After two months and a lot of fun and adventure in China, we took a six hour flight from Shanghai and landed in Kuta on the island of Bali. Bali is the only Hindu majority island of the thousands that make up Indonesia, with some 86% of its 4.5 million residents identifying as such. This was obvious by all the Hindu temples that were everywhere; many were family compounds, and we even stayed at two during our time in Bali (which are for a later post). Others are huge complexes, and some more mid-size, like Ubud Palace.
There are many visa options to enter Indonesia as an American; for tourism, a 30-day Visa on Arrival, or a 60-day Visa application before arrival were the best options when we traveled. We had planned to stay 60-days in Indonesia, but that application needs to be submitted at least seven business days in advance; by the time we realized it during our stay in Shanghai, we only had five, so we didn’t risk it; as a 30-day extension is available for the Visa on arrival (much more on this in a later post).
We were immediately approved for our 30 day, which we did online a few days before; this is good to do as we were able to just scan our passports upon arrival, and not wait in the passport control line. There is also a $10 per person Bali Tax to pay online, and an “Arrival Card” to enter Indonesia, both of which can be done online prior to arrival, which skips those lines as well.
By doing and paying all the necessary entry forms, we breezed right through, and it was a pretty chill airport even to get our bags from baggage claim, we were pleasantly surprised. Though once outside of baggage claim, there was an overwhelming number of taxi drivers wanting us to use their services, we said “no thank you” at least 30 times each. We had booked a car through booking.com or trip.com, as we use whichever is cheapest from the airport. Grab is the ride hailing app in Indonesia that works as well. Either option is better than the aggressive, and usually will rip you off, taxi drivers.
We found our driver, a friendly Balinese man named Krisnawan, who said to call him Kris. He was a funny guy, doing a great surfer dude accent, and had been driving for 30+ years. He drove us to Ubud, near the center of the island, through a lot of traffic. Though nobody honks their horn, it’s rare he said, usually only when seeing a friend. Ubud is especially bad for traffic, he said, and that googlemaps would grossly underestimate the time it takes to go from one place to another, especially by car. There are so many motorbikes, and they’re available for rent for tourists as well. The app name Grab comes from grabbing (holding on) to the motorbike driver, which is a quick way to get around, but not really feasible for two people.
We were pretty tired after our day of travel to the airport at 4:30am, and not arriving in Bali until 12 hours later. So we checked into the hotel, ate dinner of some great, fresh tasting, (much less oil than China) Indonesian food. Then we looked up at the stars, and down at the pool, before going to bed.
The next day we did some walking around, stopped for some feet massages, and a little shopping. We also took in the many shrines around the neighborhood, while walking on narrow, and sometimes no, sidewalk streets, with bikes whizzing by.
In the evening, we went and saw the Balinese Dance Performance at Ubud Palace. It was less than $10 per person, but seating was long, metal benches (if you arrive really early there are plastic chairs available in the front rows) for us to sit on, and in front people could sit on the ground. They really pack everyone in, and there is no air flow, so it is extremely hot. There are a few vendors selling drinks if needed. It was quite a busy time outside the Palace.
The program they provide tells the story of the performance we saw, it centered around love stories mainly. You may be familiar with the women dancing and darting their wide open eyes, wearing heavy black eyeliner and colorful costumes. A group of musicians accompanied them.
It was quite an experience. After, we walked the streets of Ubud a bit more, as it is very safe (just needed to keep an eye out for cracks and holes in the pavement, mainly) and the motor bikes.
Ubud is very unique, unlike any place I have traveled to. It did have the touristy vibe of some central American or Caribbean locations I’ve been to, with the walking on broken pavement, so many vendors selling the same touristy trinkets and clothing, and a lot of bars with 2-for-1 drink specials. Luckily, there are quality items if one looks a bit deeper, and the Indonesian restaurants are great. We only had a few days in Ubud until we were off to our next destination, the nearby island of Nusa Penida. Not to worry though, we would be back in Ubud for more time once we finished visiting some other islands.
WhatsApp is the main way to communicate in Bali (and most of the rest of the world), and Kris, our driver, said if we needed a ride to let him know, and he would take us. Thus, Kris drove us to the port in Sanur, and we waited for our boat to take us to Nusa Penida. There were a few cool shrines and statues at the port, too, along with a massive dragon fish statue that surrounded parts of the 2-story waiting room.
Our boat finally arrived, and we were off to Nusa Penida!
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