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Bali trip report


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I neede a visa run so i figured i would check out bali, I have not been there since the day princess diana died...10 years??. Booked with TG close to 15k baht, plane was 70% empty, have not seen that many empty seats since the irst gulf war.

 

Landed @ denpasar 25$ visa on arrival, polite friendly customs officials, I collected my bags and walked outside THEN IT ALL BEGAN, I had forgotten just how aggresive the touts can be I had no less then 15 offers for "taxi transport" they are relentless, more on the touts later.

 

Grabbed a cab from depatures and quickly through my bag into the trunk, meter was on and off we wen,t, I had nothing booked so I tld him to drop me @ poppies lane, he suggested poppies lane #1, so out I got, i made the short walk untill I stumbled onto Massa inn, nice place 2 swimming pools, breakfast included 150k rupiah, around 550 baht.

 

No key thingy in the wall power switch so one could leave the air on all day, even the maids would not turn it off if you left it on. One thing diferent from thailand, all the maids where men and they all wore running shoes, strange when you are used to seeing the maids in Thai slip in and out of their flip flops as they enter the rooms.

 

Now back to the touts: One cannot walk one step on any main street without being harassed "G-day mate taxi, transport, cocaine, magic mushrooms, cocaine, young lady young boy?? Walk another 2 feet and you get it all over again, they will actually follow and continue there sales pitch it really is something else. And I never ever even gave them the time of day, yet they would not let up.

 

I will say this Kuta beach is DEAD it is a ghost town, a few people gather @ the big memorial site from bombing #1 and you get some foot traffic in kuta square ( which is the site of bali bombing #2) Strange as the dite of the bombing #2 the cafe which is a busy shopping centre, they have not even cleaned up the building, it is still firebombed, blown out windows, heavy fire damage, boarded up doors, and it happened 6 months ago.

 

The place has a creepy seedy feeling about it, there seems to be so many local men just hangin on street corners doing what I don,t know, other then harrasing any tourist. They have bag checks @ all department stores, fast food joints and most hotels metal dectectors and mirrors for seeing under cars undercarriage, but @ times the security desks are un manned as buddy has gone to the toilet or for a smoke beak.

 

Hard rock cafe will not let you in the front doors untill you order and pay for a drink and when that drink is more then the price of my hotel I just kept walking.

 

Very little street action, a was approahed by a few ladies on their own motorbikes, but they where a tad older then me so I passed. Massages are cheaper then the 300baht oil variety in say pattaya, but trying to get any extras ( even a handjob) is like pulling teeth, no showers in any of the ones i visited and they insisted I wear a towel.

 

I would not return to kuta, maybe ubud is nicer as some say. It is too bad because it is a beautiful island and the people in the hotels and cafes all speak fantastic english, and are very kind and polite.

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