So I went to Bali and all I got was ... a container full of stuff (pics to come)
Sep 12, 2004, 1:01 pm
#1
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So I went to Bali and all I got was ... a container full of stuff (pics to come)
Bali
This started out as a trip about shopping (and spas). And indeed, when one needs to get a shipping container to get those purchases home, that’s what it is. But, despite my title, it also turned out to be much more. It was a journey into a fascinating culture - one where traditions are enthusiastically embraced; and where you never know what you may encounter from cockfights to cremations to women carrying wheelbarrow-sized loads of dirt on their heads to hundreds of people, colorfully dressed, parading through the streets on their way to a celebration.
Rod and I decided to visit Bali after the owners of one of our favorite B&Bs on Maui recently started making numerous shopping trips to Bali. Intrigued by their stories and shopping finds, we decided a trip to Bali would be a good way to use some SWUs. We flew UA between SFO, NRT and SIN, spent the night at the Conrad in Singapore (good as always) on the outbound and at the Hilton (not so good) on the inbound, and between SIN and Denpasar in Raffles Class on Singapore Air.
I made use of several suggestions by frequent-Bali-visitor Dianne47. She was an amazing help and her suggestions were right on.
I packed lightly and put my small wheelie inside a larger rollaboard so I’d have an empty suitcase available to hold all my purchases. Little did I know.
Our flights were good - we had the exit row on the upper deck of a 744 on each UA flight, and Raffles class on SQ was very nice. SQ's lounges in SIN and DPS were awesome. I can remember 10 years or so back when I flew TWA, and their first class intl lounges were amazing - uncrowded and a fantastic array of food. SQ's lounges are still like that. Unfortunately, both times at NRT we didn't park at a gate and had to ride a bus to the terminal. I never like that, and I was surprised to see UA doing it in NRT as that's never been my experience there before. I wonder if they truly are out of gate space there or if it’s just cheaper to use a remote location.
On arrival in Bali, we paid our US $25 for visas and were quickly processed. We arranged for a driver to meet us and take us to our hotel in Ubud. The hour-long trip was US $15, and both sides of the roadway for the entire drive were lined with stalls selling carved stone statues, teak and woven furniture, and so much more. The driver kept a running commentary during the drive, telling us about large statues in the intersections dedicated to the gods. We got a dose of reality when we drove past McDonald’s near the airport and he said, “You’ll only find foreigners there because it’s too expensive for Balinese.” Minimum wage in Indonesia is about $1.50 a day, I read later.
We arrived at our first hotel – Komaneka on Monkey Forest Road. It’s a piece of tranquility in the heart of a bustling area. The hotel is set back off the street and has a decent-sized infinity-edged pool.. There are villas with private pools in the back as well as basic rooms. We were escorted to our room to find a mosquito-net-draped bed with a heart on top outlined in rose petals and pikake. The bathroom featured a sunken tub and a quasi-outdoor shower (three walls and no roof). Though the room was very nice, Rod wanted to upgrade to a villa for the private pool and view of the rice fields, but I planned to be out shopping and didn’t expect to get much use out of those things, at least not enough to justify about $100 more per night. We arrived late and scheduled our first of many spa appointments for the next morning.
I’ve read that Ubud has two main streets, but I think it has three. Primarily it’s filled with shops, offering a good selection of merchandise from the surrounding crafts villages. There are shops with silver, clothes, sarongs galore, woven placemats and purses, drums, hammocks, and plates and platters made from exotic woods such as cinnamon and fern wood. I had no idea how much sold in the US comes from Indonesia until I walked through Ubud, and thought, I bought that for 10 times the price at Crate and Barrel and that in Hawaii for $60 more, and so on. In some of the crafts villages I felt as though I was in a giant Pier 1 or Cost Plus. The busiest corner in Ubud has the market. It’s a hot, crowded place, with aggressive sellers – pause for a nanosecond to look at something and the seller is already trying to start the price negotiation. I only walked quickly through in favor of shopping in the stores.
In Bali, you’re supposed to bargain for most everything unless the store has a sign saying “Fixed Price.” The consensus seemed to be to start out offering about 30-40 percent of the initial asking price. I stink at bargaining, and my husband is so bad at it he once had someone offer him a lower price for a car and instead of taking that, he said, “I’ll take $1,000 less than you offered because that’s all I was planning on.” He’s still not lived that one down. We did bargain some, but I know a skilled bargainer could have done better. When someone sells you two of the cutest children’s outfits you’ve ever seen for $10 total though, it’s tough to say, No, how about $7. I also came to Bali knowing some of the things I would find and what they cost in the U.S. A large silver cuff bracelet I wanted I had found in the U.S. for $100, so when I found it for $30 at a shop in the nearby silver village of Celuk, I was pretty pleased. Similarly, I had seen a beautifully hand-woven purse in Hawaii for $85, and I bought it in Bali for $15. My favorite shops had fixed prices.
TeraZo became my very favorite restaurant in Ubud. They make the most incredible twice-baked goat cheese soufflé. I could have lived on it, but Rod seemed to think three times in seven days was enough for one restaurant. Some people are so inflexible.
The other great thing about TeraZo is that it has a wonderful location. During the dinner hours, the beautiful Balinese women in their colorful sarongs and lacy tops walk by with their lofty offerings of fruit and flower pyramids elegantly balanced on their heads. Prices there are a little high by Balinese standards. Dinner for two usually ran us about $50. Restaurants with typical Indonesian fare were generally only $10-$15 for the two of us.
Other restaurants we tried included Barandi, near the Zen spa (we were the only ones there and though the food wasn’t bad, I can’t remember much about it because I was dreaming about goat cheese soufflés); and the restaurant at the Amandari, where we had a fabulous meal that included chestnut agnolotti. The restaurant overlooks their beautiful large infinity-edge pool, which is backed by a lush hillside. Our meal there was $130 for two with wine.
Speaking of wine, avoid the Balinese wine Hatten at all costs. We tried this at one of the Indonesian restaurants that offered only a Hatten red and a Hatten white on its “wine list.” It smelled wretched; it tasted worse. If you need to clear a blocked drain, this could be for you. Actually, in general, we were disappointed with our beverages. We ordered daiquiris and instead received straight gin in a martini glass. We couldn’t drink it. I think this is why we were so excited to see real wine lists at TeraZo and the Amandari, though we were told there is a 200-percent tax on imported wines. In fact, we did find the mark-up was well in excess of 200-percent on most bottles, but we didn’t care. We were craving a decent cab. Next time, I think we’ll pack a couple of bottles to drink out on our hotel terraces. We did see one wine shop in Ubud, but didn’t check their selection.
For anyone who loves chocolate desserts, Bali doesn’t disappoint. We couldn’t find a bad chocolate-based dessert, and we tried. An excellent spot if you’re looking only for a quick sweet treat, is the bakery on Monkey Forest Road at the main intersection.
So much more to come, including pictures ...
This started out as a trip about shopping (and spas). And indeed, when one needs to get a shipping container to get those purchases home, that’s what it is. But, despite my title, it also turned out to be much more. It was a journey into a fascinating culture - one where traditions are enthusiastically embraced; and where you never know what you may encounter from cockfights to cremations to women carrying wheelbarrow-sized loads of dirt on their heads to hundreds of people, colorfully dressed, parading through the streets on their way to a celebration.
Rod and I decided to visit Bali after the owners of one of our favorite B&Bs on Maui recently started making numerous shopping trips to Bali. Intrigued by their stories and shopping finds, we decided a trip to Bali would be a good way to use some SWUs. We flew UA between SFO, NRT and SIN, spent the night at the Conrad in Singapore (good as always) on the outbound and at the Hilton (not so good) on the inbound, and between SIN and Denpasar in Raffles Class on Singapore Air.
I made use of several suggestions by frequent-Bali-visitor Dianne47. She was an amazing help and her suggestions were right on.
I packed lightly and put my small wheelie inside a larger rollaboard so I’d have an empty suitcase available to hold all my purchases. Little did I know.
Our flights were good - we had the exit row on the upper deck of a 744 on each UA flight, and Raffles class on SQ was very nice. SQ's lounges in SIN and DPS were awesome. I can remember 10 years or so back when I flew TWA, and their first class intl lounges were amazing - uncrowded and a fantastic array of food. SQ's lounges are still like that. Unfortunately, both times at NRT we didn't park at a gate and had to ride a bus to the terminal. I never like that, and I was surprised to see UA doing it in NRT as that's never been my experience there before. I wonder if they truly are out of gate space there or if it’s just cheaper to use a remote location.
On arrival in Bali, we paid our US $25 for visas and were quickly processed. We arranged for a driver to meet us and take us to our hotel in Ubud. The hour-long trip was US $15, and both sides of the roadway for the entire drive were lined with stalls selling carved stone statues, teak and woven furniture, and so much more. The driver kept a running commentary during the drive, telling us about large statues in the intersections dedicated to the gods. We got a dose of reality when we drove past McDonald’s near the airport and he said, “You’ll only find foreigners there because it’s too expensive for Balinese.” Minimum wage in Indonesia is about $1.50 a day, I read later.
We arrived at our first hotel – Komaneka on Monkey Forest Road. It’s a piece of tranquility in the heart of a bustling area. The hotel is set back off the street and has a decent-sized infinity-edged pool.. There are villas with private pools in the back as well as basic rooms. We were escorted to our room to find a mosquito-net-draped bed with a heart on top outlined in rose petals and pikake. The bathroom featured a sunken tub and a quasi-outdoor shower (three walls and no roof). Though the room was very nice, Rod wanted to upgrade to a villa for the private pool and view of the rice fields, but I planned to be out shopping and didn’t expect to get much use out of those things, at least not enough to justify about $100 more per night. We arrived late and scheduled our first of many spa appointments for the next morning.
I’ve read that Ubud has two main streets, but I think it has three. Primarily it’s filled with shops, offering a good selection of merchandise from the surrounding crafts villages. There are shops with silver, clothes, sarongs galore, woven placemats and purses, drums, hammocks, and plates and platters made from exotic woods such as cinnamon and fern wood. I had no idea how much sold in the US comes from Indonesia until I walked through Ubud, and thought, I bought that for 10 times the price at Crate and Barrel and that in Hawaii for $60 more, and so on. In some of the crafts villages I felt as though I was in a giant Pier 1 or Cost Plus. The busiest corner in Ubud has the market. It’s a hot, crowded place, with aggressive sellers – pause for a nanosecond to look at something and the seller is already trying to start the price negotiation. I only walked quickly through in favor of shopping in the stores.
In Bali, you’re supposed to bargain for most everything unless the store has a sign saying “Fixed Price.” The consensus seemed to be to start out offering about 30-40 percent of the initial asking price. I stink at bargaining, and my husband is so bad at it he once had someone offer him a lower price for a car and instead of taking that, he said, “I’ll take $1,000 less than you offered because that’s all I was planning on.” He’s still not lived that one down. We did bargain some, but I know a skilled bargainer could have done better. When someone sells you two of the cutest children’s outfits you’ve ever seen for $10 total though, it’s tough to say, No, how about $7. I also came to Bali knowing some of the things I would find and what they cost in the U.S. A large silver cuff bracelet I wanted I had found in the U.S. for $100, so when I found it for $30 at a shop in the nearby silver village of Celuk, I was pretty pleased. Similarly, I had seen a beautifully hand-woven purse in Hawaii for $85, and I bought it in Bali for $15. My favorite shops had fixed prices.
TeraZo became my very favorite restaurant in Ubud. They make the most incredible twice-baked goat cheese soufflé. I could have lived on it, but Rod seemed to think three times in seven days was enough for one restaurant. Some people are so inflexible.
The other great thing about TeraZo is that it has a wonderful location. During the dinner hours, the beautiful Balinese women in their colorful sarongs and lacy tops walk by with their lofty offerings of fruit and flower pyramids elegantly balanced on their heads. Prices there are a little high by Balinese standards. Dinner for two usually ran us about $50. Restaurants with typical Indonesian fare were generally only $10-$15 for the two of us. Other restaurants we tried included Barandi, near the Zen spa (we were the only ones there and though the food wasn’t bad, I can’t remember much about it because I was dreaming about goat cheese soufflés); and the restaurant at the Amandari, where we had a fabulous meal that included chestnut agnolotti. The restaurant overlooks their beautiful large infinity-edge pool, which is backed by a lush hillside. Our meal there was $130 for two with wine.
Speaking of wine, avoid the Balinese wine Hatten at all costs. We tried this at one of the Indonesian restaurants that offered only a Hatten red and a Hatten white on its “wine list.” It smelled wretched; it tasted worse. If you need to clear a blocked drain, this could be for you. Actually, in general, we were disappointed with our beverages. We ordered daiquiris and instead received straight gin in a martini glass. We couldn’t drink it. I think this is why we were so excited to see real wine lists at TeraZo and the Amandari, though we were told there is a 200-percent tax on imported wines. In fact, we did find the mark-up was well in excess of 200-percent on most bottles, but we didn’t care. We were craving a decent cab. Next time, I think we’ll pack a couple of bottles to drink out on our hotel terraces. We did see one wine shop in Ubud, but didn’t check their selection.
For anyone who loves chocolate desserts, Bali doesn’t disappoint. We couldn’t find a bad chocolate-based dessert, and we tried. An excellent spot if you’re looking only for a quick sweet treat, is the bakery on Monkey Forest Road at the main intersection.
So much more to come, including pictures ...
Last edited by l etoile; Sep 13, 2004 at 2:14 am
Sep 12, 2004, 4:22 pm
#3
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
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Thanks Carol. I mentioned your name at Alam Jiwa and to Wayan Sueta and they all remembered you fondly.
Spas
The first morning we made a spa appointment at Verona, one of the low-cost, bare-bones spas in Ubud. One-hour-and-forty-five-minute treatments, which include an hour-long massage, body scrub and herbal or floral bath, cost all of about $11. A Balinese massage involved a lot of pressing, and no kneading or stroking. After my massage I was rubbed down with a gritty mixture of herbs and spices, washed off and then bathed in cinnamon and cloves. Rod’s treatment was similar except he got the yogurt rub and soaked in a bathtub filled with flowers. While the treatments felt great, Verona cut too many corners and we didn’t return. For example, the same towel I used to dry off with was also the sheet used to cover me during the massage. It was also unattractive and the staff was noisy.
The next spa we tried was Zen. The ambience here was much better. There’s a relatively nice waiting room and you walk back to the rooms on stepping stones over water. Rod switched to straight massages and I had the yogurt and floral treatment he had the day before. Zen was the same price as Verona, but so much better. Even their ginger tea was more flavorful. Much like with TeraZo, once I find a place I like, I figure there’s no sense changing. We continued to have daily treatments – including more of the same as well as facials - at Zen for the rest of our stay.
We did check out a couple of other spas. Tjampuhan spa was rather interesting. It’s set in a sunken stone grotto (many stairs to get down to it and seemingly more stairs to get back up) and overlooks a river valley. The grotto, which features whirlpool baths that look as though they’re in a river, is $15 for one-day use. Hour-long massages were $25, whereas they were about $8 at Zen. The setting was certainly nicer, but I keep my eyes closed during massages, so that would have been lost on me.
One day we also went into an office in Ubud that offered shoulder massages along with foot reflexology. I find reflexology more painful than enjoyable, but Rod likes it and I figured even the pain beat standing around waiting. I think we paid less than $10 each for that as well.
My favorite shops
While we hired drivers to take us to many of the crafts villages and to see other sights, my favorite shops ended up being right in Ubud. I found the quality was often better at the stores there. Among the best:
Uluwatu – This store sells beautiful women’s clothing featuring cut-work lace. The woman who made your garment hand signs the tag. The prices are all fixed, and I purchased two dresses and a nightgown for about $100. (Spend more than 1,000,000 rupiah and you get a discount. You do need to remind them though as they didn’t offer it automatically.)
Hisu – This place had incredible silver jewelry. I visited about a dozen small silver shops in Celuk and never saw any place with the quality available here. The workmanship was outstanding. Most of the pieces were set with stones, and in some ways reminiscent of John Hardy’s work (John Hardy does offer a factory tour, lunch and buying opportunities, BTW). I went crazy here.
I forgot the name of this store although I’m sure I have the business card somewhere, but it’s on the street parallel to Monkey Forest and it has the most beautiful wooden chargers, plates, platters and bowls. I can’t wait to set hot drinks on coasters made from cinnamon wood and enjoy the aroma. This was also the only shop where I found the very striking fern wood. It’s a cross cut that features a dark background and light colored swirls, similar to fern tips as they’re about to open. I bought every plate/charger they had as well as the platter.
Design Unit and Artopia (or Artsomething – it’s near Design Unit on the way to Amandari). This is where we went crazy and ended up buying beautifully handcrafted furniture that we had to get the container space for. Both stores have very contemporary indoor furniture, kiln dried, for very reasonable prices. (The danger of buying furniture in Bali is that much of it is not dried and so could crack later. It's not such a problem with indoor furniture, but you definitely want to be sure any outdoor furniture has been kiln dried.) The designer at Artopia (or whatever it’s called) also makes interior and exterior doors from Honduran mahogany. We plan to order some of these, but didn’t have our measurements at the time. The pieces we bought were mahogany and showed a lot of creativity and artisanship. One thing we did discover is that different stores will give you different prices for cargo containers, some taking a cut for themselves. We got prices from $175 per cubic meter at Artsomething (where the designer said he charges only what the actual cost is) to $265 from a driver who had “a connection.” Our container of goodies is supposed to take 32 days to arrive.
Prada – I wasn’t going to go in this shop because I figured it would be nothing but cheap knockoffs. Then I read a recently published book about Bali that said Prada, along with many other designer companies, do have factories in Indonesia. The book said many of the pieces in the store are export quality, but some are not. (I later found a website that said similar.) So I had to check it out. The store is very small and has a very limited inventory, but when it came to shoes, I was very impressed with what I found. I bought two pairs – each for $50 – that have very good workmanship, good quality leather, and are very attractive. Another pair I purchased was $25. That one I suspect may not have been export quality, but it’s a very cute sandle nonetheless.
Next – Finding out what makes a good driver and what makes a really bad one, along with temples, ceremonies, and more.
Spas
The first morning we made a spa appointment at Verona, one of the low-cost, bare-bones spas in Ubud. One-hour-and-forty-five-minute treatments, which include an hour-long massage, body scrub and herbal or floral bath, cost all of about $11. A Balinese massage involved a lot of pressing, and no kneading or stroking. After my massage I was rubbed down with a gritty mixture of herbs and spices, washed off and then bathed in cinnamon and cloves. Rod’s treatment was similar except he got the yogurt rub and soaked in a bathtub filled with flowers. While the treatments felt great, Verona cut too many corners and we didn’t return. For example, the same towel I used to dry off with was also the sheet used to cover me during the massage. It was also unattractive and the staff was noisy.
The next spa we tried was Zen. The ambience here was much better. There’s a relatively nice waiting room and you walk back to the rooms on stepping stones over water. Rod switched to straight massages and I had the yogurt and floral treatment he had the day before. Zen was the same price as Verona, but so much better. Even their ginger tea was more flavorful. Much like with TeraZo, once I find a place I like, I figure there’s no sense changing. We continued to have daily treatments – including more of the same as well as facials - at Zen for the rest of our stay.
We did check out a couple of other spas. Tjampuhan spa was rather interesting. It’s set in a sunken stone grotto (many stairs to get down to it and seemingly more stairs to get back up) and overlooks a river valley. The grotto, which features whirlpool baths that look as though they’re in a river, is $15 for one-day use. Hour-long massages were $25, whereas they were about $8 at Zen. The setting was certainly nicer, but I keep my eyes closed during massages, so that would have been lost on me.
One day we also went into an office in Ubud that offered shoulder massages along with foot reflexology. I find reflexology more painful than enjoyable, but Rod likes it and I figured even the pain beat standing around waiting. I think we paid less than $10 each for that as well.
My favorite shops
While we hired drivers to take us to many of the crafts villages and to see other sights, my favorite shops ended up being right in Ubud. I found the quality was often better at the stores there. Among the best:
Uluwatu – This store sells beautiful women’s clothing featuring cut-work lace. The woman who made your garment hand signs the tag. The prices are all fixed, and I purchased two dresses and a nightgown for about $100. (Spend more than 1,000,000 rupiah and you get a discount. You do need to remind them though as they didn’t offer it automatically.)
Hisu – This place had incredible silver jewelry. I visited about a dozen small silver shops in Celuk and never saw any place with the quality available here. The workmanship was outstanding. Most of the pieces were set with stones, and in some ways reminiscent of John Hardy’s work (John Hardy does offer a factory tour, lunch and buying opportunities, BTW). I went crazy here.
I forgot the name of this store although I’m sure I have the business card somewhere, but it’s on the street parallel to Monkey Forest and it has the most beautiful wooden chargers, plates, platters and bowls. I can’t wait to set hot drinks on coasters made from cinnamon wood and enjoy the aroma. This was also the only shop where I found the very striking fern wood. It’s a cross cut that features a dark background and light colored swirls, similar to fern tips as they’re about to open. I bought every plate/charger they had as well as the platter.
Design Unit and Artopia (or Artsomething – it’s near Design Unit on the way to Amandari). This is where we went crazy and ended up buying beautifully handcrafted furniture that we had to get the container space for. Both stores have very contemporary indoor furniture, kiln dried, for very reasonable prices. (The danger of buying furniture in Bali is that much of it is not dried and so could crack later. It's not such a problem with indoor furniture, but you definitely want to be sure any outdoor furniture has been kiln dried.) The designer at Artopia (or whatever it’s called) also makes interior and exterior doors from Honduran mahogany. We plan to order some of these, but didn’t have our measurements at the time. The pieces we bought were mahogany and showed a lot of creativity and artisanship. One thing we did discover is that different stores will give you different prices for cargo containers, some taking a cut for themselves. We got prices from $175 per cubic meter at Artsomething (where the designer said he charges only what the actual cost is) to $265 from a driver who had “a connection.” Our container of goodies is supposed to take 32 days to arrive.
Prada – I wasn’t going to go in this shop because I figured it would be nothing but cheap knockoffs. Then I read a recently published book about Bali that said Prada, along with many other designer companies, do have factories in Indonesia. The book said many of the pieces in the store are export quality, but some are not. (I later found a website that said similar.) So I had to check it out. The store is very small and has a very limited inventory, but when it came to shoes, I was very impressed with what I found. I bought two pairs – each for $50 – that have very good workmanship, good quality leather, and are very attractive. Another pair I purchased was $25. That one I suspect may not have been export quality, but it’s a very cute sandle nonetheless.
Next – Finding out what makes a good driver and what makes a really bad one, along with temples, ceremonies, and more.
Sep 12, 2004, 10:23 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
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I've heard great things about Bali from some of my friends (which also includes you).
I tried to convince my wife to visit Bali on vacation (we went to Prague and Vienna), but after last summers JFK/NRT/BKK, she wanted no part of a long flight again. I only wish she was a Flyertalker too!
I look forward to seeing the pix. If they're as good as your last photo's, I'll bookmark the page.
Dan
I tried to convince my wife to visit Bali on vacation (we went to Prague and Vienna), but after last summers JFK/NRT/BKK, she wanted no part of a long flight again. I only wish she was a Flyertalker too!
I look forward to seeing the pix. If they're as good as your last photo's, I'll bookmark the page.
Dan
Sep 13, 2004, 12:50 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: DFW
Posts: 411
This report is truly insightful & enjoyable - my wife & I are planning to stay at Ubud on our next trip to Bali early 2005 and intending on doing lots of shopping as well. I can't wait for the next installment - great job ^
Cheers, gb.
Cheers, gb.
Sep 13, 2004, 11:06 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: alexandria, Virginia usa
Posts: 1,092
letiole
Great report- I still have not written my own from my July trip. Sounds like a great trip. We used Wayan Sueta as our guide as well and enjoyed the Zen spa- though Wayan laughed at the notion of Mr Naxos having the floral bath/scrub treatment.
Great report- I still have not written my own from my July trip. Sounds like a great trip. We used Wayan Sueta as our guide as well and enjoyed the Zen spa- though Wayan laughed at the notion of Mr Naxos having the floral bath/scrub treatment.
Last edited by naxos; Sep 13, 2004 at 11:26 am Reason: typos
Sep 13, 2004, 11:37 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador: World of Hyatt
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Great Report. I can't wait for the rest.
I though you were only kidding about the container!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary
(anxiously awaiting pictures)
I though you were only kidding about the container!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary
(anxiously awaiting pictures)
Sep 13, 2004, 11:14 pm
#9
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
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Thanks for the comments. Here are photos (click the arrow on the right to scroll through - there are about 30 pics). Unfortunately, some of the colors are fairly washed out - the sky was white pretty much the whole time. We were told it's bluer in June and July. There are so many more things now I wish we would have taken photos of. The rest of the report to come soon.
Last edited by l etoile; Feb 24, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Sep 14, 2004, 12:33 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Monkeyville
Programs: Island DOs, very sticky toffee pud w vanilla ice cream n multi-coloured velvet pillows enthusiast
Posts: 4,647
I miss Bali!
Great report and pictures, letiole, thanks for sharing! ^
The 'male tree' is called jackfruit.
We call them nangka. I have not had that for ages, and now I miss it too.
The 'male tree' is called jackfruit.
We call them nangka. I have not had that for ages, and now I miss it too.
Sep 14, 2004, 2:50 am
#11
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Originally Posted by belle3388
The 'male tree' is called jackfruit.
We call them nangka. I have not had that for ages, and now I miss it too.
We call them nangka. I have not had that for ages, and now I miss it too.
Thank you! We tried to describe them to someone there to find out what they were, but I think our description left a lot to be desired.
Last edited by l etoile; Sep 14, 2004 at 4:59 am
Sep 14, 2004, 4:58 am
#12
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The first morning in Ubud, we left our hotel to be hounded by people who wanted to be our driver. One camped out in front of the hotel. We couldn’t come or go without him trying to convince us to hire him, despite that we told him numerous times that we’d already arranged for drivers before leaving home. He was the worst of the lot, but throughout Ubud, men sat on the sidewalks repeatedly asking, “Transport?” It was a little annoying after you said no over and over again. I’m told it didn’t used to be this way, but since the bombing in Kuta in 2002 and the resulting tourism slump, people have become a little more aggressive. We walked passed one hotel near the Monkey Forest, and as four Japanese guests were leaving, they were immediately surrounded by five vendors trying to sell them various carved trinkets.
Some general notes about Ubud (and Bali):
• We had no trouble relying on ATMs to get cash in the bigger towns such as Ubud and Klungkung. We did find we were at the ATMs a lot though. When the exchange rate is 9200 rph to $1, $150 in cash means a very fat wallet. Some stores, restaurants and our hotels did take credit cards, but they were the exception, and it was usually for larger purchases. A few ATMs limited you to 500,000 rph per transaction, but they let you make repeated transactions.
• Don’t drink the water. Even the locals don’t drink it until they’ve boiled it. Also avoid fruits that can’t be peeled. The hotels do provide bottled water for brushing your teeth and all the restaurants serve bottled water.
• While I suspect I could drive in Bali now, it’s pretty crazy. They do drive on the left, which doesn’t bother me, but scooters and small SUVs share the roads and there’s a tremendous amount of lane sharing that takes place. The general practice seemed to be to drive with one hand on the horn at all times and to use it a lot to signal passing. I also heard that foreigners get fined heavily on the spot if involved in an accident. I don’t know if this is true, but if you’re considering a rental car, it would be something to look into.
• If you plan on getting a driver, arrange for one prior to arriving in Bali. I met a man in the airport as we were leaving Bali and he had paid about twice what we did for a driver when he hired one in town. In general, drivers charge about $30-$33 per day. Dianne47 had recommended Wayan Sueta, a driver known to several FTers. Unfortunately, he was booked all but the last day we needed a driver. He is phenomenal though (as I'll explain later) and next time I will plan my trip around his availability. Two other drivers we used were Ketut Karda, a very nice soft-spoken man recommended by FTer Darren; and Wayan Mudra, who was also good. I didn't know before leaving home how to chose and what to look for in a driver, but now I do, as the rest of my report will show. We also had one driver who not only was interested in making money on us up front, but by getting commissions on all our purchases as well. I somehow misplaced his name.
• Carry a long sarong with you whenever you go out driving. Sarongs are required in the temples during ceremonies, along with a sash and sometimes a head covering for men. The sashes are merely strips of fabric that are tied around the waist. The head coverings are tied with all sorts of different flourishes. A spare strip of fabric and some artistic wrapping and tying should work here. We didn't prepare for this, and paid for it, literally (story on that to come). Women wrap their sarongs tightly around and tie them on the side. Men center theirs around their backs, take hold of enough in front to tie a knot front and center, and then leave the excess fabric to hang down fancifully.
Back to the story …
Earlier that day we had heard there was a double cremation planned for a neighboring village. We used the same driver from the airport on this day. The cremations were planned for about 2 p.m. Prior to that, we asked him to take us to some shops with paintings. We had admired what I was told was called the Ubud-style of painting – it’s done in primarily muted greens, and every inch of canvas is covered in figures that tell a story of village life. My friends have a wall-sized piece that’s gorgeous. The driver took us to a huge art gallery. I didn’t mind getting a chance to see what all they had, but it was immediately apparent we were only there because any purchase we made there would earn him a commission. We didn’t find what we wanted, and he was noticeably disappointed, but he took us to a few more galleries. Still no luck. By this time, the cremation procession was about to begin.
The cremation procession was a lively parade, featuring a gamelan (band ) playing cymbals. Several men carried the large elaborate structures holding the coffins and at least 100 people followed behind. Everyone in the procession had sarongs. A fire truck led the way and sprayed those carrying one of the coffins with water to cool them off. Atop one of the coffins, sat a religious leader, a young guy in white who seemed to be enjoying the wild ride. As the carriers got to the open field where the cremations would take place they spun the coffins around several times to fool the spirits. One of the deceased was an older woman who apparently had worked at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua and the other was a young man who was in the military and died after an illness. His young wife – she looked to be in her early 20s – clutched his photo as their four young children sat at her feet. I felt like an intruder, but our driver kept assuring us that it was OK for us to be there. For all but the family, who would obviously be sad for their loss, it was a happy time, he said. That morning in our room I had read about the cremation ceremonies and about how in earlier times, when a man died his surviving spouses would jump into the cremation fire as well (men in Bali used to have multiple wives – Ketut told us one older man in his village still has two wives; another of his wives divorced him and the other died).
We ended up leaving before the cremations – apparently those would be hours away.
From there we went to Celuk, the village that has almost nothing but silver jewelry shops. I had given the driver the name and general address (as close to an address as one gets in Bali) of one shop Dianne47 recommended, and also told him I was interested in going only to very small places that didn’t have parking lots and were family operated – not touristy places. He drove quickly through town, told me, “Well, we couldn’t find that place (the one I had the name and address of),” and parked in a large parking lot in front of a very big showroom, exactly what I asked him not to do. “This place has the best prices,” he said. He more likely meant that they gave the highest commissions to drivers. We went in for a minute, inquired about a couple of prices (very high starting prices), and left. (Once you begin the bargaining it’s considered bad form to not purchase. So instead of bargaining there, I figured if they’re initial asking prices were equal to prices as home, it was unlikely I would get a good deal even through bargaining.)
A woman who worked there followed us out and talked to our driver for a minute, no doubt delivering the bad news that we didn’t buy anything. We told our driver we were going to explore on foot on our own and would return in about 45 minutes to an hour. We looked for side streets, where we found tiny shops within household compounds. At one – Metro Silver – we purchased several pieces, mostly bracelets and some with stones, and the owner charged us by the weight of the silver (just under 50 cents a gram). This is where I found the cuff bracelet I’d seen at home for $100, for $30. We bought several other pieces as well. The owner gave us his card and said to tell our friends, but not our driver or he’d come looking for a commission. Some expect to get up to 30 percent, he said. At the prices he sold his pieces for, he couldn’t afford to pay commissions.
None of the other drivers we had did anything like this, and one even surprised me by looking at my notes while I was out roaming, finding the shop I had written down the name and address of, and tracking me down to show me where it was. I was very grateful.
Still more coming …
Some general notes about Ubud (and Bali):
• We had no trouble relying on ATMs to get cash in the bigger towns such as Ubud and Klungkung. We did find we were at the ATMs a lot though. When the exchange rate is 9200 rph to $1, $150 in cash means a very fat wallet. Some stores, restaurants and our hotels did take credit cards, but they were the exception, and it was usually for larger purchases. A few ATMs limited you to 500,000 rph per transaction, but they let you make repeated transactions.
• Don’t drink the water. Even the locals don’t drink it until they’ve boiled it. Also avoid fruits that can’t be peeled. The hotels do provide bottled water for brushing your teeth and all the restaurants serve bottled water.
• While I suspect I could drive in Bali now, it’s pretty crazy. They do drive on the left, which doesn’t bother me, but scooters and small SUVs share the roads and there’s a tremendous amount of lane sharing that takes place. The general practice seemed to be to drive with one hand on the horn at all times and to use it a lot to signal passing. I also heard that foreigners get fined heavily on the spot if involved in an accident. I don’t know if this is true, but if you’re considering a rental car, it would be something to look into.
• If you plan on getting a driver, arrange for one prior to arriving in Bali. I met a man in the airport as we were leaving Bali and he had paid about twice what we did for a driver when he hired one in town. In general, drivers charge about $30-$33 per day. Dianne47 had recommended Wayan Sueta, a driver known to several FTers. Unfortunately, he was booked all but the last day we needed a driver. He is phenomenal though (as I'll explain later) and next time I will plan my trip around his availability. Two other drivers we used were Ketut Karda, a very nice soft-spoken man recommended by FTer Darren; and Wayan Mudra, who was also good. I didn't know before leaving home how to chose and what to look for in a driver, but now I do, as the rest of my report will show. We also had one driver who not only was interested in making money on us up front, but by getting commissions on all our purchases as well. I somehow misplaced his name.
• Carry a long sarong with you whenever you go out driving. Sarongs are required in the temples during ceremonies, along with a sash and sometimes a head covering for men. The sashes are merely strips of fabric that are tied around the waist. The head coverings are tied with all sorts of different flourishes. A spare strip of fabric and some artistic wrapping and tying should work here. We didn't prepare for this, and paid for it, literally (story on that to come). Women wrap their sarongs tightly around and tie them on the side. Men center theirs around their backs, take hold of enough in front to tie a knot front and center, and then leave the excess fabric to hang down fancifully.
Back to the story …
Earlier that day we had heard there was a double cremation planned for a neighboring village. We used the same driver from the airport on this day. The cremations were planned for about 2 p.m. Prior to that, we asked him to take us to some shops with paintings. We had admired what I was told was called the Ubud-style of painting – it’s done in primarily muted greens, and every inch of canvas is covered in figures that tell a story of village life. My friends have a wall-sized piece that’s gorgeous. The driver took us to a huge art gallery. I didn’t mind getting a chance to see what all they had, but it was immediately apparent we were only there because any purchase we made there would earn him a commission. We didn’t find what we wanted, and he was noticeably disappointed, but he took us to a few more galleries. Still no luck. By this time, the cremation procession was about to begin.
The cremation procession was a lively parade, featuring a gamelan (band ) playing cymbals. Several men carried the large elaborate structures holding the coffins and at least 100 people followed behind. Everyone in the procession had sarongs. A fire truck led the way and sprayed those carrying one of the coffins with water to cool them off. Atop one of the coffins, sat a religious leader, a young guy in white who seemed to be enjoying the wild ride. As the carriers got to the open field where the cremations would take place they spun the coffins around several times to fool the spirits. One of the deceased was an older woman who apparently had worked at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua and the other was a young man who was in the military and died after an illness. His young wife – she looked to be in her early 20s – clutched his photo as their four young children sat at her feet. I felt like an intruder, but our driver kept assuring us that it was OK for us to be there. For all but the family, who would obviously be sad for their loss, it was a happy time, he said. That morning in our room I had read about the cremation ceremonies and about how in earlier times, when a man died his surviving spouses would jump into the cremation fire as well (men in Bali used to have multiple wives – Ketut told us one older man in his village still has two wives; another of his wives divorced him and the other died).
We ended up leaving before the cremations – apparently those would be hours away.
From there we went to Celuk, the village that has almost nothing but silver jewelry shops. I had given the driver the name and general address (as close to an address as one gets in Bali) of one shop Dianne47 recommended, and also told him I was interested in going only to very small places that didn’t have parking lots and were family operated – not touristy places. He drove quickly through town, told me, “Well, we couldn’t find that place (the one I had the name and address of),” and parked in a large parking lot in front of a very big showroom, exactly what I asked him not to do. “This place has the best prices,” he said. He more likely meant that they gave the highest commissions to drivers. We went in for a minute, inquired about a couple of prices (very high starting prices), and left. (Once you begin the bargaining it’s considered bad form to not purchase. So instead of bargaining there, I figured if they’re initial asking prices were equal to prices as home, it was unlikely I would get a good deal even through bargaining.)
A woman who worked there followed us out and talked to our driver for a minute, no doubt delivering the bad news that we didn’t buy anything. We told our driver we were going to explore on foot on our own and would return in about 45 minutes to an hour. We looked for side streets, where we found tiny shops within household compounds. At one – Metro Silver – we purchased several pieces, mostly bracelets and some with stones, and the owner charged us by the weight of the silver (just under 50 cents a gram). This is where I found the cuff bracelet I’d seen at home for $100, for $30. We bought several other pieces as well. The owner gave us his card and said to tell our friends, but not our driver or he’d come looking for a commission. Some expect to get up to 30 percent, he said. At the prices he sold his pieces for, he couldn’t afford to pay commissions.
None of the other drivers we had did anything like this, and one even surprised me by looking at my notes while I was out roaming, finding the shop I had written down the name and address of, and tracking me down to show me where it was. I was very grateful.
Still more coming …
Last edited by l etoile; Sep 14, 2004 at 5:03 am
Sep 21, 2004, 5:03 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Circle City
Posts: 3,568
Originally Posted by letiole
The first morning in Ubud, we left our hotel to be hounded by people who wanted to be our driver.
"Do you need a driver?"
"No, but thank you"
"Where are you from?"
Then the conversation would go on for 20 minutes about what the US is like and what to see in Bali and I would be on my way. No other offer to sell me anything. Was nice.