Bali Travel Guide (18 Things to Know and Basic Indonesian Words)

Bali has been a long time tourist getaway… a tropical island of natural beauty, gorgeous resorts, yoga retreats and easy-going beaches…  a peaceful fling. Elizabeth’s Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love put Bali on the map as a solo gal’s romantic “finding yourself” destination.  And if you’re a weary traveler looking for a home, you might just consider dropping your bags for the next several months. But outside all of that , Bali is so much more. You can dress it up in accommodations or dress it down and still have a grand experience. We’ll all still be walking in flip-flops!

The spirit of Bali is steeped in a daily tradition of customary dress, pavillion houses,  flower offerings and  ornate rituals. From architecture, sculpture designs, craftwork to clothing, the Balinese way of life is one of craftsmanship, deep spirituality and beauty.  Here’s 18 Things to know before you go to Bali.

#1. The real souvenirs are the most expensive to ship

Unique from other islands in Indonesia, Bali has a strong craftsman’s demeanor. From wooden furniture to giant stone-carved sculptures, Bali’s best “souvenirs” are its artistry and low cost value.

The Balinese are so good when it comes to wood and stone carving, it’ll have you daydreaming about opening an imported furniture shop back home (I actually thought of that!). If you’re not careful, you’ll easily find yourself calculating shipping costs.

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2.  WiFi is available, but not always free

Wifi is available in Bali. If your guesthouse doesn’t offer it, then cafes and restaurants will, usually with the purchase of something. If all else fails, go to an internet cafe.

#3.  Rent a motorbike

The best and most enjoyable way to sightsee Bali is on a motorbike (post coming ).  Motorbike driving is mellow and it allows you freedom to get out to the countryside. In Ubud, they can cost around $6-10/day to rent. Do yourself a favor and splurge!
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#4.   Don’t drink the yellow vodka

Where to find a gas station is always a concern, when you’re driving in a foreign country. In Bali, major cities have gas stations, but you won’t find many of them in the countryside. No worries.  The roadside bottles with the yellow liquid (you’ll find many to be in Absolut vodka bottles) are petrol and they’re cheap to buy to fill your tank.

#5. Do try the street snack, Krupuk

Krupuk is the name of Bali’s deep-fried rice sugar and these can be addicting! Sold on the streets, they’re super-inexpensive and can tide you over until your next meal.

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#6.  If not a motorbike, how about a taxi or bemo?

Ways to get around in Bali can feel limited, but you do have options – motorbike, bemo or taxi are usual suspects. If you can’t drive a motorbike,  your next cheapest form is the public bus or Bemo. However, if you’ve a lot of sightseeing to do, hire a taxi for the day or book a day tour. These little Bemo van buses will take you from city to city, but are mildly uncomfortable and never timely. If you take them, make sure you pad your schedule with lots of time. Bemos generally don’t leave until they’re full.

Tip: If you get into an empty Bemo, let the driver know you aren’t going to “charter” it. I didn’t know this and when I got off, the driver charged me near to the cost of a taxi ride.
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 #7.  Pay dollars to enter Bali. Save Rupiah to exit

You can buy a 30-day visa on arrival for $25 USD. Money exchange at the airport can help you convert your currency. The depature fee you’ll be charged at the airport is 150,000 Rupiah (approx $17) . Only Rupiah will be accepted.

Tip: I put 150,000 Rupiah on the side in advance. I  tucked it away in my passport so I didn’t spend it by accident.

 UPDATE:  As of 2015, the Ministry of Tourism in Indonesia began waiving visas to a majority of countries in order to increase tourism in Indonesia.  Today, visas are not required for 90 Countries (In March 2015, Australia was recently added to the waiver) and there is no exit fee to pay upon departure. However, length of stay cannot exceed 30 days (your date of depature counts as a full day). If you are not one of the eligible countries, you will need to apply for a 30-day visa upon arrival for $35.  Visa upon arrivals are allowed visa extension once, but are only available to specific countries.

#8.   Take a breather from the tourist cities: visit temples, markets and the countryside

Ubud, Kuta, Sanur, Seminyak/Legian (or any seemingly main city in your travel guide)…  are going to be infamous tourist magnets, populated with resorts, yoga studios, international restaurants and designer jewelry and clothing shops. Occasionally, Balinese folk are employed at these places but this isn’t exactly Bali.

The real Bali to enjoy is found through the people, countryside and culture. Get out and explore that.  Drop by the markets, the shops away from the tourist mecca, visit temples and watch women at the roadside husking rice.
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Balinese culture and clues

In Bali, religion is a way of life. At temples and during ceremonial services, you’ll see the Balinese dressed in traditional clothing. Religious rituals occur daily by every household and shop owner and temples are many. The prayers and offerings are beautifully crafted and unique.
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#9.  Festivals, rituals and ceremonies

(source image: http://img.antaranews.com)

There’s almost always some kind of ceremony going on in Bali and you’ll definitely want to see it. From celebrating the birth of a goddess to full moon rituals, village cremations and observing the daily practices at temples.  Check the Bali Tourism event schedule. When I was there, I got to observe Purnama (below), a full moon ritual; I also witness preparations for a cremation.  You’ll never see anything so lovely in devotion.
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#10.  Don’t step on prayer offerings

Watch your step!  You’re sure to find prayer offerings on the ground every morning. Some are woven baskets cradling flowers (photo above), while others, hold tiny portions of rice on a banana leaf. They’re spiritual offerings that’s very integral to Balinese life, culture and religion.

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#11.  Rice is prosperity

Rice is life in many Asian countries. Bali is no different. Rice is the staple dish and you’ll find many rice paddy terraces decorating the land. But in worship, it’s also symbolic of prosperity.
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#12.  Why pray to the sky?

There’s two types of prayers you’ll notice the Balinese perform. One is with hands pressed together at the top of the heads; the other is at chest level. The first prayer is offered to God; the second is a prayer offered to ancestors.
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#13.  Animism: Good and bad spirits live together

Balinese religion combines elements of Buddhism and Hinduism and interweaves it with  animistic practices . You’ll  wonder why there’s so many unpleasant-looking gargoyles with grimacing or demonic faces. These are Drua beneda gargoyles. They represent both, good and bad spirits and they co-exist side by side. Balinese pray to both, so that they will be protected both and not be cursed by either.  Great way to cover your bets with heaven and hell!

#13.  God is in a color

Also symbolic are the colors red, white, yellow and blue. You’ll see them on sashes draped on gargoyles, on ritual umbrellas, etc.. Each color belongs to a god.
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#14.  A Balinese house is the architecture of a family

The Balinese house is impressively distinct. Rather than one building, it’s a courtyard of multiple houses. One household, consisting of a walled courtyard coveting many buildings and one altar area. Anywhere up to 35 families (or supposedly, 100-500 people) live in one household. The modern Balinese family averages around two to four children as children are seen as prosperity.

Tip: Guesthouses like these (in Ubud) are run by local families. I recommend choosing one of these stays over an impersonal villa or hotel. A small breakfast of fruits, eggs and toast occasionally is included.  Some households have wifi and some, not.  You can book in advance on Agoda or try to negotiate a place when you arrive.
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#15.  One giant coffin

The Balinese are a community-based culture.  In villages, many things are done as a community and cremations are one of them. Most economically-struggling families can’t afford an individual service for passed loved ones, so they hold a community or village one.  Much preparation goes into the ceremony. The Balinese women bring baskets of offerings to the community gathering  and there is much festive decor for the giant send-off. It’s actually seen as a time of celebration and the dead are seen as sleeping, so no tears are shed.

The blog, Hither and Thither was fortunate enough to witness the ceremonial cremation, which I missed by a day.

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#16.  Why are all Balinese named:  Wayan, Made or Komang?

You might wonder why every other man, woman or child is named Wayan, Made or Komang. Blame it on the Bali’s naming system. It was created to distinguish each person’s birthright order in the family. For instance, firstborns are named “Wayan“, the second eldest is “Made,”  third is “Komang” or “Nyoman” ,  fourth is “Ketut” and so forth .  Both men and women use similar names. A woman is distinguished by a “Ne” at the beginning (i.e. Ne Wayan), while a man is specified by “I” (i.e.  I Wayan). Personal names can be attached to the birth order names, but there is no family name.

#17.  Balinese Traditional Clothing

While much of the world has gone modern, the Balinese still stay close to their culture and perhaps that’s the beauty.  You’d think this was only for formal celebrations but there are a lot of celebrations and rituals in Bali to be formal about.  The temple is somewhere you’ll see many dressed up.
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#18  Bring your sunscreen and sense of romance

It’s not hard to fall in love chill vibe that Bali offers.  If can you get away from the congestion of Denpansar or larger touristy corners, it’s very easy to feel swept into the care-free romance and beauty of this island and people.

Maybe you’d like to relax in a cafe over a soothing smoothie, take a motorbike stroll feeling the wind run its fingers through your hair, gaze out over lovely terraced rice paddy fields, peruse the ornate artistry of a stone carving shop, get drunken with OMs in a yoga class, visit a temple or be sun-kissed on the beach.  Romance comes in so many forms here. Drown yourself in them and be prepared to fall in love with the spirit of Bali.

Basic Indonesian words for your Travel in Indonesia

  As an avid surfer and traveler, Indonesia is personally my favorite destination in Asia. Indonesia is blessed with thousands of beautiful islands that will leave you spoil for choice, and also has some of the friendliest people you’ll meet. Additionally, if you’re thinking of picking up some basic Bahasa Indonesia words for your trip, you’d be glad to know that the language is pretty easy to master! Here’s why:

The language has no need for past or future tense, which means that verbs only exist in present tense. Also, Bahasa Indonesia makes no distinction for masculine and feminine nouns. To make the language even less complicating, the words have no plural; singular and plural terms are all the same.

Overall, the national language is spoken throughout the country with a population of more than 200 million citizens. It is also good to note that Bahasa Indonesia is similar to Bahasa Melayu (Malaysia’s national language), which is why the language is also understood in Malaysia.

Here are some basic Indonesian words to help you preparing your next holiday to Indonesia!

Basic Indonesian words for your Travel in Indonesia
Basic Indonesian words for your Travel in Indonesia

Greetings:

    Selamat Pagi: Good morning
    Selamat Siang: Good afternoon
    Selamat sore: Good evening
    Selamat malam: Good night
    Apa kabar?: How are you? – Kabar baik: I’m good
    Terima kasih: Thank you
    Sama Sama: You are welcome
    Yes : Ya
    No : Tidak / Gak

Pronouns:

    Saya: I
    Kamu: You (familiar) often shortened to “Kau”
    Anda: You (formal or respectful)
    Dia: He/She
    Kita: Us (including the person spoken to)
    Kami: Us (not including the person spoken to)
    Kalian: You (plural)
    Mereka: They

When asking for something, always start your question with ‘Permisi’ (Excuse me) :

    Permisi Mas (to young males)
    Permisi Adek (to young females)
    Permisi Pak (to older men)
    Permisi Ibu (to older women)

    Saya mau tanya: I would like to ask

     Ex : Permisi Pak, pantai ada di mana ? (Excuse me Sir, where is the beach?)
    Permisi Mas (to young males)
    Permisi Adek (to young females)
    Permisi Pak (to old men)
    Permisi Ibu (to old women)
    for women whos little bit older than you use “Mbak” (permisi mbak)
    for men little bit older than you use “Mas” (Bahasa Indonesia) or “Bli” (Balinesse)
   
Where are you from and where do you want to go?

As people are very friendly and communicative, you will pick up the language quickly. During your travel around Indonesia, the most common questions you’ll hear will be: “Dari mana?”  and “Mau ke mana?”.

“Dari mana” means where (are you) from and “ke mana” means where (are you) going. So familiarize yourself with these two short and simple phrases, they’ll definitely come in handy!
Basic Indonesian words for your Travel in Indonesia
Basic Indonesian words for your Travel in Indonesia

Here are some more useful phrases to help you:

    Saya mau ke Bali: I want to go to Bali
    Saya dari: I am from… Perancis (French) – Ingrris (English) – Spanyol (Spanish) – America – Australia – Singapura
    Kiri: Left
    Kanan: Right
    Lurus: Straight
    Belakang: Behind

Ordering food in Indonesia

Most people love Indonesian food.
From my personal experience, my Bahasa has improved significantly from ordering food in the Indonesian warungs. Going to the warungs will definitely invite opportunities to mix and converse with the locals. Do bring a pocket dictionary if you want to make your conversations more interesting!

    Permisi Pak, ada tempat makan di dekat sinin?: Excuse me Sir, is there a restaurant near here?
    Makan: To eat
    Pedas: Spicy (if you cant handle spicy, remember to say Tidak pedas!)
    Saya suka pedas: I like spicy
    Minyak: Oil
    Gula: Sugar
    Minum: Drink
    Nasi: rice
    Mie: noodle
    Sayur saja: if you are vegetarian you might want to ask for “Sayur saja” (Vegetables only)
    Enak : Delicious!

Bargaining and Numbers

Knowing a few words of the language will always help you to get better deals in Indonesia.

As an advice, try to bargain around 40% off the initial price offered when you negotiate, especially in touristic areas:

    1 – Satu ; 2 – Dua ; 3 – Tiga ; 4 – Empat ; 5 -Lima ; 6 -Enam ; 7 – Tujuh ; 8 – Delapan ; 9 – Sembilan ; 10 – Sepuluh.
    11 Seblas
    12 Dua belas
    13 Tiga belas
    14 Empat belas
    20 – Dua puluh ; 30 – Tiga puluh, etc …
    100 – Seratus ; 200 – Dua ratus etc…
    1, 000 : Seribu – 10,000 Sepuluh Ribu
    1 million : Satu juta

    Harga: Price
    Berapa harganya?: How much does it cost?
    Harga nya mahal: Price is expensive
    Lebih murah bisa?: “Cheaper possible?”
    Saya tidak ada cukup: I don’t have enough
    Mahal sakali: Very expensive!

Police in Indonesia

I hope you won’t get arrested by the Police while travelling in Indonesia, but this happens sometimes, don’t be afraid of them. Here are a few sentences to deal with the police, and it will make a big difference for them if you talk to them in Bahasa Indonesia:

Travel tips meeting with Indonesian policemen:

    My wallet was stolen: Dompet saya di curi
    I am very sorry I won’t do it again: Maaf sakali, saya tidak akan ulangi lagi

    Saya tinggal disini, saya bukan bule: I live here, I am not a tourist (Bule is actually the term to describe a white foreigner).
    Saya jujur: I am honest

Other easy words in Indonesia that you will use often :

    Tidak Apa Apa!: No worries!
    Bagus!: Great!
    Hati-hati: Be careful
    Boleh or Bisa: Can.
    Ada/Tidak ada : There is/There is not
    Buka/Tutup: Open/Close
    Selamat jalan: Have a safe journey
    Ini apa?: What is this?
    Sampai jumpa lagi : See you again
    Tolong!: Help
    Maaf: I am sorry
    Jam berapa?: What time is it?

Bonus for the surfers:

    Ombak bagus: Good waves!
    Banyak angin: Lot of wind
    Air dingin: Cold water
    Banyak arus: Lots of current
    Bahaya: Dangerous
    Ikan Hiu: Shark (but normally there are no sharks in Indonesia!)

Lastly, remember that there are another 200 dialects spoken in Indonesia. Traditional Balinese people speak Balinese between them, but all of them speak Bahasa Indonesia and many speak English too. Bali is a good place to start your trip to Indonesia if you want to reduce language barrier.


References:
1. http://grrrltraveler.com
2. http://blog.eoasia.com