ScoobySnack

All I can say DWK is have a great time......

Been back 3 weeks, after spending 3 weeks in Nusa Dua and going everywhere on the island.....

To answer your questions, Josh L is absolutely right. Travellers cheques were fine. This problem occured nearly 6 months ago with one type of Cheque so the problem is past. I took Thomas Cook US $ Travellers cheques and they were accepted everywhere I went. But watch out for the rate they use........ for the £ it varied between 11500 - 15050 Rupiah. Funny how $100 gives you a massive wad of Rupiah.............feels kind of loaded .....

Only other advice I could give is.........

Blue Bird taxi's on a meter are the cheapest to use (25,000Rupiah Nusa Dua to Kuta.
Cigarettes are cheap (Malboro Lights 200 for £4.20)
Had a couple of suits made in Legian road (near Kuta) cost £31each, amazing quality.This goes for leather as well (Ladies full length jacket £59.

Places that amazed me
Turtle Island.....just so weird wading in the water with giant turtles
Elephant park - great food, ops and some elephants
Bird and Reptile park - ok, again great food
Jimbaran Bay - dinner at sunset on the beach - its exspensive, but romantic.

Any other questions just ask...........

Also try
http://www.bali-paradise.com/
http://www.baliguide.com/index.html

J





[Edited by ScoobySnack - 11/7/2001 9:41:56 AM]

DWK

I'm going on monday and have been strongly advised by thomas cook not to take travels checks, we were told we would have trouble cashing them due to the amount of forgery going on.

I really dont fancy carrying all my hard earned over there in my pooches, I was hoping someone could tell me if there were any cash machines over there so I can use my visa?

ScoobyJawa

DWK,

Jason - aka ScoobySnack (spelt like that as theres a few on here!!! ) went about a month ago, I'll try and email him tomorrow, to let ya know - if he doesn't see this post b4 then that is

Cheers
Neil.

Josh L

Absolute cobblers !

We've been out there 8 or 9 times ( most recently in May ) and nicer people you could not hope to meet.

I'm afraid that I have never put much faith in travel agents, and haven't used one for about 10 years now. To be fair, how can they know everything about everywhere, but they do feel they have to make some comment.

A perfect example would be ice. The first time we went (1987)Thomas Cook reliably informed us that we should always remove it from drinks. However, when we got there, we discovered that supplying ice made from anything other than purified water was an offence punishable by imprisonment. Consequently, it's not a problem, and the ice is perfectly safe.

Travelers cheques are perfectly OK, but like anywhere in the world, you'll get ripped if you cash them in the hotel.

If you would like to tell me where you're staying, I'd be more than happy to give you any help I can. Probably best if you mail me at josh@apexphoto.co.uk

Josh
aka Envious of Bucks

DWK

thanks for the replys

Josh, After the travel agent telling me this I was worried I would go over there with my travellers checks that were as much use as monopoly money to me!! I have read up on bali and it does sound like a nice place(thats why I'm going). I was also thinking maybe sept 11th might have had something to do with this???

Cheers dwk

DWK

P.S. I'm staying in Sanur, sounds a little more Quiet than Kuta(going with the girlfriend)

Josh L

Sanur is where we always stay. We've got loads of friends there. Nice place, fairly quiet. The weather on the east of Bali is also a little drier, as it gets it's weather more from Oz. Kuta on the west can be very wet indeed at some times of the year.

Although Indonesia is a fairly turbulent part of the world, Bali is completely different. Totally unlike the rest of the country.

Mail me with your hotel details and nature of your party (interests, any kids etc) and I'll mail you some suggestions. However, the most consistent place to change you TC's is a little place inside the side entrance to the Bali Beach Hotel off Jalan Segara, opposite the Segara Village Hotel.

Josh

Josh L

Jeeez, the exchange rate has plummeted !

When we were there last year we got around 12,000 to the pound. This year we got as high as 17,000. There's also a decent money changer on the corner of the beach market at the bottom of Jalan Segara.

Hints.

Please try to give and receive with your right hand, as it is considered bad luck, as well as rude, to use your left.

Useful phrase #1 'Tidak Pedas' It means 'not hot' and is handy way of avoiding you lips becoming numb when ordering a meal.

Restaurants.
Try the Sanur beach restaurant. Good food, nice people and it's run by the village, for the village. Profits go to help fund local projects. There's a super artist behing it called Jamal. If you see him give him my regards
Further up the Beach, there's the Mango, and past that the Bonsai. Both very pleasant.

Shopping.
If you want to buy any sort of clothing or souvenirs, wander past the Mango to the beach market there. The best place is Tootsies shop, as she has a cheap fixed price policy, and she takes plastic.

Also, you might want to take a trip into Denpasar to one of the Department stores there. Mata Hari or De Wata's are good, and you can get pukka CD's there for around £5.

Sightseeing.
Pick a few things, and see how you go. I've spent about 8 months or more there over the last few years, and I've hardly scratched the surface. You won't see more than a tiny fraction of the place during your stay, so don't try.vv



Life's a bitch and then you die. But if you're lucky, you go to Bali

DWK

Cool thank you both very much for the help.

Josh- I think you must have special powers, its the segara village hotel we are staying in so I'll try the place across the road.

Scoobysnack- Went to sort out funds today before reding your post, so got 1/2 cash 1/2 TC's, at least I now know I can use them. I think my girlfriend will pee her pants with exitement when I tell her about the turtles!!!


as for shopping and site seeing I'm planning on a lot of both (not a sitting on the beach all day type)

I'm really looking forward to going now after hearing from you both, thanks again.

dwk

RichieD

Having been to Indonesia many times (wife is Indonesian!) and to Bali for two months this year... one thing I would suggest with regard to travellers cheques... take travellers cheques in US dollars.. not UK Sterling, you will get a far better exchange rate.
Also, take a few photocopies of your passport (leave your passport locked up in the hotel!).

Have a luvverly time!!!

tokyo_steve

I travel all over Asia on business/pleasure. I almost never take travellers cheques.

There are many ATMs in Bali (was there in Jan 01) that take UK cards. Much better excahnge rate than TC.

Why buy a TC? You puy to buy it, you pay to convert the money to USD, then you pay to convert the money to RP. Use the ATM, better exchange rates everytime and lower charges.

I was able to get cash at the airport late at night when I arrived, but if you are worried take a hundred quid in cash (in rupia!!) from the UK and use the cash machines as you need after that.

TCs are an outdated way to rip off tourists before they even leave home.

Steve

dowser

If you fancy a few nights away from the hotel, go to Amed on the NE Coast - you'll need to rent a jeep. It has/had a couple of beach-side bamboo huts and one full-on westerner style hotel. 4 or 5 years back this was a quiet paradise......but so was Legian 10 years ago, lol!

Have a great time
Richard

PS: want to see a ghost town? Stop off at Candi-Dasa (SE Coast) - 10 years ago this was one of the few southern locations with a white sandy beach and beautiful coral reefs just off the shore (reason for sand). So popular was this place that they 'harvested' the coral to build more hotels for the tourists.....coral goes, sand goes, tourists go....very, very sad