A Bali Affair : Part 1 (moving around)

Bali turned out to be much, much better than I anticipated. I expected good, but I got great. So yeah, it was a mighty awesome experience. So awesome that I knew I just have to share my discoveries with you.


For ease of reading, I will share them over a few posts.


This first part will be about transportation around the island.

• From airport to hotel/villa:
• It is advisable to make prior arrangements with your hotel/villa for airport pickup. Most hotels/villas will offer this service for free with your accommodation booking. Otherwise, just walk up to the taxi counter and purchase taxi coupon to your destination. 
• DO NOT take heed of the folks swarming around the airport promising you good prices to your destination. You will most probably end up paying more.
• From hotel/villa to airport.
• Most hotels provide free airport transfer. Best to request for this when you confirm your hotel/villa reservation. They want your business, they gotta keep you happy :)
• If your hotel/villa refuses to provide free airport transfer, choose another hotel. Competition is very stiff in Bali. Very.
• To move around (short distances)
• You can safely walk around the area nearby to your hotel. Most roads are narrow and full of potholes though. So watch where you're going.  
• Be prepared to get honked at all the time. That's the taxi drivers trying to get your attention. Just ignore them if you are not interested. 
• Needless to say, you can't cover much area if you walk. 2 most popular options are:
1. Motorbikes / Scooters
• This is more for the adventurous few (if you have ridden scooters in Malaysia, this is a piece of cake).
• Rental is around IDR 50k-100k per day. The more days you rent, the lower the daily rate. 
• Make sure you check that all the lights, the horn, the brake etc are all in good working condition before you accept the motorbike/scooter (we made the mistake of not checking the lights and ended up having a scary experience riding in the dark at night)
  
2. Taxis (local term: Taksi)
   
• As with all touristy places, this can be a rather tricky affair. 
• General rule is to lookout for "BlueBird" taxis but you can safely get into any taxis that agree to use the meter. 
• Make sure you INSIST on the driver using the meter. Some rather unscrupulous drivers have asked for 3 to 4 times more than the usual meter price. It may be cheap but it always feels crappy to be suckered.
  
• For more taxi details, go here to read up.  
• To move around (long distances)
• At the Ngurah Rai International Airport, there are many pamphlets and brochures offering day trips, packages, etc. These pamphlets and brochures are free for all tourists. Take a few copies back to your hotel to read through. Take your time reading through all the packages before deciding on which ones to go for. Better still, get friends who have been there or planning trips before you to bring home some brochures. You can then digest them at home ground. That way, you can hit Bali running ;)
  
• There are many packages offering driver and guide services. You can either call the number on the pamphlets or get your hotel reception to call on your behalf.
• For a minimum of 2 persons, you can book an entire MPV plus the driver for the day. The charge is per head.
• Prices range from USD30 - USD 100 depending on the activities/places that interest you. 
  
• Take heed my fellow Penang and Singaporean friends, Bali is a biiiiiigggggg island. Traveling from one place of interest to another can easily take 3 hours or more. Prepare good reading material. Or good company. 

Local Titbit:

• 'Macet' (pronounced 'maa-chet') = Traffic Jam
• Read about Bluebird's interesting history here.
• Watch out for the bikes with huge hooks by the side. Then try to guess what those hooks are for. We had a fun time guessing that one out! (it was off-peak season)
  

Stay tuned for more updates in this space.

*Note*
This sharing is based on my first Bali experience which is not extensive. There is still so much more of Bali that I have yet to explore and discover. Needless to say, there are already dreams of future trips which will definitely be shared as and when they are realized. Happy reading.