BootsnAll Travel Community

You know how you hear about all the basics, Kuta and Ubud for example, but might miss out on something spectacular?

Share your favorite Bali experience/place/activity/food/adventure here

How much time do you have?

I think the guidebooks cover everything that is "spectacular." The challenge will be to escape the spectacular and discover Bali's quiet and secret beauties. What amazed me was the way in which art, religion, spirituality, and life were all intertwined.

Do you speak Bahasa? Learn some now - it is one of the world's easiest languages to pick up, similar to Esperanto. That will open many doors to you.

And some hints:

- There are a lot of quiet villages that also act as artists' colonies for small numbers of Westerners. Check one out.

- Remember that most people you meet in Kuta are not ethnically Balinese. Bali is an economic engine for Indonesia, and attracts workers from all over the country. Lovely people, to be sure, but you'll need to get off the tourist track to be surrounded by Hindu culture.

- Rent a car for a day or two and tour the rice paddies. Simply stunning.

- There is some nice hiking in the mountains. Try at least one.

- If you escape the tourist track you will be asked the same five questions, over and over and over. Learn the questions and answers in Bahasa, at least! Be patient, answer them all, even if it's for the twentieth time that morning. Ask the same questions back. Yes, the same exact five. Afterwards, you might be able to hold an actual conversation!

The questions ... as anyone who has been to Indonesia can tell you ... don't let them drive you crazy! ... are:

What's your name? Siapa namamu? (Nama saya Michael)
Where are you from? Dari mana? (Dari Hawai`i)
Are you married? Sudah beristri? (Ngak, belum, tidak ada cinta ...)
How many kids do you have? (I forgot how to ask this! Berapa ... something)
What is your religion? Agamamu apa? (Agama saya Katolika)

It's been awhile, so someone who speaks better might want to review this.

First of all I would not rent a car - driving and parking is bad.
Rice fields are great - in Ubud you can walk all around and thru them.
Museums in Ubud: Blanco, Neka, ARMA - all three worth it.
Restaurants in Ubud: Lotus (good food and best view), Cinta(great ribs and mojito's) Cafe Des Artiste (great ribs and steak) and right across the street from the best internet place in all of UBUD, Roda Internet.
Go see a Cremation, unbelievable.
Go to Candidasa (Rama Candidasa is a great hotel, Vincents is a great place to eat. While there visit Tenganan - now this is a village that is off the path and is unique: people seldom marry outside the village - they also weave the double ikat and they also transcribe onto palm leaves.
Another place - Klungkung, here in the city is the Hall of Justice and the Floating Pavilion. Klungkung is also an artist town. In fact the gentleman who painted the ceiling of the Hall of Justice is still alive and lives with his family (extended family in Klungkung) His grandson is now the painter.
Now some of these things we would have never seen: Cremation, Tenganan, and Klungkung if not for our driver/guide. And that is the key to seeing off the beaten path stuff - have a driver/guide take you and explain some of the great places in Bali. You can always hire a driver off the street or hotel, but believe me they don't know half the stuff that a driver/guide knows. We have been to Bali 3 times in the last 4 and have used Merta from Denpasar all 3 times. From picking us up at the airport to taking us around. Very knowledgeable and trustworthy.
email: mertagct@telkom.net. John

John R / Michael C: Thanks so much for the tips you've left above. I'm looking forward to my return, and hopefully, I won't miss as much this time.

Hi there. I was just wondering about Bahasa. You say it would be good to learn some before going to Bali. Is Bahasa the same as Indonesian as I think that the Balinese language is completely different to Indonesian. Would you say its better to learn Indonesian if travelling to Bali, or Balinese. I've looked everywhere in Perth to find someone that teaches the Balinese language, but its impossible. Thanks heaps. Lorraine

Hi Lollyann
Bahasa indonesian is the mainlanguage of Indonesia all the balinese speak it.Bahasa Bali is a different dialect and not understood very well by by some javanese etc who are you also meet a lot of in Bali.
A lot of the High schools here in Perth teach Bahasa indonesian and there are some Yr 11 & 12 students out there who are great to learn some converstaional Indonesian from.I have an Indonesian frien who spends some time in Perth and she is a great teacher but i find the language much easier to pick up from an English speaking person as I can ask them exactly what it is I want to phrase.I am sure you are bound to know some teenagers if so ask around and find out are they learing the lingo if so cadge a few lessons.
Cheers laurs

quote:

Originally posted by Laurlaurs:
Hi Lollyann
Bahasa indonesian is the mainlanguage of Indonesia all the balinese speak it.Bahasa Bali is a different dialect and not understood very well by by some javanese etc who are you also meet a lot of in Bali.
A lot of the High schools here in Perth teach Bahasa indonesian and there are some Yr 11 & 12 students out there who are great to learn some converstaional Indonesian from.I have an Indonesian frien who spends some time in Perth and she is a great teacher but i find the language much easier to pick up from an English speaking person as I can ask them exactly what it is I want to phrase.I am sure you are bound to know some teenagers if so ask around and find out are they learing the lingo if so cadge a few lessons.
Cheers laurs

Wow. This is a pretty important tip. Thanks!