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Published: July 22nd 2010
Stone art in Ngurah Rai
Stone art in Ngurah RaiArrival
We have finally arrived at our Villa. The trip was long but everything went fine. No luggage lost, no problems with customs, ...
The people here are extremely friendly. Everybody wants to carry your luggage at the airport 😊 Offcourse, not for free.
Traffic is as I have read, chaotic. Renting a car or a bike will not be an option for me. Whole families riding together on the scooter, up to 4 people. Also, the balinese seem to be able to transport more on their scooter than we can in a small car.
Leaving the airport, we already saw some nice stone art (see photos) and alongside the coast there are kites everywhere. Maybe in preparation for the yearly Bali kite festival?
The staff in Aleesha Villas gave us a nice welcome and the Villa is just fabulous. Everything looks new and the design is very spacious and has a relaxing air to it.
Day two: Denpasar
On the second day in Bali we made a walk north along sanur beach. We were offered massages, T-shirts, fake silver bracelets and guided tours. Although Sanur is not the best place for Bali Surfing, still the waves looked pretty high
Stone art in Ngurah Rai
Stone art in Ngurah Rai to me even though there was not much wind.
Céline noticed a nice hat in one of the beach shops, time to try to bargain! Asking price was 50.000 RPD (5 EUR). We offered 25.000RPD, the shopkeeper wanted more. We raised to 30.000RPD but still not OK. Walking away to the next shop, also selling hats, the shopkeeper signed three fingers and thumbs up. Sold!
A bit further, four women started following us north asking where we were coming from, what names we had, how long we are staying, anything to get a conversation going. They proposed (we could not really decline, ha) to follow them to their shops in Desi market. We tried out some sarongs and after negotiating bought them. Marie-Anne also bought a nice dress for 10 EUR.
At the end of the beach road we headed west to Denpasar. The Puputan Square statue was 3km further down the road. Arriving there we were impressed by the size and finishing of this monument to the war against the Dutch.
Later, we called a taxi to transport us to Denpasar center. We asked how much this short trip would cost for the four of us, 50.000RPD. We noticed
Bali Sidewalks
Bali Sidewalks this taxi's meter was not working on entering the vehicle but thought the price was ok. The trip, about 2.5km cost 5 EUR. Later that day, by taking a taxi home, we noticed we paid about double of what we should have paid. But hey, still not that expensive. Advise: Always look if the taxi's meter is on when getting in.
Arriving in the center we visited the Bali Museum. Entrance was 5000RPD/person and 1000RPD extra for the camera... A man was waiting for us at the ticket desk to guide us around. Good english and very friendly. At the end of the museum tour we thought we'd give a tip to the guide (5000RPD), he said he wanted 20$, we did not agree because he did not tell us this in advance. In the end we gave him 2,5 EUR. Advise: When someone wants to guide you around, ask if it is for free, and discuss a price in advance if not.
We made a short walk through denpasar and through a small bird market before taking a taxi home.
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