In Reply to: Bali 1st timer posted by piglet on Sunday, 12. November 2006 at 11:10 Bali Time:
Congratulations on your choice of Bali for your first O/S trip - you will either hate it or fall in love with it like the rest of us (the latter I hope)
To answer some of your questions.
PS2 Chips - best to get this done in AUS, atleast you can take the machine back if it does not work.
VOA- Play it safe and get the correct USD at the airport before you leave. You can pay with Visa or AUD but sometimes the immigration person can make it difficult (you don't want to start your holiday with a bad first impression) and you will get through the line alot quicker.
What to do - We strongly recommend you give Jimmy Gorgeous a call (mob 081 2380 7786) when you get there. He (and his family) are some of the nicest people you will ever meet and he is 100% totally trustworthy. Jimmy runs a tour operation and DVD's stores (see below speal)and 2% of his profit is given back to his village. At a very cheap price he will show you the best time in Bali and plenty of advise on what, where and how much to spend your money on.
He has the latest toyota KiJang vehile and below are some suggestions for tours with Jimmy;
Volcano Tour - he picks you up from your hotel, takes you to some local art/craft workshops (what ever you desire) but will usually entail Batik, Silver/Gold, Wood Carving, Painting, Egg Carving etc workshops where you can buy items at a very cheap price (don't forget to haggle hard), From there he will take you to Ubud and a visit to the Monkey Forrest (ask him to tell you the joke about the one eyed, one leg, no penis Deer when you get there), From here you move on to the volcano for a buffet lunch.
The day starts at 8am and you are back your hotel by 9pm - the whole day costs only $50 AUD and 50,000rp each for lunch (less than $10).
Jimbarryn Bay Dinner - Jimmy will pick you up and drop you back off at your hotel for FREE! the only catch is that you must eat at Sharky's Restaraunt (one of the best anyway) - he will also give you your own private magic show after dinner - THIS IS A MUST SEE, HE IS ABSOLUTLY A WORLD CLASS MAGICIAN AND IT WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO GET RIPPED OFF BY SHONKY MONEY CHANGERS. DAVID COPPERFIELD HIMSELF HAS SEEN AND IS IMPRESSED BY JIMMYS SHOW.
DVD's and PS2 Games - we have brought back over 2,000 during our many visits - by far the best shop is Jimmys - called Jimmy Disc center in Padma Street Legion (about 1klm from where you are staying and if you give him a call he will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel for free, but best to walk as it is often quicker than the traffic and one-way streets, as you are about to find out!). But it does not really matter where you buy them as they are so cheap that the odd one or two that don't work is no great loss.
As I said earlier Jimmy gives 2% of his profit back to his village and we know this is not a scam. My wife and I sponsor 2 children from his village, my 19 year old son sponsors 1 and my Brother and Sister in-law also sponsor 1. On our last trip (October this year) we visited the village and met the kids and their parents - they welcomed us like royalty and we spent the best day of our lives in the company of truly magnificant kids - the tears were flowing when we left.
If you visit his shop you will see some of the photos we took of the kids and the visit as Jimmy proudly displays them.
For $20aud per month Jimmy maintains a bank account and the money is used to pay the kids education, school books unforms etc. Without this money they cannot go to school (no such thing as a free education in Bali) and their future prospects are extreemly bleak without an education.
I cannot speak highly enough of Jimmy and what he does - please use him as I garauntee that you wll not be dissapointed - mention Rick and Leanne Edwards from Australia. (again his phone number is 081 2380 7786)
Some other tips for you first visit.
1. When you get of the plane there will be Porters who will grab your bags (if you let them) - they will then expect payment. $2 aussie gold coins normaly do the trick (approx 13,000rp)- but don't feel you need to use them - be firm and not let them near your bags if you don't want the help.
2. From the moment you step outside you will be hassled for "transport transport, or watches watches, or Sun glasses or any number of other things. A polite but firm NO Thank you usually does the trick but some can be persistant - just be firm and keep walking. (don't blame them they are only trying to earn a living)
3. Never promise that you "will be back" or "I will come tommorrow" just to get away from a Hawker (unless you realy mean it), for they will remember you and will hold you to your promise.
4. Haggling on price is one of the greatest joys in Bali - they expect you to haggle and enjoy the "game" as much as you. Whatever they ask offer in return about 30%, they will come down a bit and you will go up a bit - as a rule you should not pay more than 50% of the asking price but this offcourse depnds on how much you want the item and how good you Haggling skills are. The golden rule is to have fun doing it and keep a smile on your face - they won't sell to you if they are not going to make a profit.
Early in the morning is the best time to get a good price ("morning price") as the first sale for the day is considered lucky and they will touch all their goods with your money (for luck) once the sale is made.
5. You will be offered continually a "scratchie" type game, you scratch the panel and guess what! your a lucky winner (the Bali guy will be all over you because of your "good luck" at winning such a great prize). The prize is real but the catch is that you will have to spend 4 to 6 hours listening to a Time Share sales pitch before you get that prize (and they are pretty persistant). Again just say NO to the offer of the scratchie in the first place.
6. You will be pestered by numerous people asking you to complete a tourist survey - don't do it! you will end up with someone ringing your hotel to try and sell you items.
7. MONEY CHANGERS - Beware, every second shop is also a money changer. If the rate looks to good to be true it probably is. YOU WILL BE SHORTCHANGED, we tried it once as "we were too smart to get caught" and despite both my wife and me counting the money ourselves 3 times and being the last to touch it - when we got back to the hotel we were short about 400,000rp. Use only reputable Money Changers (the ones that that is all they do, they don't sell clothes or anything else)and if not sure just use the Hotel you are staying at (the differnce is not much when converted back to AUD)
Golden rule here is always count the money last, if they take it back of you to recount, then you recount again when the give it back to you - also be wary if they try to offer you small demoninations such as 10,000 & 20,000rp notes only - if they don't have 50,000 & 100,000 notes go elsewhere.
8. WATCH WHERE YOU ARE WALKING - the footpaths are up and down (due to storm drainage requirements) and there are many holes and broken covers that are easy to fall into - enjoy the sights but tread carefully.
Also, all surfaces are very slippery, especially after rain. Be very carefull.
9. If you are expecting a Tropical Paradise you will be dissapointed. There are open sewers and the creeks and rivers are littered with rubbish - though the people themselves and their shops/restaraunts are extreemly clean (check out the school kids, they are all in pristine clean uniforms, how they keep them clean we do not know!). This all adds to a "smell" which is uniquely "Bali" and regular vistors love getting of the plane and taking a big whiff ("ah Bali were back"!)
I hope the above has not scared you off and perhaps I should not have told you so much as these are some of the things that makes exploring Bali for your first and future visits so much fun. But if you get off on the right foot then you are more likely to fall in love with the place and go back time and time again.
Most of all you are going to meet some of the nicest people on the planet, who despite there lot in life always have a huge smile on their faces and cries of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" (for which they expect the usual response) every where you go.
Have fun, and please email us/and or post to this forum upon your return to share your expierience
Rick and Leanne Edwards
Bunbury WA