Hi,
I’m new with this forum. I would like to help giving information for those who want to visit Bali. Any question will be answerers as soon as possible. Best regards
Well, I would be interested in participating in a Subud latihan. Is Bali a good place to do that?
Sounds like a great place to do that!
What is the quickest way to get a flight from Taipei to Bali for 2? My sister and I are trying to fly there on 5/17 or 5/18 and return to Taipei on 5/26 or 5/27. Any help you could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks!
subwaysue
Do Taiwan passport holders need a VISA for Bali? What about USA passport holders. I heard somewhere that they started to require Visas with somewhat high fees, or was this an entry fee.
Is business still so poor there after the Muslim extremists bombed that night club killing so many foreigners that the government officials in Bali or the central governemtn need another way to make extra money?
Do Taiwan passport holders need a VISA for Bali? What about USA passport holders. I heard somewhere that they started to require Visas with somewhat high fees, or was this an entry fee.
Is business still so poor there after the Muslim extremists bombed that night club killing so many foreigners that the government officials in Bali or the central governemtn need another way to make extra money?
Yes to both questions. Visa fee for 30 days is $25US (and you do pay with US currency).
"NEW - beginning February 1, 2004 The government has changed the visa-free facility and has a new tourist visa system with three different categories:
Pay-for-visa-on-arrival system for citizens of the United States, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, the Arab Emirates, Finland, Hungary, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Norway, France, Poland, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Taiwan. The cost of the new 30-day (only) tourist visa is US$25/person for a 30-day visa and US$10 for a 3-day visa. Visitors from countries with visa-on-arrival facility will have to go to a special counter to have their passports stamped with the on-arrival visa before going to the immigration clearance desk. Avisa issued on arrival can be extended only once for a period of 15 days on payment of an additional fee, and cannot be converted into another class of visa."
Jakarta politics (read MUSLIM) and xenophobia combined with greed…the Balinese howled when Jakarta put in the new visa regs. Indonesia (thanks to The Clash):
“It’s always squeeze, squeeze, squeeze…”
Yehaa, we’re leaving for Bali on Friday. We’re going to stay at Nua Dusa, how convenient is it to Candidasa and Kuta? We’re only going for 5 days so I don’t want to spend too much time in transit.
I personally detest Nusa Dua. It reminds of the Las Vegas hotel area in that it is self contained area. If you want to leave the area, you have to take one of the over priced Nusa Dua taxis. If you want to go to a little shop to buy more toothpaste you have to go to a Nusa Dua shop that is way over priced. The restaurants in the area suck too unless you go to the 4 and 5 star hotel restaurants, but they are over priced. Nusa Dua is a peninsula and the hotels kind of control the area. It is all by itself at the south of the island. A more central location is Kuta, albeit just as touristy, but at least their are actual Balinese people that live around there and the hotels there are more affordable. Nusa Dua is the last place I would stay unless I didn’t really want to go to Bali and I just wanted to get lost in a huge 5 Star resort hotel, be pampered and never leave the compound. Quite relaxing actually. Hmm…if that is what you want it is the best place. Some of the hotels there are great. I am partial to the Four Seasons Nusa Dua…
You’re out of luck then. Nusa Dua is on the otherside of nowhere. You’re going to be sitting in a taxi a LONG time. And a warning. Roadwork is still going on all over here in Kuta. Jalan Kartika Plaza is only one lane and Jalan Legian is the same. Massive traffic jams all the time. The project was scheduled to be completed in June but as they’ve only finished 30%, that’s another schedule down the toilet. Best figure on August.
Hmmm, points to ponder, we were going to stay at the Nikko, I’ll check with my agent today, I don’t want to be in traffic all the time, but we do want to be pampered. Thanks.
Try any hotel on Oberoi Rd. Over there is where the expats live. Those hotels are also very expensive and will pamper you but the area is better as there are excellent restaurants on Oberoi Rd., but shhhhhhhh…don’t tell everybody.
I second that. Try Resor Seminyak. I was just over there a couple of days ago…VERY nice.
The weather was great today and the beer cold. 
Come on down!
Hey Blueface, nice recommendation. That is an excellent location and their prices seem OK, I mean it is a lot more affordable than The Oberoi or some other hotels in that area. Have you seen the rooms? Will you vouch for the place? Any way to get a cheaper price than their internet price, because I still think it is a little pricey for Bali? I want to stay their the next time I go to Bali.
I’ve seen the rooms and it really is nice. The only downside is that lots of Europeans (read Germans, Austrians and Swiss) stay there and that probably affects the rates. You might be able to bargain with them if you just walked in…
Hi! I’m 53 year old American male, health average for age. I have plans to visit expat brother and Taiwanese in-laws in September. This will be my second visit to Taiwan, and my BOI-TPE ticket gives me ample time to start with a side trip by myself of about 5 nights or more, before returning to Taiwan for visit with the relatives. I’m interested in Bali, and I have been skimming through Rough Guide to Bali & Lombok.
I’m rather stodgy, and Kuta sounds like it’s probably not my kind of place. I’m thinking of Sanur at least for first and last nights. Any opinions on Sanur?
My interests include photography, astronomy, possible day hike (no camping), possible light sea kayaking. I would like to see the Magellanic Clouds in the southern sky. For that I’d need a clear view to the south, clear skies, and low light pollution. Any recommendations (without straying too far from civilization)?
Any opinions on hike from Toya Bungkah to Gunung Batur?
Thank you.I detest Sanur. It’s far from anything and more expensive. Kuta isn’t bad as things have changed alot over the past 2 years. I live in Tuban, not far from the airport, and it’s very quiet here. Very little light pollution. For hiking, I’d go up to Ubud…the scenary is beautiful and it’s more of the “real” Bali.
Here’s a photo I shot from my frontdoor this evening…
Thanks, Blueface. For someplace so close to the airport to be quiet, nice, and inexpensive is unexpected. Tuban may be a good choice for my first night.
According to my Rough Guide it looks like Bunut Gardens and Puspa Ayu could be good values in lodging. Any opinions on those? Do you know if they tend to have vacancies in mid-September?
The book shows Matahari Department Store nearby. Do you know if they have a camera shop? I expect to take along a point-and-shoot for most pictures and use mostly ISO 400 film, which is normally widely available. However, for some astro-photos with my SLR I’d like to use ISO 1600 film. That is something a serious camera store might have, but a convenience store doesn’t. I don’t think I should bring film from the U.S.A., as it may get fried by the x-rays. In Taipei I probably won’t be getting very far from CKS Airport before getting on the plane to Denpasar.
One benchmark of light pollution (or lack thereof) is whether you can see the Milky Way. It should run through Crux (Southern Cross), which this time of year would be high to the south just after sunset. Crux itself is bright. I have seen it from Singapore where there were too much haze and light pollution to see the Magellanic Clouds. Can you see the Milky Way from Tuban?
This time of year the Magellanic Clouds would not be visible. Later or earlier in the year can you see them from Tuban?
[quote=“Idaho Economy Tourist”]
According to my Rough Guide it looks like Bunut Gardens and Puspa Ayu could be good values in lodging. Any opinions on those? Do you know if they tend to have vacancies in mid-September?[/quote]
Not familiar with them…I’ll check.
You won’t find 1600 here. Sorry. 400, no problem. It’s been difficult to find professional film here since about 1997. There are lots of camera/photo shops. Processing (prints) is cheap and fast. Forget chrome film.
No problem. The stars at night, are big and bright…deep in the heart of Bali. 
Really, the sky is clear and visibility is excellent.