Archive for September 18th, 2006
We know that Starbucks tries to create the ‘3rd place’ for people to be, beside their home and work. I reckon there’s an opportunity for someone to create a 4th place for tourists in Bali.
Sitting at a beachside hotel typing away like a little benchong, I overheard 2 older Aussie couples complaining that their flight home was later this evening, but they had to check out of the hotel at noon, and hang around until the flight was due. Having their bags packed and with nowhere to really relax, they didn’t fancy going for a swim in the ocean, or hauling their bags around town, instead preffering to sit in the restaurant for hours.
Maybe someone should open a ‘tourist’s rest stop hotel’ in the Kuta / Legian area. You pay 50,000rp each, get a small, clean, AC room, access to a pool and a restaurant, with a taxi rank outside, ready for the airport run. I reckon it makes sense. Imagine if you came down from Lovina in the morning, and your flight was at 10pm. Wouldn’t it be nice to relax in a clean, cool place, where you can shower, nap and lock up your stuff.
Its true people in this situation could check into a guest house, but by trading duration (they are leaving the same day ) for quality / cleanliness and convenience (have an internet cafe on the premises plus a wartel, it could be a very attractive package.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006
Name:
Gado Gado Beach (Pantai Gado Gado)
Where is it:
End of Jl. Dhyana Pura, Seminyak
Directions:
From Kuta drive north on Jl. Legian, turn left on Jl. Dhyana Pura, park at the beach.
Description of beach:
Medium color sand beach. Okay for walking, running and bathing.
Best times to go:
Low tide is best for running as you get a larger, flatter are of beach. I find the best time for running will be sunrise, as the temperature and UV are low. For walking midday can actually be good, if you wear a large hat with a brim, like I do. From 11am -3pm the sun is coming almost straight down, so your face gets plenty of shade. Best time for surfing in high tide, although this is not one of the best beaches to surf, due to the fact waves break rather flat.
Rental chairs / umbrellas?
Yes. 25,000rp per hour. 50,000 -80,000 per day.
Rental surfboards?
Yes. Prices range from 15,000rp per hour for body board, to 30,000rp per hour for short board, to 75,000rp per hour for long board. Of course these are ‘asking prices’ which are extremely negotiable.
Drinks vendors?
Yes. Coke 5,000, Bintang 10,000rp.
Massage?
Yes. Asking price 70.000rp per hour. Negotiable.
What’s nearby?
At the end of Jl. Dhyana Pura is Gado Gado restaurant. A high end place with a beach front patio. If you have money to spend and want an elegant environment, Gado Gado will work. For a cheaper option close by, go 100 meters back up Jl. Dhyana Pura to Cin Cin restaurant (part of Puri Cendana hotel). You can get a club sandwich for 35,000rp. Keep going down Jl. Dhyana Pura towards Jl. Legian and you’ll hit a slew of places to eat, including Santa Fe (western food), Warung Mimpi (Indonesian food) and C’Bo (Italian food), all cheap / mid range.
Transport from beach?
Yes. Taxis at end of Jl. Dhyana Pura.
Parking:
To park a motorbike at the end of Jl. Dhyana Pura costs 1,000rp, 2,000rp for cars. There is also parking at the end of Jl. Double Six, which they also charge for.
Review:
Seminyak Beach serves tourists staying in the large hotels nearby, which include Hotel Dhyana Pura, Pelangi, Mesari Beach Inn. Plenty of recliners and shades available. There are a few trees, at the back of the beach, but nothing that great. Most people come here to get a tan. The beach can be windy due its lack of trees. The sand is a mid brown color, the water is averagely clean. Watch out as there are small estuaries directly to the north and south. Steer clear of excessively brown water.
There are strolling beach vendors, but way less than on Kuta Beach and you should not get bothered once the first few have departed. To the north of Jl. Dhyana Pura the each activity gets less, to the south, it becomes more intense, with many drink and board rental places, finally reaching a peak at Blue Ocean beach, at the end of Jl. Double Six. There is a Tourist Police booth at Jl. Double Six across from the beach.
For beach supplies (sunscreen, drinks, snacks, camera film etc.) there is a Circle K on Jl. Dhyana Pura across from Santa Fe.
At the end of Jl. Dhyana Pura on the beach is a small local drink stand selling Coke, Bintang, water etc. and renting some old surfboards. If you have never surfed before, make sure you get someone to go out with you. Look for lifeguard warning flags, if you see a couple of flags in a ‘cross’ stay out of the water and if you see a lone red flag, marking a rip tide, stay clear of that.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006
Popular guidebook Shopsmart will launch its Bali & Lombok edition in Australia from early November. This latest title is the second of the series with the first, Shopsmart Singapore launched in 2004.
Over 1,000 selected shops and services are reviewed, ranging from boutiques, outlets, markets and leisure activities available. The reliable Shopsmart rating will also be featured, looking at price, value for money, quality, range and service.
The guide features no paid advertising and will commit 10% of all profits from the guide to local charities. Shopsmart Bali & Lombok is distributed by Woodslane and will be available in selected bookstores from November.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006
Visitors to Bali often like to shop for cheap gifts to bring home for friends. Even if you have a large, extended family, there is plenty of choice in Bali. The main places you will find the best selection of cheap gifts are Pasar Seni’s (art markets). In my opinion you could equally refer to them as junk markets, as there is nothing in them I’d actually buy, but for cheap nick-nacks they are handy.
An art market is basically a line of stalls, next to the street with goods spilling out all over. The most popular art markets are:
•Southern end of Kuta Square, close to Matahari department store, in between Jl. Kartika Plaza and the beach.
•The length of Poppies II heading back from the beach.
•Jl. Melasti in Legian.
Most popular stuff sold:
Bintang t-shirts, knock-off surf wear, place mat and other bamboo accessories, jewelry, hats, hanging decorations, sunglasses, watches, bags, cup holders, DVD’s, kids toys, paintings and wind chimes. There are of course hundreds of items, all mass produced and subject to negotiation.
In the past I have bought a soccer shirt at the pasar seni in Tuban. Asking price was 300,000rp, I paid 170,00rp I think. I later learned you can get them in Denpasar for 30,000rp. This pretty much is the rule for everything sold in art markets. Not much point in me telling you what things cost, as its up to you to convince the seller to part with it for your desired price. If you buy several items from the same vendor, your barganing power goes up.
Once in a while you might see a special gift that close friend would love, like these elegant paperweights. No harm in browsing, you can swoop a dozen gifts in an hour, for not much money. You do get what you pay for though, and a cheap watch will probably not work for long. Art markets usually open from around 9am-9pm.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006
Friday night I met Asya from Russia, who is at the end of a 2 week trip to Bali. Asya is from St. Petersburg Russia, and having graduated university earlier this year, scored a job with a travel agency, writing some content about Bali.
Her travels have taken her to Kuta / Seminyak, Bedugal, Lovina, Kintamani / Besakih. Asya told me visiting the tropics for the first time was completely new sensation. She said that you can read about visiting places like Bali, but experiencing the climate, culture, people etc. is another thing altogether.
We met at Take Japanese restaurant on Jl. Padma, close to Stadium Cafe (closed). A friend of mine from England, and another long-time expat from Louisiana accompanied. Take is a step up from Ryoshi and their private rooms are spacious. I ordered a sushi boat with big pieces for 125,000rp. Very good!
Asya said that Balinese people are very friendly and its a bit surprsing to be asked ‘Where are you going?” by a complete stranger. ‘Where are you going?’ is a form of greeting, like saying ‘What’s up?’, or “Howdy’, and to many westerners seems funny. Asya wants to return, I advised her that east Bali should be on her list of places to check out.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006
Lovely weather in Bali this last week, if you like no rain and plenty of sunshine. Today I walked along Batubelig beach in Seminyak up to Jl. Oberoi and back to the house. Very windy on the beach, with Europeans trying their best to get dark, and Balinese locals hiding out in the shade trying not to get darker.
Definitely feels a bit steamy today and locals also mentioned that to me. I’m sure that by a month from now we’ll be getting some sticky weather. No real rain for a long time though, and north / east Bali, plus the Bukit are very dry.
Here’s the 10 day weather forecast for Bali.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 18th, 2006