Just Back Report 05 MAY 2009
We're married and back from our first trip to Bali! Just wanted to thank everyone for the information and for all the suggestions and recommendations. Bali was absolutely wonderful and it was very hard for us to get back into our normal routines here at home. Here's a few things I'd like to share.
Travelocity gave us the best deal on the flight from California & 10 day resort stay at the Ayodya Nusa Dua. $1500/person. We found that Priceline's flight schedules did not sync up (ex. arrive at Taipei 11:35pm, leave 11:30pm). Very sketchy, and even after calling Priceline, they did not correct it. Give yourself at least an hour or two between flights in case of delays. I've had a very bad experience with Expedia in the past (booking a hotel, showing up and not having a room) so don't bother with them unless the price is too good to pass up (then call the airline & hotel and confirm it yourself).
The Ayodya Palace in Nusa Dua was gorgeous. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. Feeding the monitor lizards in the lagoon every morning was also very cool. Staff was very friendly and we even made friends with some of the regulars we'd see. Several people told us that Nusa Dua is out of the way but we found it to suit our honeymoon perfectly. It's not too crazy like Kuta and we found the village to have better shopping. We rented a motorbike for $6/day and used it primarily for close trips. If we wanted to go further we'd call our driver & friend Made Sumariasa Suyasa (from Jimbaran) who played the best music and was great company.
The main purpose of our trip of course was to be married. Several ladies recommended Sulis from Bali Exotic Wedding and so I contacted them via e-mail. I received a response from Imran Jamal Baim and found out that Sulis was on maternity leave but 'Baim' was very willing to work with me and within my budget. Baim is very personable and we quickly became friends and 'brothers'. When I got to Bali, I later found out that Baim is actually the General Manager of Bali Exotic Wedding and had previously held the highest rank in the Japan Travel Bureau before deciding to take on the challenge of managing his 'brother's' business. Spending so much time talking with him, I saw how passionate he was and his philosophy of working for his clients' and his employee's welfare & happiness. He really went above and beyond all of our expectations and I will always recommend his services to anyone looking to get married in Bali.
Other things that may be helpful for 1st time Bali travelers:
-The airport drivers are vultures. Ask the cost up front and have them drive you straight to your hotel. Nothing else. Always ask drivers how much before stepping in; even the Blue Bird Taxis. One Blue Bird Taxi drove around in circles to run his meter up on us.
-If you're new to Bali, don't buy anything except food and drink your first day. Shop around. We found the best products and best deals a day before we went home.
-If you're not used to bargaining, understand that you'll win some and lose some. Thinking you got a great deal and then you see a better one in the next shop. Again, better to wait as long as possible and shop around. Don't think you can only get it at one place. Believe me, they sell it everywhere in Bali. Just like Mexico for us Californians. Same things everywhere. An example is a beautiful 49'x33' painting we saw at the Tanah Lot art market. The lady told me $200US and how her husband worked on it for a long time. She even got on the phone and called her husband and told us she could go as low as $150US. I asked her to let me think about it and on my way to the ATM I saw the exact same one! Without telling him about the other painting, I asked the young proprietor, 'How low are you willing to go? What would be a fair price for you and me?' He told me $60US! I shook hands with him and made the deal.
-Changing your money by hundreds make things much easier. I'd change $100 at a time at the Bali Collection (in Nusa Dua) or at a Wartel. The hotels have the worst rates and I wouldn't trust the 'Authorized' money changers. ATM's are also easily found and reliable. Use your Visa or Mastercard only in big establishments.
-We walked all around Kuta and even found the highly touted Ketut's fixed price shop but were pretty disappointed. Best place we found for shopping was Area Jaya Mini Market in Nusa Dua. Jalan Pratam No. 81. They're a 3 story fixed price store that has a large selection of Batik shirts, sarongs, wooden carvings, picture albums, etc. 2nd best was the Bali Collection's grocery store & art market (also in Nusa Dua). Besides having the lowest prices we saw, the thing we liked about these places was the fact that they sold items you'd really want as souvenirs. Not the usual junk that you can get anywhere (t-shirts, shorts, sunglasses, keychains). Maybe you'll find a better place but again, don't buy any souvenirs until you're ready to leave and have done lots and lots of walking, talking, and browsing.
-Learn to say Suk Sama (thank you) often. Refer to yourself by your Balinese name. 1st born=Wayan, 2nd born=Made, 3rd=Nyoman, 4th=Ketut. I would introduce myself as Nyoman Ace and my wife, Made Elisa.
-$6 Massages were awesome and just as good if not better than the $75 ones at the spa. Be nice to your masseuse and be generous with praise and a tip if you enjoyed your massage. The massage ladies on the beach are very good if you are also fair. I paid $15 for a very good, hour long, full body massage. Problem is the other sellers will nag at you while getting a massage so either don't do it or just COMPLETELY IGNORE them so that they leave.
-If you'd like to see pictures of our wedding and trip feel free to check out the following links. Enjoy!
http://tinyurl.com/ace-elisa-bali-wedding
http://tinyurl.com/ace-elisa-bali
Contacts/Friends/Characters:
Imran Jamal Baim - General Manager of Bali Exotic Wedding. Again, I'm so grateful. Baim is an upstanding business man and overall good guy. There is no other wedding planner or wedding company in Bali I would recommend.
Made Sumariasa Suyasa from Jimabaran. Baim arranged for 'Made' to drive us back to our hotel after our wedding and we became good friends. Made's father is a driver and he also enjoys it though he regularly works as a truck driver in the airport. He has nice minivans for driving, plays the best music, and enjoys conversation though he always apologizes for his English. The first time I asked him how much for driving us to and from Kuta, he said 'however much you like'. I asked him what's fair and ended up giving him $7 each way. Made became our regular driver and even went out of his way to buy us a CD of a famous local band called Superman Is Dead as a departing gift.
Ngurah - College Intern at Ayodya Resort Lagoon Cafe. Always greeting us, 'Hello Mr. Ace. Hello Mrs. Elisa.' and always eager to talk with use during breakfast every morning. Really good guy, hope he does well.
Yande - Bali Hidden Paradise tour company. Yande is a very good man. Quiet but enjoys having conversation. Not only did Yande take us on a nice tour of Ubud but he became our language & culture teacher as well as good friend. Yande took us to his village during the recent elections and assured that us we have family in Bali the next time we go and said that he would like to take us to meet his family. What a nice guy :)
Yoga - Kuta Beach Surfboard/Umbrella Chair rental North end of beach. Yoga is a young entrepreneur with a passion for the surf. Thin, darkly tanned guy who will take care of you for a price :) We rented an 8' SoftTop and 'his personal' 5'9' thruster for 180,000 rupiah with chairs to put our stuff and relax after surfing.
Wayan Nita - Joy Spa off Jalan Pratama near Area Jaya Mini Market in Nusa Dua. 'The best massage in Bali'. Wayan Nita is an elderly lady with very strong hands. You take it all off in front of her. She's got a bunch of kids young and old. My wife was massaged by Putu who also did a great job (being that she had to keep up with Wayan Nita). We found them the day before we left and wish I could've had all my massages done by her. For the best massages we received in Bali, I generously tipped them 20,000 rupiah each being that it was the first and last time we'd see them during this trip.
Wayan Tinking - Turtle Island. A very funny guy and quite the character. He says, 'Always the first one ‘tinking' and always ‘tinking' so too much stress.' LOL! Might as well chat him up because they'll be trying to sell you anyway.
If you'd like the contact info for any of these people, feel free to e-mail me. Hope you enjoyed my JBR. -Ace