Bali (February 2020)

Bali, Indonesia

February/March 2020

Fortunately, when we left the Philippines for Bali, we were declared 'fit to fly' at Manila Airport where they took our temperature at check-in due to the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak.  

On arrival in Bali, everyone passed a thermal imaging camera and were given a form to fill in.  Passport details, address in Bali, etc.  You then had to tick one of two boxes.  Are you 1. "Healthy" or 2. "Unhealthy"!  Who is going to tick "Unhealthy"??

We were met at the airport and driven straight to our accommodation - Merpati Studios in Sanur.  Lovely accommodation in a very quiet residential area.  

The first few days were spent exploring the beaches here in Sanur.  They've made it very easy by constructing a 5.5 km walkway all along the coastline:

We were not expecting to snorkel from the beaches after reading up on the Internet. You needed to go out on guided boat trips to experience good snorkelling, everyone said.  Not our scene.  

Obviously, these misguided people had not encountered "Dora the Underwater Explorer" (a.k.a. Elaine).  Within a few days of our arrival, Dora had found a wonderful section of the beach where we have enjoyed some amazing snorkelling experiences - easily accessible from the shore.   OK, maybe not the Maldives or the Philippines or Egypt but patches of colourful coral and so many species of tropical fish.

We have even seen several fish we have never encountered anywhere else in the world, including our favourite new one with the wonderful name, Spotted Sweetlips:

We call her Flirty Gertie because her fins and tail are constantly flapping about.  May be a male, of course.   If so we'll call him Shirty Bertie!

Another favourite we have a nickname for is the Juvenile Angelfish.  We call him Curly Whirly!  Spotted his mates in Egypt, too:

Not our fish photos, by the way!

We see so many different colourful fish, together with several species of star fish, eels, and even a tiny baby Lion Fish.  

On most days we can be found at Hallo Warung (Warung means café or small restaurant in Indonesia but is now used to refer to a local grocery store as well), run by a friendly, welcoming family, where we reserve a couple of sun loungers and enjoy fresh coconut or fruit juices and a snack or ice cream.  Oh, and David has a Bali Coffee.  We know how to live.

Here are a couple of photos taken from Hallo Warung.  The first one showing a Jukung, a traditional Balinese Outrigger boat:

We haven't hired a car on this trip.  Bali traffic is quite manic to say the least.   Elaine now prefers the much more enjoyable and far less challenging journeys in Oxfordshire,  Kalgoorlie and Cyprus!

So, we used Grab, the SE Asia version of Uber.  Convenient, reliable, inexpensive and no stress.  We just love (not!) haggling with foreign taxi drivers whose meter "is not working", and then if you do manage to negotiate a less-than-extortionate price, he has no change at the end of the journey!  Aargh!

We just get on the Grab App, order a taxi, receive a price, a car arrives in about five minutes and no cash changes hands.  We pay through the App, adding a tip if deserved.  Sooo easy.

Soon after we arrived in Bali marked the start of the Hindu 10-day Galungan Festival which occurs every 210 days and celebrates the victory of good over evil.  The men create Penjors, finely decorated bamboo trunks with corn cobs, plaited palm leaves and yellow or white fabric.  These are erected at the side of the roads in front of many houses. 

          

The women prepare offerings of food. Pork Satay is one speciality.  During Galungan, according to the Balinese, the souls of their ancestors pay a visit to the Earth at the family temple.  As well as public temples there are smaller ones by the roadside and many have highly decorated small Shrines at their homes:

Small offerings like these are also regularly placed at the entrance to houses, shops and guest houses, even on the beaches: 

The festivities come to an end at Kuningan when locals believe the ancestors' souls leave and ascend to the heavens again.  It's an important, happy time for family get-togethers.

Well, we leave Bali on Sunday morning for our flight to Perth, Western Australia.   Then a four-hour wait (time for lunch) before the short one hour flight to Kalgoorlie to visit our daughter and family.

Currency:  Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)

Visas:  As from 2023, citizens of most countries can obtain a Visa on Arrival at Denpasar Airport for a stay not exceeding 30 days.  The cost is IDR 500,000 which can be paid at the  VoA counter in cash (GBP,  EUR, AUD, USD, SGD, IDR) or by credit card.

To save time queuing at the VoA counter, you can now apply online for an e-VOA before departure.  The cost is IDR 500,000 for up to 30 days;  IDR 1,500,000 for up to 60 days plus a small transaction fee.

To avoid extra costs or even scams, use only the official Indonesian Government Immigration site HERE

Note:  For all the above Visas, your arrival day and departure day are each counted as one day.

Travel requirements can be subject to change at very short notice.  You should check and observe all health and entry requirements applicable to your journey and the latest travel guidance of the relevant authorities of your destination.

Shopping:  For a large supermarket stocking just about everything on two floors, we like Arta Sedana (formerly Hardy's), Jl. Danau Tamblingan No. 136. Fresh meat, fruit & vegetables, wine & spirits, household items and on the upper floor, more clothing, luggage, souvenirs, jewellery, etc., etc.

If you are staying towards the southern end of Sanur, Popular Market (Jl. Cemara No. 27) stocks most of the items you are likely to need on a smaller scale - and they have some yummy cakes and pastries!