Update #8 EXPECTATIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
Dear Travellers,
What a unique and interesting group we are. Thank you those who have sent out bios, I have enjoyed reading each and every one of them and look forward to meeting you all. It has also helped us think of a few little extra activities to cater to some of your interests.
Also kindly inform us if on the free day of September 18th if any of you would like to go for a hike in the National Park, a friend and colleague of mine Kenny Peavy will be offering an interpretive walk in the tropical rainforest park of North East Bali. Kenny is an environmentalist and writer. He co authored the book “As If the Earth Matters”, and the children’s book “The Box People.” This will be a day tour and will be approximately 50 dollars (a large part of this is the park entry fees).
Also if there are any Scuba Divers among you, Mimpi Mengangan is a 5 star padi resort and we can arrange for you to do some dives on that day as well.
Connectivity
If you would like to use your cell phone on the trip, we can arrange a cell phone SIM card for you with enough credit to use the internet and make quite a few calls home. The cost for this would be 40 dollars. Make sure your phone is unlocked so that you can use a SIM from the carriers here. Please send your phone make and model so we can make sure to get the right sized SIM card. Otherwise we can pick up a basic phone for you to use while you are here (only call and text)- Cost 70 dollars loaded with credit.
Some things to expect when travelling in Bali
Bali is an amazing Island! Very unique in the world and full of magic but I don’t want to be misleading and have you think that Bali is in any way perfect. Like everywhere in the world Bali is going through its fair share of challenges. In the following article will prepare you for some of the situations to expect in Bali.
Traffic!!!!
A good part of our trip will be spent far away from the congested streets of south Bali. But an unfortunate fact of modern Bali is traffic is unavoidable. There are several factors that create the perfect Bali traffic storm, A population boom, by positive birth rates and migration ,combined with unchecked tourist development on the frame work of very inadequate infrastructure of mostly very small roads and no mass transit. To augment all this about 10 years ago credit became available to buy auto mobiles in Indonesia, making many more people able to obtain cars and motorbikes. To further complicate all of this, Balinese ceremonies take priority over all other activities on the island, often shutting down roads for processions, and other ceremonial practices (on Nypei Balinese New Year all the lights are shut off and even the airport is closed!). We will be doing our best do avoid traffic but it is likely that some of your trip will be spent in a traffic jam. You will also witness some very creative driving from locals, which may include driving on the side walk, the other side of the road, or another very common site children as young as 8 driving motor bikes or families of up to 6 on one bike. That said, we have specially selected our drivers, and max speeds are generally not so high, driving in vehicles is quite safe in Bali, driving on motor bikes is not recommended. As your momma probably told you always look both ways before crossing the street! Remember the traffic here drives on the left side, NOT like in America.
Ceremonies
Balinese ceremonies or Upacara- are common place in Bali, there are major ceremonies every 3 weeks or so and lesser ones every day. We will be witnessing many some planned some not. If you come across a ceremony in Bali, feel free to stop and take pictures. But understand that the ceremony might block the main street for some time, and that all you can really do is smile and go along with it.
Bartering and Hawkers
We won’t be overly exposed to hawkers, but in around Ubud and Uluwatu we will encounter some. In some cases they will be very persistent. If you are not interested you can say “ Tidak Mau termiah kasih” – “I do not want thank you” if they persist follow with a more firm “Tidak mau” “I do not want” – while keeping walking. If they still follow, say “tidak mau” again in a firm voice- they will have most likely lost interest by now. If you are interested in making a purchase, bargaining is the common practice here. Bargain as much as you see fit (you might counter with an offer of fifty percent or a third of the asking price). If you are fine paying the price they ask, you can. But if you want to bargain feel free. This can be enjoyed like a game, with plenty of pantomime and facial expressions. It can get quite theatrical. They won’t sell to you for less then they are willing to, but keep in mind your purchase is most likely supporting a family, and you don’t always have to bargain for the lowest possible price. Do not say you will come back later if you do not intend to. They will wait and be very unhappy if you do not engage in business on the way back.
Weather
Bali, as most of the world, is experiencing unseasonable weather. Generally September would be the tail end of the dry season with cooler temperatures. We have this July and August been experiencing a mixed bag of cool days, hotter days and sporadic and sudden torrential down pours. So it is impossible to predict what September will bring. Most hotels will have umbrellas for our use, but a small umbrella in your bag may prove to be useful.
Insects
Insects are a part of tropical life. Mosquitoes are present and made more prevalent by the wetter than normal conditions. The best strategy is to avoid being bitten as much as possible. We will be providing each group member with a personal natural insect repellent, which works well but has to be applied often (like once an hour). We will also have refills available. If you want to bring your own more heavy repellent like those with DEET, feel free. As well as this, it is a good practice to cover your self with white or light coloured clothing at sunset, night and dawn. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours.
Watch your step!!!!
Please please please! Always be extra careful when walking, Balinese side walks are famous for having holes in them, and in general pathways are uneven and stairs are almost never uniform size.
Many people having the same name
Balinese are named in order of their birth regardless of sex. For instance, my female helper and my male dog walker are both named Ketut. The most widely used names are: firstborn child is named Wayan, Putu or Gede, the second is named Made or Kadek, the third child goes by Nyoman or Komang, and the fourth is named Ketut. If a family has more than four children, the cycle repeats itself, and the next ‘Wayan’ may be called Wayan Balik, which loosely translates to ‘Wayan returns’. Of course as most things Balinese it is much more complex than this you can read more on Balinese names here
http://www.ultimatebali.com/magazine/balinese-names-explained/
Smiles
Be prepared to see a lot of smiles and the best thing to do, smile back !
Arrival process
We will be arranging pick up for all of you whenever it is that you arrive but you will have to go through immigration and customs yourself. Americans, Canadians and Europeans are all entitled to visa free on arrival entry with a maximum stay of 30 days. This is not extendible and levy of 35 dollars a day will be charged for days over 30 days, remember they count the arrival and departure day. You can buy a visa on arrival that is extendible for 35 dollars; there is a separate kiosk for this in the arrival hall. As mentioned before it you plan to stay more than 30 days, it is advisable to contact your nearest Indonesian consulate or embassy about a 60 day tourist visa.
Your address in Indonesia is Prama Hotel Sanur.
Once you have cleared customs and immigration one of our drivers will meet you with a sign with your name on it and escort you to your hotel. We will send a direct email before the end of August with contact information for you in case there are any complications.
In a few weeks we will all be here, so very much looking forward to hosting you all. We have many treasures in store!