BALI - Anyone been?

[hawaiianorangetree]

Oh no worries, we will definitely be spending time in Ubud as well as maybe just driving around the island and just stopping wherever. Plus I will do some research... oh, and the first place we're staying in dua nusa has a complimentary overview - they tell you a bunch of options and opportunities. That place comes with a butler too, though I'm rather tempted to stay a bit close, four nights is 3 whole days and I think I want to take the boat out one of the days, lounge at least one.... *maybe* take off for one of the days up the east coast or something... but the days in seminyak we won't stick quite as close to home... the pool there is only a plunge pool and I don't see us taking advantage of the house as much...

I would love to hear any and every idea though! Definitely going to Ubud - but are there any specific things we should do there? I'd like to go to sanur too. Plus the whole kuta/tuban/legian/seminyak... do I need a whole day per area or can I hit them all in one day?

I know our lodging lacks diversity, but I feel lucky to get what we got! I wanted to do 4 days in Ubud and then 6 in seminyak but this is what worked out for us... at this point we have an open schedule... ideas welcome! And if you could include aproximately how much time should be set aside to do an activity... that would be awesome. Like how long it takes to get to the elephant area or the safari place, We have 8 whole uninterrupted days plus most of the first day and some of the day we move from one location to another.

Hello!

Sorry I went MIA, we went away to visit my dad for his 70th birthday. He lives in a small town 8 hours away with a population of 25 people. I forgot about not having any mobile / internet service whilst we were there. It was strange to turn my iphone off for 7 days!

Anyway, indecisive gave you some great tips about Ubud and the temples. I have not been to the water temple, it sounds very interesting. If you do go to the monkey forest hold on to your belongings tight! I would leave a whole day for going to Ubud as well.

I don't blame you for wanting to make the most of your accommodation in Nusa Dua! I would too By the time you finally arrive in Bali you will probably need a few days to laze around and acclimatize yourself. Nusa Dua sounds like the perfect place to do it.

I would leave a day each for the safari park and elephant ride. Trips to places like kuta from Seminyak can be done is small doses. Usually after a couple of hours you would have had enough and be happy to get out of there. Remember that the car ride is not far so you can go back if you want to as many times as you like. Shops stay open to late as well so you can even go late evening shopping if you wish!

Tahnah Lot can be done in an afternoon, I believe it is particulary beautiful at sunset. It is up the coast from Seminyak so would be better to do from there.

It's important to note that you really don't need to plan too much before you get there. Do you have airport tranfers included with your accommodation in Nusa Dua? Chances are that whoever it is that picks you up will offer to take you to the sights as well and if you have the complimentary overview as well it may be easier to organise things once you get there. You never know how you will be feeling until you are there and you don't want to have planned a trip to ubud in your first few days if you are not feeling up to it. People will be more than happy to organise your tours and trips for you and the choices of tour guides are endless.
Also there are probably a lot of things that I have not mentioned that you can do in Bali that you may really love as well. (Tour guides are great for suggestions) I believe there are a lot of water sports in Nusa Dua and that the beaches are lovely. You may just choose to hang around Nusa Dua for your first few days and make the most of your accommodation. Your time in Seminyak will be enough to fit in all your touring if you wish to do it that way also.

General Bali Tips

Shopping in Bali

Bartering is expected. You can't barter on a published price (boutique shops, real spas) but you can in the markets, stalls, for getting your nails painted, hair plaited, massage on the beach, transport, etc. Anything anyone is trying to sell you that doesn't have a price written on it can be bartered for.
The general rule I use is to cut the price in half straight away (sometimes less than half depending on how ridiculous the price) and then work up a little higher (about 20% more). Don't barter if you don't intend to buy. If you start the batering process they assume that you will be purchasing and if you don't buy when a price has been agreed it is seen as being rude. If you are just looking around and people ask how much you want to pay, I usually just say that I am just looking.
Don't buy anything on your first shopping trip. Instead hover / follow around some more experienced shoppers and listen to how it is done and how much people are paying for things. Don't be afraid to ask how much someone paid for something if you like it. Chances are they will be Aussie and happy to help.
Markets / stalls have a shopping bag system going. If they give you a white bag it means you are a poor barterer and you paid too much. If they give you a black and white bag it means you were fair and paid a fair price and if you get a black bag it means that you bartered hard and got a bargain! The bags show the other stall holders how good a baterer you are.
When bartering, try to come up with a price you are happy to pay and stick to it. Cut the first offer in half, go up two more offers and if they wont accept it, walk. Chances are they are bluffing and just trying to get a few more rupiah out of you. If you have offered a fair price when you walk they will yell 'ok ok!' and call you back. If they don't, it means your price was too low and you need to go a little higher.
Cheat sheets are great as well. I have found myself haggling over 1000 rupiah only to have the reality check that i am squabbling over 20 cents. Cheat sheets with the currency conversion on it are a great way to quickly check exactly how much it is that you are haggling over.
I used to barter hard when I was younger, the last few times not so much. I usually just pick a price that I am happy to pay and be done with it. I love a bargain but I try to remind myself they they need to feed the family as well.
Morning shopping usually works out cheaper, "morning price for good luck'' and you can get a better price on things. In the evening if they have had a great day of sales they will be less likely to sell to you cheaper as they don't really need to.
I got some great bargains at the big markets in ubud. Sarongs and sun dresses and silver bell trinkets were all cheaper there than they were at the kuta markets. Ubud is also where you buy silver, wood and paintings.
At markets in general, markets on the beach will cost you more than markets down the street for the same product as their rent will be higher. The Kuta art markets and markets in legian were good for handbahs, figurines and homewares.
If you want anything like matching table runners, cushion covers and place mats it is best to see about them earlier on in the trip because they may need to oder them in or have thenm made as places wont usually have large matching quantaties of things.
You can get clothes made really cheap in Bali and there are many tailors. I bought a black leather jacket that was made to fit for 800,000 rupiah (AU$100). I can't buy a fake leather jacket for that price here! (although now that I have typed this you can probably get it made in china pretty cheap too! ,lol )

Don't advertise the fact that this is your first time in Bali to the general public. (People offering you transport, market stall holders) You will more than likely be ripped off if they know this is your first time. They WILL ask if you have been to Bali before, be vague and say 'a few' or 'many times' fake it till you make it. If they think you have been before they will be more likely to offer you a better price on things.

Do you need a visa? As Aussies we need one but we just buy it when we get there at the airport. It is US$50. If you do, make sure that you have the currency with you before you leave (you probably will anyway) and when you get to the airport you will have to buy it before you line up for customs. Make sure you check you are in the right line and don't just line up behind the people in front of you. I have seen a few people make that mistake! I lined up for the visas whilst my husband lined up in the customs line and waited for me.

I shall come ba ck tomorrow and write a little more. I have just noticed my daughter has fallen aslep on the couch so I should go and put her to bed.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I've been so busy the past few days shopping and baking and cooking all day tomorrow too... I will have some time after brunch on christmas and on the 26th to really sit down and plan activities.... accepting any and all suggestions!!! I'm so excited, it's been bitter cold here.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

So I just saw a segment on the news warning people who are travelling to Bali about Dengue fever. If you have mosquito repellant take it with you, if not, you will be able to buy it from the supermarket when you get there. I think you will have to be most cautious of mosquitos up in Ubud.

Food!

The food choices in Bali have really changed over the last 5 years. Before you could only eat the indonesian food in order to be garunteed of a good meal and to not get sick. The european food just didn't taste right. Now EVERYTHING tastes good! Restaurants now employ chefs who have been trained outside of Indonesia so you can order anything from a steak to pasta, tacos to pizza and it tastes good!

The more upmarket places also import a lot of their ingredients as well. Beef can come from Harvey (near where I live) oysters come from South Australia. Food has really changed in Bali.

As a general rule, we don't eat food in hotel restaurants where we are staying (just breakfast) as there are always better choices out there. Out of our own personal experience the only times I have been sick from the food is at hotel restaurants.

Only drink bottled water, even to brush your teeth in the morning.

For cheap meals you can eat at restaurants called 'warungs'. These are small local restaurants run by the locals that live in the villages behind them. These tend to be the main source of income for these villages so it is imortant that they provide you with food that you wont get sick from. If in doubt, go for something that is going to be second nature for them to cook like nasi goreng (fried rice) mie goreng (noodles) chicken satay sticks etc etc. They are also pretty good at club sandwiches with fries.

For good coffee go to Grocer and Grind while you are in Seminyak. All the food that we tried there was very nice as well. We ate lots of lunches there so enjoyed beef bugers and steak sandwiches.

For a beautiful one time meal there is a restaurant called 'Chandi' on Jalan Oberei in Seminyak. It is all organic food. I had the best steak in my life there. It's not cheap though. It cost us about $200 which is on par with a upmarket meal in Perth.

Any of the places on Jalan Oberei (the main street in Seminyak) would be good to eat. There's Italian, Moroccan, Japanese just to name a few. Allso, restaurants that are off the main street (like down lane ways) will be cheaper than places on the main street and on the beach.

There is a place on the beach called Ku De Ta, very upmarket to eat but you can go there for a drink. The perfect time is at sunset and you can sit on a huge day bed with a cocktail and watch locals on the beach preforming. The night we were there we saw a fire dancer.

If you are struggling to find places to eat in your budget in Nusa Dua or Seminyak, remember that kuta and legian are a short ride away where cheap restaurants are the norm.

Eat a bit of pawpaw (papaya) every day to ward off stomach bugs. If you do happen to get 'bali belly' pawpaw is the best natural remedy to get rid of it. You can buy immodium etc for the chemist as well but they seem to just mask the symptoms whereas the pawpaw will kill the bugs.

Transport, they have 'blue taxi's' that are metered there but since there are five of you, you wont fit. Make sure that you always negotiate the price before you get in. My batering tips earlier will hep you with pricing.

I'm going to go back and read my previous posts to see if i can jog my memory on anything else.

Any questions just ask!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Chemist/ pharmacy is called the ipotek in Bali in case you need to find one fast.

 

[Cehrabehra]

so funny.... the water situation! we came here doing the bottled water for teeth brushing and gave that up. We still don't drink the water, but I am not afraid of a couple drops, but maybe my body has acclimated. Not true in Bali where there are different bugs though, so good to remember. I'm so used to not drinking from the tap now... I forget I can in America but then I think the water tastes awful.

I think when we arrive I may have more questions. We're big geeks so I doubt I just disappear for a couple weeks like most would lol

And oooop, I did not plan today the way I had said I would. With the power outage on CE everything got bumped a day... ah well, if ALL we do is lay by the pool, it's not a complete waste

good tip about the mosquitoes too... we're pretty inoculated for the most part (I got 13 shots over the course of a month prior to coming here) but not for dangue!

You rock

 

[Cehrabehra]

omg I hope we can get good tacos!!!!!!!!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

omg I hope we can get good tacos!!!!!!!!

well i think they are good tacos but take that with a pinch of salt since i have never been to mexico and don't have a clue what a real taco tastes like!

There is a mexican restaurant in legian somewhere but i can't remember the name. Many restaurants have a little mexican section on the menu too.

Do you like seafood? I don't think I addressed that earlier.. many restaurants leave their seafood on ice at the front for you to choose from. Hopefully from shopping in the markets in China you will know how to pick fresh fish?... Not smelly, clear and bright eyes like it is still alive, if they are sunken and jelly like it means it's probably a few days old.

Malaria and Rabies are two other things to watch out for. So protect yourself from mosquitos, don't let the monkeys bite you and stay away from the Bali dogs, if they approach you don't pat them, they can be pretty unpredicatable.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Funnyfunny you mention that, I am literally on the beach in jamboryan whateever it's called waiting forseafood!

Sooooooo happy with this choice but more later.

I have an urgrnt question lol

what is tipping protocol? No clue! Have butler and driver and of course restaurants.

More later when I can type properly ugh!!!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Tipping! I KNEW there was something that i wanted to cover but i couldn't remember what...

Ok, so in Australia it isn't customary to tip and it isn't in Bali either (not like in the US where people expect the 10% tip) ... that is what the 21% taxes and service charge on everything is for. So technically the tip is incorporated in to the final price.

What we usually do in restaurants is round the bill up to whatever cash we have and give them that as a tip if we are happy with the service and meal.

In our accommodation i usually leave something for the person who has been cleaning the room all week.

For transport / drivers etc only give it if you feel like you want to.

So yeah, you are not required to tip, only do it if you want to and i guess the amount is up to you as well. (we never tip huge amounts, just round up the total).

Of the 21% govermment tax and service charge i 'think' the service charge is around the 10% mark.

I hope you are enjoying yourself and can't wait to hear more!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

another thing.. if you leave money in your room (say, change on the bedside table) don't be suprised if the cleaners take it as they will think it is a tip.

For your butler and driver that will be with you for at least a few days just give what you are comfortable / can afford to as i am pretty sure not many expect it.

I remember on our last trip I gave the cleaner of our villa 50 or 100 thousand rupiah and at first she was speechless and then she couldn't stop saying thank you so i think maybe i gave her a little too much.

Again, it's not mandatory/ customary to tip so whatever you give will be appreciated!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I wanted to make sure i was giving you the right info so i googled it! and yes... tipping is not a common tradition in Bali... and if you do, make it small!



Tipping is a foreign concept and not part of Balinese or Indonesian tradition. If you get a bill in a warung or restaurant, the staff is not expecting a tip and will no take offense if you simply pay the bill. Higher end restaurants and resort hotels, get clientele from the USA, who have a culture of tipping. I find myself tipping a bit too, when the mood takes me.

Often I will give and extra 1,000rp if the bill is 20,000rp, but never the 15% Americans are used to. Staff are appreciative of the extra and are aware that locals would probably never tip. Many restaurants add on an extra 10% tax to the bill as a service charge.

Taxi cabs do not expect tips either, but will try their best to avoid giving you change, hoping you will allow them to keep the extra. No need to tip taxi drivers. Hotel staff such as bellmen are probably hoping to get tips, so I’d just slip them 5,000rp here and there, nothing big.

If you are coming from a tipping culture, try to resist the urge to tip everyone. You’ll get used to not tipping and people are perfectly happy. A Balinese person is not going to tip another Balinese, and the idea of giving money away is alien to them. Don’t feel you need to bring Beverley Hills etiquette to Bali, because its a different scene here. The occasions where I will tip someone outside of just a 1,000rp are when someone has done something special for me, such as my pembantu’s husband pruning my garden, or at the end of a road trip with a driver.

If you are in Bali on holiday and frequent a certain restaurant / cafe / hotel pool etc. and decide you want to tip a particular member of staff, for service given during the length of your time in Bali, remember that this can have repercussions. In Bali if you overtly tip one person, you are by association, NOT TIPPING, the others. If I go into
Cafe Moka and hand 100,000rp to one of the staff, he / she will tell everyone who works there about it. They will feel they should have a chance at getting the same tip, and when that doesn’t happen, it could lead to bad feelings. Exactly the same with a gift (t-shirt, hat etc.) If you have been frequenting a place and want to give a gift to a particular staff member, its best to either make a shared gift to the whole shop, or arrange to meet the person away from work for lunch and then slip them the gift.

One of the cool things about Bali is food can be inexpensive and a hefty tip is not expected on top of it. A small tip will be met with a smile and good vibes.

 

[Cehrabehra]

oh HOT we're having such a great time There are TONS of aussies and russians here... that's interesting! The aussies didn't surprise me, but I didn't expect there to be such a large amount of russians here.

First day got settled and went out to dinner, it was excellent food, service, everything for under 450k. I thought it was a bit high (for 5 people) so I asked the driver to find us a cheap local place. He took us to this place in jimbaryan or whatever its called and omg it was so expensive. I mean 2.5million! And for a special thing I could have handled that if the food was good but it wasn't - service was horrible, all the seafood was overcooked and tough, didn't have a clean table - seriously. I was pissed. Good news is that for 7.5k we got amazing street sate earlier in the day. OMG it was so good. My driver felt really bad (I let him know how I felt as "cheap local food" should have been less than half the previous night, not 5 times more!) and he invited us over to his house for lunch today and it was THE BEST FOOD EVER. OMG I can't stop thinking about it. Am I weird for getting chummy with the driver? I don't do wealthy tourist well. I am way more interested in meeting locals. We got take out indian food and some fireworks we're going to do off the pier here at the villa and stay away from the crazy streets tonight. Kinda bummed we're not going to be part of a big hotel celebration, but catching up on my geekness online alternated with swimming and watching TV (seriously - in china we have 4 channels: CNN, ESPN, Discovery, and National Geographic. Here we have dozens and dozens and many are in english - yay!!!) Drove all over yesterday, watched the sunset fire dance (FUN!!) went to a few beaches (temple at uluwatu was closed until like jan12) and just hung out in the lower mini-island thing at the south end. We have 6 nights in seminyak in a smaller house with a smaller pool and will take those days to really tourist it up.

Later today I'm going to go over this thread and suck the marrow out one more time, now that I'm here a lot of it just makes more sense now!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

2.5mil for dinner and it wasn't even good?? OUCH!! I hope you didn't tip!! Yeah you have to be careful with over priced touristy restaurants. I wouldn't be suprised if your driver got a commission from the restaurant for sending you there... but at least he made it up to you with lunch. We don't do expensive tourist well either, much prefer to eat where the locals eat but you have to be careful!
Please don't over do it with the street karts... they will catch up on you!! My husband had beef rendang from a beach kart the day we left one trip. Our local friends were eating it so he thought 'yeah, why not?' he was sick all the way home on the plane and ended up going to emergency about 3 days after we got home because he wasn't getting better. Keep eating that paw paw!! (Hopefully since you habe lived in China your stomach will be more suited to bali food).

The meal for 450k sounds lovely and the price isn't too bad when you break it down.. around $50 for 5 people is reasonable for nusa dua (will be cheaper in kuta).


Well have fun and enjoy yourself! I am glad you are having fun so far. Any questions just let me know.. i wont be far from my computer.

 

[Cehrabehra]

they had one of those 21% mandatory things, ugh. Seriously the food that cost about 80 cents was WAY better than the expensive place. I'm sure he did get a commission but he was upset about the outcome, and I do believe it was sincere. He wants to earn our business for our 6 days in sem. so he doesn't want to scare us off. The place had raised their prices astoundingly. I think he's pretty clear... now. But he should have been before. Irritating.

There is thunder and lightning and fireworks all around. Memorable All the paper lanterns the butler set up around the yard are flooded I got some pictures first though, it was lovely!

 

[indecisive]

I am beyond jealous right now!! My husband and I miss Bali in a different way than any other place. I am glad you are able to tell us about your trip and I hope you don't have any more disappointing meals! Have you done any shopping yet? We love our wood carvings and wish we had gotten more of them. I still selfishly hope you go to the Rock Bar (http://www.ayanaresort.com/rockbarbali/wp/) because it wasn't open when we were there and have just read about tripadvisor people raving about it. And Cascade Restaurant in Ubud because we miss it! It is too bad Uluwatu is closed. We didn't go there either but I did love going to as many temples as we could. I am strange about that though because going to churches is one of my favorite things to do in Europe. It sounds like going to Bali when you are living in China is a very different perspective than going when you live in the US!

I think we used this dining guide when we were there but I can't really remember. We didn't really go to the Kuta area so no advice from me but I think HOT has given you some good advice and maybe this guide will help too. When will you guys be going to Ubud? I didn't expect to love it there as much as I did. I really wanted to go to Jimbaran too and didn't get to so I hope you can post pictures sometime.

Have fun and thank you for letting us live vicariously through you! I need to find a company like your husband's!

http://www.baliguide.com/restaurants_guide.html

 

[indecisive]

I just read this on the guide I posted It looks like the prices could have been a lot cheaper just a little way down the beach. It is so hard to know though.

"However, be warned: the 25 or so restaurants between Inter-Continental and the Four Seasons resort charge much higher prices (they pay 30% and even 40% commission to drivers and guides), and their prices for wine are rediculous! Visitors to the restaurants closer to the fishing harbor (near the airport) AND the restaurants between the Inter-Continental and the Four Seasons often complain on the "BALI travel FORUM" about being overcharged and/or cheated on the weight of the fish or lobster they ordered.

Forum contributor Dell wrote on July 19th, 1999, after a visit to the often recommended Cafe Intan: "I suspect they all have rigged scales. To walk to the surf after dusk, then turn around and let your gaze scan the hundreds of flickering table candles which stretch far into the distance and contemplate the scale of the fraud that is being perpetuated every night is a humbling experience." (Just an idea: if you take a full bottle of water it's easy to test the scales.)"

 

[Cehrabehra]

I have no doubt my driver wanted a commission but he felt guilty about it - he refused to take money for the 4 hours of overtime yesterday or for any parking fees etc. today.

I'm writing those restaurants down - if I chose them then I can't really GAS if they kick some back.

 

[indecisive]

Your driver sounds really nice. We went to our driver's house too, though not for a meal. I really liked meeting the whole family, including the puppy. Have you had any nasi goreng or mie goreng yet? We are going to try to make some tomorrow with the kacep manis we just got. It is so good! I also recommend trying a lot of fruit while you are there. We really like the rambutan, mangosteen, snake fruit, and then this different kind of passion fruit. Do your kids and husband like Bali so far?

 

[Cehrabehra]

we're loving it except my husband who is being eaten alive by mosquitoes I have so much to say and hardly any time... when I had time the internet was total crap Think we're going to the safari place tomorrow!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

ah that is no good about the mosqitos! Perhaps you could try a different brand of repellant for him?

Don't worry about telling us about Bali now... i'm sure you will have enough time once you get back to China! Go and enjoy yourselves and have fun at the safari park tomorrow!

I read in the newspaper the other day that they feeding time at the phirana tank!!
Also, if you are there when they are doing the bird show hang around and get good seats up the front. They like to pull an audience member from the front row and i'm sure your DD would love to help feed the birds of prey!

Enjoy the rest of your time there!

 

[Cehrabehra]

went to the monkey forest today - awesome time, tons of great pictures tomorrow going to the safari place, it's expensive!

 

[indecisive]

How exciting!! I have a picture of DH and me in monkey forest on my desk! We loved it there but I did not encourage any monkeys to approach me. Isn't it amazing to have that dense, gorgeous forest right down the street from the town? Did you see the Temple of the Dead? Don't worry about answering questions or anything until you have time and enjoy yourself! We never did the Safari park but it sounds amazing from what HOT and others online have said. I think it will be worth the $. Can you ride elephants there as well? I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Waiting for the piranha feeding right now lol

I have a picture of a monkey on my daughter but the best is closeup of tiny baby sleeping and nursing

 

[Cehrabehra]

Monkey Mama at the Monkey Forest - precious!
White Tiger at Bali Safari - gorgeous!

 

[Cehrabehra]

My middle child, unable to resist the lure of the ocean...
My favorite Hindu God
and
One of my old diamond earrings in a wonderfully scented flower! (.25)

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Lovely photos Sara! The flower you posted is a Frangipani. They are my favourite flower and my garden is full of them, don't they smell beautiful?

Did you enjoy the Safari park? I hope so!

 

[zoebartlett]

I love reading this thread! Your pictures are amazing, HOT and Sara!

The baby monkey is sooooo cute! I love its ears! The tiger is gorgeous.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Thanks Zoe! I'm really looking forward to seeing some more of Sara's pictures too!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I keep forgetting that you are in China! I am always a little worried when i recommend Bali to people as it can be very full on, which some people don't like, but i think you may feel it is pretty laid back compared to China!!

Two more whole days here - going over the whole thread again... saw this and wanted to reply now that I know!

Bali is much more modern and western than where I live in China! The people are less naive, more worldly, and yet at the same time still embrace their own culture (you dont' find chinese people wearing traditional clothing EVER except on stage - and they are very naive, very unaware of what the world is doing).

One thing I find funny is that the chinese are constantly cleaning and everything is constantly filthy. Not just dirty but filthy. In Bali I don't think I've seen anyone clean and everything is *way* cleaner. It's not the weather - the summer weather in china is very similar to this weather, maybe 5 degrees cooler, if that, same rain and humidity. I don't get it. Bathrooms here are way better too. It's funny because prior to living in China (if I'd come straight from america) I would have been horrified by the balinese bathrooms lol But now? They're looking great! haha

The driving here is as nutty in China but with a difference. The chinese are aggressive and NOT compassionate or understanding or accommodating. They do the same weaving in and out, rules be damned driving, but here people will stop for you, will move over for you, they will work with you and there is a sharing of the road. In china there is a taking of the road, me first, I won't let you do that thing. There is loyalty to the country but there is no open or genuine love for their countrymen or anyone outside their immediate circle. That understanding that brings westerners peace just doesn't exist. I see it in the Balinese. The Balinese are more poor than the Chinese but they are HAPPIER people. The chinese women are often repressed creatures, the men cowered. The balinese are so open and confident - every one of them! I love it

 

[Cehrabehra]

One other thing... I'm definitely not loving the balinese food. I loved absolutely LOVED the food my driver and his wife made for us, and I loved the street vendor sate, but I haven't loved anything else I've had other than french fries at one restaurant that were the best I'd had in years.

I looked more closely at the restaurants you guys mentioned and to feed a family of 5 is ridiculously expensive and while I would be happy to do that once I already did that and it was a complete waste of money. 2.5 mil for a dirty table, bad service (had to ask for a glass of ice 4 times), all of the seafood was overcooked and way overpriced (450k/kilo for river prawns). It was a memorably horrible experience and I really wish I could have spent that on something fantastic instead. Major bummer.

Did get a good waffle at flapjacks but was seriously disappointed that a place for breakfast was "out" of eggs... just go to the market sheesh!!