In Reply to: yeh my first trip was 1975 so posted by nyonya on Monday, 10. August 2009 at 07:15 Bali Time:
My first trip to Bali was also in 1975. I bought a one way ticket to Jakarta through STA for $A200, as passengers not in package tours were not allowed to diembark in Bali. I had to fly to Jakarta and travel overland to Bali.
I arrived in Kuta on a 24 hour bus trip from Yogjakarta in December 1975. The bus company only had one set of good bus tyres. When the bus broke down in Surabaya, the tyres and passengers were transferred to another bus.
When I stopped for a toilet break near Banyuwangi, the bus took off without me. Some American tourists on the bus forced the bus driver to stop and return and pick me up.
When I finally stumbled off the bus in Kuta, I was very tired and dirty. I walked down a sandy track to the beach which later became Jl Pantai Kuta. A "lady" stopped me and offered her services. I spurned her and staggered onwards to the beach. Her boyfriend later stopped me and offered his services which I also spurned.
The beach had no facilities or hawkers.