2018 Bali Free Travel Guide

Bali is located in Indonesia and is a tourist destination with extremely beautiful natural environment. The climate here is suitable, the air is fresh, the tourism industry is developed, and the infrastructure and services are all points of satisfaction for tourists. The ecological environment here is also world-class, and all kinds of delicious food and beauties gather here. Here are some tips and precautions for traveling independently in Bali in 2018.

This year, I had the opportunity to visit Bali, Indonesia, located at the junction of the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Departing from Beijing, we took a large Boeing passenger plane carrying 4,500 people and flew southward for more than 7 hours to our destination, Bali, Indonesia.

It was already midnight when we got off the plane. We found that the layout of the airport passages, the carousel for passengers to collect their luggage and other facilities were basically similar to those in China. The only difference is that the advertisements with beautiful pictures on the walls are basically in incomprehensible foreign languages, and there is only a Chinese sign on the top of the door of a small restaurant.

I went through simple customs clearance procedures at the airport (that is, queuing up at the counter and letting the staff stamp my passport).

The dark-skinned office lady, with a kind attitude, smiled and gestured to the people waiting in line to keep a distance of more than one meter from the people going through the formalities.

After completing the formalities, when the convoy left the airport, there were already two buses waiting there.

We received a short, fat man in his thirties who spoke non-standard Mandarin.

First of all, he introduced us to the schedule of tonight's activities:

First of all, everyone lined up to get on the bus, received flowers from the lady at the bus gate, and then returned to the hotel to stay. There were several girls who looked like junior high school students at the door of the car. There were many flower strings on their arms.

They hung such a bouquet of flowers around the neck of each guest. The flowers above are similar to Malan flowers, but have a strong fragrance. The tour guide who received us said that this is the national flower of Indonesia, plumeria.

After getting in the car, I was surprised to find that the driving position was on the right side of the car, which was exactly the opposite of our domestic car. People in the group say that people drive left and right, which is the opposite of driving left and right in my country.

Printed national flower-Frangipani

Currency prices of goods in two different languages ??in the mall

On the way to the hotel on the bus, the tour guide briefly introduced himself And the basic situation of Bali: Originally from Hainan, China, I am already the third generation in Indonesia. His name is Xu Xinwei, and he said he could call him Ah Wei.

Indonesia is a country composed of thousands of islands, with more than 16,000 large and small islands, of which more than 6,000 are uninhabited. Bali is Indonesia's most dazzling island. It's shaped like a chicken.

Located 8 degrees south of the equator in the Indian Ocean, east of Java Island, the island is 140 kilometers wide from east to west and 80 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of ??5,620 square kilometers. With a population of more than 4 million, it is a world-famous tourist island and one of Indonesia's 33 first-level administrative regions.

Bali is mostly mountainous. The whole island is covered with mountains, and the terrain is higher in the east and lower in the west. The highest mountain on the island is Mount Agung with an altitude of 3142 meters. Indonesia is an Islamic country, but Bali is the only region in Indonesia that believes in Hinduism.

80% of the people believe in Hinduism.

The main languages ??are Indonesian and English.

The currency of Indonesia is the rupiah, and the ratio to the RMB is 1800:1, that is, 1 RMB can be exchanged for 1800 Rupiah.

Ah Wei brought a lot of rupees with him and said that anyone who wanted to exchange them could exchange them with him immediately.

So most of us exchanged the amount in rupees, and I also exchanged the amount of 400 yuan into 720,000 rupees.

When the bus arrived at the hotel, a friend and I were placed in a family room. The hotel facilities are basically the same as those in China, except that the power sockets are not of the same standard as ours, and the hole spacing is much wider than in China. Fortunately, there was a base for an electric kettle holder at that time, and the slot was just big enough to insert the pin of the charger.

After charging my phone, I quickly went to bed and fell asleep.

After dawn, I was woken up by the leader. Last night, according to Ah Wei's tips, I left a tip of 20,000 rupees for the hotel waiter, and then went to the restaurant to have a buffet.

After the meal, I found two cars and the tour guide waiting at the door. Each of us was asked to get into each car according to the seats we had last night, and the other car was for the female tour guide.

In the car, Ah Wei went on to introduce: Bali has four characteristics: "The buildings are short, the roads are narrow, and the streets are full of flowers and offerings. There are twists and turns when walking." Yes. , there are no buildings above five floors here, and the roads are really narrow.

I admire the driver's skills. He was traveling at a smooth average speed, not too slow, on a road he rarely missed.

Bali Tanah Lot Temple

In this way, after breakfast every day, we set off by car and visited various attractions according to the expected arrangements of the group travel agency. Here's a brief description of what we saw during this period.

Bali Free Travel Guide Notes

1. Belief

According to Awei, Bali bird people spend more than 20% of their income on worshiping gods every year . Indeed, we can see sculptures of various sizes and shrines with unknown gods in front of many houses on the street.

The first thing a woman does every morning is to go out and offer sacrifices to the gods.

Women in fancy costumes carry fruits, flowers and other offerings, burn incense and bow.

They don’t need an incense burner to burn incense. They only need to place the lit incense horizontally. The whole process only takes three to five minutes.

Some people do not have a shrine in front of their door, but place it directly on the street. Then, cleaners come every day to clean the flower offerings.

In the squares of some scenic spots, from time to time you can see a group of men and women wearing white hats sitting on the ground, receiving the blessing of water from an old man with a big beard. This may be an Islamic prayer. ceremony.

Ornaments and tassel offerings on street shrines

Religious blessing ceremony

Women doing routine worship on the street every day.

A respected icon.

The faith there is not only reflected in the daily sacrifices in each family, but also in the complex sacrifices on the beach. The next day we changed hotels and went to a resort hotel by the sea. People there use wooden rakes to shovel tourists' footprints on the beach every afternoon, and then build a simple sacrificial shed. There are bright bouquets of flowers tied on the four legs of the shed. Tables and stools are placed inside the shed, as if inviting people to eat, as well as offerings, tableware, flowers, etc. was placed on the table. The petals are scattered evenly on the sand around the shed, and then people carefully step away to let the gods admire it. Two hours later, someone went to collect the offerings.

Second, sculptures

There are various unknown statues and sculptures in Bali. There are beautifully carved statues in front of hotels, scenic spots, courtyards and other places. Some people have the body of a beast, some have the head of a beast, some have green-faced guards with fangs and armor, and some have fairies with kind eyes and colorful clothes, with different postures and images. different. Most of these sculptures have green umbrellas erected behind them, covering their heads, or they are wearing colorful robes. It seems that most of them were replaced with new ones not long ago, which shows the awe of the locals towards these statues.

A statue sculpture with an umbrella cover at the back.

Statues and sculptures in the hotel

Statues and sculptures with umbrellas behind them

Three. Architecture

Bali has many well-preserved ancient buildings, the typical representative of which is Puri Saren built in the 16th century. There is no admission fee to visit the Forbidden City, but each visitor needs to spend ten yuan to rent something called a box. In fact, it is a flowery apron that is dragged down to the feet, which means to cover the lower body and blaspheme the gods with rabbits. Compared with the ticket prices of domestic scenic spots, it is still very cheap.

The palace is not big, and the locals call it Baibu Palace (actually more than Baibu Palace). But the architectural layout inside is regular and rigorous, especially the intricately carved floral decorations, which show you the amazing craftsmanship of the residents of the southern hemisphere 500 years ago.

The palace buildings basically have steep tops. An iron hoop is tied on top, and an umbrella-shaped palm skin is tied on the bottom. It is said that this kind of thing can withstand the wind and rain for many years. Some of the less important pavilions were covered with straw.

The gates of all ancient buildings in Bali have unique styles:

It is like a tower-shaped building, with exquisite carvings and different styles. Cut lengthwise from the center line, then separate the two halves to the sides. The missing gap is

This style vividly demonstrates the philosophical thought of the unity of opposites, and also reflects the local ancients' profound understanding of life in heaven and earth.

There is an exquisitely carved side door.

The ancient building door (only one side was photographed)

Clifford Hall

In the hall

Four. Highway

Because it is an island country, you often need to take a cross-sea bridge to get from one scenic spot to another. Some bridges are dozens of kilometers long, and almost all of these long bridges are highways. The strange thing is that there is a motorcycle lane next to the highway, and motorcycles are seen speeding on it. The tour guide said that a highway we crossed the sea was designed and built by our domestic engineers a few years ago.

Fifth, beach

There is a famous beach in Bali called Jimbaran Beach. The beach there is very gentle, and more than 100 meters of beach can be submerged or exposed at low tide. When facing the sea in the evening, you can just see the spectacular scene of the sun slowly entering the sea. There are many seafood restaurants nearby. From the entrance of each restaurant are rows of tables facing the sea, dozens of meters long, with stools on both sides. These are booked by various tour groups, one in a row. In the evening, people came to the beach one after another, found their team's table, and sat on both sides of the table facing each other. The waiter served delicious seafood such as crabs and fish, various cut fruit plates, beer, etc. One serving per person. We enjoyed the sunset over the sea and tasted delicious food. From time to time, the sea breeze blows, and it feels very clean and refreshing. It feels like it cleans away dirt and dust when it splashes on the body. During this period, more than a dozen male and female bands suddenly appeared on the beach, playing pipa and other musical instruments, and singing unintelligible lyrics in loud voices. They sang for more than five minutes and after winning applause, they went to another place not far away to sing. It was also very lively and interesting.

When the sun entered the sea, it was just dark, and a star appeared in the distant sky. The strange thing is that the stars gradually brightened up, and after a while they turned and walked in the other direction. Then, another star appeared in the distance, its brightness changed, and its trajectory was exactly the same as the previous one. The stars that kept appearing like this turned out to be airplanes from all over the world. A plane lands in Bali every six minutes all year round.

You can imagine how busy the airport is.

Six. Unique custom

I read in the newspaper a few years ago that Indonesia has a unique custom of genital worship, but this time I saw it with my own eyes. Whether at street stalls or supermarkets, there are realistically carved male genitals for sale in piles. The small ones are about life-size, and the large ones are more than one meter long. They are all carved from fine wood and are very expensive.

Seven. Specialty Products

Indonesia’s specialties mainly fall into three categories: one is latex products. Because rubber trees are widely planted there, latex products have become one of its major specialties. We went to a latex shop. Among them, latex mattresses, pillows, backrests, baby swaddles, etc. are all available. A diagram of the latex production process hangs on the wall.

The other is coffee. Indonesia is rich in coffee. This time I went to a coffee shop, and the clerk enthusiastically explained it in detail. The goal, of course, is to get you to buy her coffee. After listening to their explanation, I know that coffee is different from men’s coffee, and women’s coffee is more precious.

The other category is jewelry. We know that pearls are mainly produced by mussels in the ocean. Indonesia is such an ocean island country, so it produces all kinds of jewelry, the most precious of which are South Sea gold beads. It is said that one such bead costs tens of thousands of dollars, and the Indonesian president often gives it as a national gift to the wives of foreign leaders. I bought a necklace and a bracelet for my family, which are also relatively expensive jewelry. It can also be regarded as a souvenir of this trip.

Eight. Attract

Bali is an ideal location for celebrities to take wedding photos, so its scenery is really beautiful.

There are many couples in our team who brought their own wedding dresses, and we specially arranged a morning to take additional wedding photos for them. This morning, my friend and I slept in the hotel.

Quiet seaside hotel

Clear blue water, clear white beach, tall coconut trees, and lush green banana groves.

Stately buildings, elegant and gorgeous residences. Unique customs, tourists wearing different clothes, no winter and summer climate.

Surfing, skydiving, etc. constitute a beautiful landscape in Bali, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Nine, the end

The sixth day of the trip was over. When I returned home, I found a duty-free shop at the airport, which contained duty-free products exclusively for foreigners.

There are several domestic cigarettes on the shelves, and the prices are much cheaper than domestic ones. Limit two per person. My friend immediately bought four pairs of Ashima cigarettes (I don’t smoke, so I asked him to buy my share).

Notes:

1. Visa, visa-free in Bali.

Effective June 12, 2015, Indonesia changed its original visa-on-arrival policy to a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens. Chinese tourists only need to hold a passport (valid for more than 6 months) to enter the country at the airport, eliminating the cumbersome and crowded process of visa application and fees.

"The official website of the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat released:

Since June 10, 2015, Bali has imposed restrictions on 45 countries including China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau). Citizens of countries and regions implement a visa-free policy.

Chinese citizens continue to travel to third countries for government affairs, education, social and cultural, tourism, business, family visits, and journalistic affairs, from Jakarta, Bali, and Medan. , Surabaya, Batam, Sri Tambin, Segu Bang, Batam Center, Tanjong Uban and other seaports and airports, enjoy visa-free treatment, the stay is 30 days, and cannot be extended or changed to other visas. "

2. Pay special attention to the entrance: airport tips and green frames.

When entering Bali, the tour guide told us about the customs tipping situation: Due to government requirements, the group of tourists who entered the country at the beginning of the month are now generally required to tip. Since we are not at the beginning of the month, we do not need to tip the customs, but we should pay attention to check whether there is a green box on the passport. If not, you will be considered an illegal immigrant, which is very serious, so please remember to check just in case!

3. Luggage preparation items: What items should I bring with me to Bali?

When I received the group check-in notice, I mentioned that hotels in Bali generally do not provide toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels and slippers. I suggest you prepare it yourself. We stayed in a local 4-star hotel in Kuta (said to be equivalent to an international 3-star hotel). Later we found that the usual hotel toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, and hand sanitizer are still available, but the towels are large towels, so it is recommended to bring your own travel clothes. and towels.

As for slippers, it is recommended to have one pair indoors and one pair outdoors because of the beach, playing in the water, riding a boat, etc. It's inevitable when traveling.

For clothes, the hotel we stayed in did not have a balcony to dry clothes, so we could only hang them indoors. It is not very convenient to turn on the air conditioner to dry clothes. In summer, it is recommended to prepare a set of coats every day to avoid having to change clothes. Shorts are essential, long skirts are recommended for beautiful photos, and then swimsuits.

If you change the plug, the plug in the hotel we stayed in can be used directly without changing the plug. If not, the tour guide said you can borrow it from the front desk with a deposit of Rs. 50,000. If you have a German standard plug, you can also bring your own.

Wear sun protection and bring enough SPF. The sun in Bali is really strong, and it gets dark when we come back.

It is necessary to have an umbrella to keep out the rain. In December, the rainy season, we went to Bali. When it rains, the sun shines brightly on the beach. If you are afraid of the sun, it will be much more comfortable to hold an umbrella.

A sun hat is also a must! When we arrived in Bali, I gave each of us a straw hat, but it was very windy there and the size might not be suitable, so I suggested buying a nice big hat!

Thermos bottle, the tap water in Bali is desalinated and not suitable for drinking. Therefore, in addition to the 1 bottle of bottled water provided by the hotel every day, you also need to buy it yourself. Bring a thermos so you can get boiled water in restaurants. If you want to drink boiled water, remember to bring it, it’s very useful!

4. Cash: How much cash should I bring with me to Bali? Do I need to change money first?

The common currency, or Indonesian rupiah, is also the most convenient. RMB is basically not accepted, and US dollars are said to be universal, but no one in our industry uses them, and I don’t know the specific situation.

This trip didn’t cost much cash. Generally, cash is spent at: convenience stores, taxis, tips, restaurants, street stalls and Ubud Market. Generally these small places accept the local currency Indonesian rupiah. Consumption in restaurants generally starts at more than 20 RMB.

In terms of cash, it is recommended to bring 500-1,000 RMB (depending on personal consumption), VISA, and UnionPay cards.

Since our trip will be free for about 2 days without meals, there will be less places to spend cash. The tour guide suggested that we exchange 500 RMB rupees for two people. If it's not enough, you can exchange it with a local tour guide. If you have a local tour guide, it is recommended to exchange less, because if you want to exchange with the tour guide, you can only exchange RMB 100 or 100 Indonesian rupiah. If it is less than 100, it can only be exchanged with other group members.

Bali exchange rate:

The exchange rate given by the tour guide is 1:1800. I converted it to 300 RMB, which is 540,000 rupees.

The exchange rate at Bali Airport seems to be 1:1700;

There are many exchange points on the roadside, usually 1:1850. The advantage of exchanging with a tour guide is that you can exchange it if you don’t use it up.

If you want to exchange money, if you don’t have much to spend, it is recommended that you go to a local exchange point. If there is a tour guide, you can exchange it with the tour guide.

Carrefour, the supermarket over there, accepts UnionPay cards.

Understand the currency of Bali:

The maximum denomination of Indonesian rupiah is 100,000 (according to the exchange rate of the tour guide, it is about 50 RMB).

5000 (the scenery in Bali is quite collectible)

10000 (a tip, so exchange a few more if you can)

The tour guide said, Coins under 1,000 here are not even used by beggars (I don’t know if there are any), but it’s good to have them because some of the prices are a fraction behind them. If you don't have them, you will get more points.

Introduction: Pay attention to the difference between ten thousand and one hundred thousand (because it is easy to miscount):

One hundred thousand is two heads, red;

Ten thousand is: One head, blue!

To convert Indonesian rupiah into RMB in your brain, you remove three zeros, divide by two, and add a little more. 10,000 rupees, which is more than 5 yuan, and so on.

5. Language: What is the common language in Bali?

The lingua franca in Bali is mainly English and local languages, but many places the group went to knew Chinese and some knew Cantonese.

The English accent of the locals is a bit strong. If they know a little English and speak a few key words, they can probably communicate with each other. It is recommended to use translation software, communication will be much easier, and the menus are basically in English. People who don't understand English are really stupid.

(Kuta Beach)

(The infinity pool of Blue Point Hotel can only be entered by residents or restaurants on the other side of the hotel)

6. Communication: Bali How to choose between mobile phone card and WiFi?

A local mobile phone card is a must. Generally, it starts at more than 30 yuan and has a few gigabytes of traffic. Some of them also pay phone bills. You can book on a certain website in advance, some can only be mailed, and some can be picked up after you go to Bali Airport.

(The mobile phone cards in self-service vending machines at Baiyun Airport across the country all say they do not support mobile/telecom customized mobile phones==!)

Because the mobile phone does not support it, I did not buy it, so it is inconvenient to go there. , especially if you want to act alone and worry about not being able to contact other people. When there is no Internet, I cannot find information. A colleague who was traveling with me bought the card online and picked it up at the airport. The signal is said to be good. Portable Wifi can also be considered. But the price of the mobile phone card is more valuable, and you can make calls.

If there is Wifi, the hotel we stay in has a good signal and fast speed. In other places, some restaurants have it, and you can ask the waiter for the password, but the signal is not very good in some cases.

7. Transportation: What is the main mode of transportation in Bali? Is it convenient to take a taxi? Is there a public car?

Balinese locals basically travel on motorcycles and cars, and there are very few opportunities to see bicycles, pedestrians and buses on the road. Therefore:

1) Rent a car and charter a car every day

If you are traveling independently, it is recommended to choose a chartered car, which can be booked on various travel websites. Because we didn’t make any efforts in advance, our free trip was booked in a hurry. Six-hour charters to Blue Point and afternoon tea (dessert coffee/tea) are available. The price is 155 RMB for two people. We booked three people, which is equivalent to more than 400 cars. What's more, it's a five-seater car with plenty of room for at least four more people. A bit wasteful.

If you tell the driver to add someone, it should be fine.

(Remember to write down the license plate number so that you can find it and tell your family)

I checked the price of the chartered car later. It is about 200 for 10 hours. Remember to book a few days in advance for free travel and car rental. , choose a more affordable price.

2) Taking a taxi

I checked the guide before. The most famous local taxi is Bluebird Company, which is easy to recognize. The logo is a blue bird, and the starting price is Rs. 7,000. The tour guide reminded us that when we get on the bus, we must check whether our watch shows 7000 to avoid adding up the mileage of another passenger.

(Blue Bird Taxi)

It takes about 10 minutes to take a taxi from Carrefour near the hotel to the hotel. Priced at Rs 17,000. The driver seemed to be a novice and didn't know the way. Fortunately, we do. Another group member who traveled the same distance as us charged 30,000 rupees for their car. Later, I heard from the tour guide that no matter how much it was, it would cost at least twenty-five thousand rupees. Maybe because our driver was a newbie, our fare was cheaper.

3) Bus. I didn’t research the public transportation in Bali, but I saw the bus stop sign, a small stop sign with a turtle on it and the route below. I have also seen this kind of bus on the road. It was about the size of a Chinese pak, yellow and green, and had a small turtle. If you have time, you can experience it.

8. Eat: What does Bali taste like? How about restaurant spending?

According to the tour guide, the food in Bali is relatively salty and sweet. When eating at a restaurant outside, the first generation orange juice is very sweet and the fried noodles are very salty. And many fried things here, such as shrimp crackers and dirty duck rice, are also deep-fried, so they are very crispy.

Balinese special fried noodles

(Balinese special fried noodles? It seems to be said so on the menu, this is a Chinese restaurant on the street opposite the hotel)

(Dirty Duck meal)

(Jimbaran Beach BBQ)

The strange thing is that you won’t get angry eating these things here. It may be a soil and water problem!

The minimum consumption level outside the restaurant is about 20 yuan. If you are not used to eating, you can go to some medium-sized supermarkets to buy lunch boxes. On the last day, I found a supermarket near the hotel that had lunch boxes, various sushi, lunch boxes, microwave heating, and a place to eat. The price is more affordable than restaurants. I chose sushi and it was delicious. Highly recommend giving it a try. That supermarket seems to specialize in Japanese and Korean food, and there are more Japanese and Korean customers.

Convenience stores also sell lunch boxes, and the prices are very affordable.

9. The price of the menu

(Remember to add 3 zeros to the menu price)

The first time I went out to find food by myself, I found that the price of the restaurant menu The price is a bit strange. After being reminded by my colleagues, I learned that three zeros are usually added at the end, which means it says 60, which actually means 60,000 rupees. At first I thought the conversion was wrong and I thought it was quoted in US dollars, which almost scared me.

10. Tipping: Where should I tip in Bali and how much should I tip?

Bali is a great place to tip. During our trip to Bali, we got the following tips:

1) Rs. 10,000 per room per day;

(10% tax on the receipt on the restaurant receipt)

2) 10% tip is usually used in restaurants (in the past, a Chinese meal was free of charge ).

3) Tips for the bus driver and the bus driver in our group can be given to both of them, 10,000-20,000 rupees.

It is said that the basic salary of local people is very low.

Not counting tips:

I went to Turtle Island and gave 10,000 rupees, which is probably the animal feeding fee;

There was also 10,000 rupees donated to Uzbekistan. The cloth palace is similar to the merit box. You will be asked to write your name and say you will help pray.

11. Shopping: What is recommended to buy in Bali and where to buy it?

To buy trinkets and soaps, it is recommended to go to Carrefour. Reasonable prices and many styles. Don't buy it from outside shops.

Like Ubud Market, the prices there are very chaotic. If you want to bargain, those who don't know the market price can easily be fooled. Recommend Carrefour to eat and use.

(

Coffee, our trip includes shopping. This is a coffee factory. There are female bean coffee, male bean coffee, and cat poop coffee. If you like coffee, you can give it to someone. You can consider it, but if you want to buy it there, you have to pack at least 5 bags, and you can't just sell it, so if you don't want to buy too much, it's better to collect the order with your peers.

(Bali. Duty-free shops)

Others, brand bags and skin care products are all tax-free.

Since I haven’t shopped much in Bali, I can’t share more experiences.

12. Hotel accommodation

When we went to Bali this time, we stayed in the same hotel for 4 days. When we came back the next day, we found that the big towels in the bathroom had not been changed.

I didn’t change the sheets, but then I saw the bathroom