Bali general information, MG Mia Asia 1997

On this page I have tried to put together some of my own experiences from being in Bali for a week.

Finding a Nice hotel

This is the Aneka Hotel at Kalibukbuk. When getting a hotel, always remember to negotiate the rate! Ask for the rate at first, and try to not be overly well dressed. The less you look like you are able to pay, the better rate you will get. And, don't accept the initial offering, there is a lot of money to save by good negotiation. What I usually do is to get there and ask for the rate. Once they tell it I try to look like it is out of my budget, but that I would like to have it. And, beware of girlfriends, if they say "this is gorgeous", you room for negotiation will shrink to zero. Then I ask to see the room (preferably a budget room), and discuss the price. Once this is done I ask for the difference to a deluxe room. Hopefully they will say "add another 5 USD and you'll get the really nice one". Here, I had to pay $10 USD extra to get the nice villa, which was what I wanted to start with.

Driving at Bali

By all means you shall rent a car. We decided to make it easy so we simply asked our Palm Garden hotel to arrange for a car. We got a Suzuki Jeep at USD $17 including insurance per day. The car was close to a wreck it appeared, but the air-conditioning was working and it was possible to take us around Bali the whole time. Some hints for the car:

• Check the car before you sign any documents! I checked windows, air-condition but didn't check the gearbox which I should have done.
• Gas was Rp 700 per litter. At the first gas station they charged us twice the amount since I didn't ask for the rate and the amount quickly enough. Just saying "fill her up" is a sure way of getting fooled.
• Look the tank! Someone stole our gas one night. So, don't keep it full if you cannot lock it up.
• Driving is OK, don't worry. But it is left hand traffic, although a lot of people improvise and drive to the right. Watch out for anything.
• On the northern side (and actually allover) there are not many real gas stations. Instead you buy gas from small improvised gas station who will pour it up manually. Price here is higher (1000 rp/litter), but the service was good so I would say "go for gas stations if you can, but there is no reason to avoid these small places".

Here you see Mia posing by our Suzuki jeep.

There are many 3-way intersections around the whole island. I never really figured out the real way to cope with these, but it appeared as "drive through as smoothly as you can"is the rule. The once with a clock in used to be working like a rotary, but I think that is more of an informal rule.

Shopping

Number one: Never ever pay the full price, always bargain for a better deal!

Here's a store selling a lot of the wood carvings. You find them all over, all with different prices.

Clothing

Bali is famous for its Batic clothing and Sarongs. A Sarong goes for anything from 3000 IDR (really good bargaining), to 8000 IDR (normal bargaining) up to 25 000 IDR (shopping mall). Quality differs a lot.

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MG Mia Asia 1997 Home page First page of Bali