Blogs from Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, Asia
May 19th 2012
Another loooong journey, first 1h ferry from Banyuwangi at the easternmost tip of Java, to Gilimanuk on the westernmost tip of Bali. This was followed by a painful 4h slow bus ride through the winding and narrow roads of Bali to Denpasar. Locals of course smoke perpetually on the bus, so along with the sulphur poisoning from Ijen, I've now also inhaled bucketloads of passive cigarette smoke (Dji Sam Soe!). Final leg was another 45 min bemo ride from Denpasar, finally to Kuta. Stayed at the Waringin Homestay (nice place! though not a true homestay, really just another hotel/ guesthouse).... read more
May 11th 2012
Op 8/5/2012 kwamen we met een beetje vertraging aan in Bali/Denpasar. Onze eerste indruk was : amai , het vliegveld ligt aan het strand. Dat was ook de eerste keer dat we zoiets moois zagen. Als je net uit het vliegtuig komt moet je onmiddelijk een visum aanvragen. Er zijn verschillende visa offices (visum kantoren). Een visum kost US$25 per persoon, maar je kan ook met Mastercard of Visa betalen. Het hoeft niet per sé US $ te zijn. Daarna schuif je in een lange rij aan om je paspoort te tonen en je rugzak te laten scannen. Net buiten het luchthaven gebouw is het enorm chaotisch. Te vergelijken met Marroko. Overal portiers, bagagedragers en mensen die achter je lopen om te vragen of je een taxi nodig hebt. Het beste is ze gewoon negeren. Een ... read more
May 7th 2012
After an amazing few days on the Gili islands we boarded a boat back to Padangbai where we would then get a minibus back to Kuta for the last couple of days of this holiday. The boat took about 2 1/2 hours and the seas were quite rough so even though we were inside, we and our bags got soaked! When we got back to Kuta we were dropped near the main street so walked back to where we had stayed for the first few days and got a standard room there for about £30 a night for 2 nights. It was late afternoon when we got back so we went for a walk in search of a bite to eat, and ran into the taxi driver who had taken us to Ubud a few days ... read more
April 29th 2012
What a lovely birthday in Bali! I slept in for the first time since my whole trip started and it felt so nice! I had breakfast and layed by the pool, had a nice lunch, and went off to the beach to meet up with Chris, the local who taught me how to surf. From Kuta, we headed to Nusa Dua beach. The beach was nice with clear blue warm water. Its definitely less touristy and very quiet. It was there I realized I lost my sunglasses :( Sigh. Oh well. After about an hour, we went off to another beach that was lovely. You basically walk down through a cave and as soon as you're out of it, the cave opens up to a beautiful, white sandy beach. It was gorgeous! We sat, enjoyed the ... read more
April 28th 2012
What a fabulous day! I was beginning to think that Bali wasn't all that great, since my hotel is located in a very touristy area. Tons of people walking around, which is kinda cool, but I prefer a more relaxed setting. I started the day by hiring a driver to drive me to various places in Ubud. Ubud is a village located outside of Kuta, approximately an hour and a half drive. There, I saw wood carvers and silversmiths working their magic. It was quite cool. Then I was taken to the rice terraces. OMG! Breathtaking. I decide to make the trek down through the terraces, which took a bit of work as it was so hot! I climbed back and on my way, I lost my balance and stepped in mud. My Toms were covered ... read more
April 23rd 2012
Hello to everyone I said I wouldn't write on here but y ried to compose a message on fb and it was taking ages to add everone. Time is money people :-) But Iwill make this quick because it's bopring for everyone else to read. So, I'm in Kuta 'part capital they tell me'. Everyone here is a surfer from Oz. I'm doing a surfing course. Very fun. I'm learning all the surfing lingo. Going to do canyoning and white water rafting this week hopefully. Then going to ubud. Otherwise I'm exploring, eating and relaxing. It's sooo HOT. p.s. I'm not nearly going to be on this thing as often as everyone else but will try when I can. p.p.s I don't have time to upload photos. Will try next time. sorry :-( muchos love xxxxxxxxxxx ... read more
April 22nd 2012
First post...here I go! :) My plane landed in Denpasar, Bali. It literally flew over the blue (yes, BLUE...not blue-black or polluted blue), sandy beach. I found that surprising since I never flew over a beach. The airport was quite modern. The people were helpful and there were plenty of tour guides all over the place. One thing that bothered me was the visa queue. It was long. LOOOOONG. And time-consuming. So once you get there..be prepared for the wait. Especially if you're arriving in the daytime. Hotels are available, plentifully. Rooms, not really. I saw so many backpackers walking around cluelessly asking for a room. There are other facilities such as laundromats. They're cheaper than the hotel laundry service...but Lord knows what they use for detergent. The beach was SO CLOSE BY. And the weather ... read more
April 2nd 2012
After a couple of days being good and playing guitar on the beach, i met a couple of dredlocked Balenese guys who invited me over for a jam. We played Bob marley songs ( i had to lean these rather quickly) and any other happy songs they knew for hours. Soon we werejoined by a large group of locals all singing along to anything we played. Turns out the best place to start out a night is on a local beach bar. the tourests dont really use them and as a result the beer is half price about 20,000 (about 40 pence). At about midnight the bar owner anounst the we were going out to a Reggae bar in Kuta....... i was ready for bed already and this came as quite a shock to me. David ... read more
March 21st 2012
Landing Bali we took a taxi to Sorga Hotel where we stayed before two times in Kuta. We got together with our friends from Cesme at dinner in Poppies. An exellent restoran since 70’s. The following days we made Sanur and Tanah Lot Temple visits. We had a nice dinner again with friends at Jimbaran on the sands with the company of a music group. The last day we went to Ubud, generally for shopping. Gunay bought four Uluwatu shirts and put a hole to our budget. On 21st March early in the morning (before the Absolute Silence Day) we flew to Yogyakarta. Best wishes to all. PS: Absolute Silence day: Only in Bali from 6 AM 23rd March until 6 AM 24th March there is no traffic, no electricity, no TV. People stay with their ... read more
