Just a couple things come to mind when thinking of Bali. Sun, sand, surf, yoga, but this Indonesian island is so much more, with a rich cultural history you could easily spend a lifetime uncovering all of Bali’s hidden gems. But what should you see if you only have a week and its your first time visiting (trust me you will want to come back a second and a third and a fourth time.) Aside from the original reasons of coming, to catch some sun and relax, maybe try a yoga class or retreat, catch some waves if you are into surfing, here are some of my must sees on a first visit to Bali.
The most popular and famous attraction is easily the Ubud Monkey Forest- who doesn’t love interacting with wild monkeys. For around 50 Baht (about 5 AUD) you can get into the park and feed the monkeys bananas-the only way to get the monkey to sit on you. As cute as they look, you need to be careful when getting close to these monkeys, they can and will get violent if they feel threatened. Some simple rules to follow:
1) NEVER look the monkeys in the eye-they take this as a threat.
2) Try not to show your teeth-also seen as threatening
3) DO NOT touch the monkeys, let them come to you.
4) Avoid wearing shiny objects into the park unless you really don’t want them anymore. The monkeys will be more than happy to take them off your hands.
5) Avoid going into your bag while in the park unless you enjoy being chased by a heard of monkeys who think you have food inside.
Follow these rules and you will have an enjoyable visit. The amount of people who didn’t listen to this advice and learned the hard way was unbelievable.
Another must see attraction is one of Bali’s numerous temples. As a whole Indonesia is predominately Muslim, but Bali is predominately Hindu. To get a sense of the importance religion plays here check out one of the many temples throughout the island. Its a running joke that there are more temples in Bali than actual housing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this were true. The most famous is by far Tanah Lot, beautifully situated on the water, but if you don’t have the time to get out to Tanah Lot you will stumble across many other temples throughout your stay.
Another must see is a cultural performance. There are numerous types of Balinese Dance and seeing one will help you to understand more of the Balinese culture. We had the chance to see a Barong style dance, which the Barong is the magical protector of Balinese villages. Aside from learning more about the culture you will also get see some pretty decorative costumes.
Finally you have to experience shopping in Bali. While bartering can be intimidating, that’s half the fun. Out of all the places we visited in southeast Asia we found Bali to have the best selection of items to shop from and the best prices after bartering. A good rule of thumb is to go in with an amount you are willing to spend up to on an item and then make your first offer 70% lower than the price the seller will originally offer. If they won’t agree to your final offer, walk away. Nine times out of ten they will run after you and agree to your price. They will try to make you feel bad, but in the end if they agree to sell it to you for the lower price it obviously wasn’t a loss for them. Another good idea is to go in with small bills and make sure only the amount you want to spend is visible in your wallet or purse. Or hide your wallet until you have agreed on a price. They will try to take peeks into your wallet to see how much you really have. Definitely have a go though. It’s fun and you will feel proud of yourself at your newly found bargaining skills.
How to get around
The easiest and cheapest way to get from one place to the next is to hire a driver for either a half day or full day. For just 30 AUD a car you can have a driver for up to 5 hours to take you anywhere you want to go and for 60 AUD you can have the driver for up to 10 hours. Split between a couple people this is pretty cheap. Not only is it the cheapest way to get around but it is also the best way to learn more about Bali, as the drivers are local and are usually more than happy to share their knowledge with you. In one day you can see a good amount of the island.
Where to stay
Bali is quite large for being an island and it takes a couple of hours to get from one side to the next, so where is the best place to stay? It all depends what you want to center your trip around. Here are a couple of options.
Kuta, Legian, Seminyak region: Where most of the tourists stay, but good for being near to the beach, shopping and food. Legain is where we stayed, situated right in between the party town of Kuta and the upscale Seminyak. We found it to be perfect for a first visit as we walking distance from the other two, yet it was less crowded and quieter than it would have been staying in Kuta. There are lots of great hotels and resorts around as well. Hotels in Bali are great, for 50 AUD a night for two at a 4 star hotel with a buffet breakfast, its not a bad deal at all and we could have stayed forever.
Ubud: Is centrally located and a good jumping off point if you plan to hit all 4 sides of Bali. This is also where the Monkey Forest is and a lot of good shopping.
Denpassar: Close to the airport.
North Bali: Quieter black sanded beaches.
East Bali: Quieter coastal towns.
BEST TRAVEL TIP:
The biggest piece of advice for anyone traveling to Bali, if you are planning on exchanging foreign cash when you get there (which will give you the best value for your money if done right), make sure that at any currency exchange place you go, you are the last one to count the money and the last one to touch it. This is the biggest known scam in Bali and unfortunately we fell victim to it. What the exchange man will do is count out the money and then let you count it out in front of him, he will then gather the money back up and count it once more in front of you, no matter how closely you watch he will always manage to drop a good amount of the bills into a drawer you cannot see (even with two of us staring him down he managed to get us, I swear its magic.) When he does this, make sure you count the money out one more time before you leave, and you must be the last one to touch the counted money. Do not hand over any of your money until you are sure you have the right amount. If careful you will get the best value for your money this way with no commission fees.
Bali is a magical place and will be a great time no matter what happens.
Au Pair Down Under 