Travel – Bali

Bali Travel Tips for bodyboarding

Short introduction
I dont really know where to start with this BALI travel section. Almost everything has been said about Bali i guess and if you’ve already planned a trip there you probably already know where to go and what to do once there. So what i’ll try to do here is to give you more concrete tips and pieces of advice.

First thing to know: When you land in Denpasar International Airport, hurry up and walk faster than all the other travellers inside the airport towoard the exit and the passport checking area. The quicker you go the quicker you’ll be out. Usually there are a lot of foreigners waiting at the passport check desks so try to be the first one in the row ! When you’re done with formalities change 10 or 20 bucks/euros into Rupiahs. It’s enough. You’ll change more money downtown Kuta, they have better rates. Now that you have 10 bucks (i should says 100 000 rupiahs) in your pocket you have to take a 15 min. ride in a cab to go to Kuta. Dont let anyone hold and carry your bags at the airport ! They want money for this service and unless your bag is really heavy you dont really need to use that service. Once out of the airport, there a cab station on the right, you have to go to the main desk and ask for a cab. It’s 25 000 rupiahs to go to Kuta. Price is fixed here. No need to bargain. Jump in the cab and breathe, the worst part is now behind you and you’re ready to enjoy your surf trip. The cab will drive thru crazy little streets full of people and tourists. The traffic is hectic but it’s pretty fun to watch this.

Second option: If you dont wanna spend the night in Kuta and you wanna go straight to the south end of the island next to Uluwatu or Padang or Bingin you can ask at the taxi/cab desk if someone can drive you there, it’s a 20 to 30 min. ride and the price might vary from 50 000 to 150 000 or 200 000 rupiahs i guess. If it’s your first time in Bali i suggest you take it easy and sleep in Kuta the first night.

If you follow the first option and chose to spend the night in Kuta, ask the cab to drop you downtown Kuta in Poppies lane 2. This is a narrow little street where it’s easy to find a “losmen” or “inn” to spend a couple nights. Most rooms are 2-3 bucks a day. All the famous bars and pubs or night clubs are next to poppies lane 2 and this is where all the travellers, surfers, tourists gather at night or for shopping during day time. You’ll find a place to change money as well. Change your money inside an official money changer, not inside a small ghetto shop that sells clothing and souvenirs. The beach is a 5 min. walk down poppies lane 2. You can rent a bike for 3 bucks a day almost everywhere or rent a car for 10-15 bucks a day if you’re not alone. If you’re scared to drive in Bali you can rent a car and a driver for 20-30 bucks a day and he’ll drive you anywhere you want.

Once you’ve spent a good night sleep, 2 Options are available to you:

- First one: you chose to stay in Kuta and rent a motorbike or car to go surf. There are spots 30 min. north of Kuta, 30 minutes south of Kuta and also 5 min. from Poppies lane 2 (Kuta reef, Airport Reef, Middle Reef or the sand bars down the beach in Kuta). The advantage of this option is that you will be able to chose where you wanna surf everyday depending on the swell. If the swell is small, go surf 30 min. north of Kuta, there are plenty of breaks/spots. If it’s big go surf south of Kuta (Bekit peninsula: Dream Land, Bingin, Padang, Uluwatu…). If it’s well oriented and fairly big you should also try Kuta reef early in the morning. The disadvantages are: Kuta is a noisy place to stay, it’s fun but it can be exhausting, you will have to drive more.

- Second one: you chose to stay on the Bukit peninsula next to Bingin or Padang or Uluwatu. It’s great because you’ll surf the Bukit spots/reefs all the time and you’ll be there early in the morning to score. It’s very cheap (2-3 bucks a night) and you can rent a motorbike there too. The Disadvantage is that if there’s only small waves or if you wanna surf somewhere else than Padang or Uluwatu or Bingin, then you’ll have to drive all the way up to Kuta, get thru the city and drive up the coast 30 min. north of Kuta. Total: an Hour driving. You wont do this everyday, believe me. Chances are, you’ll score Padang and Bingin and you wont have to drive all the way up to Kuta and north very often. Spots north of Kuta are really fun and it would be stupid not to try any though.

How to chose your option ? It’s up to you. Depends on the swell and depends on what you’ll be driving etc. It also depends if you wanna surf reefs all the time or mix it up, if you’re looking for heavy and dangerous surf or just fun surf and barrels. It also depends if you wanna spend some time in the bars in Kuta at night or not… You’ll have a great trip both ways.

Short conclusion. Who ever you are and wherever you’re from Bali and Indo in general is a special experience, wave-wise and culture-wise. Indonesian people are some of the nicest and friendliest people on this planet and you won’t go back home the same. Chances are the first trip you’ll do will make you wanna go back for more. There’s no way to describe it. There’s something special about Bali. You have to go there and experience it yourself.

Ten things to doTEN THINGS TO DO:

  1. Travel Lightly.
  2. Bring a spare board and leash. Maybe spear fins too.
  3. Get a Motorbike license in Bali if you rent a motorbike. It’s cheap and safer.
  4. Smile, balinese people are the nicest people on this planet.
  5. Bargain for everything.
  6. Surf Canggu if the swell is small. Surf Kuta reef if the swell is huge, it’s great for dropknee.
  7. Meet & Talk to other travelers.
  8. Bring Mosquito repellent.
  9. Wake up early.
  10. Party downtown Kuta.

Ten things not to doTEN THINGS NOT TO DO

  1. Dont use or buy Drugs.
  2. Dont motorbike without a helmet.
  3. Dont surf massive Padang or massive Uluwatu with no experience.
  4. Dont leave a reef cut get infected.
  5. Dont surf without sunscreen.
  6. Dont surfwithout a top or rashguard or tshirt right after lunch.
  7. Dont drink unbottled beverages (or drinks with ice if it’s not in a safe restaurant).
  8. Dont disrespect locals in and out the water.
  9. Dont change too much money at the airport. The best rates are usually in Kuta.
  10. Dont leave without getting a massage !

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