I love Bali

Blowin's picture
Blowin started the topic in Thursday, 19 Mar 2015 at 6:55pm

I love Bali.

You wouldn't think that such a thought could be controversial . But it is.
Many people don't love Bali, in fact they proclaim to hate it. Bemoan what it has become, it's lack of purity, it's lost innocence.

Sure, I can see their point. I can't imagine anywhere on Earth that has been transformed as radically as Bali over the last thirty years. From rice paddies and coconut groves to six story discotheques . It's totally unrecognisable in the most built up areas.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about why I LOVE Bali.

I love Bali because ...

- it's still the home of an intense cluster of world class waves. Roping lefts : Uluwatu, freight train right barrels : Sanur, backlit mega tubes : Padang Padang. Rip able reefs, fun beachies. Short , slabby pits and long mellow points. River mouths and bombies. It's got the lot.

- it's still possible to get uncrowded quality waves in 2015 when it seems as though the entire planet has discovered surfing. I was trading crystal clear , rolling right walls with only two other surfers just this morning.

- it's still freaking beautiful. Watching the mist reveal Mt Agung in that unique Bali morning light from a black sand beach as the sun comes up is still special.

- the food is amazing. Walking around town building up a hunger and knowing that at any given time you are within shouting distance of fresh, exotic and delicious meals with enough variety to make your head spin is priceless.

- the Balinese are legends. Friendly, happy and always keen for a joke. Unfailingly polite and welcoming. Healthy, spiritual and decent.

- the Balinese surfers rip their waves and they still own them. A visiting Brazilian would not think twice to drop in on an Aussie local at Kirra. But you won't see the same in Bali. The Balinese surfers are treated with the respect they deserve. Because as everyone knows, if they are not treated with respect there is consequences.

- the water is so warm it's like swimming in silken angels tears.

- telling people that you are going to Bali will often elicit a response along the lines of ......"why would you go to that traffic ridden, noisy shithole ?" And then as you're kicking back with a Bintang watching the sunset over Uluwatu you can imagine them sitting at lights in their car on their way home from work in Perth. Which , for those that have never been , is a noisy , traffic ridden shithole. And this makes me laugh. Which is something I enjoy doing.

- The fruit is incredible.

- despite the millions of tourists, the fast food franchises and the Aussie over familiarity with the joint it's still exotic. The smell of clove cigarettes, the ogo ogos of Nyepi, the Buddhist offerings , monkeys , food and language are all enticingly foreign.

- there is no overreaching nanny state. You want to ride your motorbike with all four of your children and the missus on the back...whilst texting. Go for it.

- you can live like a king on a regular Aussie income. Maybe not such a great benefit for the Balinese themselves though.

- it's close to Oz. Twenty hour plane ride and a shot at developing deep vein thrombosis.....ummm no thanks. It's actually faster to fly to Bali from Perth than it is to drive to Albany. You can fly from Port Hedland in less than two hours.

- you get an opportunity to regularly witness some of the most foolhardy behaviour imaginable on a daily basis. You ever seen a man being doubled on a motorbike through traffic whilst holding a large pane of glass ? What about seeing someone hold a nail between his bare fingers while his mate tries to grind the tip off it ? It's all there folks.

- you can see people making do with not much and making it work. An exhaust system held on with a T Shirt ? An outboard motor attached to a boat with no anchoring system, just held on with a man's brute force ? Why not ? It might not work forever but it'll usually get em over the line.

- the winds can blow offshore for months at a time and when they blow onshore, well , that just makes it offshore somewhere else. It's an island !

- you haven't seen glassy oceanic conditions till you've seen Indonesian sheet glass. It's like an oil slick. And if you're ever near Benoa Harbour that could well be what it is.

- old people are accorded the respect they deserve.

- it's exciting. It's a melting pot of the world. Wide eyed villages from remote Asia, jaded techno princesses from Russia, sleek surfy chicks from Canada , your next door neighbour from Ipswich....it's a party and everyone is invited.

Including YOU. I'll see you there. You can't miss me.

I'll be the sun burnt drunk in a head to toe Bintang ensemble with hair braids and a fresh tattoo of a unicorn across my back . Don't be shy. Come and say hello.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 10:21pm

Also nightsurfed aussie pipe a lot. imo its the best nightsurfing spot ive ever night surfed. so predictable and perfect when planets align.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 10:32pm

never been there. sounds fun but

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 10:50pm

Just as fun as uncrowded Bingin which is also a good night surfing spot.
Heres a below average day at aus pipe, swell seems a bit week and its only 2 -3 foot but shows its potential.

&t=257s

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 11:06pm

Used to stay at bingin with mates about 15 years ago. Mango carofino stayed there amd we had many a full moon mushi sesh.
He was a Hawaiian guy who towed jaws. Had a German Shepard at the beach at dreamland who he never looked after properly. Should of belted the cunt just for that but shit happens.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 11:30pm

Awesome goofy, never nightsurfed on mushies myself..sounds like good fun..shame he didnt look after the dog the bastard. Anyway i wouldn't night surf here...hundreds of bull sharks around here most of them under four foot long but the occasional 14-18foot tiger shark sometimes seen. Only one very big white pointer has been spotted in the seven years ive lived here though so i feel pretty safe surfing around here.
Wouldnt night surf though.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Sunday, 3 Jul 2022 at 4:16pm

No Speedies but pretty damn big Moneys. Bommie breaking consistently through. Strong swell.

DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet Sunday, 3 Jul 2022 at 4:54pm

Get some get some!

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Sunday, 3 Jul 2022 at 5:34pm

chickens!

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 4 Jul 2022 at 2:56pm
stunet wrote:

No Speedies but pretty damn big Moneys. Bommie breaking consistently through. Strong swell.

Our Stuart dosen't tell Fibs



groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Monday, 4 Jul 2022 at 5:23pm

Big but definitely not big enough for 3 foot chickens. I love the indian ocean, the most consistent swell producer in the world (it really is).

Supafreak's picture
Supafreak's picture
Supafreak Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 12:30pm

Ive heard these technical problems are crew having covid , not sure how much truth there is in this . https://thebalisun.com/jetstar-cancels-perth-to-bali-flight-for-third-da...

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 12:50pm

Could be Legit there was 50 or so Qantas / Jetstar Pilots and Cabin crew tested Covid Pos back in April

burleigh's picture
burleigh's picture
burleigh Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 2:15pm
udo wrote:

Could be Legit there was 50 or so Qantas / Jetstar Pilots and Cabin crew tested Covid Pos back in April

Lucky they were mandated to be vaccinated.

Supafreak's picture
Supafreak's picture
Supafreak Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 4:49pm

Wife’s got a suitcase full of indo groceries , no meat , seeds or fruit just the stuff that has been hit hard in Asian supermarkets in oz due to shipping costs . We always declare everything and expect a thorough going over anyway. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-06/foot-and-mouth-disease-biosecurit...

soggydog's picture
soggydog's picture
soggydog Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 6:37pm

Just got e mails today, both my flights, to and from Bali have been changed. Same day luckily just later. Hope the domestic flights in Indo don’t get changed.
Mate of mine was on standby for 2 days on his return.

Supafreak's picture
Supafreak's picture
Supafreak Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 6:50pm
soggydog wrote:

Just got e mails today, both my flights, to and from Bali have been changed. Same day luckily just later. Hope the domestic flights in Indo don’t get changed.
Mate of mine was on standby for 2 days on his return.

My flight going over from Brisbane with Jetstar was changed from 7.00am to 10.00 am they had 5 different times advertised originally and I think they just try to sell as many seats as possible then bundle everyone onto less flights as possible. Same thing happened with my Lion air flights Bali to Padang , advertised a shit load of different flight times then once I’d picked one it was canceled next day and again 2 days later , luckily I made my connection in Jakarta as only 1 hour between flights and had to go to a different terminal. It’s a con job when they advertise so many flights on the one day ……. Pricks

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 10:00pm

I’m listening
Hope it won’t happen to me

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Thursday, 7 Jul 2022 at 10:27pm

And I’ll add that I think it’s fucked
But I already booked and
Qantas and virg do the same now.
If they reschedule I can’t go
Simple as that

Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams Friday, 8 Jul 2022 at 12:38pm

Besides the covid and foot and mouth. Hitting it with a broken eardrum or bad ear infection is a solid effort.

Got so trashed, stranded by jetstar years ago. Being low price they they tend do as they please. Tight lines fast pits.

Any surf docs?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ruptured-eardrum/symptoms...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot-and-mouth_disease

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Friday, 8 Jul 2022 at 4:02pm

Ringing Jetstar on a shoestring budget in indo can be a problem. I had to extend my stay and change my flight home after my brother offered to shout me a month at g-land and my budget was $8 a day including two 20 packs of smokes, i kept running out of credit before i got through to someone. Pissed me off a lot.
cost me about $20 of credit to eventually change my flight.

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Friday, 8 Jul 2022 at 5:11pm
groundswell wrote:

Ringing Jetstar on a shoestring budget in indo can be a problem. I had to extend my stay and change my flight home after my brother offered to shout me a month at g-land and my budget was $8 a day including two 20 packs of smokes, i kept running out of credit before i got through to someone. Pissed me off a lot.
cost me about $20 of credit to eventually change my flight.

$20 for a month at g-land seems like a good deal, I wouldn't be too pissed off.

mickseq's picture
mickseq's picture
mickseq Friday, 8 Jul 2022 at 10:07pm

Back in Bali now, three months ago it was starting to heat up, but there were still many places closed or vacant, now though, there is an unbelievable amount of places (old and new) have opened up and are full!. Amazing they renovated and turned it around so quick, just goes to show the confidence in the market here.

burleigh's picture
burleigh's picture
burleigh Saturday, 9 Jul 2022 at 6:49am
mickseq wrote:

Back in Bali now, three months ago it was starting to heat up, but there were still many places closed or vacant, now though, there is an unbelievable amount of places (old and new) have opened up and are full!. Amazing they renovated and turned it around so quick, just goes to show the confidence in the market here.

Not if the government bring in a three jab rule.

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Saturday, 9 Jul 2022 at 8:25am

If you look at the worldwide population of adults who've received 3 shots, I can't see Bali struggling for tourists even if that were implemented.

harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr Saturday, 9 Jul 2022 at 9:52am
udo wrote:

https://seminyaktimes.com/direct-flights-from-moscow-to-bali-to-start-soon/

Not the people's fault but Ban the bastards... until Pootin pulls his head in

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Saturday, 9 Jul 2022 at 10:26am
burleigh wrote:
mickseq wrote:

Back in Bali now, three months ago it was starting to heat up, but there were still many places closed or vacant, now though, there is an unbelievable amount of places (old and new) have opened up and are full!. Amazing they renovated and turned it around so quick, just goes to show the confidence in the market here.

Not if the government bring in a three jab rule.

I heard people taking on the beach here about it but regardless, it's chokkas here. They could bring out a 4 shot mandate and that you have to wear a gas mask on the flight and it would still be chokkas I reckon.

My flight over was packed and I think every flight over has been full. They're not hurting for tourists. If you're waiting for them to drop the vaccination requirement, I'd bet you'll be waiting a long time.

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Saturday, 9 Jul 2022 at 10:30am
Supafreak wrote:
soggydog wrote:

Just got e mails today, both my flights, to and from Bali have been changed. Same day luckily just later. Hope the domestic flights in Indo don’t get changed.
Mate of mine was on standby for 2 days on his return.

My flight going over from Brisbane with Jetstar was changed from 7.00am to 10.00 am they had 5 different times advertised originally and I think they just try to sell as many seats as possible then bundle everyone onto less flights as possible. Same thing happened with my Lion air flights Bali to Padang , advertised a shit load of different flight times then once I’d picked one it was canceled next day and again 2 days later , luckily I made my connection in Jakarta as only 1 hour between flights and had to go to a different terminal. It’s a con job when they advertise so many flights on the one day ……. Pricks

Same deal with us and many people i know, International and domestic, seems if they don't have full or close flights they are canceling the flight and combining with another, i guess fuel prices are making it harder than ever.

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Sunday, 10 Jul 2022 at 3:12pm

Has anyone done the east coast beaches in dry season? Worth it? I'm thinking of doing a week there to check it out but don't want to get skunked. I'm aware I'd have to get up and out there before the trades pick up.

burleigh's picture
burleigh's picture
burleigh Sunday, 10 Jul 2022 at 3:53pm
juegasiempre wrote:

Has anyone done the east coast beaches in dry season? Worth it? I'm thinking of doing a week there to check it out but don't want to get skunked. I'm aware I'd have to get up and out there before the trades pick up.

Of course you should. Get up early, go explore.

mickseq's picture
mickseq's picture
mickseq Sunday, 10 Jul 2022 at 3:57pm
juegasiempre wrote:

Has anyone done the east coast beaches in dry season? Worth it? I'm thinking of doing a week there to check it out but don't want to get skunked. I'm aware I'd have to get up and out there before the trades pick up.

also make sure the swell and direction is big enough to get in to where you are going, if you go in a busy period, you will see people dotted along the coast in random spots, some spots work better on low than high etc as well

soggydog's picture
soggydog's picture
soggydog Monday, 11 Jul 2022 at 4:02pm

Anybody have a preferred or recommend accommodation close to the beach(short walk) in the bingin or Uluwatu area. Ive got a day to kill on my way home. Criteria is clean, walk to the surf. Reasonably cheap <$150

dandandan's picture
dandandan's picture
dandandan Monday, 11 Jul 2022 at 4:29pm

Ropik's Homestay is decent and cheap-ish, about a 5 minute walk to the top of the big stairs at Ulus.

mickseq's picture
mickseq's picture
mickseq Monday, 11 Jul 2022 at 6:51pm

I like rock n reef next to impossibles, though I haven't stayed there for many years, was a fun experience.

Ray Shirlaw's picture
Ray Shirlaw's picture
Ray Shirlaw Monday, 11 Jul 2022 at 9:07pm

Mamo

john_c's picture
john_c's picture
john_c Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 10:27am
juegasiempre wrote:

Has anyone done the east coast beaches in dry season? Worth it? I'm thinking of doing a week there to check it out but don't want to get skunked. I'm aware I'd have to get up and out there before the trades pick up.

We did Nusa Dua in April and the water quality was really bad, like surfing in a floating tip. Plenty of swell but winds were so so. I'm sure Keramas would be alright as further up.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 11:39am

Personally if i did a wet season id do south west coast sumbawa. plenty of early morning swell magnets but some pollution from the mine facilities...but if you have a 4wd there's spots littered along the south coast but big tiger sharks and no spots offshore in monsoon winds.
Also the roads are so bad you might end up walking home for 8 hours after getting your car or bike bogged in mud.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 11:45am

Hit and Miss wind wise during the dry season
ATM - https://balibelly.com/pages/keramas

Johnc: We did Nusa Dua in April and the water quality was really bad, like surfing in a floating tip. Plenty of swell but winds were so so. I'm sure Keramas would be alright as further up.
What do you mean John ?

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 11:44am
john_c wrote:
juegasiempre wrote:

Has anyone done the east coast beaches in dry season? Worth it? I'm thinking of doing a week there to check it out but don't want to get skunked. I'm aware I'd have to get up and out there before the trades pick up.

We did Nusa Dua in April and the water quality was really bad, like surfing in a floating tip. Plenty of swell but winds were so so. I'm sure Keramas would be alright as further up.

I'm thinking of a week in keramas at this stage. Don't know unless you go and even if it's bad surf, it will be cool to check out more of the island. I've already had the 'surfing in a tip' experience at Legian. Pretty fucking depressing and more so as it gets worse and worse everyday with no solution in the works. It is what it is.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 11:56am

Juega..waste of money paying for a week up there this time of year
Hire a car...self drive ..cheap as ..go cruising around..Keramas is an easy commute from West coast for the Dawny .

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 11:57am
groundswell wrote:

Personally if i did a wet season id do south west coast sumbawa. plenty of early morning swell magnets but some pollution from the mine facilities...but if you have a 4wd there's spots littered along the south coast but big tiger sharks and no spots offshore in monsoon winds.
Also the roads are so bad you might end up walking home for 8 hours after getting your car or bike bogged in mud.

So in saying all that, tell me again why you’d go there?

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:19pm

haha cause i know a long righthand epic wave but its trouble getting there and no camps no tourists no villages. But a rough time getting there and no accom so its tent in wet season with a box of dried fish, rice etc. heaps of gt's though so you might catch gt's.

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:18pm
udo wrote:

Juega..waste of money paying for a week up there this time of year
Hire a car...self drive ..cheap as ..go cruising around..Keramas is an easy commute from West coast for the Dawny .

I would but I can't surf pig it. Gotta a missus and toddler so I only get a couple of hours a day to surf. Commuting would eat up too much time. The winds look bad on the forecast but on the ground I'd say some mornings really early, maybe 50% of the time there's no wind or slight northerlies. Definately a gamble, you're
probably right that the surf will suck but it will be good to recon the area. With the AUD in the toilet I might be returning for 6 months and if the boss approves, maybe we stay up that way instead of Sanur.

I'm lucky to have time on my side so even if it's shit all week, it's not the end of the world.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:22pm

If its bali and family orientated i would stay at club med near Nusa Dua....ive mentioned some spots near there before and got rocked so i wont mention them ever again but buy "indo surf lingo," " indonesia and the indian ocean" by periplus stormriders guides.

juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre's picture
juegasiempre Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:35pm
groundswell wrote:

If its bali and family orientated i would stay at club med near Nusa Dua....ive mentioned some spots near there before and got rocked so i wont mention them ever again but buy "indo surf lingo," " indonesia and the indian ocean" by periplus stormriders guides.

Got the Indo surf and lingo book. I'm a tight arse so everything I've seen around Nusa dua is above my budget. We're here for a long time, not an expensive time.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:39pm

Groundy he is talking about Dry season...
Juega- work on 80% of the time is onshore and ugly at first light..if it is calm very likely to have bad left over wobble on it from previous days wind.

DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 12:49pm

Groundswell….what is it with you and talking up surf spots? You blame the Valium but I dont think that’s the case. Just shut your lips bloke. Are you aware that If there’s somehow still a quiet wave somewhere on the planet you can shut the fuck up about it?

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 1:19pm

Yeah at first i tried to be discreet but got convinced into selling out the place by my first post talking shit about the island and how rough it is and goofy reasonably questioned me on it so i blabbed.

DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet Tuesday, 12 Jul 2022 at 1:30pm

Why don’t you just shut the fck up? You do it all the time. You’ve got schizophrenia, this doesn’t mean you’re a Simple Jack dmb cnt who forgets that they’re being a flog by blabbing every quiet wave you’ve ever half heard rumours about. Just stop it.

Other than that you seem like a decent bloke. I can’t understand why you continue to try and tell the entire internet about every wave and which conditions they work under.