In Reply to: first timers JBR posted by kmm2411k on Sunday, 23. November 2008 at 15:10 Bali Time:
Our first Bali trip was in 1997. The street hawkers at that time were positively vicious, like swarms of bees. We stayed 9 nights in Tuban and used to put our heads down and just plow through them on the Jl Kartika pavement, without making eye contact. Our last two nights were in Ubud which was a haven after the south. (Not sure what others found to be a rip off there...it's a peaceful, gorgeous part of Bali). But somehow we still fell in love with the place and will be back on our 8th trip in a few weeks. We usually go in June, when the temperatures have sometimes been too cool for me to swim! but sometimes circumstances mean you can't always travel at the ideal time.
We've been to Thailand, and love it there too, finding some aspects better than Bali, others less so (the tailors drove us mad - kept grabbing my 15 y.o. daughter's hand and not letting her go). We went in the Thai wet season, and man, it was sooo hot. Phuket was mostly street stalls and didn't have much indoor, air con shopping either, but Bangkok did. We spent 6 weeks in Europe this year, and found good and bad there as well. In comparison, I must say when it comes to food in Bali, Thailand or Australia we're really spoilt for choice, quality and price compared to Europe...what do they have against vegetables?? Like you have with Bali, you just have to take the good with the bad (or is it vice versa).