14 Important Things to Know Before Visiting Bali - Indonesia
Destinations > Asia > Indonesia > 14 Important Things to Know Before Visiting Bali
The Most Important Things to Know - Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island known for its yoga and meditation retreats, forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, amazing temples, beautiful beaches and coral reefs. It has vibrant communities of party-goers, digital nomads, and vegans - so it is also at the forefront of the new age. And after the film Eat, Pray, Love was released in 2010, it is no wonder why tourism has picked up exponentially on this amazing island.
However, having awareness of these things will not only prevent you from being caught off guard in a negative way - and shocked in some cases (which could ruin your trip), but it could also help you enjoy your experience in Bali even more.
Before visiting Bali, you can learn about Indonesian culture and customs from this book or get yourself into relaxation mode and listen to the music of Bali by adding this album to your travel soundtrack - two things that really added to the experience of our recent month in Bali!
Here’s the list of important things that you should know today before visiting Bali:
1. Getting Around in Bali
Bali does not have any type of metro or rail system. Your options are generally to walk or take a taxi of some sort.
Walking: While some areas are walkable, others are too narrow for both cars and people (especially in Kuta). It is also not very safe to hitchhike in Bali or to walk around in Kuta at night (crime). In Bali, sidewalks are often built over a gutter and some panels of the sidewalk may be removed - leaving a 1-2 foot hole - as a deterrent to those motorcyclists who enjoy dodging traffic by using the sidewalk. So, watch where you're walking!
Daily Car Hire: Regular daily car hire is a good option for anyone needing a car less frequently or for special occasions. They can run from 400k to 700k per day (for everyone, not per person!), depending on the duration and places you plan to go - but anything more than that is not worth considering. Keep in mind that prices may not include fuel or parking costs. Be sure to clarify before hiring a driver. Check “Bali Tourist Info” and “Bali Expats” groups on Facebook to find a driver and negotiate a deal.
Taxis: Taxis are abundant and many try to rip you off. We tried to get a taxi from the airport to Ubud and they quoted us 500k. We were able to talk them down to 400k, but that is still overpriced. If you're going to use a taxi, use Blue Bird (BlueBirdGroup.com, +62 (0) 361 701 111). Alternatively, for the best price you could use the Grab, Go-Jek, or Uber apps, but they are occasionally scarce as taxi drivers have been in cahoots with them. They are also banned for pickup in Ubud.
Motorbikes: If you don't mind a motorbike taxi, you can also use an Ojek. Official Ojeks wear yellow vests and you'll need to find one of the many ojek posts throughout the island to use them. Alternatively, the Grab and Go-Jek apps also offer motorbike pickup. A 60k ride from Grab using a car may only run 10k on a motorbike. They also offer food delivery services through the apps!
Busses: Kura-Kura is a private bus company that operates from Ubud to Southern Bali and has buses that stop along many of the most popular tourist areas. If you plan on traveling to many places in a single day, or up to 3 days, this can certainly be cost effective - especially if you are a single traveler who doesn't want to use motorbikes. However, it's not a great airport option as they don't drop you off at your specific destination. If you're staying in the south, this could be a good day-to-day option for you though, as Grab, Go-Jek, and Uber are more rare in this area while Kura-Kura is common. We even saw a Kura-Kura stop at Museum Puri Lukisan in the heart of Ubud!
Rent a Car or Motorbike: If you plan to rent a car or motorbike, note that there is much more information that you need to learn before putting yourself at risk in Bali - but as a quick warning: “if you don’t have a motorcycle license at home, your international license won’t permit you to drive a bike in Bali either, only a car.”
Read a comprehensive transportation guide at Bali Manuel for more information.
2. Rapidly Growing Tourism - Traffic & Prices
In 2010, Bali was receiving just over 2 million tourists per year when the movie “Eat Pray Love” came out. Since then, tourism has more than tripled in Bali, and it expects to end 2019 with around 6.7 million foreign arrivals. However, Bali wasn’t designed for such large scale tourism.
The roads are mainly single lanes that can fit one car comfortably, or two if they both squeeze the edges and slow down. More and more cars, and motorbikes, have been causing traffic and congestion around most of the main cities and tourist areas.
Many traditional crafts are being replaced by modern age tacky tourist souvenirs. You will now find the same type of tourist items for sale all over Bali - including the Ubud Market - and through the hundred or so shops in long exits at tourist hot-spots like Pura Tirta Empul - the likes of which are akin to an IKEA maze just to leave. Some traditional items remain, but most things have been replaced and are selling at inflated prices just for tourists.
Additionally, prices are rapidly increasing as well - so the allure of great prices in Bali is fading away quickly. Many of the touristy areas are no longer any cheaper than back home in the United States or Australia. Pura Tirta Empul, one of the popular water temples north of Ubud, used to charge 15,000 IDR to enter in 2015. Only four years later they are charging 50,000. The Sacred Monkey Forest used to charge 30,000 IDR per adult in 2015. In mid 2019 they are charging 80,000. Goa Gajah near Ubud used to charge 15,000 IDR in 2018, but in 2019 - just one year later - they are charging 50,000. This is common all over Bali. Increases of 167-233 percent in one to four years!
However, Bali continues marketing to tourists. Concerned locals are complaining about the impact that tourists are having on the environment. While a $10 exit tax on tourists has been proposed, the issues are still not being addressed and traffic is getting to the point that it’ll take you twice as long to reach your destination than what Google Maps would lead you to believe.
Recommendation: Plan extra time into your trip for getting around. It will likely take you longer than you expect. Also, expect it to cost more than you think, even if you visited only a year or two ago.
3. Everybody has One of a Few Names
Balinese names consist of three parts: title, birth order name, and personal name. They do not use a family name.
Additionally, their name may differ slightly due to caste. The four castes are Sudra (farmers), Wesya (traders and farmers), Ksatria (ruling class), and Brahmana (academics, intellectuals, economists, aristocrats and lawyers). The Ksatria caste may add “I Gusti”, “Anak Agung”, “Tjokorda”, “I Dewa”, “Ida I Dewa”, or “Dewa Agung” in front of their names (Gusti means “leader” and Agung means “great”). The Brahmana caste will generally add “Ida Bagus” (male) or “Ida Ayu” (female) in front of their names.
For boys, the first born are named Wayan (meaning “eldest”), Putu, or Gede. First born girls are named Ni Luh. After the first born, there is no real differentiation for names, but a name may have a prefix to indicate gender (I for males and Ni for females).
Second born children are named Made or Nengah (meaning “middle”), or Kadek (meaning "little brother/sister"). Third born are named Nyoman or Komang. Fourth born children are named Ketut. A fifth child will generally start over the birth order with Wayan Balik (meaning "Wayan again", regardless of boy or girl).
Thus, the name Ketut Liyer would mean the fourth born with a personal name of Liyer.
Recommendation: Ask a few people what their name is and try to determine their birth order and title or caste (if they have one).
Source: Wikipedia
4. Solicitations / Salespeople
In Ubud you'll constantly be asked if you need a taxi. In the Ubud market, salespeople abound - but especially Sarong salespeople for ladies. In the Kuta area, you will be solicited for anything from hotel rooms to drugs to hookers. Just be aware that they are there. Ignore them or say “no thanks” just once and continue moving to avoid a sales pitch. Don't enter into conversation with them if you have no intention of buying.
It’s actually bad enough that, during a traditional Kecak fire dance show in Ubud, a brief English-speaking dialogue was added to welcome us to Bali and ask us if we needed transportation: “Ok, if not today then how about tomorrow?” they continued. It had the whole audience laughing because it’s so true and everyone had experienced it - so, even the locals are aware of how crazy it is and how defining it is of Bali.
Recommendation: Simply say “No Thanks!” and keep walking. No need to make direct eye contact as this may entice some to try and convince you even more.
5. Size of Bali Island
When considering the size of an island, it's important to realize that not all are equivalent. For example, Hawaii has a number of islands and the most densely populated one - Oahu - is only 1,545 km² in size with roughly 1,000,000 people while the “Big Island” is 10,432 km² with just under 200,000 people, almost 7 times the size with less than 20 percent of the population. Additionally, Oahu receives over 9.3 million tourists per year (6,019 tourists per km²) while the Big Island receives only 1.8 million (172.5 tourists per km²).
In comparison, Bali falls in the middle in terms of size with 5,780 km² but with 4,225,000 people. This is roughly 4 times the size and population of Oahu. Additionally, Bali receives roughly 6.7 million tourists per year (1,159 tourists per km²) - 72 percent of the amount of visitors that Oahu receives and 3.7 times as many as the Big Island.
However, it is important to note that Bali isn't exactly designed well for long distance travel as almost all of the roads are local roads and typically only the width of 1 1/2 lanes. This means that travel across the island, and traffic congestion / bottlenecks, are much more common than in Hawaii - which has a more developed infrastructure.
Recommendation: Expect Bali to be bigger than you expect and for it to take longer to reach your destinations than Google Maps would have you believe.
6. Warung vs Restaurant
Small family-owned (and operated) cafes and restaurants in Bali are known as Warungs. They traditionally serve local foods only, but a number of them have been serving international dishes recently. You see them everywhere in Bali and the good ones are often very busy.
A Warung does not usually have any fancy decor, settings, music, etc. The food is usually cooked fresh to order, which means it could take more time for your food to arrive. However, their prices are generally considerably cheaper than that of a restaurant and they also do not typically add tax to the bill (restaurants will usually add 10-12% for tax and 6-10% for a service charge). You can get a tasty meal for as little as $3 total at a Warung, but you will find the prices to be around $5-$10 at a restaurant while the taxes and service charges end up making the price closer to $6-$12.
Additionally, the small neighborhood convenience shops that you see set up in front of family homes along the streets are also known locally as warungs.
Recommendation: Try out a few local Warung to see what they are like or even to save some money. One that we recommend north of Ubud is Happy Warung in Tegallalang.
7. Religion - Modified Hinduism
While most of Indonesia has converted to Islam, Bali has remained dominated by a modified form of Hinduism, worshiping Acintya as the most supreme singular god (a.k.a. Tunggal).
“Balinese spirituality […] prioritizes living in economic, social, and religious cooperation. It draws from animistic beliefs that have guided the island for millennia, and emphasizes principles of compassion, patience, and openness. For the visitor, this is heart-warming – the Balinese are friendly, helpful, and eager to share their culture, beaches, jungles, music, food, and much more.”
The Balinese people believe in working together with each other and with nature. Every family home has a shrine. Businesses have small shrines near their doors, and offerings are scattered along sidewalks everywhere you go.
The main temples are classified as either Mountain, Water, or Sea temples. The Subak system, which they have created, blends the transportation of the water from the mountains with their cooperative religious beliefs - maintaining water canals together - and allows them to fully water all of the rice fields across Bali. Considering that this small island of Bali is the 3rd largest producer of rice in the entire world, this is not only incredible but also extremely inspiring!
Recommendation: Pay close attention to the waterways along the roads as you travel around Bali and try to understand how well connected these communities must be to cooperate in such a vast system that integrates religion to nature and allows water to flow across the entire island and produce so much rice.
Source/More Information: Leap of Faith Chloe
8. Religious Cock Fighting
Despite being illegal, cock fighting is considered a religious tradition in Bali and is therefore unapologetically and openly practiced as a ritual called Tabuh Rah, in which blood must be spilt on the ground to ward off evil spirits. In fact, “The Balinese cockfight is bloodier than any other similar practice because the fighting cock’s feet are attached with sharp blades to quicken the spilling of blood.”
However, many cockfights are actually held as a secular sport - disguised as a religious practice - where owners and spectators choose sides and make bets as a form of entertainment and business. Owners carry pride, honor, and social recognition in their communities for winning fights - not much different from the recognition that winners of drag races, boxing matches, and sports betters attain in other parts of the world. The winning family also gets to eat the cock who lost the fight. It has evolved into a social activity and even attracts curious tourists.
Recommendation: Understand that this is a part of their culture and that you may encounter some in the streets or along side roads while you're in Bali.
Source: Culture Trip
9. That's NOT a Nazi Swastika
What you are looking at is a metal door at the Pura Tirta Empul water temple, with an icon sitting on a flat side - instead of being propped up on a corner like a diamond - that might appear to be, but is not, a Nazi Swastika. What's the difference you might ask?
卐 or 卍 are ancient religious icons - that first started being used over 12,000 years ago - in the cultures of Eurasia, and they are still used as symbols of divinity and spirituality in Jainism, Buddhism, and even in Hinduism - the primary religion in Bali - today. In fact, they were even used as symbols of auspiciousness and good luck in Europe and the Americas until the 1930’s.
“In Hinduism, the symbol with arms pointing clockwise (卐) is called swastika, symbolizing surya ('sun'), prosperity and good luck” - Wikipedia
Once it was turned on its edge, like a diamond, it became a Nazi icon, and our association of the icon with World War II and the Holocaust, make us see this one as the symbol of Nazism and antisemitism. It has no relation to Nazism in the context here in Bali.
Recommendations: Try to understand this information and realize that you will see the icon in stores, on merchandise, and at temples while you are in Bali.
More Reading: Quartz India
10. Kopi Luwak Coffee - The Animal Trade
The Bali Animal Welfare Association states that nearly all of the luwak civet cats that are used to produce Kopi Luwak are taken from the wild and kept until death. They are the most-traded small animal in Java and Sumatra - and babies are often collected from wild civet tree homes before they are weaned. Many farms, including the eco-farms, keep “a few” civets caged up “to display to tourists” and force feed them the coffee berries for photos. Additionally, malnutrition is an issue as they are fed mostly coffee berries in captivity even though their natural diet consists of fruit, eggs, small lizards, and nectar. Apart from these civets, the Friends of the National Park Foundation has not heard of or seen any large-scale Kopi Luwak farming on Bali - meaning that much of the Kopi Luwak being sold in Bali is just regular robusta kopi in “a fancy bag”.
Recommendation: If you plan to try the actual Kopi Luwak, then please do your homework to make sure it is actually Kopi Luwak and that it is ethically sourced from wild luwak civets or domesticated luwak civets that have ethical enclosures (don’t just take the packaging for truth).
Source: Bali Animal Welfare Association
11. The Arak Attack - the Deadly Local Moonshine
The locally produced alcohol in Indonesia and Malaysia, including Bali, is referred to as Arak (and occasionally ‘Tuak’). Strict laws and high taxes are meant to stifle alcohol consumption, so bootleg arak has even been found in popular-brand bottles of vodka and other spirits in upscale bars, clubs and restaurants across the country as business owners attempt to increase profit.” Poor production techniques can yield methanol in the finished product, a highly toxic form of alcohol that can cause blindness, organ failure, coma, and death in as little as 10 mL (the median lethal dose is 100 mL - 3.4 fluid ounces!). Bootleg Arak has caused many drinking deaths, due to methanol poisoning, in places that depend heavily upon tourism.
Roughly 10 - 20 Indonesians die every single day due to methanol poisoning. Additionally, Indonesia has the most tourist deaths due to methanol poisoning than any other place in the world, with the highest incidents in busy places famous for partying such as Bali and Gili Trawangan.
While the safe-to-consume commercially-branded arak can be purchased from shops in Bali, it's hard to trust that local bars, clubs, and restaurants haven't mixed the bootleg arak into their liquor bottles.
Recommendation: Stick to beer or wine when drinking out at restaurants, bars, and clubs. Drink only bottles of liquor that you have opened yourself. Decline all free drinks. Be particularly vigilant in Bali and the Gili Islands.
Source: TripSavvy
12. Highly Active Earthquake Area
Indonesia is a group of thousands of volcanic islands, including Bali. This group of islands lies directly on the Ring of Fire, on the southernmost part of the Sunda Tectonic Plate, and it just so happens that ninety percent of all earthquakes happen along the Ring of Fire. The next plate South of the Sunda Plate is the Australian Plate, which has been pushing northward under the Sunda Plate at a rate of 6 centimeters per year (at the Sunda Trench), making the Indonesian islands “one of the most unstable areas on the planet”.
Thus, earthquakes happen all the time in Indonesia, and are completely unpredictable, but most are not big enough to be felt by us. Looking at a random 90-day period between April 17th to July 16th, 2019 there were 19 reported earthquakes - most lower than 2.0 in magnitude. However, six magnitude 6+ earthquakes occurred in 2018. In fact, we were in Bali on July 17, 2019 and felt one that was reported from numerous sources of magnitude between 5.7-6.2.
The island just east of Bali, Lombok, as well as the tiny Gili Islands off its coast, have taken more damage recently as well. Between July 28th to August 19th, 2018 an earthquake and 663 total aftershocks ended up killing 563 people and injuring over 1,000 more on Lombok. In 2018, earthquakes in Central Sulawesi and Lombok caused the most deaths in Indonesia in over 10 years.
Professor Kerry Sieh from Singapore's Nanyang University reports that we have had 30 or more earthquakes magnitude 6 or greater in the Sumatra region in the past 10 years. He believes we are entering a cycle of activity that comes around every 200 years or so. He also suggests we haven't had “the big one” yet.
These earthquakes can cause tsunamis as well, and it is the tsunamis that usually cause the most deaths. A smaller tsunami hit Bali on July 27th, 2018. No reported deaths occurred. However, no tsunami detection buoys are currently working in Indonesia at this time.
Recommendation: Expect an earthquake to occur from time to time. Plan ahead in case one does happen. Consider not staying in high risk tsunami zones.
Sources: The Jakarta Post and Mr Fix It Bali
13. Single-Use Plastic Banned
As tourism has grown, so has the use of plastic bags, straws, etc. This has caused more pollution on land and in the waters around Bali.
In December 2018, the government passed a regulation limiting the use of single-use plastic, hoping to decrease Bali’s marine plastic waste by 70 within a year. A number of business owners, including the Plastic Recyclers Association, protested this policy by stating that overtourism was the main culprit.
On July 15th, 2019 these businesses brought the issue to the Supreme Court to end the ban, but they lost the battle.
The verdict states that “an extraordinary policy to limit single-use plastic is urgently needed to address the plastic waste crisis.”
The Governor of Bali stated that “all stakeholders must comply with the governor's regulation to maintain the sacredness and harmony of Bali.”
Recommendation: Bring your own grocery and shopping bags with you as you will not receive any. Additionally, if you require straws or bottles, make sure that you bring your own non-plastic straws or non-plastic bottle with you.
Source: The Jakarta Post
Photo by Egor Kamelev from Pexels
14. Mosquitoes & Required Vaccines
One of the most common illnesses in Bali is Dengue Fever. It is spread by mosquitoes, even in populated tourist areas. The symptoms are fever, aching joints and muscles, vomiting, severe headaches, and nausea. Usually it takes a few days for the symptoms to subside, but there aren't usually any other complications. The disease is observed all year-round and there is no vaccine available. Note: If bleeding occurs you may have a rare type of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) - seek medical assistance immediately as it can become fatal if not addressed appropriately.
Additionally, the mosquitoes can transmit Malaria as well, however this is much more uncommon. If you plan to stay in rural areas for longer periods of time, or do a lot of mountain trekking or jungle hiking, then you could consider a malaria prophylaxis (such as doxycycline), but utilizing long sleeves shirts, long trousers, mosquito nets, and mosquito repellent are generally enough to avoid getting Malaria in Bali.
The other most common illness is Diarrhea (Bali Belly). This is mostly caused by drinking contaminated water (from the tap / tab) and by eating contaminated food (usually after it has been “cleaned” with contaminated water). Contaminated food is most common with the food that you might purchase on the streets. The best way to avoid Bali Belly is to avoid tap water and street food. To reduce symptoms, bring anti-diarrheal drugs with you. If symptoms persist for more than 3 days, seek antibiotics asap.
Vaccines should generally be taken 4-8 weeks before arriving in Bali. Bali does not check to verify if you have taken the required vaccines, but the list below is a recommended list of vaccines to consider (from Bali.com) prior to arriving on the island.
Tetanus Diphteria: Vaccination strongly recommended within the last 10 years.
Hepatitis A: Vaccination strongly recommended
Typhoid: Vaccination recommended. Strongly recommended if you stay longer and wish to eat street food and travel to more remote areas.
Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR): Recommended
Rabies: If you intend to interact with the street dogs or monkeys (you are not actually supposed to touch or feed the monkeys), then a vaccination is recommended prior to arrival. Otherwise, if you intend to avoid the wildlife, then you could attend a doctor in Bali within 12-24 hours of a bite or scratch to avoid serious illness or death.
Yellow Fever: Only required if you are arriving from a yellow fever affected area such as certain countries in Africa and the Americas.
HIV: Roughly 30 percent of the prostitutes in Bali are believed to carry HIV, and many carry a number of other STDs. Prostitutes are also wide spread in popular party areas like Kuta and Canggu.
Recommendation: Avoid drinking tap water or even using it to wash your toothbrush. Be wary of un-hygenic street food vendors. Do your best to avoid being bit by mosquitoes. Don't pet the wild animals. Avoid prostitutes.
Source: Bali.com
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