Bali mayhem

Trip Start Feb 01, 2009

Trip End Jun 12, 2009

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Where I stayed

Temara Masik II

(Kuta hotels)

Flag of Indonesia Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Another 10hrs or so heralds our arrival at port for our night crossing from Java to Bali on the death trap of ferry's. Quite a small ferry we drive on the bottom and walk to the top (only 2 stories) and grab a coffee. Noting the pedestrian access gate flapping open as we leave port it's propped shut with a case of cola. Nice. I convince Cath to come to the top and enjoy the view rather than listen to the deafening karaoke. So we skip over the rats and dodder like a pair of drunks left and right to the top spending the journey stood up there. Noting where to place hands so as not to go overboard we settle at the rear waving a midnight goodbye to Java and a midnight hello to Bali.

Arriving later into Denpasar we take a tout and taxi to Kuta - the tourist haven of Bali. Bali is one island with heaps to see but Kuta is where to head, allegedly.

Kuta Beach

We arrive very late and just crash out in a fairly crappy hotel so move out at 9am into the heart of town and find the fairly serene Taman Mesak II to stay.

Kuta is an odd place. Take Ibiza, Tenerife, Phuket & The Gold Coast and you're somewhere near. It is wall to wall tat markets, bars, restaurants and hostels. Bit of a dive really. Certainly doesn't offer much of an insight into Balinese culture. We spend the day there walking along the beach, the town etc and book tickets out the next day. If you come here to party for one day, great, otherwise don't bother. Hoards of drunk Aussies wearing as little as possible, even as the locals ask you to keep beachwear at the beach, didn't float my boat. If I wanted drunk Aussies I could go to Fulham.

One thing we had at our hostel was a Minah bird that talked all day providing no end of entertainment. As it copied the owner it belched and spat as well. Bit gross but very very funny.

Following morning our bus then boat with Perama (travel agency catering for tourists basically) took us on a lovely 5 hour sail across to the Gili Islands - where everyone congregates to get away from Kuta and winge about it ;-) We promise to give Bali the chance it deserves and fly out of there at the end of the month anyway so make a plan to return.