Related Bali Favorites Tips

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Favorite thing: One of the recommended dinner is to take it at QUEEN’S TANDOOR, SEMINYAK - BALI: "Dinner With Balinese & Other Dance"
The live show is full of energy as the three or four dancer with present various dances of several countries. This show is also assisted by a very nice Disc Jockey Edwin Lee, who is a Chinese and his wife. The dancers also invite you to dance with them. Please do not try this if you are drunk, only decent people are invited to dance with them by the dancers. In case, you are drunk , they will just move away from you and others won't be able to enjoy the show.

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Favorite thing: One of the recommended dinner is to take it at QUEEN’S TANDOOR, SEMINYAK - BALI: "Dinner With Balinese & Other Dance"
The live show is full of energy as the three or four dancer with present various dances of several countries. This show is also assisted by a very nice Disc Jockey Edwin Lee, who is a Chinese and his wife. The dancers also invite you to dance with them. Please do not try this if you are drunk, only decent people are invited to dance with them by the dancers. In case, you are drunk , they will just move away from you and others won't be able to enjoy the show.

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Favorite thing: Bali is a touristy destination that's why they have made VISA procedure for tourist very easy, you can get VISA on arrival by paying USD$25. Please read this carefully.

International arrivals procedures
All passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date of entry into Indonesia and have at least 2 blank pages available for stamps.
There are three ways of entering Indonesia:
Visa on arrival. Pay on arrival, get a visa in your passport, get it stamped. Most visitors fall in this category.
Visa in advance. Obtain a visa at an Indonesian embassy before arrival.
Visa waiver. Show your passport, get stamped, that's it. Applies only to a few select, mostly ASEAN countries.
For details on visa requirements please see the main article on Indonesia
Visitors arriving in Bali by air from a point of origin outside Indonesia will be clearing customs and immigration at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport may require the purchase of a visa on arrival (VOA). As of January 2010, the only type of visa on arrival available is US$25.00 for 30 days. This may be extended later at the local Immigration office for a further once only period of up to 30 days. (The previous 7 day visa on arrival is no longer available). Exact change in dollars is recommended, although a selection of other major currencies including rupiah are accepted, and any change will usually be given in rupiah. Credit cards are accepted in Bali (but don't count on the service working). See the main Indonesia article for more details.
Arriving passengers are passed through VOA (visa on arrival) issuance if applicable, then subsequently processed through immigration clearance channels for VOA, Non VOA (if the visa has been obtained prior to the time of departure), Visa waiver (for eligible nationalities) and a separate channel for Indonesian passport holders. Baggage retrieval is followed by customs and quarantine examinations including baggage X-ray checkpoints.
Tourism visit visas can be issued in advance at some Indonesian embassies prior to departure. Check well in advance of your proposed departure date at the Indonesian embassy or consulate in your home country.
Citizens holding passports from Brunei, Chile, Ecuador, Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), Macau SAR (Special Administrative Region), Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam are eligible for the Visa waiver program and do not require visas to enter and remain for 30 days within Indonesia. These visas cannot be extended or converted to another type of visa

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Favorite thing: Contrary to the belief as mentioned in Wikipedia ( http://wikitravel.org/en/Bali#b) that the Ngurah Rai airport is inefficient and passengers are harassed while departing ( May be this is also happening sometimes), we found it is very very efficient in passenger handling issuing visa, departure tax, immigration etc. It was hundred times better than Kolkata International Airport. We were inside the boarding area in 20/25 mts.

The airport is very clean , staffs are very helpful and smiling. The airport now has x-ray cabin just like Subarnabhumi Airport Bangkok

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Favorite thing: Bali massage is one of the best massage available in the world. It's not that naughty Thai massage. After a hard day or beginning of the day massage is really good for our body. There are hundreds of massage parlour at almost every street corner or near any hotel. Massage is done by mostly girls and hair cut by boys. The full body massage for one hour is only US$6 or 50000 Indonesian Rupiah. I don't think in India or even in Kolkata one hour full body massage with oil or cream takes anything less than Rs.500/- or USD$10 at the cheapest parlour run mostly by barbers.

We visited this SPA and Massage parlour for body massage after dinner.It was wonderful experience. Both the girls Asty and Yustin are very good masseurs with very good hand. Their table is very clean and they always use clean towels.

Address: AENI SPA, Jl.Wanasegara No.169, South Kuta Beach, Bali: 80361, Phone: +62-361-8041442.

This is just in front of our hotel Risata.

Favorite thing: Been to Bali a lot and will be there in just over a week, some money changers will not accept a note if it looks too old and of course small bills, though having said my daughter when she was young had a $5 Aus note and they changed it for her.
To be exact you will not have trouble exchanging any major currency.
The Kodak store in Sanur is reputable and usually a good rate.
I you use say Aus Dollars and if they will take them you will most probarbly not get as good a deal on whatever you are purchasing. Get your currency changed then bargain.
Yes, count your money in front of the money changer before you leave the counter.

Favorite thing: from: http://www.indo.com/culture/nyepi.html
On Nyepi day itself, every street is quiet - there are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. Pecalang wear a black uniform and a Udeng or Destar (a Balinese traditional "hat" that is usually used in ceremony).

The Pecalangs main task is not only to control the security of the street but also to stop any activities that disturb Nyepi. No traffic is allowed, not only cars but also people, who have to stay in their own houses. Light is kept to a minimum or not at all, the radio or TV is turned down and, of course, no one works. Even love making, this ultimate activity of all leisure times, is not supposed to take place, nor even attempted.

Fondest memory: The whole day is simply filled with the barking of a few dogs, the shrill of insect and is a simple long quiet day in the calendar of this otherwise hectic island. On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World, hence the mandatory religious control.

Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island's religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali's southern tourist belt. Hotels are exempt from Nyepi's rigorous practices but streets outside will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles (except for emergency vehicles) and village wardens (Pecalang) will be posted to keep people off the beach. So wherever you happen to be staying on Nyepi Day in Bali, this will be a good day to spend indoors. Indeed Nyepi day has made Bali a unique island.

Favorite thing: We have been to Bali 4 times and always included Nyepi Day in our schedule. Days before Nyepi, the OOGA
OOGAs and being built all over the town. I know you will only have one day before Nyepi but make sure you bring your camera and you may get an opportunity to see some of them being made. The parade is usually unbelievable. We were in Sanur for 2 of them. The last one we attended the crowds were huge. A thing to remember the streets have to be cleared and restaurants and bars closed by midnight. So eat before you go to the parade, because they last right up unitl closing. We also attended the parade in Ubud, another huge crowd. They assemble at the Soccer field before the parade so you may get to see all of them before the parade. The other time we were in Candidasa for Nyepi Day and did not stay for the parade but went to the field where they assembled before the parade - huge crowds - remember your camera. Now Nyepi Day is a day of silence. Here are some things to remember. What does your hotel have in the way of food. Are you staying at a place that has breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everywhere we stayed for Nyepi Day had all three meals except the one in Ubud. They only had breakfast, but they made arrangements for a buffet dinner. Does your guesthouse have food. But the main concern is what to do during all day when you can't leave the hotel and that also means not going on the beach. So bring a book. Now your one day before (the 4th) buy something to snack on, and drink (coke/beer/etc) and get up early in the morning on the 5th and put a towel on the pool chair. Remember every day some people spend all day by the pool and go nowhere, but on Nyepi Day, everybody will be going to the pool and there may be a premium on chairs. Remember all day in the hotel, cards, games, anything to keep busy, also if your place has a SPA, you may want to schedule a massage for the 5th. We are making arrangements now to go to Bali in March - we are planning on spending Nyepi Day in Nusa Dua. By the way, I think the airport will be closed on the 5th.

Fondest memory: Our best memory of Bali was our first trip, which was a tour for 2 weeks by Floressa Tours. We travel extensively, but this trip by Floressa Tours was outstanding. The owner attended a number of our events, the tour guide was fantastic and the whole tour was one of the best we have ever been on. Food, places we visited, staff we met, accomodations, people we met, just overall outstanding.