James’ World

I just spent a month in Bali, mostly the Tuban-Kuta area.

In the past, Bali was regarded as an inexpensive place for young Australians and others to vacation.

For the first time however, I would have to say that is becoming a memory of the past.

There are the occasional local hotels still available for under $25/nite, but none of the newer hotels, which are aiming for $100 to $200/nite.

If you can afford it, the new Holiday Inn Baruna Bali in Tuban at $120 to $200/nite is awesome – opening right onto Tuban/Wanasegara Beach. The style is more modern than Balinese, but you can visit the Risata Hotel Bali down the street and see lush Balinese gardens and stonework.

Taxis have greatly increased in price recently. The fare used to be an afterthought, typically less than $1 within a city.

There are 2 classes of taxis now:

1. Bluebird – great service and fair prices – old (cheaper) argo meter settings, worth calling in
2. other companies – average service and high prices – new (higher) argo setttings, or even 40 ribu minimum pickup fare from Galeria Mall. Indonesian visitors are scared of these prices.

To save money, use an ojek (motorcycle taxi), or try carpooling and scheduling multiple stops on the same trip.

Or pick a hotel within easy walking distance of sites that’s also near a major travel artery. In Kuta, that would be at the exit of Jl. Legian near Jl. Pantai Kuta (easy walk to the Legian nightclub scene, memorial and Kuta Beach as well as near taxis to Tuban or Denpasar.) In Tuban, that would be on Jl. Wana segara or Jl. Kartika Pl. (easy walk to Tuban Beach or Discovery Mall/Mal Centro.)

I talked to some merchants in Tuban, and asking rents for storefronts have doubled in the past 12 months.

All of the computer stores selling PCs in Kuta, Tuban and Sanur have closed, likely due to high rents, low margins and lack of capital. There are a few Mac stores, such as PC Max and one in Carrefour. Otherwise, you must go to the large Rimo Computer Mall in Denpasar. Rimo is pretty good for basic parts, with new releases lagging Jakarta by 2 to 3 weeks.

The most comprehensive selection of DSLR batteries and accessories in Kuta-Tuban is in the Zoom Digital Kiosk in Discovery Mall, Tuban.

If you’re a computer or business person and need to stay in touch online, visit Internet Sartika at Jalan Wana segara No. 29, Tuban. It has dual broadband connections (1 Mbps DSL and 1 Mbps fiber optic) and new 3 Ghz Intel Duo Core 2 computers, for the quickest Internet connections.

Several tourists asked me what’s worthwhile to see in Bali.

One of my favorite places is still GWK Cultural Park, which has massive stone monuments, great views overlooking Kuta and local dances starting at twilite. It’s a photographer’s paradise. GWK is only 30 minutes from Kuta or Tuban by taxi and can take anywhere from 2 hours to a day to appreciate.