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Welcome back to the short sleeve travel podcast. I'm your host, Kat Shortsleeve. Short sleeve travel is your compass pointing you to experiences that are elevated and luxury, all on a budget. Here we'll redefine luxury travel and help you fill in your life with as much travel as you desire. Okay, in this episode we are diving into one of my absolute favorite places. And often times I'm asked the question, What is your favorite place you've ever been to? And if you've asked me that or if you've spoken to me for longer than 10 minutes about travel, you know that Bali is awesome. Honestly, in my top three, probably, I went to Bali for the first time in 2019 and absolutely fell in love. So, an episode right before this one explains all my favorite spots, my favorite cafes, some of the things that I did there. I dive into a whole bunch of different stories, and also, if you've been following along, you know that I was supposed to move to Bali just about six weeks ago. And those plans came crashing down because I had an awful robbery happen. But anyways, all of those stories and things I get into in other episodes, and especially the episode right before this, but this serves as your ultimate arrival guide to Bali. So whether you just landed at the airport or you're planning a trip to Bali, this will serve as your guide. It's everything you're going to need to know from how to navigate around the airport. How to get downtown? What kind of converter you need? Can I drink the tap water? What are the cultural norms and just what to expect when you're there on the ground in Bali? I'll even touch on some of my favorite places in this episode as Well as the spots that you should definitely miss and skip over that are a bit too touristy There are a lot of tourist traps in Bali to be honest. And so there are quite a few things that you can skip Okay, so let's start at the very beginning. You've just arrived at the airport, and even before getting your taxi to head downtown, let's talk about visa. So, many nationalities can enter Bali visa free for up to 30 days for tourism purposes. However, it's essential to check the visa requirements. before you arrive. So if you're coming from the U. S., you can enter into Bali at this current point in time for 30 days for tourism purposes. And then you're able to leave and go somewhere else and go right back to Bali. Now they don't want you to enter Bali and then go from Bali to Malaysia, Bali, Malaysia, back and forth, because that will be flagged and come up as a security issue. And so if you are trying to stay in Bali for multiple months at a time, make sure that when you're leaving, you're going to different countries or you're going to different places. This will just hedge your security issues. But better yet, you can apply for a visa that will allow you to stay for 60, 90 days for tourism purposes. Make sure you check those out. But then once you're through security and you've gone through customs, you'll be able to grab your taxi. And now taxis are widely available at the international airport, but make sure you're using reputable companies to avoid being overcharged. There are definitely lots of instances of tourists being scammed and so you want to make sure You've got a reputable company. Almost all, hotels, hostels, villas, they will offer you either a free taxi ride and private transfer to your accommodation or they will offer you Transportation at some sort of cost and in my opinion, especially if you're traveling from a long way of way And it's your first time entering Bali. I highly recommend Taking them up on this transfer because it's not going to be overly expensive They're going to be using a reputable company and what's really nice is you exit the airport and there's someone there standing there holding a sign waiting for you to pick you up and so even if customs takes you 90 minutes two hours Or even if your flight gets delayed, they'll check on your flight for you and make sure that you have a transfer. That makes your ride just comfortable and easy. And so when I entered Bali, I had this transfer set right up. And what was really nice is that transfer stopped at a ATM for us to be able to take out cash when we arrived. It was such a value add in my opinion, and there are also rideshare apps like Grab that are affordable transportation options. You can definitely do this if you're on the riskier side and if you don't mind trying to figure something out upon arrival. But you're not going to save a ton of money doing this, unless you just have a backpack and you can hop on the back of a motorbike and you're going to zip downtown with just your backpack. Then, you're Yes, I probably would just grab a grab because you're not going to have to sit in traffic like you will with a taxi. Moving on, let's talk about what I already touched on, money exchange. So money changers can be found at the airport and in all the major tourist areas. I would definitely compare rates to find the best deal because they will widely vary. And you can bank on the fact that at the airport it's going to be the most expensive. The currency used in Bali is the Indonesian rupee, IDR, and I would recommend having some cash on hand for small expenses at all times because not all places are going to accept credit cards, especially one of my favorite parts of Bali are the open air markets, and they definitely are not going to take credit card. In my opinion, it's also slightly less risky to pay with cash occasionally. If you're in a place that's. It's just a little bit more off the beaten path. Now when you're trying to figure out where to stay in Bali, I would always, always, always go straight to Canggu because I love the energy there. It's the heart of Bali. There's great surfing. It's a very surfy, beachy, vibey town, and there are lots of great restaurants to eat at, whether it's for brunch, nice coffee shops. There's just a lot going on there and I know a lot of people that live there. So, friends that I've made from Bali and from elsewhere, they all live in Canggu. Now Seminyak, that is the going out area. That is just south of Canggu as you're headed towards the airport. That is truly the nightlife central. That's where the beach clubs are. If you've ever heard of Kuta and Potato Head, that's where those things are. And it's very fun, but I actually haven't indulged in a lot of the nightlife in Bali. When I was there, I was looking more for the wholesome, yoga, active, hiking, waterfall type lifestyle. Now you need to go to Ubud. I think this is absolutely mandatory. This is a much more traditional Balinese experience. That's where you'll find the rice terraces and different art galleries. It's a more wholesome part of the island. And that's also where you can find one of my favorite spots. I'm giving away all my secrets, but it's called Yoga Barn. Just look it up. They have amazing sound baths. They also do, of course, yoga classes and meditations, week long silent retreats, all sorts of things. They can pretty much cater to anyone. I did a sound bath and a couple yoga classes, and I really am dying to go back for a longer week long retreat there at some point. Ubud is where you'll also find the monkey forest. So it takes a little while to get from Canggu up to Ubud. If you want to just take a grab, it'll probably cost you 15 to 20, which you probably should do. But of course, I decided I wanted to take the Vespa that I'd rented for the week, and so I drove up with my Vespa and all of my luggage. And it was a little nuts, but it was so much fun. It's a long way to go, for sure. Third location is back towards Chengu and Seminyak, like I mentioned, Kuta Beach. Perfect for surf enthusiasts. If you want a lively atmosphere, this is much more of the backpacking, kind of more rough, cheap side of Bali. Of course you can do it up and make it a bit nicer, but that's where you'll find the backpackers and some of the hostels. Moving on to the fourth location, probably the most stunning, it's called Uluwatu. This is the most southern part of the island and that's where you'll find just gorgeous cliffside views, world class surfing. That is not where the beginners go to surf. The beginners should stay around Kuta, and Seminyak. They have some great surfing competitions in Uluwatu, and the Four Seasons is down there, and a lot of the higher end hotels you'll find are down there. Also, I want to point out, because some people go to Bali and end up realizing they really don't like it there, because it's not what they expected. And what I want you to expect when you go, is expect that the beaches are darker, the water is dark, the sand is dark, it's kind of cloudy, and it's a bit of a moody island. There also is not so much of a coral reef there. And, though I'm saying this and it sounds like a bad thing, I don't mind this whatsoever because I just knew what to expect going in. But it's not going to be the best place in the entire world to go scuba diving. If you want gorgeous clear water, you don't have to travel far for that. You can go to Bora Bora, go to the Maldives, go to Australia. That's where you should really go scuba diving and enjoy crystal clear water and just perfect weather conditions. Bali doesn't have that, but Bali has so many other things that make it absolutely incredible in my opinion. Moving on to how to get around the island. I don't think it's an option, truly. To do it any other way than to rent a scooter. This is the most popular affordable way to explore Bali and It's only going to cost you four dollars a day to rent a very nice scooter You can also share that with a friend until you split the cost two dollars a day And if you're on your own gas is going to cost you a dollar And of course if you split it just half that so it's very cheap easy to do It's kind of what everyone does and it helps you fit in a little bit and just make sure that you're wearing a helmet, you want to drive safely because traffic and driving in Bali can be extremely chaotic. The road rules do not always apply, they're not strictly followed, so if you are worried about this, definitely use local transportation options like have your own driver, use a ride sharing app, Grab is probably the best. And Just be really cautious if you do plan to drive a scooter. Now, I am cautious, but at the same time, I'm a little bit too risk on, and I did crash my scooter when I was in Bali. Uh, someone stopped really short in front of me, and so I, I had a crash. Luckily, we are completely okay. I can tell you more about this story another time or in another episode, but... If you just want to feel 100 percent comfortable and don't want any hassle, just hire a driver. It will not cost you too much, probably 25 a day. And again, if you have a few people you can split it. But, I will say, scooters get around so much faster and traffic on the island can be crazy. Often times there's just one road leading to a certain place. And so scooters can zip right around the cars and the cars have to wait for each other as well as wait for the scooters. How many days do I need in Bali? I'm going to say that a minimum of five days are needed. And you can do the island pretty well in seven days. That's kind of more ideal. But if you can stay for a few months, I think that's the best option and that's what I want to do. Bali has so many different highlights, including the temples and the beaches, the cultural sites, even the restaurants alone. You're going to want to try a whole bunch of them. And the island is spread out. So getting from Seminyak or Kuta, up to Ulu, or down to Uluwatu, and then up to Ubud, it's going to take some time. So... I would put the ideal number, I know I said 7, but I'd probably put it somewhere closer to 10. Especially, you have to adjust for time zone differences, and it truly depends where you're coming from, but never in a million years would I recommend coming from the U. S. and being in Bali for 5 days, because you're going to be jet lagged for 1, exploring a few areas for a few different days, and it just won't be enough time. So, try to give yourself 7 to 10. Moving on, I want to touch on a few different topics. The three different things I want to touch on are language, power adapters, and tap water, and then I will get into some of the culture and etiquette. So, Balinese and Bahasa Indonesian are spoken, but English is widely used in tourist areas. You're not going to have an issue if you speak English and you go to Bali, but of course, always be mindful, try to learn a few of the local language words. And my favorite thing to do is to translate from English to Balinese and say. Excuse me, do you speak English? It's just such a nice gesture, and I cannot recommend doing that enough. But, mind you, will be completely fine if you're speaking English. Number two, power adapters. Bali uses type C and type F. So type C is the one with the two round pins, and type F is two round pins with two grounding clips. Type F is less common, and type C, I'm sure you have that one on your internet. Power adapter. Number three, tap water. So tap water in Bali, they say it's generally safe, but I would say that's just for bathing and for brushing your teeth. A hundred percent do not drink the tap water in Bali. You will have stomach discomfort. And also avoid ice and drinks from street vendors. There's this thing called Bali belly where your, your belly will be distended and you're not going to feel great if you have too much of the water. And of course it's just natural to happen. Even if you're trying not to drink the water, whether it's from lettuce being washed or traces of ice or it's in your coffee. So bring prebiotics and take Prebiotics and probiotics two weeks before you arrive. I definitely recommend doing that. Moving on a little bit, I want to tell you kind of what to expect. So first of all, when it comes to hospitality, there's this Balinese concept called sugyin, and that's extreme hospitality, and it's truly evident everywhere. So, at your hotel, at restaurants, at hostels, at surf shops, people go above and beyond what they're asked to do. And above the typical service and that just comes across so even the presentation of a meal. It's going to be Beautifully laid out and there's going to be so much care and thought taken In considering, you know, how does this plate look and how is it presented to the guest? similarly if you rent a surfboard and it only costs you five dollars for the hour If the person's Balinese, they might then also recommend, Hey, why don't you take this shirt we have over here? It's going to help you prevent some rashes from using the surfboard. Or they'll even go into the water with you, and they're not going to expect a tip on top of this, but they'll go into the water with you and explain to you how to surf, and kind of show you the ropes. It's incredible the amount of hospitality, care, and love that they take. I get the sense that they really want tourists to have a nice experience in Bali, and they're also just such kind hearted people. And so extending the same courtesy back to them is exceptionally nice and something you should definitely do. The Balinese go over the top when it comes to hospitality though. So, at one of the villas we rented, there was this infinity pool, and the infinity pool was entirely covered with these gorgeous orange flowers. And I can't even tell you how much time and effort and love probably that took to cut all those flowers and make that gorgeous mural on top of the infinity pool. It was incredible and I've never been anywhere else in the entire world where that type of care and thought is put into any sort of hospitality. Boston and New York could definitely learn a thing or two from them. Another place where you can see this extreme hospitality is if you participate in local ceremonies. If you visit temples or you explore some of the traditional dance performances, you can even join in and they're very welcoming. So I highly recommend checking out some of those things. Also I mentioned temples when it comes to temples, there is a strict dress code. So when visiting them, you should dress modestly. So that means wearing clothes that cover your shoulders and your knees. Sarongs are often provided at the temple entrances free of charge, but if you can come with your own, that's also nice because it's not necessarily always going to be provided for free. Now I told you I wanted to tell you what to skip and what to definitely hit. So four things you should definitely hit. Number one, The rice fields. These are photographers dreams and these terraces. They're just stunning vistas. It's very unique. I've never seen rice fields like this anywhere else in the world and you can access them for completely free. You can walk around, explore them, but make sure you're wearing shoes that you don't necessarily care about because it is muddy. Number two, Balinese cuisine. So you're going to need to try local dishes like nasi goreng and satay. And don't miss out on the Seafood Fest by the beach. There are tons of them. You will know what I'm talking about when you get there. Number three are the beach clubs. It is so fun to relax beachfront with some cheap cocktails, some free music at these popular beach clubs like potato head and ku dae ta. That's K U D D E T A. That's a huge part of the young culture and the lifestyle going on in Bali, and when I say young, even if I send my parents to Bali, I'd highly recommend they head, they head to Kuta Ta and just go have a drink. I mean, they're a little bit fun and edgy, but still, it's a great spot. And then number four, I'll lump these two together. A sight to see are going to be the waterfalls and the sunset. Of course, you'll want to see the most popular waterfalls, but go find ones that are hidden, maybe unknown. If you see a small sign pointing to a waterfall that you've never heard of, go check it out because there are so many around the island. And the guides definitely miss them. So my favorite ones that we went to were ones that no one had recommended, but we just saw a small sign on the side of the road saying, 5 kilometers this way, gorgeous waterfall. And we just trekked over there and went to go see it. A few of the touristy waterfalls, you'll have to pay a miniature entrance fee, but of course the less known ones you do not. And so that's another positive. Okay, also a little story. When we went to go visit one of these waterfalls, I completely forgot my iPhone in our Vespa. It was just sitting there right on the bench. Or actually it was a tiny pocket on the front of the Vespa. Completely just forgot my phone. And when I went back to the car... to the scooter, I realized I had left my phone and I was kind of running up to the scooter to make sure it was still there and I noticed it was gone but there was this car park attendant standing right there and he had my phone and I saw it and I was worried that he was going to ask me for money to keep it or to give it back to me. I didn't know what the situation was. He did not speak English and he came over and he just handed it to me and I was a little bit bewildered because If I left my phone somewhere in New York City, it would be gone in a split second and no one would be returning it to me. But this guy just handed it right back to me and kind of motioned the idea and the fact that I had left it there and forgot it. And I went to look at my purse and I grabbed, um, some cash out to give to him and he refused the cash. He would not take it and he really was just protecting my phone while I was gone. We were able to make a donation to the waterfall on our way out, but still it was just, I was blown away and I still am. Now, the sites to miss, number one, is going to be the Bali Swing. And this might be unpopular, but no one who's actually done the Bali Swing thinks it's worth it. So it's popular on Instagram, but it's so crazy touristy, and it's just not worth it. It's not even that fun and you have to wear a harness, I mean I haven't done it, I just watch people do it, but you have to wear a harness and so you can't even take those beautiful photos where the dress is flowing behind you. It's so cheesy and there are a lot of very Instagram y spots in Bali and you're going to have to pay for them. So to stand next to a dumb Bali sign or to stand in some heart nest, it'll cost you 20. And in my opinion, that's a huge waste. Go down onto the pristine beaches and take a photo where you're having surfers behind you or a gorgeous sunset. When is the best time to visit Bali? In my opinion, it's during the dry season from April to October. However, each season is going to be very unique and pretty different. So they're surfing in the rainy season and then you can also go see the lush green landscapes during the rainy wet season as well. Good time to be in Ubud. But truly, the island is paradise year round, so if you ever have time where you're able to make the journey over there, I highly recommend it. There just might be a little bit more flooding if you're not going during dry season from April to October. Last but not least, I want to touch on safety because this is something that's always important to me, something I look up, and something that a lot of people ask about. So, if you're a solo traveler, Bali is a great place to go because it is very generally safe. Like I said, I left my phone in my bike one time and no one touched it and it was returned directly to me. There are people all around who want to help you out and will keep you safe and protect you. But at the same time, there are always outliers to these stories and terrible things that happen everywhere. Of course, always be mindful. But I will say, Bali feels safe. It's generally safe. And you can take... Just typical precautions, like not going out at night or not drinking alcohol and maybe staying at safer places and not and staying with friends or staying at hostels where you're surrounded by people that can just help make it a safer experience. But one thing that is a bit less known about is the beach safety. So the beaches are beautiful and they look really gentle and the water doesn't get too deep until you're pretty far out, but some of these beaches have extremely strong currents and waves. So you definitely need to pay attention to local warnings, the lifeguards advice. And I wouldn't swim in places where there aren't lifeguards or other people really around. No matter even if you are a very experienced swimmer. Because it's shallow for a while, but then as you get deeper and deeper out, it just starts to drop off. And it gets really deep out there. But you do need to swim if you go to Bali. Just make sure you're doing it in a safe area where there's people watching you, people around, and just be mindful of your surroundings. Ugh, I adore Bali. I just cannot wait to get back now after thinking so much about it. But like I said, if you want to hear a little bit of a deeper dive, check out my podcast right before this. That will tell you my favorite spots and some more stories. As always, if you never go, you will never know. Thank you all for listening and thank you for hanging out with me. I really appreciate all of you who do come listen. And if you enjoyed this, you can subscribe to the Short Sleeve Travel Podcast. I have new episodes coming out each week and occasionally two episodes coming out per week. You can also follow me on any platform, whether it's Instagram or TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, all at Kat, K A T, Short Sleeve, if you want to see what I'm up to. You can also email me if you want at catshortsleeve at gmail. com. Cannot wait for the next episode. Thank you and cheers.