Back to Bali- 2024
We arrived in Bali the night before Nyepi, Ngerupuk parade night. Intersections were blocked by locals reveling in the rain. Our Balinese born Chinese driver Richard was loving it. Since all the drivers were celebrating he was making a killing being one of the few drivers actually working. He gave us all the “free” information he could think of. He chatted with us while texting and almost running over a dozen scooters but he got us to our new home for the next month. We arrived at the end of Bali’s rainy season but it looks as though there's still more to come.
Thankfully our host told us about this silent day and asked if she could buy some supplies ahead of time. This was the second reminder to always check your destination's weather and celebrations.
Nyepi marks the beginning of the new year. It is a time to cleanse the past years misdeeds through self-reflection and silence. There are four main principles or rules meant to be observed by locals and tourists, believers or non-believers. No fire (light), no travel (stay inside), no activity (meditate/reflect) and no entertainment (noise). They are enforced by the Pecalangs, guards strategically placed throughout the island to ensure compliance and stop any activities that may disrupt others. This is an ancient tradition meant to trick the evil spirits that the island is abandoned and to leave.
We did our taxes.. symbolically ridding ourselves of last year's miscalculations. Our private pool slowly filled up with rainwater as we finished. We took a quick dip whispering to one another about how great this freezing cold water will feel when the sun finally comes back around. The island shut down completely, even the airport was closed and air traffic was rerouted. We only heard the sound of the fountain splashing water in the pool. After the crazy month in Cambodia, silence was a welcoming sound and the peanut butter and jelly our host bought looked more and more appealing as the day went on.
Hopefully the clouds will part soon and we can see those southern hemispheric constellations shining through the darkest night on the quietest populated island in the world, hello darkness… If not, no biggie, I'm just wondering how they get all the chickens and dogs to get on board.
In 2018, we spent two weeks in Bali, exploring Ubud, spending time on the island of Nusa Penida and a few days on the beach in Jimbaran. It was an unforgettable trip filled with rice fields, waterfalls, beaches, sunsets, earthquakes, scooter fiascos, stranded with no cash, canceled flights, a ten hour layover in Wuhan and after all that we were excited to return.
This time we decided to stay in one spot for a month. We settled on a beautiful place, in south Bali in the village of Ungasan. The two bedroom, two bath Villa with a pool was in a quiet neighborhood. It was centrally located with short distances to beaches in the south, east and west. It was the perfect place to call home with absolutely no plans other than to explore Bali’s beaches…and it was cheaper than spending a week in an average priced hotel in the states.
The Beaches
Bali boasts some of the most beautiful beaches and after M'Pai Bay in Cambodia I had high expectations. I expect a “beautiful” beach to have crystal clear turquoise water that allows you to see the bottom as you swim, accompanied by golden sand free of debris and trash.
All of the beaches we visited in Bali had beautiful colored water, but not all were swimmable and most had trash on the beach and floating in the water. But to be fair, we were coming out of the rainy season and we noticed the water was cleaner later in the month.
Pandawa Beach (south east) 4.7 miles
We visited this beach twice. The first time we went, the water was rough. It cost between $2.20-$3.15 to enter. The walkway was lined with shops and loungers. We sat and watched shop owners sweeping and shoveling sand and repairing pavers in front of their Warungs, caused by the massive waves that would splash over the small retaining wall. As the day progressed, the waves calmed and the sun came out.
The second time we visited the water was low exposing the rocky and litter filled crowded beach. We never enjoyed the beach or went for a swim.
Balangan Beach (east) 5 miles
We headed here mainly because of Jimmy’s Beach Cafe. We were dropped off about a quarter mile from the beach because the driver didn't want to head down the rock path. There was no fee for the beach. The entrance had two small places serving food along with a few loungers and umbrellas to rent. The beach was lined with old wooden two story stilted structures. Above looked like abandoned restaurants, but some were serving food and drinks and others just had people in hammocks escaping the sun. All the places had signs offering surfing lessons.
Underneath the stilted buildings was trash and natural debris. We got as close as I felt comfortable to sit slightly under them to provide shade from the hot sun. Where the water met the sand was covered with a long slab of mossy rock, which prevented me from going in. Jim did take a quick dip, we didn't feel comfortable leaving our stuff to swim together. We spent the day sitting and watching surfers being taught on the beach and then they'd enter the water practicing what they learned. One of the tee offs of the New Kuta Golf course was perched on the hill overlooking the water. You could see the large statue of a golfer using a sword as a golf club (18 holes for a foreigner was $180). I bet the view from up there was beautiful. If you want to learn to surf this is the beach. We walked and found Jimmy’s Beach Cafe. The beach at this end was filled with even more trash.
Melasti Beach (south) 3.5 miles
This was our local and favorite beach and we visited it many times. Melasti, provided a cliff partly shading the beach. Except for weekends, the beach was visited by a few tourists who mainly stayed at the beach clubs in loungers. It was large enough to spread out and relax. The water was crystal clear with sand instead of rock as the bottom. Being so isolated we felt safe leaving our bags and we were able to enjoy the water together. The water was the cleanest of all the beaches but still had floating garbage after rainy days. Gojek can drop you off but you'll need to use Grab or a taxi to get out. There are two entrances and they charge different prices. ($1.25-$1.50)
Nusa Dua (east) 8.0 miles
The beach entrance was free and this was the farthest and most expensive beach to get to ($4.00). Most of Nusa Dua’s beach entrance was private and lined with high end resorts that provided beach access. The free entrance was lined with a few lounges and umbrellas for rent. The beach was flat and the longest and widest beach we visited. There was no shade except for a small spot provided by the only tree on the beach that was roped off. We got as close to the sectioned off spot giving us the most shade. Being so far from the water's edge we took turns cooling off. While the beach was somewhat clean the water was not. You couldn't see the bottom and you had to swim around floating trash.
Gunung Payung (south east) 5.2 miles
This beach had a free entrance. Gojek dropped us off at a parking lot at the top of a cliff. There were golf carts that would take you down to the restaurant for $2.00, but we chose to walk so we could check out the Gunung Payung Amphitheater. As you exit a small cave area you enter into the amphitheater, with all the seats facing outward to the ocean.
We proceeded down beneath the stage of the amphitheater to tunnels following signs to the Pantai/beach. The dirt trail going down was fairly easy and as we got closer to the beach it turned to steps. Right before you ascend to the beach there is a restaurant overlooking the water.
The beach is about half the size of a football field. There were 10 loungers with umbrellas to rent, but we chose the naturally shady spot provided by the cliff overhang between two rocks.
Our Villa came with a scooter to rent for $8 a day. We thought this could be an option, however after venturing out and seeing how traffic was even Jim was reluctant to use the scooter to get around. I was thankful for his decision because I am not the best passenger on the back of a bike. The last time we were in Indonesia, Jim tried to teach me how to ride and it didn't end well, I have the scar to prove it.
It was cheaper and safer for us to use Gojek or Grab, similar to Uber. Traffic was horrible and roads were barely big enough for two cars to pass. We were able to get to and from any place we wanted for less than $9.00. The two and a half hour ride to Ubud was only $18.00.
We did little walking and not because things were far, but there were no sidewalks and with the insane traffic, there was no reason to risk life or limb. Sometimes a three mile ride took 25 minutes. Patience was necessary.
Groceries and Food
Food is cheap, but groceries are not. We soon found it was cheaper to eat out or use Gojek for delivery than buying and cooking our own food. We did some shopping at our local grocery store, Pepito express. The selection of food was limited and expensive. The larger Pepito in the neighboring village of Uluwata had more of a selection but was still expensive. So instead we shopped at small family stores and the local markets to buy fruit, eggs and things for breakfast.
Jim cooked only a few meals and the rest of the time we ate out or had food delivered. This allowed us to try all different kinds of food. We tried many different Balinese dishes, as well as the occasional double cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's…yes I ate Mcedees only because we could get free coffees which we would save for the morning, because we didn't have any way to make coffee and instant coffee is what most people drink.
Bali has any kind of food you can think of….we had Italian, pasta and pizza, burgers, Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Sushi…you name it we tried it. And most everything was yummy.
My favorite Balinese food was Nasi Campor and Perkedel and my new Korean favorite was Gochu chicken.
Massages
We found an amazing massage place right around the corner, Thai Bali. We had three, two hour massages and the first two were 30 percent off. The normal price was $15 for two hours.
Hiccups
About two weeks after we arrived in Bali we noticed some fraudulent charges from Mexico on our main travel card. We called the bank and they expressed shipped our cards for free. We received them five days later. It is important to have a good bank that supports you when traveling internationally and has no international transaction fees.
When we first arrived, after two months of travel and washing our clothes in the sink, our top priority was finding a place to get our laundry done. We took pretty much everything we owned to Dom Dom Laundry. And two days later, for $4.94, with tip, we picked up our fresh smelling, perfectly folded laundry.
A few days before leaving Bali we took our laundry to Dom's only to find out they had no water and they pointed us down the street. We dropped off the few clothes we wore for the last three weeks, which included all of my underwear. We picked it up the day before we were flying out...smelled good, perfectly folded....NO UNDERWEAR. What the hell? They weren't helpful on the phone, so I guess I am going commando...Jim felt sorry for me and when we got to the airport and we're waiting for our flight, he too went commando, but not because his underwear was lost, but because...well that's a story for him to share.
We received a text from the laundry place while in Vietnam and they found my underwear.
Since the beginning of our trip in January, Jim had a minor issue with his ears. He claims it is difficult for him to hear, everything sounds muffled. I think it's his excuse not to listen to me. While here he bought some ear drops at a pharmacy and ear candles. The drops did little and after reading up on ear candling, I refused to help him so he decided to see a doctor. He found a medical clinic with great reviews and made an appointment. He saw a doctor who looked in his ears, taking pictures and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The doctor texted Jim the pictures to share with an ENT when we get back to the states. The visit was free.
Outings
We decided to take a trip to Ubud for a night to visit a friend from five years ago. We stayed at a beautiful hotel, in a family compound, breakfast included for $21.75. The day we arrived we visited Ubud Palace, and checked out some of the spots we visited five years ago.
The next day Made picked us up and we visited his village and compound. As we sat around enjoying the best cup of coffee, Made shared about his culture, answering all my crazy questions with a smile and laugh. In Bali the whole family lives on one compound. The sons stay with the family and daughters move to the husband's family compound. Once the son reaches a certain age they start building their own home on the compound. They have a family temple in the middle. Made was just starting the construction of his home five years ago. Him and his brother designed it and it's a beautiful addition to an already beautiful family compound.
He mentioned we would be having an authentic Balinese lunch which I was under the impression he would be cooking. Around lunch time I offered to help, he laughed and said I'm ordering from a neighbor. We had a delicious lunch where he introduced me to my new favorite Balinese dish, he called it Brocodile. At first I actually thought it was crocodile, but it is just a delicious corn fritter. I offered to help clean up, but being a typical son, he picked up the dishes and brought them to his mom’s house.
Made is a kind person with a good soul. He believes in Karma and that it's always best to do the right thing. After our visit he and his friend drove us the two and half hours home. We enjoyed a few beers before saying goodbye. The plan was he would return and stay with us the night before we flew out to take us to the airport. Unfortunately Jim had a case of Bali belly and we were unable to meet up, but we promised to return to Bali again for his big day.
We contemplated returning to one of my favorite places we have traveled, Nusa Penida. The island and the experience of hiking Kelingking Beach on my 45th birthday, was one of the most memorable moments of my life.
Five years ago the island was very primitive with few paved roads or tourists. When we were there we noticed a lot of construction going on. In talking with locals about the island now we were informed how over populated it has become with tourists, cars, resorts and looking at Google maps, it seems nothing stays the same. We chose not to take a trip back and both decided it was best to remember it like it was five years ago.
Helpful things to note if traveling to Bali
Three days before arriving, complete and pay for your (VOA) Visa on arrival ($33.00 per person) online, it will save you time at the airport.
Bali’s new tourist tax for $15 was not enforced yet. It is mainly meant for cleaning up its beaches. There is very noticeable trash left by tourists and locals, so hopefully the money will go where it's needed.
Bali is already very busy and construction is going on every where. Across from our villa they were building a home and there was a different crew digging a trench to get water up the hill to a recently new hotel. When they were finished with the trench they burned old tires in a barrel and spread it over the gravel on top of the pipes.
English is spoken more frequently than five years ago and locals liked to practice with us.
Cash is still king and ATM's still run out of money. One day our Gojek driver spent the afternoon driving us around to different ATM's trying to get cash.
As for bugs, we battled a few mosquitoes during the prime times and the constant millipedes around the pool and in the house. But as the saying goes…nothing in Bali can kill you.
Visa is accepted in the large grocery stores and some restaurants, but expect to pay two to three percent.
Since tipping is not customary it's very appreciative when you do. Sometimes tipping is included in the bill or just in part because of the excuse that they have no change.
Gojek was cheaper than Grab. You can pretty much get a roundtrip for anywhere you want to go in Bali for less than $10.
$10-20 a day is the average price for eating out, twice a day with drinks for two. The most expensive meal we had was Sushi. We had three large pieces of tuna sashimi, two rolls and two beers, along with a tip for $28.
It seems fitting that we arrived the day before Nyepi (day of silence) and left the day of chaos, at the end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr). It is said that an extra one million cars will be brought over by other nationals to enjoy the beaches. It was the first thing we timed right.
Bali's beauty is in its beaches, jungles and friendly, kind people...just too many of them. Even locals are looking to the north of the island to escape the madness. But all in all, Bali has a good balance of things to see and do along with time to relax on one of its many beaches. It is definitely worth a first time visit..soon.
Pandawa Beach
Balangan Beach
Melasti Beach
Ubud Palace
GWK Cultural Park
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