BALI by Bike by J. Gaerlan Nov. 4 - 16, 1998

Because of the Asian financial crisis, the Dollars' attractive exchange rate made Bali a good cycling destination. Our main source of information was the Lonely Planet book on Bali (for accommodations and things to do) and the travel newsgroup on Asia (rec.travel.asia) for up to the minute news and feedback. The riots in Jakarta worried us. Up to the minute reports (from fellow travellers) as posted on the newsgroup assured us that it was OK though.

There is not much written on bicycling Bali. Lonely Planet has a suggested route around the island. Backroads (a commercial tour co.) also has a route that traverses a good portion of the island. For this trip we did not have any firm itinerary. All we knew was that we were staying in Kuta (tourist town close to airport) and Ubud (cultural center of island).

Travel time between SFO to Bali was about a day. We had a China Airlines Flight that left SFO midnight. We arrived in Taipei after 14 hours with a 3 hour layover. It was another 5 hour flight to Bali.

We arranged for a hotel pickup at the airport. We had 2 bike boxes and 2 bikes in luggages. With the bulky bike boxes, it was safer to have somebody pick us up. A taxi would work if we had all our bikes in suitcases.

Our hotel pickup had enough room for 2 bike boxes and 2 travel bikes in suitcases. We had to take another cab.

We found our hotel - Legian Village Hotel - from the internet. They had an airport pickup for about $6. Once we exited the airport, they had 2 hotel staff waiting for us. They brought a sport utility vehicle. With the rear seats down, they were able to fit one passenger and all boxes and luggages. They had to hire another cab for the rest of us. The extra cab was part of the $6 fee.

One important thing that the books failed to inform us of is that they drive on the left hand side of the road. Roads are narrow (no shoulders) and mopeds are all over the place. Bikes however are used by locals for commuting.

Honking is a normal driver habit. A car honks to let you know he is beside you. Learn not to get rattled. With the amount of traffic, you get to learn to ride in close proximity to other vehicles. Sometimes, all that separates you from the other vehicle is their side mirror.

Typical Kuta traffic. Left hand drive, mopeds all over and no shoulder. Although it seems like chaos, there is mutual respect among all vehicles, bikes included. Bicycles are called "push bikes" in Bali.

With such chaos, you expect more accidents. They are however very good and courteous drivers. During our 2 week stay, we never saw or heard any driver yelling or arguing with another. Cars would stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers. Still no confrontational arguments (very common in the US). It must be the Hindu culture.

Our first dinner in Kuta was at a local joint. It was our first taste of Indonesian cuisine - Nasi Goreng (steamed salad), gado gado (fried noodles) for about $1.50 a person including beer.

Our first hotel was OK - set in a quiet compound - with AC, hot and cold water. It had the basics. At $30 per room, can't complain. It was rated as a middle class hotel in the Lonely Planet book.

Needing another day to adjust, we looked for another place to stay very close to the old one. Rated as one of the top places to stay in the Lonely Planet scale, Legian Beach Hotel has all the perks - AC, TV, phones, refrigerator, pool with bar. Rate was $100 a night for a family split level (2 beds on 1st floor, queen on top). Being off season, we were able to negotiate the rate from the rack rate of $140 to a NETT of $100. NETT means to include all taxes (11%) and service charges (10%).

Early the next day, we did an exploratory ride in Kuta. Riding on the left side takes some getting used to. Riding close quarters is also a new talent to learn. It's not traffic or heat that makes riding difficult. It's the humidity. You start perspiring even without the sun in the early morning hours.

If you like staying up late and partying, then Kuta is the place. After the second night, we decided to head for Ubud - the cultural center.

Riding out of the city was crowded, but rideable. The locals were very friendly in pointing you in the correct direction. English is easily understood especially with Bali's tourist economy.

Road from Kuta out to Ubud. Roads are flat, adequate shoulders with manageable traffic. It's the humidity that makes riding a little harder.

It was the dreaded humidity that made it hard. With under 25 miles of riding, we had to continually drink and cool off at air conditioned department stores frequented by bus tours. Leaving Kuta at past 9:00, we were in Ubud before lunch. Road was fairly flat and became rural only on the last hour of riding.

As we entered Ubud, we were continually solicited for rooms by sales agents (probably on commission) on mopeds. Using the Lonely Planet book, we surveyed a few hotels. We ended up taking a split level house owned by Oka Wati. Listed as a middle range place to stay, our lodging cost us $45 a day nett of all taxes and including breakfast for all four. The house was traditionally designed with woven wicker walls, ceiling fans, hot water, pool and an outdoor breakfast room overlooking rice paddies.

Above: Oka Wati, our first Ubud lodging. Right: View of the rice paddies from our breakfast terrace.

Exhausted by the heat, we all overslept and forgot to eat dinner.

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