Indonesia and World Tourism News

Bali nightlife: Wednesday October 25th 2006

Right now its Idul Fitri in Bali, meaning half of Java is here celebrating the end of the month of Ramadan. Today many businesses were closed, but nightlife venues are all open. Here’s the rundown of nightlife events for the next couple of weeks, provided by the Beat Magazine.

•Wednesday Oct 25th:

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source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Pirated DVD’s affecting Australian economy

‘Affordably priced’ DVD’s, which are ‘creatively marketed’ here in Bali, are affecting the Australian economy, according to an article in the Bendigo News.

Bendigo, for those who don’t know, is where its all happening, its a virtual New York City of excitement. The latest craze is ‘Bali Parties‘, where stacks of ‘competitively price tagged’ DVD’s get sold at large discounts. The effect, is that local DVD stores, who rip the public off with their overpriced DVD’s, are losing money.

The Bendigo article does not say whether its arak, or Bundy & Coke that gets consumed at the ‘Bali parties’, but one thing is for sure, the distributors of the ‘differently valued’ DVD’s, do more to promote Bali, than the Indonesian Department of Tourism.

For visitors to Bali who are looking for ‘unusually cheap’ DVD’s, you can bargain and 100 for 10,000rp apiece, plus 70 for free.

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Arriving in Bali and heading to Ubud

Most visitors to Bali, head to the Kuta / Seminyak area, on their first day here. Kuta is just 2 miles from the airport, and the big beachfront hotels in Tuban, are just a mile away. Some people however, like my friends from Oregon, have never been to Kuta, and instead head straight to Ubud, preferring the quieter pace. Just how easy is this to do stepping off a plane in Bali?

Actually its very easy. As you step out of the arrivals hall, into the fresh air, a taxi office will be 20 meters to your right. A taxi to Ubud from there will be about 240,000rp. Local bemo buses also run past the airport, what you’ll pay, who knows, its a haggle situation with them. It is possible to travel the length of Bali by bemo’s. Tell them where you are going, and they will tell you the connections you have to make. These buses serve locals, so are on an entirely different route schedule, than most tourists would take.

A better idea, is to take a taxi to Kuta for 25,000rp, check into one of the affordable guest houses on Poppies I or II. You can get a room for 50,000rp. At the bottom end of Jl. Legian is the Perama bus office. A ticket to Ubud will be 40,000rp. Buses leave at 6am, 10am, 1.30pm, 4.30pm. Perama will drop you in Ubud and the bottom of Jl Hanuman, downtown.

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Pasar Badung market in Denpasar Bali

Denpasar means, ‘by the market’ and the biggest market in Denpasar, is Pasar Badung. Pasar Badung has 4 floors in a giant concrete structure that is rather like a parking structure. Different floors carry different goods, starting with the fruit and veg market outside. Inside the first floor is a large fish market and let me tell you, today it smelt like an Asian fish market.

Organized chaos reigns outside, with cars and motorbikes trying to find a place to park, people carrying bushels of produce of every kind imaginable. Come in the morning and check out the food vendors. Satay and hot spicy Balinese snacks are made right there by weather worn Balinese women, some who have been working the market for 30 years. Others come her to sell ceremonial offerings.

You might see the odd westerner here, but by no means is this a tourist destination. Above the fish market are floors containing spices and ceremonial equipment, including sarong and umbrellas. Parking for a motorbike here is 500rp.

Denpasar has a decent sized Muslim population, and they sell in the market too, along with Chinese traders. Pasar Badung is apparently open 24/7, although I have not been there at 3am to confirm this. To get to Pasar Badung from Kuta, drive on Jl. Imam Bonjol towards Denpasar. You keep going straight until you are forced to make a left or right turn at Jl. Gajah Mada. Turn right and its just around the corner. You know its the market when you see the huge building with all the activity around it.

Pasar Badung
•Where it is: Its in Denpasar of off Jl. Gajah Mada
•When it is open: Open all the time, but different activities happen depending on the time.
•Best time to visit: A day its not raining, between 8am-12 noon. Plenty of snack food vendors.
•How much does it cost to get in: Free. 500rp for motorbike.
•What’s there for a westerner: You might find a sarong or tishirt on the 3rd floor for a girt. Great photo opportunities.
•Distance from Kuta: Taking Jl. Iman Bonjol it takes maybe 15-20 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Shopping for wedding gear: Pasar Badung market, Denpasar Bali

This afternoon at Pasar Badung market in Denpasar, I went up to the 3rd floor, to look for a Balinese jacket, to wear at Wayan’s wedding. A lady in Global Xtreme, told me I could pick up one for 50,000-100,000rp.

Pasar Badung is tightly packed with narrow alleyways of merchandise, piled up high. Store owners eagerly pointed me to one of their friends, who sold the jackets and I tried one on. Here in Indonesia, when something doesn’t fit, they will insist it does, and looks terrific. I liked the color of the jacket and the udeng (headgear), but wanted a bigger size. A couple of stores down the alley, another lady had a jacket that fitted me better. The udengs were not so nice though and she wanted 150,000rp for the jacket alone. Tossing in a bit of Bahasa Indonesia, really helps in these situations. I know I’m going to pay over the odds, but am prepared to walk away, and don’t invest too much energy in the process.

We worked an agreement where I got the bigger jacket and the udeng for 120,000rp, both satified. The color of the jackets does not have any real significance and they come in a multitude of colors, including white, cream, black and navy blue. I got blue as it goes well with the brown sarong I have. Hope Wayan appreciates all the trouble this bule went to, for her wedding.

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Warung ExtraBlatt: Legian Bali

Some places come as a surprise. Others can be a total shock. A friend of mine recently took me to a German Warung in Legian, which was a little piece of the Fatherland, in the middle of no-mans land.

This evening I went back and sampled the food once more, the World Cup in Berlin, creeping back into my conciousness. Warung ExtraBlatt ( I think it means something like ‘extra page’), is located on Jl. Nakula, across Jl. Legian from Jl. Double Six. The road there is like the surface of the moon, the only things I had noticed there before, were massage parlours, petrol racks and the odd local food stall.

Warung ExtraBlatt has some bench seating outside and about 3 other tables. Both times I have been there a group of German speakers, including the owner, have parked themselves out in front.

The staff are all Indonesian, the menu German and the portions large! I had sliced pork with dumplins, in mushroom sauce for 29,000rp. I added a side portion of mashed potatoes, just to fulfill the European food urge. Everything was great and I’d recommend it. The other time I came, my friend devoured a giant plate of pork ribs, (even though he’s Jewish), which seemed like they’d never end.

The menu includes:

Meat Loaf - 25,000rp
Grosse Bratwurst - 25,000rp
Weiss wurst - 25,000rp
Hirten wurst - 22,000rp
Hamburger knacker - 22,000rp
Nurnberger - 22,000rp
Swiss Cervelat - 25,000rp
Beef Frankfurter - 25,000rp
Cury Sausage - 22,000rp

Pork steak - 23,000rp
Zurick - 36,000rp
Kassler - 23,000rp
Schwein Braten - 29,000rp
Pork Rib - 29,000rp
Pork Schnitzel - 25,000rp
Gemischter Braten - 32,000rp
Sliced Pork - 29,000rp

There is a ton of other stuff including 2 fish items and 2 chicken items. German food is after all, pork and bread. They have some basic desserts.

If you get the munchies for a brat, you can call for delivery.

Warung ExtraBlatt
Jl. Nakula
Legian
Bali
(0361)732982

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006

Evening in Seminyak Bali

Here in Seminyak, sitting in an empty internet cafe on Jl. Dhyana Pura, I’m ready to go home. The time is 9.50pm, and sexy dancers are due at Galaxy at 11.30pm, but I just don’t have the stamina to stay awake that long, (what would I do if I ever got hold of a sexy dancer?).

Thursday night is not a main party night in Seminyak anyway, but there will be people out later. The 2 main places on this street to hit if you are straight, are Bahiana and Santa Fe. That is, both have either a band, or dancing and both are good place for single guys. If you are not straight, keep walking to Q Bar, Kudos, Mixwell, and other places down the street.

source : www.baliblog.com

Add comment October 27th, 2006