restaurant matches
many criteria: clean, comfortable, better if there is live music, a varied menu and
seafood. A two-course dinner for two in such establishments averages $20. Plus a beer
which is expensive in Bali, and the more respectable the establishment, the more expensive it is. So think: 500
a glass of freshly squeezed mango or papaya juice for $2 or the same volume of beer for $6. Yes, about
fruits. Hell, even now my mouth is filling with saliva. What a delicacy. Here's another tip for you. eat
inland for an excursion, on the way back ask to stop where you like the view,
Well, for the photo and in general. And ask the guide to treat you with durian. Our stopped before
some kind of shop, he chose himself according to one well-known signs and started us all (8 people -
4 refused) to treat. Delicious. That's it, enough memories, otherwise saliva will begin to drip onto the floor.
About restaurants. One restaurant was our favorite. With Japanese cuisine. When we came to
again, we were greeted as best friends, and after our third visit, they just didn’t
hid their kindred feelings towards us. And more advice. Visit different restaurants. Therein
including restaurants with large price tags. I am sure you will not regret the money spent.
For example: a Japanese restaurant in Nusa Dua in the Bali Collection shopping complex. I don't remember the name
building 21, that's for sure. This is a large territory by the standards of Bali with a complex landscape design,
aged in the Japanese style. With footbridges, gazebos and other places for a pleasant solitude.
Dinner there cost us $80 for two, but the food and service were beyond praise. Served
There are four of us two waiters. And when they said goodbye, they all lined up in a row, and the cook also came
testify personally whether we liked everything. My wife and I were very impressed. I will
in Bali, it will certainly be an honor to visit this institution again.
About shopping.
There is something to buy in Bali. These are also handicrafts, which are represented by an amazing
wood carving, bone carving. Souvenir products. But you can also shop in stores and
not bad. Advice. If you intend to buy any interior items, souvenirs and clothes from
shoes, then take the minimum luggage to Bali. A couple of shorts and a couple of T-shirts, but strong and comfortable
flip flops. Take shorts and T-shirts as free as possible, in tight-fitting clothes you will,
sorry, sweat. Evening dresses? Where to wear them? My wife and I took a dress and trousers,
but never wear it. Even in respectable establishments, people preferred a free style.
clothes, and Australians (most of them in Bali) generally wear shorts very similar to those accepted
we have family shorts. So, if you want to tinker, you can easily do it on
Bali. There are a lot of shops and malls where they sell quite decent things. The prices for these
things are consistent, but bargaining is appropriate. I advise women to visit the ULUWATU chain of stores, there
sell a number of interesting and worthy things.
In general, if you are interested, here is a list of things
bought by us in Bali.
Two cool t-shirts for teenage sons with a Bali theme.
Two sweatshirts in a stylish store.
Coat for the wife of breathtaking design.
Two evening dresses (white and black)
Two handmade blouses from a limited collection.
Two casual dresses.
Two skirts.
Two pairs of shoes (one for beach and one for evening)
What else on trifles.
And a whole mountain of souvenirs and gifts for friends.
How do I buy souvenirs? The first experience came unexpectedly. We flew to Java to the complex of temples
Borobudur. On the way out we went to a cafe. Cold tea, ice cream, leisurely conversation with the guide. And suddenly
a local aunt stuck with a number of souvenirs. Two voyang shadow theater puppets - $20, two
scarecrow masks - $20, and a complex of four figures representing a family - husband, wife, two children. And
also for $20.
For all this stuff of hers, I offered her $10. More offered not for the purpose of buying, but something to discourage
decided how much the trip from point A to point B costs, then they hired transport and it was cheaper. The same
Taxi drivers carried cheaper by 3-5 dollars without a meter included. There are many taxis in Bali. To any point
Islands can be negotiated and reached, just negotiate the fare in advance. Don't ask
something to wait for you. This is a paid service. Better let the taxi driver go. There will always be another.
We did not meet the maximum tourist standard, but we visited some places. We visited Java. Excursion
bought on the street. More precisely, at the airport upon arrival in Bali, there are mountains of advertising brochures. chose
with a Russian-speaking guide. We also asked about the price of Russian tour operators for this tour,
on the "street" it was cheaper by $ 55 per person. The trip was enough. But only after
visiting the third complex by the temple, without talking with his wife, they simultaneously said: - Stop.
Enough temples.
I do not want to offend the Indonesians, but all their temples look the same. They are made from
volcanic tuff, that is, the details themselves and small fragments. I myself often met at the curb
There are workshops on the road, where the guys carve or saw out parts of future temples. You are purchasing this
as elements of the LEGO constructor, and you build houses, and they have temples in every house. Everything is black
colors (the color of solidified lava), and very much monotonous. And after the third temple (all on the same face)
got bored. We were asked to show us the city better - Joyjokarta was once the capital after all
Indonesia. We visited the Sultan's palace. And before flying to Bali (one-day excursion) we had dinner
in a restaurant owned by a local celebrity - a sculptor who is a member of the Sultan's family.
(Local Tseriteli).
There was also an introductory tour of the island of Bali, with a visit to the monkey forest, crocodile farm
and a dolphinarium. Interesting, but for one day too many events.
Were on excursions - Walking on the seabed in special helmets. Went to her for his wife.
But I liked it too. Although I am an experienced diver and it is difficult to surprise me. Conducted 7 dives in different
areas of the island. But that's another story.
And another significant excursion of ours is a visit to the islands of Flores, Rinchi and Komodo.
Remember: the dragons from Komodo Island? Yes Yes. It's there. They live there, in the conditions of the wild savannah,
giant lizards. To describe this trip, I need to take your attention to more than one
What else is significant? We tried local palm vodka - arak. I like it. Nice
taste. I took home a couple of bottles. And rice too. You will try - choose a bottle, poke your finger,
you will pour from it. You don't have to buy right away. They brought Bali coffee - Luwak. It is too
a separate story about how a small animal eats coffee beans at night, and during the day the Balinese are looking for its droppings,
to make one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
And before leaving, we decided to spend, under the curtain, a romantic evening, to make the final touch,
to do what we will remember Bali. We rented a hotel room in the vicinity of Ubud for two nights.
The hotel is called Kupu Kupu Barong - Butterfly in Russian. Made in the form of detached villas on
mountainside above the river Ayung in the jungle. Good, moreover, excellent memories left about myself
the hotel and the time we spent there. We asked for dinner on the terrace outside.
air. And everyone enjoyed. And a leisurely pleasant conversation, into which only noise penetrated
the river running below us. Listened to the night jungle, which was filled with the cries of night birds and singing
cicadas. They looked at the starry sky, on which the shooting stars wrote mysterious letters.
And more about the hotel. The manager at breakfast greeted me: - Good morning, Mr. Andrew. And mine
wife: Good morning Mrs. Natalia. That is, they made every effort to make me feel
yourself in this hotel the only and most welcome guest.
Conclusion. Did you enjoy your trip to Bali? Rather yes. Foreign culture, foreign customs and customs.
Another nature. I got a lot of emotions.
Would I like to come back to Bali? Probably not. Bali is not on my list of countries to visit
would come again. Dirty. Does not correspond to our idea and Bali. "Heaven on Earth" turned out to be
sandwiched between everyday life and reality of the hard life of the Balinese. The dirty sea just killed.
They have such a mentality among the Balinese, or something. They throw all their waste products into the water.
Even in Nusa Dua In the coastal wave you can see floating bottles, diapers, and so on and so forth.
Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps I am not objective because of the more beautiful places where I happened to visit.
Don't blame me if I inadvertently offended anyone.
And thank you for doing all my hard work.
Good luck to you. And great travels.
