Christmas Vacation Or: How I Learned to Leave Kuta and Love Bali

Bali Traveling Tips

1.  Don't go to Jakarta...ok, just kidding but, when you do be sure to always lock the taxi doors if you have a layover in this city.

2. Extra cash on hand for Indonesia's Arrival Tax: 40,000 Rp/Departure Tax: 150,000 Rp  

3. Do not take the first taxi you see once you leave the Bali airport. You will save yourself a lot of money if you walk 100 yards outside of the airport to catch a metered taxi.

4. There are many money changers in Kuta. Take your time and check a few out to find the one with the best rate that does not have a commission and make sure to count your money after each transaction.

5. To save money on food find a local Indonesian restaurant that sells Mi Goreng (noodles, vegetables and meat of your choice). It's delicious and can cost as little as $1 a plate.

6. Many private tour companies charge high prices for an island tour. However, many taxi drivers rent vans and hire themselves out as private drivers at a lower day rate. Just be sure to specify exactly where you want to go, avoid extra "market" stops and pay at the end of the day.

My friends and I stayed in Legian near Kuta, the tourist, shopping mecca of Bali. We found Kuta Beach to be great for surfing but it was a little crowded and dirty.  If I were to visit Bali again, I would stay in Nusa Dua. This area has more resorts and more resorts means cleaner beaches.  As well as being cleaner than Kuta, Nusa Dua is much quieter and the beach has fewer vendors which makes for a more relaxing beach experience. Close to Nusa Dua is the Monkey Temple which provides an excellent view of some sea side cliffs and gives you the opportunity to be attacked by real monkeys! When dealing with these well fed beasts remember to leave your snacks in the car or you might get up close and personal with one of these dastardly pickpockets! An hour to the center of Bali brings you to Ubud, an art-filled hub full of wood carvings, paintings, and statues galore. The art stores go on for miles. My question is: how do they sell enough of this art to have so many shops?  There were five stone statue shops in a row!  How do you get a five foot tall stone statue back home? I hope the island has a good shipping service.  Once you buy the artwork of your choice I recommend stopping by the Elephant Cave.  After a ten hour van tour of Bali's tourist traps I found the Cave to be my most interesting non-beach stop in Bali.

I enjoyed my holiday break in Bali but for all the hype (aka Eat. Pray. Love) I feel that the island was a little over-rated and personally, prefer Hawaii.

Mi Goreng - Yum!

Monkey Temple

Bali Volcano

Rice Terraces

Elephant Cave (Ubud)

Kuta Beach- Great for surfing!

Nusa Dua

Statues Galore

Upcoming Trips

Nha Trang, Vietnam (January)

Cambodia (February)