Bali - Island of Gods

Being just on the door step to Australia, it’s not exactly a short trip from Europe. But it was well worth the long way.

Before You Go

Of course the visa situation depends on your passport and regulations change. For us it wasn’t more than a visa on arrival. Just check the officals website.

You’ll also need to fill the arrival card within 3 days before arrival. And there’s now a tourism levy of 150,000 IDR (around 8 EUR) that you need pay. Keep the QR code on your phone and print a backup copy. Don’t pay airport “helpers” to do it for you.

Arriving in Kuta

We arrived on Saturday night late at 10pm and we had nothing booked at all. But just as research suggested this wasn’t a problem at all. We just took a cab to Poppies Lane in Kuta. Plenty of very reasonable priced (not to say cheap) hotels there. We ended staying at the Masa Inn with rooms starting around 400,000 IDR per night (about 22 EUR). It’s conveniently located only a short walk from Kuta beach with all its clubs and parties. Since we are not fans of El Arenal type entertainment we just stayed for the night and left in the morning for Ubud.

Transportation

When we left Germany we planned to rent a car to have a little more freedom to get around. During the taxi ride from the airport I suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore whether I really want to drive in Bali. Traffic rules that are seen more as suggestions made us hold onto the seats a couple of times. In retrospect it would have probably been OK once outside Kuta.

Renting a car with driver is quite a common way to get around all over Bali. “Taxi?” was probably the most heard word on the street. So we ended up hiring a driver to bring us to Ubud. Essentially having a chauffeur I found a little strange - but it gave us the opportunity to relax and see much more on the way.

If you do decide to get a rental car I would suggest to get it in Kuta. There is much competition and prices are lower. These days you’ve also got ride-hailing apps like Gojek and Grab for shorter trips. But be aware of faulty charges added on by the drivers.

Scooter rental runs about 60,000-120,000 IDR per day (3-7 EUR), while a private driver for a full day is typically 500,000-750,000 IDR (27-41 EUR). If you rent a scooter, make absolutely sure your insurance covers it and wear a helmet.

Shopping in Ubud

Our expectations were quite high for this little town at the foot of the mountains. Laid back in the lush greens. It’s called the spiritual center of Bali. And while this still may be the case, it wasn’t really that obvious for us to find. There are nice restaurants, cafes and temples. But the word we ended up associating with Ubud was “shopping” much more than “spirituality”.

We tried to get a room at a hotel overlooking the rice fields which is supposed to be very nice. Unfortunately they were all booked out. Maybe one of the reasons that our impression was much more touristy was that we so ended up staying just off Monkey Forest Road at the Sagitarius Inn (for about 30 EUR per night).

That said, the Ubud market is quite an experience. Be sure to show your best haggling skills. Rumors say that the bags you get are color coded. They tell the next seller that (if black) you are no fool or (if red) you are easy money. Be aware that locals usually don’t go there because starting prices are very very high (in balinese measures at least). Well, how is the stupid tourist supposed to know? For us it’s still cheap. But locals always told us: “Please haggle!!” So not just do it for you - but also for them.

Go early (before 9am) if you can, and walk through once before buying anything. The Ubud Art Market is the classic spot. For something different, Threads of Life has beautiful textiles at fixed prices and feels more like a gallery.

Haggle with a smile, don’t be rude - the official visitor guidelines even mention this.

Money

Talking about money we found it best to bring cash. Changing at registered traders is still the way to go. Count your notes slowly - if someone tries to rush you, stop. Exchange rates float but figure roughly 18,500 IDR to 1 EUR as a reference point.

If you change at the hotel it might be less. On credit card transactions you quite often have a 3% surcharge (on top of what your credit card company will charge you for international use of course). Use ATMs attached to banks for best rates.

While you can also spend big money in Bali you can get away with a very decent double room and dinner for two without breaking the bank.

Gaia Oasis

We stayed in Ubud for 2 nights. Then took a driver for the trip through the mountains to the Gaia Oasis in Tejakula on the north coast of Bali. We found this little resort during our research from Germany. We called them up from Ubud and were lucky they still had rooms available. When we arrived we didn’t really know what to expect. Tejakula is a just small village. The driver dropped of in front and we started walking down this little path. Past very simple shacks and rural houses with chickens in front. Just when we became a little skeptical the path opened up and we arrived at the resort situated directly at the beach. When they showed us our bungalow we were blown away.

All bungalows are only a few more meters from the beach. Their baths are half outside. Each one has its own style. They are clean and it was the best place I ever stayed at. The staff is really friendly and food is good. It’s the perfect place to relax.

A few things you have to be aware of though: the beach is black and rocky - as most of the northern Bali coastline. Snorkeling is not particular fantastic at the house reef. But I am spoiled and it was still fun. The only real annoyance we found is that you really don’t want to book a driver or change money at the resort. I hope this has changed since.

There also is the original sister resort in the mountains. It’s only a 10 minute drive. It’s more rural. Also has gorgeous houses and a great salt water pool overlooking the Tejakula area and the ocean. But at the end of the dry season it’s rather brownish around. Probably a magical place after the wet season.

So if you have 10 days you want to spend relaxing in Bali the Gaia Oasis comes highly recommended. The beach bungalows (“Pantai”) running about 1,500,000 IDR per night (around 81 EUR) and the mountain property (“Abasan”) around 1,200,000 IDR per night (around 65 EUR).

I just found out that they no longer offer the free yoga classes we had. Which is a shame. It was one of the best classes and locations I ever had. But the spa still seems to be going strong and is also very recommended.

As I wanted to do some diving we also had a look at the Pondok Sari resort - which is more in the north-west of Bali. But when we had a look we were quite disappointed. So instead of moving quarters we asked the driver to brings us back to the Gaia Oasis. He laughed and the staff at the Gaia Oasis also gave us a big smile when we returned.

I traveled to the Alam Anda for diving instead.

Diving

The Alam Anda is located only a 10 minute drive south of the Gaia Oasis. The Alam Anda has a Werner Lau dive base. While it’s also a nice resort (much nicer than Pondok Sari - but also much more expensive) I would still prefer to stay at the Gaia Oasis and commute every day for the diving. If you take a bemo (public transport) it’s really cheap.

For the first dive I joined a group of intro divers on a trip to the USS Liberty in Tulamben. The introduction for the newbies was shockingly poor. I did my best to help out there. For the dive I had my own guide and the dive was OK. Unfortunately not the best conditions and it got crowded soon.

Later dives I did with the people from the Alam Anda dive base. Their house reef is nice. Good for at least a couple of dives. I also used the opportunity to get my Nitrox certification and finished that off with a diving trip to Nusa Penida. 2.5h by bus and 1h by speed boat. But all was well organized.

The first dive was at Manta Point. Visibility was not good. Unfortunately only the other group saw a Manta for only a few seconds and then it disappeared into the blue. When we surfaced I wasn’t really surprised. 10 boats times roughly 6 divers. You do the math. The second dive was at Crystal Bay. 20 boats …and of course no Mola Mola. Pretty ridiculous. And it was quite a tough dive with lots of current.

The USS Liberty at Tulamben is still the classic Bali dive - go early in the day if you can. Nusa Penida day trips still run around 900,000-1,200,000 IDR (49-65 EUR) for a 2-dive trip including transport and equipment. The sites can be amazing but manage your expectations around the famous spots.

Photos

Bali surely is picturesque. The rice terraces are beautiful. And during our tours I came across many Kodak moments. But frankly speaking I didn’t have the guts to shoot. Many of these moments involved quite poor people in the rural areas. When walking it’s one thing to secretly take the shot or even ask. But stopping the car with a driver. Pulling out my expensive gear felt so wrong that I just couldn’t do it. Maybe a challenge to overcome such feelings - but this time it just didn’t feel right. So I am afraid my pictures will only show a very limited part of the nice things we came across.

Final Thoughts

This vacation turned out very differently than what we expected. Initially we wanted to travel more. But somehow we just got stuck at the Gaia and don’t even feel sorry about it. This time it was just a different vacation. Not the usual backpacking. But instead it was lots of reading and relaxing. Yoga, meditation and wellness. Many friendly people. A peaceful vacation at a peaceful place.

That advice still holds: spend less time in the crowded southern areas, more time where Bali can breathe. The north around Tejakula remains a good choice for that slower pace.