Owner: Bali Tour Guide Blog URL:http://balitourguide.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:49:46 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Travel tips, tours, life style, and places of interests in Bali. Site statistics:Click here
Kuta: Most Popular Tourist Town In Bali 2007-09-22 08:35:00 Kuta is the most popular tourist area in Bali. The main attraction is actually The Kuta beach which stretches about 5 kilometres from south to north, a very popular place for surfers and visitors who wants to enjoy the sun set.
Kuta is located about 10 minutes drive north of the Denpasar International Airport. If you drive north from the airport, you will first arrive in Kartika Plaza street.
A Peek Inside Luxurious Area: Nusa Dua Bali 2007-09-19 00:19:00 Twenty minutes drive south of Denpasar airport, at the southern part of Bali island, Nusa Dua
is located. Nusa Dua means two islands. Though it is not really two islands, but two head lands which extend towards the sea where small temples are located in each ‘island’. It was built for the higher class tourists, though since the 2002 bombing, the price has been significantly decreasing.
In Nusa Read more:Luxurious
Most Popular Sight-seeing Tours In Bali 2007-09-15 04:00:00 Before traveling to Bali, you might want to know what to do or where to go. Here is most popular tours list that you can consider going in Bali. These tour can be conducted privately by hiring a driver or through your travel agent with professional Bali tour guide.
In Land (Kintamani Tour): You will visit Batubulan Village to watch cultural dance "Barong Dance" in the morning. Next, is Celuk Read more:Sight
, Tours
A Master Wood Carver from Mas Village 2007-10-14 06:45:00 Mas village is a welknown village for the woodcarver. Many of the famous wood carver come from this village. I was lucky to meet one of the wood carver. His name is Pak Tiru. In the photo that I took from my phone, he was working on his wooden statue.
It is going to take six months to accomplish such a statue. It was two meters high and the material is local wood called Suar wood. The statue he Read more:Master
, Carver
, Village
Lonely Planet Bali and Lombok 2007-10-11 09:06:00 This excellent guide book offers a complete and comprehensive information about touring, activities, and accomodations in Bali and Lombok. Written by two great authors who had conducted a 68 days of in-country research, drawing 51 detailed maps.
The book also talks in detail about all new outdoor activites with details of diving and surfing information. It also covers many accomodations ranging Read more:Lonely
, Lonely Planet
Finding The Real Bali 2007-10-11 03:34:00 Bali has changed a lot since tourist booming in 1970-ies. Many hotels, restaurant, and villas are built to accomodate the incoming visitors. Many local leave their villages, and their farm lands to go to get better promising job in tourist area. Some are successful in changing their life to a better standard, others are still trying to survive.
Apart from that, many visitors who visited Bali
Five Reasons to Rent Villa in Bali 2007-10-11 01:52:00 You have many options for staying in Bali from homestays, budget hotel, star hotel, or villa. Depending on what your purpose and length of stay, or most importantly, budget you can choose any accomodation you need. Some people prefer to stay in villa than in hotel. Here are the reasons to stay in villa.
Staying in a villa can be more economical compared to staying in hotel but with the equal Read more:Reasons
, Villa
Melanting Temple at North West Bali 2007-10-08 22:46:00 This is another beautiful temple located at North
Bali, somewhere in the Pulaki village. If you travel from Denpasar, you will arrive in three hours. If you go to the west via Negara ( a town in West Bali) you will pass the Bali Barat National Park which is ideal trekking place.
Another tourist spot is Labuan Lalang, which located close to Menjangan Island, a popular diving site. The Melanting Read more:Temple
Do You Like The Rain? 2007-10-07 01:32:00 October is the start of the rainy season in Bali. Normally the rainy season will last for six months from October to April. Meanwhile, the dry season is from April to October.
Actually it does not rain every day during the rainny season. In fact, rain will usually start on December or January. So, there is no need to worry the rain will spoil your holiday if you are planning to visit Bali.
So
A Challenge To Be A Frugal Tour Guide 2007-10-18 05:09:00 I have been reading GRS from last year, and as well as with other blog the The Simple Dollar and listen to Joan Sotkins's podcast The Prosperity Show. This helped me to be more effective in managing my financial life. Well, why do I write about financial in a bali tour guide blog? Hm, this is a special case. I am writing this post to participate in a contest held by J.D Roth at Get Rich Slowly, Read more:Challenge
, Frugal
, Guide
Finding Ketut Cantik (The Beautiful Ketut) 2007-10-25 19:17:00 I have several emails coming because of this blog. One of them is very unique. It was from a guy in Western Australia. He came through Google searching for "Balinese phrase" or maybe "Indonesian phrase" and ended up in my blog. And he eventually decided to write this strange email to me. (Later I knew he looked up at Google for this phrases to write a letter to a balinese girl)
In his email, Ted Read more:Beautiful
Wireless Internet Connection In Bali 2007-10-24 23:48:00 You can get fast internet connection nowadays in Bali especially in Denpasar and Nusa Dua up to 3.5 Megabit per second. (so, that't what they claimed) This is if you have the so-called HSDPA phone to connect to Internet
for example the Nokia 6120C.
You can buy the SIM card in Bali if your plan doesnot include international roaming. The easiest way is to get a IM3 SIM card which has Internet Read more:Wireless
, Wireless Internet
Sanur Village; A Quiet Tourist Area in The Eastern Coast 2007-10-24 01:11:00 Sanur is a tourist area which was a fisherman village, that you can achieve by driving twenty minutes from the Denpasar air port. What's in Sanur? Well, if you'd like a quiter place than Kuta, Sanur is the right place. There are less shops, traffics, or street vendors compared to Kuta.
Along the main street of Sanur, there are shops which sell souvenirs, banks, Hardy's shopping centre, money Read more:Sanur
, Village
, Quiet
, Eastern
, Coast
The Good Guys and The Bad Guys 2007-11-03 18:11:00 This is a photo of Dwarapala statue. Dwarapala is derived from Sanskrit language meaning door guardian. You will find a lot of this kind of statues in front of temple gates in Bali. Besides temple, you can find this in all traditional building such as the village hall, puri (palace) and houses.
At a quick glance, it looks scary, but they are the good characters (or the good guys). Sometimes you
Enjoying Down Hill Cycling in Bali 2007-11-08 18:57:00 Do you like bike riding? You can enjoy Bali riding mountain bike in rural areas or in the villages thus you can experience "the real Bali". Some tour operators provide cycling tour. Sobek, for example, is known for their mountain cycling which started at Kintamani village overlooking mount Batur and Lake Batur. The route for this cycling tour is down hill that you don't need to paddle hard. Read more:Cycling
Meet My Friend, Beni: The Spanish Speaking Tour Guide 2007-11-12 04:18:00 I'd like to introduce my friend, Nyoman Beni. Also a tour guide like me, but he is also fluent in Spanish
. He speaks both English and Spanish and currently learning Russian, as many Russian tourists are now visiting Bali. Especially on December and January.
If you need a spanish tour guide or get in touch with one, you can contact me through my email address. He'd be happy to drive you around Read more:Speaking
, Guide
Finding A Bali Tour Guide and Driver 2007-11-22 07:31:00 Since having this blog, I have received many emails asking for a tour guide who is also a driver in Bali. I always try to reply as quick as I can, but since I am usually on tour and far away from my computer, then I have to wait before I can write back.But I also would like to say thank you to you all who have sent me emails and using my service as a tour guide or driver. Since there are many people that come to Bali wanting tour guide and driver, and I can not handle it by myself, then I decided to organize all friends that I know who works in tourism business. So, if you have plan coming to Bali, and would like to hire a tour guide and driver you can do it through me. My friends and I will be ready to take you around the island. You can decide where you want to go, or you can consult me your itenerary by writing email to me.What Are Inluded in Our Tour?What normally included in our service is, first, English speaking driver or tour guide. We have years of experience handling tourists Read more:Guide
, Driver
Bali Shanti Shanti Shanti; The Brand New Bali 2007-11-27 23:20:00 For centuries, the number three is very important in Bali'nese Hindu in Bali island. For example, the number 3 can be clearly seen in the brand new logo of Bali introduced in June 2007.First, the shape is a triangle. The triangle actually means stability and harmony. Besides, it also represent the three manifestation of God, Brahma (the creator), Wisnu (the preserver) and Siva (the sin destroyer). The Balinese belief in the existence of 3 worlds, called Bhur, Bwah, and Swah which is also indicated by the triangel. There is three stages of life, birth, life and death.Next, the popular concept of Tri Hita Karana (three that causes happiness) does underlie the idea of the new logo of Bali. It is the THK that actually is believed to be responsible to the peaceful feeling and harmony the visitors feel when they step their foot on the Bali island. What are those three creating happiness?The three things that causes happiness areParahyangan: the harmonious relationship between men and GodPaw Read more:Brand
Problem With US Dollar Bank Note in Bali 2007-12-04 21:41:00 You agree to buy some sarongs for USD 10 in an art market somewhere in Bali and think "wow this is a good price". The seller wraps your lovely sarongs and put them in a plastic bag and give them to you while you hand her the USD 10 bank note. The seller look at your note and say, "Sorry, I cannot take this money, do you have other money or do you have rupiah?" And all you can say is,"What??"If this happen, there are some possible reasons the seller can not accept your money. The most common reason is because your bank note is old. It has torn a little at one edge or just "dilapidated" money. The local bank in where we change the US bank note, only accept new bank note. Meaning it has not folded yet, just like a shirt when you finish ironing it. (I am struggling to find the right terms because English is not my first language, I hope this is clear).Another reason is, although the bank note looks new, but it is an older edition. The bank note which is published earlier, though it is sti Read more:Problem
, Dollar
Wayang Kulit: The Bali Puppet Show 2007-12-18 06:01:00 To my astonishment, a reader wrote me an email asking where she can watch a "Wayang Kulit" or shadow puppet show in Bali. I never thought shadow puppets show can also be interesting for tourists, so I decided to write a little note about this matter (not a comprehensive article).Shadow puppet show, despite all these bombardment of movies with computerized special effects, still alive in the heart of the Balinese people. Thanks to the great puppet masters in Bali that Wayang Kulit is till watched by many Balinese, even the youngsters.Shadow puppet which can be a part of sacred ceremonies are prepared very carefully. Not any Balinese can be puppet master because it requires special skill for example in changing voices when talking as different character. A puppet master must also be knowledgeable in Hindu religious teaching and social matters.The preparation of a Wayang Kulit may appear very simple. All it needs are large screen, a torch, a banana tree trunk for placing the puppets so th
Bali Traffic "Road Rules": The Revealation 2007-12-16 22:55:00 As you step your feet in our island, you'll soon notice that we have different traffic "road rules" with those European or American countries. Some of the rules may appear strange to you. And here are some of the "rules" you will observe in the tiny streets in Bali.Beeping "rules". People seems to beep a lot more here. A driver beeps when asking other driver to give way to him, so he can drive through. A driver also beeps when saying hello to a friend he meets in the street or offers transport service to tourists.Hazard lamp "rule" for cross road. The hazard lamps are lit when going straight in a cross road. Maybe the logic is that when turning right or left, we have to light either right or left sign lamp. So, if going straight, both lamp; left and right, should be lit."Rules
" for crossing the road "Zebra crossing" for pedestrians. Cars will not stop at zebra crossing, even though you have stepped your feet on the zebra crossing area. This will make crossing the road a little bit mor
How To Say No To Street Vendors 2007-12-15 07:27:00 How do you say no to the street vendors offering you goods they sell? Easy. Just say No, Thank You. Right, but often it is not as easy as it seems. The reason? They don't take no for an answer. They keep offering you post cards, chess set, T-Shirt, wooden statue, beach sarong, bone statue, a pack of chop sticks (we don't use them here) and a lot more. So, how do you "handle this situation"?When you are in Bali, especially in tourists area you will meet many street vendors. You will meet them at tourist objects like Kintamani, Tegalalang, Goa Gajah, Kertha Gosa, Bat Cave, Ulun Danu Batur, Lake Batur, Seribatu village, Lovina Beach and many other places.The street vendors are just the Balinese people who work to earn a living. They don't have stall, or capital to start their own business. The easiest thing to take part in tourism industry is to become street vendors or "pedagang acung". They just need merchandise to sell, and off they go.They way they offer their merchandise is a litt Read more:Street
, Vendors
When Is The Best Time to Visit Bali? 2007-12-21 03:55:00 "When is the best time to visit Bali?" I often got this question asked to me. Not just once, but a lot of time. When you ask this question, I know what you mean is more than this simple question. You want to know when to visit Bali so you can have great times in Bali without any disturbance, for instance, rain. Rain seems to be the main concern for the visitors. I can understand that because rain can "ruin" your holiday. But of course there are other things you need to put into consideration other than rain.Let's talk about rain first. We have two seasons in Bali, the dry season and the wet season. The dry season is "scheduled" from April to October, while wet season starts from October to April. So, if you don't fancy rain in your holiday, best time to come is between April to October when the dry season is "on". The wet season, however, is not really really that wet. If you think, rain is pouring down on our island for six months every day, that's not quite the fact. It only start
Bali Driver Tour Guide with bigger car 2008-03-09 08:01:58 This is just a quick post about my friends, Nyoman Wiratha and Wayan. They are both driver and tour guides. They have experience taking tourists around Bali, taking people to many interesting places like Kintamani, Bedugul, Tanah Lot or Karang Asem.If you come to Bali in group, say 10 people, Nyoman or Wayan would be happy to take you around with their Suzuki Elf. It can hold to maximum 11 people, depending on the size of the people you are going tour with.The mini bus has airconditioned and comfortable to travel with. It is a private tour, so you can go whereever you like and spend time in places more you are interested in. No need to hurry.The price is 600,000 per full day. That's about 10 to 12 hours. It has included driver/tour guide and petrol. So, if you are interested, feel free to Read more:Driver
, Guide
Why You Should Not Miss Kecak Dance? 2008-02-25 17:46:18 At the beginning of this dance, if you hear the dancers shout," chuck, chuck, chuck" they don't mean to call a guy named "Chuck". The dancers makes sounds like these (or in Balinese language it is cak, cak, cak, since we read the words as it is written) in order to imitate the Balinese musical instrument.This dance does not use any form of musical instrument. Instead it uses sounds combination which is made by all the dancers. (The number of dancers can be fifty to one hundred ) It may appear like a choir.Kecak
dance was created by Wayan Limbak in around 1930 with Walter Spies, a German painter who lived in Bali. The dance was ispired by Sang Hyang Dance
(a kind of trance dance where the dancer is possesed by achestral spirit).The Kecak dance alway tells a story of Ramayana. It is a journe
Meet Komodo Dragon at Singapadu 2008-02-16 22:08:32 Singapadu Village has a different attraction for visitors. Besides the stone carving area, it is also where the Reptile Park are located. Here is your chance to learn about all those slimy animals since many varieties are presented here.Many kind of snakes can be seen in their glass cages. There are the phytons, cobras, rattle snake and lots of other snakes. Lizards, from the smallest gecko to the big crocodille also joined in in the park. Frogs from different size, colours and types look at you from behind their cages. Not just from local area, but from all over the world.The setting of the park which imitates forest is also another plus point. When you walk around the park you will feel that you've been transported to a remote and wild tropical forest. There is an ancient temple like bui Read more:Dragon
Rice Field Terraces at Tegalalang 2008-02-15 20:45:27 Tegalalang village, beside the Jatiluwih, is a village you can stop to admire the view of rice terraces. Located just north of Ubud, the rice field can be easily spotted from the main road. It spreaded to little hills and valleys by the main road.Depending on the season you come to visit Bali, the rice terraces have different colours. It's black because of mud when farmers plough the fields. It's green when the paddy is already growing, and yellow when it is due harvesting.The farmers build terraces to grow rice so they can better manage the soil. It is not suitable, if not impossible, to grow rice on a slope because rice need still water.Tegalalang village is quite busy during the days because there tourists bus stopping just take pictures of rice fields. If you want to stay longer, there Read more:Field
Problem With US Dollar Bank Note in Bali 2008-02-14 06:24:27 You agree to buy some sarongs for USD 10 in the art market somewhere in Bali and think wow this is a good price. The seller wraps your lovely sarongs in a plastic bag and give it to you while you hand her the USD 10 note. The seller look at your note and say, "Sorry, I can not take this money, do you have other money or do you have rupiah?" And all you can say is,"What??"If this happen, there are some possible reason the seller can not accept your money. The most common reason is because your bank note is old. It has torn a little at one edge or just "dilapidated" money. The local bank in where we change the US bank note, only accept new bank note. Meaning it has not folded yet, just like a shirt when you finish ironing it. (I am struggling to find the right terms because English is not my Read more:Problem
, Dollar
Visiting Bali from April to October 2008-02-14 00:51:23 You can say that there are more visitors coming to Bali from April
to October
since this is the dry season. You probably think twice before coming to Bali in the wet season (October to April), at least you will think whether you are going to have bright days if you come on the wet season. If you would like to make sure that you will see no rain (at least 99.99% chance to see bright days) than you can choose to come to come during this time of the year.There are few other things to consider. For example, the celebrations and local holidays.The Silent day can take place on between March and April. Everything will be closed on that day that you will have to stay lock up in your hotel. June, July, and August is the busiest time in Bali because it is school holidays. The popular tourist areas a
Five Reasons to Rent Villa in Bali 2008-01-28 01:04:32 You have many options for staying in Bali from homestays, budget hotel, star hotel, or villa. Depending on what your purpose and length of stay, or most importantly, budget you can choose any accomodation you need. Some people prefer to stay in villa than in hotel. Here are the reasons to stay in villa.Staying in a villa can be more economical compared to staying in hotel but with the equal luxury. You can stay in a villa with beautiful private garden, air conditioned bed rooms, spacious living, dining area, private swimming pool for the cost less than staying in good hotel in Bali. (It can cost US$100 to US$600 per room per night. staying in the hotel).You can choose to stay in villa that reflect the Balinese lifestyle. For example, floors and wall are made form local wood. Other part of Read more:Reasons
, Villa
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