A 6-DAY JOURNEY ACROSS BALI
Mel Lee and wife covered 750km in Bali, on a rented
Yamaha Mio.
Click for more photos
Mel Lee and wife covered 750km in Bali, on a rented
Yamaha Mio.
Click for more photos
| OUR LIBRARY |
Why ride?
I figured that Bali is perfect for a kapcai tour, with its
relative small size, narrow and twisty roads,
small-bike culture, and weather similar to ours.
Besides, I do a lot of small-bike riding at home.
Renting a bike is about the easiest thing to do in
Bali. You can do it online or sort it out when you are
there; rentals are everywhere, and you can bargain.
I got a Yamaha Mio, a 110cc automatic, for five days.
Total cost plus insurance: RM120. Helmets are
compulsory; they come with the rental, but are
usually very crappy units. A tourist driver's licence is
also compulsory, but is easy to obtain. The cost of
renting a Toyota Avanza or Suzuki APV for eight
hours, with driver, is 400,000 rupiahs. There is also
the self-drive deals, the popular choices being the
Suzuki Jimny and the Kijang.
The Mio was nippy, agile, even two-up with
back-packs, and frugal. It was also 'invisible' and
safe. I could leave it anywhere. Small bikes rule on
the island, therefore the support services are very
good. I found it great for seeking out places to stay
and to eat, and also backtracking for photos. My
pace was leisurely; I covered between 100 to
150km per day, leaving a lot of time for exploring
and taking in the atmosphere. I covered almost the
whole island, including the interior, which is
mountainous.
The weather there can be unpredictable, with the
frequent passing clouds bearing lots of moisture.
But it was cool and invigorating, with a surprise
around virtually every bend.
There are really no remote areas in Bali. There are
settlements everywhere - towns, villages and
hamlets. There is extensive agriculture, and the
smell of manure hangs in the air. There are many
fine-looking houses among more humble abodes.
There are also lots of school-going children, even in
the most remote places.
Road-users are generally well mannered, but you
have to watch out for inexperienced tourist, female
and underage riders. There are also the impatient
drivers who get held up behind slow movers up the
mountain passes. There are not many large trucks
but the small ones, including vans, spew lots of
noxious diesel fumes. That and the grit they churn
up spoil the atmosphere.
The roads are well maintained, except for some
remote stretches. Signages are lacking, and so are
good maps, but it is a relatively small place and
most people know were the towns are.
It is not advisable to ride when it's dark because
there are no street lights. And you are likely to meet
the strangest road users even at night, like a man
pushing a bicycle loaded down with a full-size bed
frame.
The coastal roads can get monotonous, and hot.
Detour inland and you get right into the mountains.
Some are straight roads with a gradual incline for
long stretches, while others are very twisty. You can
easily get from sea level to more than 1,500 metres
within a few minutes.
Away from the main roads, the conditions are
perfect for exploring. There is really a lot to see.
Bali is riding country.
I figured that Bali is perfect for a kapcai tour, with its
relative small size, narrow and twisty roads,
small-bike culture, and weather similar to ours.
Besides, I do a lot of small-bike riding at home.
Renting a bike is about the easiest thing to do in
Bali. You can do it online or sort it out when you are
there; rentals are everywhere, and you can bargain.
I got a Yamaha Mio, a 110cc automatic, for five days.
Total cost plus insurance: RM120. Helmets are
compulsory; they come with the rental, but are
usually very crappy units. A tourist driver's licence is
also compulsory, but is easy to obtain. The cost of
renting a Toyota Avanza or Suzuki APV for eight
hours, with driver, is 400,000 rupiahs. There is also
the self-drive deals, the popular choices being the
Suzuki Jimny and the Kijang.
The Mio was nippy, agile, even two-up with
back-packs, and frugal. It was also 'invisible' and
safe. I could leave it anywhere. Small bikes rule on
the island, therefore the support services are very
good. I found it great for seeking out places to stay
and to eat, and also backtracking for photos. My
pace was leisurely; I covered between 100 to
150km per day, leaving a lot of time for exploring
and taking in the atmosphere. I covered almost the
whole island, including the interior, which is
mountainous.
The weather there can be unpredictable, with the
frequent passing clouds bearing lots of moisture.
But it was cool and invigorating, with a surprise
around virtually every bend.
There are really no remote areas in Bali. There are
settlements everywhere - towns, villages and
hamlets. There is extensive agriculture, and the
smell of manure hangs in the air. There are many
fine-looking houses among more humble abodes.
There are also lots of school-going children, even in
the most remote places.
Road-users are generally well mannered, but you
have to watch out for inexperienced tourist, female
and underage riders. There are also the impatient
drivers who get held up behind slow movers up the
mountain passes. There are not many large trucks
but the small ones, including vans, spew lots of
noxious diesel fumes. That and the grit they churn
up spoil the atmosphere.
The roads are well maintained, except for some
remote stretches. Signages are lacking, and so are
good maps, but it is a relatively small place and
most people know were the towns are.
It is not advisable to ride when it's dark because
there are no street lights. And you are likely to meet
the strangest road users even at night, like a man
pushing a bicycle loaded down with a full-size bed
frame.
The coastal roads can get monotonous, and hot.
Detour inland and you get right into the mountains.
Some are straight roads with a gradual incline for
long stretches, while others are very twisty. You can
easily get from sea level to more than 1,500 metres
within a few minutes.
Away from the main roads, the conditions are
perfect for exploring. There is really a lot to see.
Bali is riding country.
The bottle of choice for the roadside petrol
vendors. A 2L refill of 92 octane is 10,000 rupiahs,
which is about RM3.40. It's cheaper at the proper
petrol stations, which are few and far between.
vendors. A 2L refill of 92 octane is 10,000 rupiahs,
which is about RM3.40. It's cheaper at the proper
petrol stations, which are few and far between.
GOING NATIVE
MY 6-DAY RIDE ACROSS BALI
MY 6-DAY RIDE ACROSS BALI
There is a lot more to Bali than Kuta, the beach culture, and Hard Rock Hotel.
As we are not into the bar and club scene, and we never agree with the prices in
the tourists strips, we had to venture beyond the usual haunts. We were looking
for simple pleasures - signs of a different culture and lifestyle, beautiful vistas
and nice atmospheres, simple and wholesome meals, and nice people. We
found them all on this trip.
In a nutshell, Kuta/Legian and Sanur are like Pattaya and Phuket in Thailand -
beach and bar crowds, touristy shops and prices, but little of the blatant sex
trade. Nusa Dua is upmarket. Denpasar and Singaraja are bustling cities. The
hill stations are cool but unkempt, with plenty of peddlers. In between are miles
of coastal roads linking the lesser-known resorts, and the mountain roads,
linking dozens of small towns, villages, hamlets and farms. You can drive
around the island or criss-cross it north to south via its many roads. There are
no highways and even the main roads are narrow, a lot of them hilly and twisty.
It is not as crowded as Java but there is still a considerable population spread
out. It is an agriculture-based society outside of the tourist haunts, with many
featuring almost subsistence farming. The majority are Hindus, and they are
very religious; there are plenty of temples, altars and cemeteries. The people,
mostly the womenfolk, make offerings to the gods daily and everywhere, even in
the middle of paths and doorways. These are simple, almost no-cost items, but
very organic. You need to watch where you step.
The people are very friendly, and really helpful and welcoming.
It is rather hard to find decent places to eat outside of the urban areas. The
locals do not seem to place much importance in having a good meal. The food
available is generally bland. There is no cafe culture although there are plenty of
places where you would want to sit and soak in the atmosphere. The few
attempts at doing this sort of business were shuttered, a sad testament to a lack
of support from both tourists and locals.
It was always a treat to come across a clean 'warong', offering simple but
appetising food. We were fortunate in finding memorable meals, but only
because we persisted in looking. We kept away from the trendy restaurants and
cafes in the major towns, especially those advertising German, Korean and
Chinese, because experience told us that we would be let down for the money
spent. We did try one Japanese restaurant in Legian, which was quite pricey and
unmemorable. Even less so was the deep-fried Bebek (duck) at Dirty Ducks in
Ubud. The place has atmosphere though. We also tried the much talked-about
Babi Guling, although not at the famous Ibu Oka in Ubud, and found it lacking in
any sort of kick.
We were also surprised to find that the locally-grown fruits that we tried –
papayas, pineapples, bananas and durians – were rather ‘low-grade’ in taste,
texture and size, this in spite of the volcanic soil that makes up the island. And
that is what they are used to. The avocados were good though, and they were in
abundance, even in private gardens.
Our memorable meals were at a Javanese restaurant, Bebek Ingkung in Kuta,
that featured Madurese masakan wong ndesu (orang desa) - fish and kampong
chicken in coconut-milk curry (which is surprising difficult to find in Bali); and
also at Made’s Warong in Legian, with its offering of Western and Indonesian
food. Then there was the savoury chicken fried with spices up in Danau Batur, in
a very nondescript restaurant. We had to fight the flies off though. The best,
however, was a treasure we stumbled upon while out walking the beach one
morning at Lovina. We had stopped at a humble shop-cum-eating place and
chatted with the lady running the place. It turned out that she used to work for a
couple of white families, as domestic help and cook. We gave her money to buy
her ingredients - fresh fish – which she was to cook for our lunch. After a ride
around the nearby hills we came back and were greeted by a sumptuous
spread. It was so good that we decided to stay in Lovina one more night, just to
try her dinner offering. We gave her shopping money again, this time for
kampong chicken and fish. After changing hotel (we stayed in a different place
every night, just for the experience) and an evening at the beach and pool to work
up and appetite, we headed back to our secret restaurant (like most such places
there, it does not have an address as the people are actually squatting on
government land; they cater mostly to the locals, selling simple nasi campur,
drinks, trinkets, cigarettes, and snacks popular with children). What greeted us
was twice as impressive, and even more sumptuous. There was so much food
that we shared the chicken with her and her family.
In the course of our meal we learnt a lot about the family, and the lives of the
people there. Even her teenage son warmed to our presence, and there was
much photo-taking, and promises made. We were truly 'kenyang', and reluctantly
made our goodbyes, to go back to our hotel to sleep off one very special meal.
Ground Zero. 2002. There is a monument in the middle of Jalan Legina in Kuta.
Trying to imagine the scene at the Bali Bombing will send chills down your
spine, as you sit amidst the hustle and bustle of that place. Bali remains a very
popular destination, especially from June to August, and during the year-end
break. We were there in early April, so bear in mind that the situations
mentioned here, the prices especially, would be very different if you were to go
during the peak season.
We saw signs of a slowdown - shuttered shops and malls, hotels and resorts
with plenty of vacant rooms, quiet shops and restaurants, lifeless clubs and
massage centres, desperate sounding agents and peddlers. We could get
cheap rooms and good bargains (pretty decent rooms at 200,000 rupiahs/about
RM68, with hot water showers, air conditioning, and breakfast; and frequently
also a pool. The resorts, no matter how small, usually have lots of character,
due to the architecture and landscaping.) This was a big difference from when
we were there last, 18 years ago, in December. The place then was packed to
the rafters, with no rooms available at whatever price we were willing to pay. The
agents and peddlers also only paid attention to those they judged were big-
spenders.
If you are not into big-crowd affairs and festivities, and having a better chance at
‘getting lucky’, you would not lose out much by going during the off-peak
seasons. And if you love seeing and doing the things we do, I highly recommend
it. mel mel@lastcaronearth.com
As we are not into the bar and club scene, and we never agree with the prices in
the tourists strips, we had to venture beyond the usual haunts. We were looking
for simple pleasures - signs of a different culture and lifestyle, beautiful vistas
and nice atmospheres, simple and wholesome meals, and nice people. We
found them all on this trip.
In a nutshell, Kuta/Legian and Sanur are like Pattaya and Phuket in Thailand -
beach and bar crowds, touristy shops and prices, but little of the blatant sex
trade. Nusa Dua is upmarket. Denpasar and Singaraja are bustling cities. The
hill stations are cool but unkempt, with plenty of peddlers. In between are miles
of coastal roads linking the lesser-known resorts, and the mountain roads,
linking dozens of small towns, villages, hamlets and farms. You can drive
around the island or criss-cross it north to south via its many roads. There are
no highways and even the main roads are narrow, a lot of them hilly and twisty.
It is not as crowded as Java but there is still a considerable population spread
out. It is an agriculture-based society outside of the tourist haunts, with many
featuring almost subsistence farming. The majority are Hindus, and they are
very religious; there are plenty of temples, altars and cemeteries. The people,
mostly the womenfolk, make offerings to the gods daily and everywhere, even in
the middle of paths and doorways. These are simple, almost no-cost items, but
very organic. You need to watch where you step.
The people are very friendly, and really helpful and welcoming.
It is rather hard to find decent places to eat outside of the urban areas. The
locals do not seem to place much importance in having a good meal. The food
available is generally bland. There is no cafe culture although there are plenty of
places where you would want to sit and soak in the atmosphere. The few
attempts at doing this sort of business were shuttered, a sad testament to a lack
of support from both tourists and locals.
It was always a treat to come across a clean 'warong', offering simple but
appetising food. We were fortunate in finding memorable meals, but only
because we persisted in looking. We kept away from the trendy restaurants and
cafes in the major towns, especially those advertising German, Korean and
Chinese, because experience told us that we would be let down for the money
spent. We did try one Japanese restaurant in Legian, which was quite pricey and
unmemorable. Even less so was the deep-fried Bebek (duck) at Dirty Ducks in
Ubud. The place has atmosphere though. We also tried the much talked-about
Babi Guling, although not at the famous Ibu Oka in Ubud, and found it lacking in
any sort of kick.
We were also surprised to find that the locally-grown fruits that we tried –
papayas, pineapples, bananas and durians – were rather ‘low-grade’ in taste,
texture and size, this in spite of the volcanic soil that makes up the island. And
that is what they are used to. The avocados were good though, and they were in
abundance, even in private gardens.
Our memorable meals were at a Javanese restaurant, Bebek Ingkung in Kuta,
that featured Madurese masakan wong ndesu (orang desa) - fish and kampong
chicken in coconut-milk curry (which is surprising difficult to find in Bali); and
also at Made’s Warong in Legian, with its offering of Western and Indonesian
food. Then there was the savoury chicken fried with spices up in Danau Batur, in
a very nondescript restaurant. We had to fight the flies off though. The best,
however, was a treasure we stumbled upon while out walking the beach one
morning at Lovina. We had stopped at a humble shop-cum-eating place and
chatted with the lady running the place. It turned out that she used to work for a
couple of white families, as domestic help and cook. We gave her money to buy
her ingredients - fresh fish – which she was to cook for our lunch. After a ride
around the nearby hills we came back and were greeted by a sumptuous
spread. It was so good that we decided to stay in Lovina one more night, just to
try her dinner offering. We gave her shopping money again, this time for
kampong chicken and fish. After changing hotel (we stayed in a different place
every night, just for the experience) and an evening at the beach and pool to work
up and appetite, we headed back to our secret restaurant (like most such places
there, it does not have an address as the people are actually squatting on
government land; they cater mostly to the locals, selling simple nasi campur,
drinks, trinkets, cigarettes, and snacks popular with children). What greeted us
was twice as impressive, and even more sumptuous. There was so much food
that we shared the chicken with her and her family.
In the course of our meal we learnt a lot about the family, and the lives of the
people there. Even her teenage son warmed to our presence, and there was
much photo-taking, and promises made. We were truly 'kenyang', and reluctantly
made our goodbyes, to go back to our hotel to sleep off one very special meal.
Ground Zero. 2002. There is a monument in the middle of Jalan Legina in Kuta.
Trying to imagine the scene at the Bali Bombing will send chills down your
spine, as you sit amidst the hustle and bustle of that place. Bali remains a very
popular destination, especially from June to August, and during the year-end
break. We were there in early April, so bear in mind that the situations
mentioned here, the prices especially, would be very different if you were to go
during the peak season.
We saw signs of a slowdown - shuttered shops and malls, hotels and resorts
with plenty of vacant rooms, quiet shops and restaurants, lifeless clubs and
massage centres, desperate sounding agents and peddlers. We could get
cheap rooms and good bargains (pretty decent rooms at 200,000 rupiahs/about
RM68, with hot water showers, air conditioning, and breakfast; and frequently
also a pool. The resorts, no matter how small, usually have lots of character,
due to the architecture and landscaping.) This was a big difference from when
we were there last, 18 years ago, in December. The place then was packed to
the rafters, with no rooms available at whatever price we were willing to pay. The
agents and peddlers also only paid attention to those they judged were big-
spenders.
If you are not into big-crowd affairs and festivities, and having a better chance at
‘getting lucky’, you would not lose out much by going during the off-peak
seasons. And if you love seeing and doing the things we do, I highly recommend
it. mel mel@lastcaronearth.com
Our Japanese meal - 360K rupiahs
Babi Guling lunch - 12K rupiahs
Deep-fried Bebek, sate and salad - 540K rupiahs
Banana pancake breakfast - gratis
2 Nasi Campurs with chicken - 28K rupiahs
A 2-hour snorkelling trip
on that boat, with
equipment - 200K
rupiahs. The corals are
just five minutes out.
on that boat, with
equipment - 200K
rupiahs. The corals are
just five minutes out.
Our newfound friend - Ms Luh Kompyang.
Her lunch special - 88K rupiahs
Her dinner special (below) - 160K rupiahs
Her lunch special - 88K rupiahs
Her dinner special (below) - 160K rupiahs
The final surprise and treat: a Madurese lunch of
tuna and kampong chicken curries, with drinks -
30K rupiahs, which is about RM12.
tuna and kampong chicken curries, with drinks -
30K rupiahs, which is about RM12.
East meets West In Made's Warong.
Panfried Mahi-Mahi - 50K rupiahs, and
their Nasi Goreng Special - 40K rupiahs.
Panfried Mahi-Mahi - 50K rupiahs, and
their Nasi Goreng Special - 40K rupiahs.
EXCHANGE RATES
USD1 - 11,000 rupiahs
RM1 - 3,300 rupiahs
USD1 - 11,000 rupiahs
RM1 - 3,300 rupiahs
A small bottle of
Heineken - 17K
rupiahs, a small bottle
of Angker- 13K rupiahs.
A 1-hr body massage
can range from 45K to
70K on the street,
much higher in the
resort spas. At the
airport, it is 300K
rupiahs.
Heineken - 17K
rupiahs, a small bottle
of Angker- 13K rupiahs.
A 1-hr body massage
can range from 45K to
70K on the street,
much higher in the
resort spas. At the
airport, it is 300K
rupiahs.