In Reply to: Many questions from solo traveller posted by richardA on Monday, 31. July 2006 at 21:25 Bali Time:
Hey Richard
Here are a few ideas... I hope they help. I've been to Bali quite a few times and backpacked in Indo for about 3 months last year - really love it there, I'm sure you will too. Anyway...
1) If you want to get a definite cheap flight from Jakarta to Bali, i would book in advance with someone like Air Asia. If you leave it til you get there, you'll end up paying quite a bit to get on a flight, or won't be able to get on one for a day or so, and then you'll be stuck in Jakarta until then. Java is great - I really loved it, but Jakarta definitely isn't the best bit of it. Just a big hot smelly city really. If you go overland in two days, you'll end up on the bus the entire time, and you will wish you had taken the plane! It is worth going overland through Java if you are gonna stop off and see some things on the way e.g. volcanos, Yogyakarta, but otherwise it will just turn out to be one big long uncomfortable bus journey. It is a really long way from Jakarta to Bali.
2) You'll find the internet in most places throughout Bali and Lombok. Nearly everywhere, in fact.
3) If you are good at sport and balance in general, you'll probably get the hang of surfing (basically) after a few lessons. If you are quite good, you'll stand up in your first half hour or so. Don't go for one of these surf schools that advertise on the road - they usually have prices in dollars, and guarantee that you'll be able to stand up etc.. they are a rip off. The best thing to do is to head straight down to Kuta beach and negotiate a price for a lesson with one of the local guys on the beach. There are so many down there that offer surf lessons - just go up to one of the guys renting boards and ask. I can't remember how much it is for a lesson, but it shouldnt be much.
4) As for cheap accommodation - well, really cheap accommodation always provides mosquito nets, so I really wouldnt bother taking your own. I took mine backpacking and didnt even need it. The places that arent as cheap tend to have good walls with no holes in them, so they dont have nets. The realy cheap places with holes in the walls or open shutters for windows provide nets because otherwise you'd be eaten alive. This is especially true in Lombok and the Gilis - you wont have any trouble finding somewhere with a net. In Kuta, head for Poppies 1. Loads of great cheap accommodation down there.
5)Thing do get stolen - be careful. I wouldnt leave things like an ipod or a camera on the beach while you are surfing. Even cheap hotels often have a safe, so use it. Dont take your wwhole wallet to the beac - hide some cash in a couple of different places in your room, take a little bit out with you, and put some in the safe if you have one. It's better to spread everything out, and just take a coupleof hundred rupiah out with you. At night, be careful walking home late at night - i know of several people that have got mugged walking back from the clubs in Kuta. Ladyboys are often the theifs - they just surround you in groups of two or three (often one on a scooter as well) and before you know it, your money is gone out of your back pocket. This happened last month to someone I was in Bali with, right on Poppies lane 1.
6) There are quite a lot of people willing to meet up and do things in Bali - you wont be lonely there! Locals are particularly great to chat to and go out with - take a bottle of vodka down to the beach with you and share it round, you will be Mr. Popular and have twenty new friends! The Gilis are absolutely amazing - make sure you go to Trawangan. Everyone is sooo friendly there, and the parties are a lot of fun. Don't worry about meeting people to do things with though - there are loads of people travelling on their own out there. Climbing Rinjani is something I would love to do - it would be absolutely awesome. I climbed Mt Batur in Bali though and that was enough for me - I was knackered! It was such a good experience though. If you are fit enough, definitely go for Rinjani.
Hope this helps - email me if you have any other questions...
Have a great time!
Camille