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I supported Toymods
Toymods Club Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Anyone been to Bali?
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Wed, 21 April 2004 23:27
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Well, Jess & I are going to Bali for a couple of weeks in July.. Just wondering if anyone's been there before and would have any tips for rookie travellers?
ie. Good places to go/things to see?
Places to avoid?
Any suggestions appreciated 
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I supported Toymods
Location:
I renounced punctuation
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Wed, 21 April 2004 23:38
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Went there about 7 years ago with my wife. I would recommend staying in Kuta/Legian only for as long as your package dictates - you will be harrassed incessantly by people trying to flog you watches, dodgy perfume/aftershave, manicures and massages. However, if you're into partying with heaps of Aussies, cheap drinks and food, and a great night life, it's definitely the place for you. That said I have no idea what it is like since October 2002.
We shot straight off to Ubud. It was much quieter and cooler as it is up in the mountains. It's also a good place to launch daytrips from.
The highlight of the trip (for me) was climbing a volcano (Gunung Batur) at 3 am and watching the sunrise from the top.
Pre Bali bombing, I would have suggested catching the ferry across to Lombok, but there have been a few security issues with Westerners going to a predominantly Muslim island. When we went there, it was pretty untouched and free of the continuous pestering you got in Bali.
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I supported Toymods
Toymods Club Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 00:14
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Yep, we're booking 5 nights in Kuta and 5 in Ubud. Hoping to get a mix of the westernised touristy stuff and the quiet relaxed stuff.
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The highlight of the trip (for me) was climbing a volcano (Gunung Batur) at 3 am and watching the sunrise from the top.
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That sounds AWESOME. I think this trip will definitely be setting a new record for the most photos I've ever taken in a two week period. 
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I supported Toymods
Location:
south of the big smoke
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 00:46
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you probably already know this but hey its still a tip
*never carry to much money around with you , keep it in the safe at the hotel
*same with ya passport, australia guy there had is passport stolen, couldnt get outta the country, had to saty an extra 4 weeks while his new one was processed
*never pay the asking process only settle for half price or less
*dont bring BB guns back on ya carry on luggage!! DONT FORGET THIS ONE 
*have a good time
a story to finish it off, mate of mine was walking down the street, some bloke was trying to log off watches, mate wasnt interested. followed him across the road and BANG the dude got nailed by a cement truck, killed instantly!!
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I supported Toymods
Location:
I renounced punctuation
Registered:
May 2002
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Volcano trip
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Thu, 22 April 2004 01:01
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We did it over 2 days. We left Ubud, had lunch at a restaurant in Penelokan (it sits right on top of the crater and the views are awesome) and then caught a bus into Toya Bungah (spelling, name, it's been a while). It's a shitty little lakeside village with very little to do there - you can take a swim in the lake. We did a bit of a rekky to see where the path was but there was a little info booth and the guides are there if you want them to take you up. We set off at 3am and pottered our way up. All the way up, the path was lit up intermittently by a lightning storm over 100 km away. Truly amazing how dark it was. We got up there and we were the only ones. If you decide to do this, take a jumper - it's bloody cold after you stop moving and before the sun comes up.
Oh, buy your torches in Ubud.
With regard to haggling, it is good sport, but it's only when you stop and work out what sort of money you are haggling for that you realise you are arguing over 20 cents. Meh, take it and good luck to him.
[Updated on: Thu, 22 April 2004 01:02]
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 01:18
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Im going to bali in July with the Missus, One of her friends went a few weeks ago and said you have to pay $50 to get into bali, some stupid goverment thing to help rebuild bali (like we blew it up).
Ohh and hold on to your luggage at the airport my brother went with a few mates (first timers) and had a guy come up and say carry your bags it cost them $50 to carry the luggage from inside the airport to the taxi  they got rorted.
anyone know the decent places to go for games/dvd's?
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Volcano trip
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Thu, 22 April 2004 01:19
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That's no fun. 
Why not just haggle and then at the end of it, just pay the original asking price?
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 03:46
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im going in july too!
for 10 days in kuta
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 03:51
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what room  
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Location:
1st street on the right
Registered:
November 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 06:32
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Would it would be in bad taste to say I was Blown away by it?
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 06:39
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| coronamark2 wrote on Thu, 22 April 2004 13:51 |
what room
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the one full of topless european girls
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I supported Toymods
Toymods Club Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 06:45
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| clubagreenie wrote on Thu, 22 April 2004 16:32 |
Would it would be in bad taste to say I was Blown away by it?
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Ouch!
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the one full of topless european girls
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Lol... Party at Lang's place!
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 06:48
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*cough* tranie's!
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 08:39
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| coronamark2 wrote on Thu, 22 April 2004 16:48 |
*cough* tranie's!
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thats why i said europeans
im staying away from the locals ive heard tooo many stories
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 08:55
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I went in '96, and in 2000 or so, absolutely loved it (enough that i did an arts degree alongside my engo just for Indo & asian studies!).
I did a volcano sunrise thing also, but we went up Gunung Bromo, which is on Jawa. We actually did a guided horse ride up the volcano, which was way cool, riding across this plain pre-dawn was awesome, then the views... nice. The added benefit is that horses go faster than people - i think we got to sleep in 'til 4am. Could probably do that in bali.
Ubud is (or was, i suppose still is) really nice, slower than the kuta/legian strip, but that's such a good thing! More crafty, nature-y etc, has a cool monkey forest. in central bali.
Speaking of monkey forests, go to Uluwatu! Whether you're a surfer or not, it's a pretty scenic joint, temple ruins on a cliff atop a world famous surf break. SW Bali. While you're down that way, stop at Jimbaran Bay. It's halfway from Kuta to Uluwatu, and has (forgive exaggerated memory) maybe 50 beachfront - as in sit at table on sand - cafes selling you seafood from the bay you're lookin at. Beware the dodgy scales, you may pay for more fish than what you choose.. all good fun. That would be my number 1 bali memory.
Heaps of awesome restaurants everywhere, poppy's (poppy's lane, kuta), some beachfront restaurants up the other end of legian.. im drooling here.
Tanah Lot (NW of Denpasar) is a temple out on a rock in the water at a beach, beautiful, esp sunset. Can visit at low tide i think.
Must shut up! All these things except ubud are within about 10km of kuta. ubud's maybe 30km? not more. There are millions of cool temples. Avoid Nusa Dua, it's just lots of stoopid resorts, no 'real' indonesia. Oh, and if you've started haggling for something, you buy it.
Sorry bout the brochure
edit: wrong gunung!
[Updated on: Thu, 22 April 2004 08:58]
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I supported Toymods
Toymods Club Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Thu, 22 April 2004 09:26
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nicked - That's awesome dude. A few things there I'd sort of already earmarked for a visit anyway, but you pretty much sold me on some of them now!! 
One thing I'm quite keen on doing is a cycling tour through some of the more northern countryside.. Has anyone done this at all and if so what were your thoughts/experiences?
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Fri, 23 April 2004 05:04
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Ubud is great, there is this weekly trance dance thing there, some really weird shit!! There is a cafe in ubud which does the nicest spaghetti cabonara...only 'western'ish food i ate the whole two weeks, no cabonara has ever come close...mmm so eggy so cheesy so bacony, then grilled in a wood fire oven.
We went up to one of the northern villages and went snorkeling at a Japanese wreck, sailed out there on traditional outriggers. Very beautiful dive!! on the way back left mask on and hang of the outriggers, get a good (but brief) view of a lot of the reef!
Nusa Dua is not real indo, but the cheapest para sailing/banana boating/bungee jumping you will come across...para sailing was very cool!!
Watch out for stores in Denpasar with monkeys - the monkeys are trained to pick your pockets, and bite when you try to prevent it!!
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Location:
central coast, NSW
Registered:
April 2004
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Northern Beaches
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Sat, 24 April 2004 00:43
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I went last year for 3 weeks surfing end of July start of August. We went on a 7 day boat trip too around the islands checking out the best surf spots, so much fun.
It awesome over there, everything is so cheap. You even have to bribe the cops if you are driving. One of the guys on our boat go caught for drink riding on a bike with no licence, had to bribe the cops like $20
We hired a car, buts its probably better to just get taxi's as they are so cheap and you arn't trying to carry much around with you. Try agree on a price somewhere before getting in because they will try to charge you lots at the end otherwise. Once we agreed on a price then he tried to double it at the end saying that it was a price for each of us. We just laughed at him and told him that is not what we agreed on and gave him original money.
As has been said watch the ppl at the air port they will grab your bags looking like they are helping then ask for lots of money at the end, happend to the chick we were with too, she thought he was just being nice haha.
Night life is still pretty good over there, probably even picked up more since, wasn't so many tourist more lots of surfers mainly when I was there. Alcho is so cheap over there, try the Jungle juice, $5 for big jug/cup, don't ask whats in it but fuck it will get you drink after just like 2(and a big hangover).
You will love it.
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I supported Toymods
Toymods Club Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Tue, 20 July 2004 11:02
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Well, the time has finally arrived. We fly out of Sydney in about 13 hours!
Enjoy the cold everybody!!
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I supported Toymods
Location:
fairfield NSW
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: Anyone been to Bali?
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Tue, 20 July 2004 14:15
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i guess its a bit late now but smart traveller is pretty useful.
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