I love Bali
andy-mac wrote:udo wrote:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-10/ubud-bali-russian-development-hid...
Heartbreaking....
whole south coast has big swathes of land being cleared for the beautiful russian architecture that is concrete boxes
parq devlopments, mirah, and a bunch of others are going hard. they've worked out how to play the bules cannot own land rules. it's like the 80's gold coast time share thing on steroids...
saw one that looked like disneyland coming to bland... websites all down now though... which is interesting... all looked rather flash and legit.
coupla years and I imagine there will be half finished multi story empty concrete boxes everywhere...
there kinda already is... dreamland and across the south coast there's some impressive unfinished develpments... run down and old alreaady...
bali loves a hotel hantu
I alluded to what appears to be high level cooperation between central government and russia before... that abc article confirms it... not just heartbreaking... terrifying...
and not just from my selfish perspective, no one does corruption like indonesia... except russia... combined... faarrrk me...
there's been an obvious and conscious push from bali to focus on 'a higher class of tourist' and to push out the backpacker market... which sounds fine, big money and investment is very attractive, especially to indonesians...
however, so many mum and dad business people make good livings of this lower end market, and big money only goes to... well... big men with big money...
indo leaders don't give a fuck about this, they love their kings and slaves...
and the philosophy (false justification) of trickle down economics...
combine that with what seems to be a likely coming election prabowo win... and well... the place may indeed be unrecognisable soon...
if I was a two bit ozzie villa / tattoo shop / wellbeing / surf retreat / etc. investor in indo... I'd be very concerned about the coming election...
Supafreak wrote:Came in through immigration last night and kitas line was chockers , thought WTF , turned out that many people had chosen to either ignore the signs or didn’t understand. Immigration dudes were getting the shits and walked around asking for kitas holders to hold up documents. Luckily I still had a printed copy and walked past over 100 people. Decided to register my phone this time in , iPhone 13 Pro max that they valued at $585 USD so had to pay tax of 620,000rp which although I don’t agree with why they have this tax , it wasn’t too bad a sting .
why the tax on the iPhone?
"indo leaders don't give a fuck about this, they love their kings and slaves..." and a scrambled eggs hat.
Prabowo will win this time, the new Indonesian capital Nusantara is being built on some of his land in Kalimantan.
ashsam wrote:Supafreak wrote:Came in through immigration last night and kitas line was chockers , thought WTF , turned out that many people had chosen to either ignore the signs or didn’t understand. Immigration dudes were getting the shits and walked around asking for kitas holders to hold up documents. Luckily I still had a printed copy and walked past over 100 people. Decided to register my phone this time in , iPhone 13 Pro max that they valued at $585 USD so had to pay tax of 620,000rp which although I don’t agree with why they have this tax , it wasn’t too bad a sting .
why the tax on the iPhone?
Only if you are staying longer than 90 days . If you get a local sim card it will be cut off after 90 days if you haven’t registered your phone . Any phone over $500 USD is taxed depending on its value. Some people simply get another sim card after 90 days. I declared on my customs declaration that I was staying longer than 90 days and wished to register my phone , on arrival as I go through customs they scan my code and I was then directed to a office where they ( slowly ) work it all out . Thing is you don’t pay here you get a billing number and either go to a bank or use online screen in indomart to then get receipt after paying cashier . They really know how to do things the long way but the indomart was actually pretty simple and is a way of paying for all types of services . It then takes 4 hours to 2 days to be processed haha , only in indo . Internet is pretty cheap and reliable though . Everyone uses WhatsApp to make phone calls and even though my oz number is now canceled it still is working on WhatsApp. Weird .
@asham , I realised I probably didn’t answer your question very well . Why they tax in the first place has many reasons and at the end of the day it’s an idea someone came up with to make the government some money and protect them from people bringing in phones from overseas to sell as they are really expensive to buy locally, particularly iPhones. This article has more info. https://finnsbeachclub.com/guides/bali-phone-customs/ talking to a friend that is looking at a decent JetSki for towing is looking at $50,000 AUD after the taxes involved are applied .
Whats everyones opinion of Prabowo seems to me a return to the Suharto years?
Supafreak wrote:@asham , I realised I probably didn’t answer your question very well . Why they tax in the first place has many reasons and at the end of the day it’s an idea someone came up with to make the government some money and protect them from people bringing in phones from overseas to sell as they are really expensive to buy locally, particularly iPhones. This article has more info. https://finnsbeachclub.com/guides/bali-phone-customs/ talking to a friend that is looking at a decent JetSki for towing is looking at $50,000 AUD after the taxes involved are applied .
No worries like the old surfboard tax they were trying years ago, $50 for every board over 1 lol
Me and a mate spent a hour in the office at customs arguing with them to save $50 each haha
It worked.
If you just use it on wifi though don't bother with a sim wouldn't matter?
@asham yes you could just use wifi , I just buy data for internet each month for about $10 for when I’m not using someone’s wifi . Not sure if you know about the new board tax with some ( not all ) airlines domestically in indo , $50 per board per flight. Fucking rip off .
I focus wrote:Whats everyones opinion of Prabowo seems to me a return to the Suharto years?
I’ve asked a few local guys in the 25 - 40 year old age bracket and they aren’t really sure about him and all have mentioned his past track record. I personally don’t follow indo politics much and Im careful what I say around locals . A bit of his background behaviour in this article . https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-11/indonesia-election-sees-prabowo-s...
prabowo is a war criminal
but the local don't know...
prabowo is the voice of muslim extremism
joko brought him in to quell the rabble...
(bought him in?)
prabowo is the old soharto regime
he was married to soharto's daughter, and represented the old regime at the last few elections...
joko won, but now has corrupted the election process to keep his family on prabowo ticket, locals don't like this... some anyway...
my prediction, once prabowo gets in... if... (almost a certainty) ...the joko wing will have little to no influence
and the old soharto regime will reign supreme...
('indonesia decides' on abc is very good for anyone half interested)
Well Prabowo it is for Indonesia, interesting times.
Nyepi coming up on the 11th march , it’s always an entertaining night before with the parade of the ogoh ogoh statues 
Supafreak wrote:Nyepi coming up on the 11th march , it’s always an entertaining night before with the parade of the ogoh ogoh statues
Love Nypei,
Enjoy the quiet and starry sky. Om...
I love Nyepi Day too, arrive on the 8th, couple days surfing then just relax.
Strange weather continues and today on the rock it’s blowing ESE ENE , waist to head high earlier with occasional bigger set , long lulls . Clear blue skies and dam hot . Checked the cams and it looked SSW at ulus but really light winds . Went trolling in my dingy at sun up hoping for some mac tuna that are about but came up empty and not even a strike . Still beautiful morning though. Normally we would be getting smashed by strong onshores and rain but these last few months have been very different.
Interesting to hear Supa, I fly in tomorrow for a couple weeks, appreciate the update.
Is it worth checking out Kuta Lombok area of will I just be dealing with euro beginners, looks like there are a few spots away from that crowd. Are guling and Ekas
Supafreak wrote:Strange weather continues and today on the rock it’s blowing ESE ENE , waist to head high earlier with occasional bigger set , long lulls . Clear blue skies and dam hot . Checked the cams and it looked SSW at ulus but really light winds . Went trolling in my dingy at sun up hoping for some mac tuna that are about but came up empty and not even a strike . Still beautiful morning though. Normally we would be getting smashed by strong onshores and rain but these last few months have been very different.
Hey supa, sorry I couldn’t find the thread again that you asked where I was staying.
I’m pretty sure it’s called Lembongan cliff villas. The mrs booked it.
Looks nice GF , I’m familiar with the area , its like the high end of town up there haha , some of the villas around there go for $2000 - $3000 per night. Can point you to some nice restaurants that won’t cost you an arm & leg. Lembongan is a great place for family holiday, you will love how clear the water is and it’s a good beach up that way , Im the other end in front of shipwrecks and the sand is pretty course down here . Anyway drop by when you have the time , Tarci bungalows / Agus shipwreck bar & restaurant .
Hi Supa. How much for a long stay at Tarci Bungalows? Say a month or more. Per night
@seeds , it’s difficult to book for a month or longer because as tarci is popular and been going for decades it has built up a regular clientele. Most of the year it’s at 80% occupancy, there’s only 13 rooms. Many people book well in advance so that’s why it’s difficult to get a month or longer .Another factor is there is group bookings for the whole place . Directly behind tarci is a small 5 bungalow guest house . It’s fairly new and rooms are large, aircon , hot water , no pool or restaurant but they are really nice rooms . No website for this place, rooms are 200,000 rp a night , you could negotiate for a month or more and I’m guessing 150,000 would be a fair price . The beach is a 60 second walk . If you’re interested I will forward his phone number. You have plenty of good restaurants & warungs close by .
Sweet.
I’m heading somewhere for up to two months this year by myself. Family staying at home. Don’t want to break the bank and don’t need luxuries at all.
I was thinking NW OZ in the swag maybe. Never been.
Then Bali comes to mind. Not a big Bali Indo expert. Went two times last year with the cheese and kisses.
I like the idea of staying somewhere for an extended time and getting it a bit wired to my level at least.
Went to Lombok last year. Loved how unbusy it is compared to Bali. Lot of work getting to waves though.
Conundrum.
Plenty of experts here though. Any advise?
I like Lembongan as a home base rather than bali and I built a place here in 2010 . There are far far better and more consistent waves in Indonesia. It does get really busy at times here and the euros are taking over but that’s when it’s under 3ft . I have places east and west that I can escape to a few times a year, it’s a mission to get there and not much to do besides surf once there . It’s why I like Lembongan because I have a variety of things to do here . I can’t really give you any advice but there is still places to be found with small crowds if you’re prepared to look .
ps thanks for info. I appreciate it. I need to get booking
seeds wrote:Sweet.
I’m heading somewhere for up to two months this year by myself. Family staying at home. Don’t want to break the bank and don’t need luxuries at all.
I was thinking NW OZ in the swag maybe. Never been.
Then Bali comes to mind. Not a big Bali Indo expert. Went two times last year with the cheese and kisses.
I like the idea of staying somewhere for an extended time and getting it a bit wired to my level at least.
Went to Lombok last year. Loved how unbusy it is compared to Bali. Lot of work getting to waves though.
Conundrum.
Plenty of experts here though. Any advise?
Seeds. Mate and I are heading back to Lances Right to a land camp we had last year.
Very quiet, no traffic, beautiful locals and accommodation owners, very little wind, consistent surf for the average punter and right up to super challenging surf on some days.
I now go late season , shoulder season, about 2nd or 3rd last week of October. Plenty of swells rolling up from the residual Australian winter.
Food out of this world, bungalows, air con , fans, clean everything. Just down right nice people to stay with. Not the cheapest place, but hey when you’ve surfed twice for the day and you need (fuel), food and a good sleep, nothing better. AW
Supafreak wrote:Looks nice GF , I’m familiar with the area , its like the high end of town up there haha , some of the villas around there go for $2000 - $3000 per night. Can point you to some nice restaurants that won’t cost you an arm & leg. Lembongan is a great place for family holiday, you will love how clear the water is and it’s a good beach up that way , Im the other end in front of shipwrecks and the sand is pretty course down here . Anyway drop by when you have the time , Tarci bungalows / Agus shipwreck bar & restaurant .
Ha, it’s definitely not one of those! Although like I said my mrs did book it..?haha
About 15 years ago I did that Doggy the Man 7 day boat trip that goes Bali - Lembongan - sumbawa - Lombok.
That’s the only time I’ve been to Lembongan.
Look forward to saying g’day!
seeds wrote:Sweet.
I’m heading somewhere for up to two months this year by myself. Family staying at home. Don’t want to break the bank and don’t need luxuries at all.
I was thinking NW OZ in the swag maybe. Never been.
Then Bali comes to mind. Not a big Bali Indo expert. Went two times last year with the cheese and kisses.
I like the idea of staying somewhere for an extended time and getting it a bit wired to my level at least.
Went to Lombok last year. Loved how unbusy it is compared to Bali. Lot of work getting to waves though.
Conundrum.
Plenty of experts here though. Any advise?
sounds cool @seeds, no advice, but I had the insomnia last night, and I wrote you a poetry, in a natty rod mckuen style:
Two 3-Week Floatings
To make life simpler, to quash thinking, to have a breather:
desert dirt, overwhelming sky, no focus,
intermittent exchanges, infrequent people.
Freedom to move,
no pressure to do.
Just float.
Long roads and line-perfect horizons.
To calmly re-engage, to feel part-of-a-whole again:
a rented space in a welcoming place,
To float, also.
Careless paddling and passingly-familiar faces.
A temporary place to love briefly, and then tire of,
and promise to return to, one day soon.
But ultimately, a place to find remembering
and gently push you homeward.
And a week-long booze-up in Darwin between the two would be sick as.
the end.
(there's a lot more where this came from, if you go to the dance with me, yours truly, basesix)
Yep definitely say gday , those old boat trips were great , dodgy at times but that’s the adventure .
To quote you basesix… Aww
Thanks
Quash thinking and floating sounds good. Been a hell of a past year.
That’s one vote for the desert! Don’t know about Darwin but a few days floating around Bitter Springs be good!
AW sounds good but longer trip would like cheaper accommodation for long trip. Maybe a shorter final hoorah at the end of a trip.
hell of a years are fucked @seeds, sorry to hear it. I'm trying to work out the next few weeks of gig-going, and came across this UK guy 'cam cole' touring in march, not sure if he appeals, but thought of you.. he's only going as high as bris I think..
This geezer
goofyfoot wrote:...
I’m pretty sure it’s called Lembongan cliff villas. The mrs booked it.
Stayed there last year Goofy, lovely place, fantastic views but a BIG set of stairs to climb on the way home. Playgrounds at the bottom of the hill, get a boat to Ship Wrecks. Enjoy, I am jealous as.
blackers wrote:goofyfoot wrote:...
I’m pretty sure it’s called Lembongan cliff villas. The mrs booked it.Stayed there last year Goofy, lovely place, fantastic views but a BIG set of stairs to climb on the way home. Playgrounds at the bottom of the hill, get a boat to Ship Wrecks. Enjoy, I am jealous as.
Sounds nice blackers except for the stairs, maybe not the best place for two sets of little legs..
Lovely little beach for Bintang and sunset at bottom of that hill too.
seeds wrote:Lovely little beach for Bintang and sunset at bottom of that hill too.
Now we talking seeds, damn the kids!
View from the top, view from the bottom. Plenty of nice bars within stumbling distance but the stairs............
Hey Blackers
I was staying in Mushroom Bay and saw the little beach on google maps. Went there on scooter for the sunset.
Seemed rather isolated.
Were you accessing the bars you mentioned on foot? Towards Tamarind Bay or the other way towards main Lembongan strip?
seeds wrote:Hey Blackers
I was staying in Mushroom Bay and saw the little beach on google maps. Went there on scooter for the sunset.
Seemed rather isolated.
Were you accessing the bars you mentioned on foot? Towards Tamarind Bay or the other way towards main Lembongan strip?
Hiya seeds. There is a walkway around the cliff to the main beach strip. There are places to eat and drink along the way, built into the cliffs. More exy than the main strip but great views over the main reef and beach and on to the big island.
We paddled kayaks around to Mushroom Bay. Purity.
Thanks man. I did like that quiet area but as I like to have a beer of an evening need foot access. And as you said easy access to playgrounds and a boat for others.
@seeds , you can walk all the way from the main beach on Lembongan to mushroom by foot , the little beach thats been mentioned has a track behind the warung , this track takes you to tamarind bay and you can just keep going from there around to mushroom. On the way is a another beach called secret beach that has nothing there , great isolated little beach . These walking tracks have no lights so if you have had a few sherbets take care . To go from tamarind around to mushroom just follow the beach to the end and walk through resort that’s on hold being built then walk down another track and you will go past secret beach then walk in the back entrance of a resort and down onto mushroom beach . It’s my regular morning walk routine . Unbelievable how many closed down businesses along the way that didn’t survive covid .
Thanks Supa. Great info. I’ll carry a torch.
Thinking I might plonk myself in Lembongan for up to 2 weeks. May start on the Bukit. Any experts in Balangan area?
Great, drop in and say hello. Just ask for Mark at Tarci bungalows/ agus shipwreck bar & restaurant.
How long are you there. It’s a long trip isn’t it?
I may stay up your way. Budget friendly is key. Your previous tip about place behind is still in my mind. Got some research to do.
Thanks man
seeds wrote:Thanks Supa. Great info. I’ll carry a torch.
Thinking I might plonk myself in Lembongan for up to 2 weeks. May start on the Bukit. Any experts in Balangan area?
No way an expert but the crew at Bombora Balangan are really nice, the place is schmick. The wave is fun but fairly pedestrian and often full of euros. Quick buzz around to the better breaks further south.
Okay thanks
Seems like it has a decent beach for hanging out. Not just cliffs to not much.
I know a place near main road on road to Impossibles which you can access Padang Padang to Bingin on foot or paddle below cliffs but no where to just chill ie not in a warung which looks like you could do at Balangan on the beach.
seeds wrote:How long are you there. It’s a long trip isn’t it?
I may stay up your way. Budget friendly is key. Your previous tip about place behind is still in my mind. Got some research to do.
Thanks man
I’m here for a few years with trips east and west during the year. There are plenty of homestays that are tidy just not beachfront but very close. That one behind tarci is good value at $15 - $20 a night , there’s others that are cheaper but further from the beach again .
blackers wrote:seeds wrote:Thanks Supa. Great info. I’ll carry a torch.
Thinking I might plonk myself in Lembongan for up to 2 weeks. May start on the Bukit. Any experts in Balangan area?No way an expert but the crew at Bombora Balangan are really nice, the place is schmick. The wave is fun but fairly pedestrian and often full of euros. Quick buzz around to the better breaks further south.
ant01 wrote:blackers wrote:seeds wrote:Thanks Supa. Great info. I’ll carry a torch.
Thinking I might plonk myself in Lembongan for up to 2 weeks. May start on the Bukit. Any experts in Balangan area?No way an expert but the crew at Bombora Balangan are really nice, the place is schmick. The wave is fun but fairly pedestrian and often full of euros. Quick buzz around to the better breaks further south.
Balangan is anything but "pedestrian" when it's on; at size.
Balangan seaview bungalows have good budget accomodation
I love Bali.
You wouldn't think that such a thought could be controversial . But it is.
Many people don't love Bali, in fact they proclaim to hate it. Bemoan what it has become, it's lack of purity, it's lost innocence.
Sure, I can see their point. I can't imagine anywhere on Earth that has been transformed as radically as Bali over the last thirty years. From rice paddies and coconut groves to six story discotheques . It's totally unrecognisable in the most built up areas.
But that's not what this post is about. It's about why I LOVE Bali.
I love Bali because ...
- it's still the home of an intense cluster of world class waves. Roping lefts : Uluwatu, freight train right barrels : Sanur, backlit mega tubes : Padang Padang. Rip able reefs, fun beachies. Short , slabby pits and long mellow points. River mouths and bombies. It's got the lot.
- it's still possible to get uncrowded quality waves in 2015 when it seems as though the entire planet has discovered surfing. I was trading crystal clear , rolling right walls with only two other surfers just this morning.
- it's still freaking beautiful. Watching the mist reveal Mt Agung in that unique Bali morning light from a black sand beach as the sun comes up is still special.
- the food is amazing. Walking around town building up a hunger and knowing that at any given time you are within shouting distance of fresh, exotic and delicious meals with enough variety to make your head spin is priceless.
- the Balinese are legends. Friendly, happy and always keen for a joke. Unfailingly polite and welcoming. Healthy, spiritual and decent.
- the Balinese surfers rip their waves and they still own them. A visiting Brazilian would not think twice to drop in on an Aussie local at Kirra. But you won't see the same in Bali. The Balinese surfers are treated with the respect they deserve. Because as everyone knows, if they are not treated with respect there is consequences.
- the water is so warm it's like swimming in silken angels tears.
- telling people that you are going to Bali will often elicit a response along the lines of ......"why would you go to that traffic ridden, noisy shithole ?" And then as you're kicking back with a Bintang watching the sunset over Uluwatu you can imagine them sitting at lights in their car on their way home from work in Perth. Which , for those that have never been , is a noisy , traffic ridden shithole. And this makes me laugh. Which is something I enjoy doing.
- The fruit is incredible.
- despite the millions of tourists, the fast food franchises and the Aussie over familiarity with the joint it's still exotic. The smell of clove cigarettes, the ogo ogos of Nyepi, the Buddhist offerings , monkeys , food and language are all enticingly foreign.
- there is no overreaching nanny state. You want to ride your motorbike with all four of your children and the missus on the back...whilst texting. Go for it.
- you can live like a king on a regular Aussie income. Maybe not such a great benefit for the Balinese themselves though.
- it's close to Oz. Twenty hour plane ride and a shot at developing deep vein thrombosis.....ummm no thanks. It's actually faster to fly to Bali from Perth than it is to drive to Albany. You can fly from Port Hedland in less than two hours.
- you get an opportunity to regularly witness some of the most foolhardy behaviour imaginable on a daily basis. You ever seen a man being doubled on a motorbike through traffic whilst holding a large pane of glass ? What about seeing someone hold a nail between his bare fingers while his mate tries to grind the tip off it ? It's all there folks.
- you can see people making do with not much and making it work. An exhaust system held on with a T Shirt ? An outboard motor attached to a boat with no anchoring system, just held on with a man's brute force ? Why not ? It might not work forever but it'll usually get em over the line.
- the winds can blow offshore for months at a time and when they blow onshore, well , that just makes it offshore somewhere else. It's an island !
- you haven't seen glassy oceanic conditions till you've seen Indonesian sheet glass. It's like an oil slick. And if you're ever near Benoa Harbour that could well be what it is.
- old people are accorded the respect they deserve.
- it's exciting. It's a melting pot of the world. Wide eyed villages from remote Asia, jaded techno princesses from Russia, sleek surfy chicks from Canada , your next door neighbour from Ipswich....it's a party and everyone is invited.
Including YOU. I'll see you there. You can't miss me.
I'll be the sun burnt drunk in a head to toe Bintang ensemble with hair braids and a fresh tattoo of a unicorn across my back . Don't be shy. Come and say hello.