Enchanted Bali

The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world with over 18,000 islands.
A popular tourist destination known for its natural attractions, perfect climate and relaxed atmosphere, this island of flowers, temples and friendly people is considered a real gem by travelers worldwide.
This tropical island is one of the most stunning, and yet, now dangerous destinations on the planet. Recent terrorism attacks here and in other areas of Indonesia have stifled western tourism rather dramatically. 

Check out this map

Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and the vast majority of Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. There are several indigenous Balinese languages, but most Balinese can also use the most widely spoken option: modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is diminishing. Sanskrit is also commonly used by some Hindu priests in Bali, for Hinduism literature was mostly written in Sanskrit.

English is a common third language (and the primary foreign language) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the tourism industry. Other foreign languages, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German or Hindi are often used in multilingual signs for foreign tourists.

Bali is well known of it's beach. One of what we're talking about is the town of Kuta (with it's beach). This place is awesome. Awesome view, awesome sun, awesome waves, awesome place to relax, It sure is have everything here. No wonder why this place is one of the busiest tourist location.

Here in Kuta Beach there's a lot things that you can do. Swim around and around and around. And for kids, don't swim too far. There's a deep spot there if you go too far. Plus a big wave might come to blow away and strike right in front of your face. It'd kinda hurt for the first time, but you'll get use to it. And my best part is when the waves are turning back. Feels like we're being absorbed along with the waves. It's kinda fun, trying to balance our body to prevent being absorbed. You can try the same thing, but don't too excited on this. Or else you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere. You know, when someone get excited he never realize his surrounding environment. Who knows he has been too far from the side he was. It's never happened before, but I'm warning you.

Talking about waves. Kuta Beach is one of the best place to surfing. In fact not all of the beaches can be use for the surfing place. So many reasons why it's cannot be a surfing place, but one of the strongest reason is because of the waves. Not all of the beaches might have a fit water to surf. But, Bali has this fit water on.

See that dude with the white surfboard? He try to balance his body so that he can't fall. Across a big wave with a board on the surface? I never knew surfing is so amazing. We can even see the view from the top of the wave, watch the blue scenery all over in the middle of the water, splash of water which is cause by the surfboard, and touch the waves while we're surfing on them. Not only that, even surfing is basically just walk on the water, but this kind of sport has some style which is a freestyle to do with.

This is one kind of freestyle on surfing. It's kinda a flip jump on the water. But don't try this move instead, need a professional to do so.

Bali's best-known attractions are its countless Hindu temples. Each village is required by adat (customary law) to construct and maintain at least three temples: the pura puseh (temple of origin) located at the kaja (pure) side of the village, the pura desa (village temple) at the centre for everyday community activities and the pura dalem (temple of the dead) at the kelod (unclean) end. Wealthy villages may well have more than these three obligatory temples, and additionally all family compounds have a temple of some nature.

The nine directional temples (kayangan jagat) are the largest and most prominent. These are located at strategic points across Bali and are designed to protect the island and its inhabitants from dark forces. Pura Luhur Uluwatu (Uluwatu Temple), at the southern tip of Bali, is easily accessed and hence very popular, as is Tanah Lot. For the Balinese, the "mother temple" of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung is the most important of all and sits above the nine. The other seven directional temples are Pura Ulur Danu Bratan, Pura Ulun Danu Batur, Pura Pasar Agung, Pura Lempuyang Luhur, Goa Lawah, Pura Masceti and Pura Luhur Batukaru. All of these are located on either rugged high ground or at the water's edge, and this is a clear indication of the likely source of dark forces as far as the Balinese are concerned.

Part of the Ulun Danu Temple complex at Lake Bratan in Bedugul

Here's some information how to get in

By plane

Most visitors will arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS) , also known as Denpasar International Airport. Despite this misleading name, the airport is actually located in Tuban between Kuta and Jimbaran, roughly 30 mins away from Denpasar.

Ngurah Rai is Indonesia's 3rd busiest international airport (after Jakarta and Surabaya) and a major hub well-connected to Australia, South-East Asia, and the rest of Indonesia.

By bus 

There are direct bus services to Bali from all major cities on Java and Lombok that link with ferries for sea crossings. These are cheap and easy, but slow.

• Perama bus company is a good option for budget travellers.

By boat

Ferries cross from Ketapang on the island of Java to Gilimanuk in western Bali every 15 min, 24 hr every day. These are very cheap, and the crossing takes just 30 min (plus sometimes considerable waiting around for loading and unloading).

A number of speedboats and catamarans operate into Benoa Harbour near Kuta (~2 hr) and Padangbai (80 min) from the Gili Islands of Lombok. These are convenient for some travellers but are frequently priced much higher than the equivalent air crossing. Crossing times are subject to weather and other operational conditions and trip times can longer than those publicised.

Caution should be used in selecting a suitable operator and craft for a fast boat crossing to Lombok. Some of the operators on these routes use inappropriate equipment and have inadequate levels of crew training, personnel and safety equipment. The Lombok Strait fast boat crossing can be subject to inclement weather and equipment breakdowns. Boarding an overloaded craft or departing in adverse weather conditions may lead to serious disappointment. Currently there are no operators offering craft suitable for open water all-weather crossings. Rather they are operating light duty hulled craft of fibreglass or aluminium construction powered by outboard petrol engines. One of the current operators plans to introduce a more suitably specified and equipped craft sometime in the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2011. The new boat will be powered by diesel inboard engines and have a more robust hull construction appropriate to open water use. A previous craft of similar specification was withdrawn from this route as operations could not be sustained in competition with the lower cost base alternatives. Two of the light duty craft have already sunk whilst carrying passengers, fortunately they had not yet entered open waters at the time, fortunately nearby assistance was available and there were no fatalities.

There are also public ferries from Lembar, Lombok, to Padang Bai every few hours, with the trip taking around 3 to 4 hours. This service has a notable safety, operational and equipment standards issues, some ferries are better than others, or worse depending upon your perspective. Delays are commonplace due to loading and unloading issues and services may be cancelled or postponed during periods of inclement weather. It may be prudent to avoid sea crossings during the monsoonal period when sea conditions may lead to deteriorated comfort levels or a dangerous crossing.

See the Gili Islands and Lombok articles for full details concerning travelling and arriving in Lombok and it's nearby islands.

Cruise ships occasionally stop so that passengers can tour or shop. Some ships still anchor off-shore toward the southeast side of the island and tender guests to shore. Modest-sized ships can choose to dock at the port of Benoa not far from Denpasar, Kuta and Sanur. The dock area is basically industrial, with few amenities and no ATMs, but masses of taxis are usually ready to whisk you to nearby destinations at a moderate cost.




Bali may be small in size you can drive around the entire coast in one long day but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so. Ask travellers what Bali means to them and you’ll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. Virescent rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, enchanting temple ceremonies, mesmerising dance performances and ribbons of beaches are just some of the images people cherish.

Unfortunately, it is very unlikely you will find a working public telephone on the street, which can be very frustrating in emergency situations. Depending on your circumstances, you may have to rely on mobile phones (local SIM cards may be used in unlocked phones with economical local and international calling rates) or phone/internet shops. Budget accommodation options are unlikely to offer telephone services to guests.
International phone operators: 101. International Direct Dialing prefix: 001, 007, or 008.
Directory inquires

• 108 (if using a cell phone locally dial the area code you are in (eg 0361) and then 108)

Immigration office:

• Niti Mandala, Renon, Denpasar. Tel.: +62 361 227828.
• I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. Tel.: +62 361 751038. 

Emergency

• Ambulance: 118.
• Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), free ambulance service. Tel: +62 361 480282.
• Police: 110.
• Search & Rescue team: 115 or 151. Tel: +62 361 751111.
• Tourist Police: Tel: +62 361 754599 or 763753
• Bali Police HQ: Jl WR Supratman, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 227711 .
• Badung Police HQ: Jl Gunung Sanghyang, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 424245.
• Police stations:
  • Denpasar: Jl Ahmad Yani. Tel: +62 361 225456.
  • Sanur: Jl By Pass Ngurah Rai. Tel: +62 361 288597.
  • Kuta: Jl Raya Tuban. Tel: +62 361 751598.
  • Nusa Dua: Jl By Pass Nusa Dua. Tel: +62 361 772110. 

Hospitals with 24 hours emergency room (ER):

• RS Umum Sanglah, Jl Kesehatan 1, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 243307, 227911, 225483, 265064.
• RS Umum Badung, Jl Raya Kapal Mengwi, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 7421880.
• RS Umum Dharma Usadha, Jl Jend Sudirman 50, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 227560, 233786, 233787.
• RS Umum Manuaba, Jl HOS Cokroaminoto 28, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 426393, 226393.
• RS Umum Surya Husadha , Jl Pulau Serangan 1-3, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 233787.
• RS Umum Wangaya, Jl RA Kartini 133, Denpasar. Tel: +62 361 222141.