I love Bali
sypkan wrote:can't believe how quickly oz is going no quarrantine... (some places....)
makes a mockery of some of the paranoia peddlers on here... (and dandrews former heavy handedness... what a turnaround!!!)
about bloody time I say!
but, we'll see how it all pans out...
100% its weird but great.
On the flip-side i cant believe Indonesia is holding onto quarantine.
Should just ensure people are fully vaxed and tested before and after arriving, i mean its not like they are Covid free anyway.
It's so weird, coming from the other side to you guys on this. Like 'it's a beast' then 'nah don't worry about it'. Still can't get to the one place I want to go - WA - they just said NSW, ACT, Vic still extreme risk despite lowering cases in Sydney and Vic topping. Perhaps all rules are now optional.
More positive news.
"Indonesian President Considers Removing Bali Quarantine For International Tourists"
https://thebalisun.com/indonesian-president-considering-removing-the-qua...
velocityjohnno wrote:It's so weird, coming from the other side to you guys on this. Like 'it's a beast' then 'nah don't worry about it'. Still can't get to the one place I want to go - WA - they just said NSW, ACT, Vic still extreme risk despite lowering cases in Sydney and Vic topping. Perhaps all rules are now optional.
There must be a way for you to visit WA i have friends here from NSW Margs coast and Victoria, some gypsys are from the gold coast to byron stretch that ive spoken to. Ill ask around and see how they got here.
Just saw this news too.
"Indonesia cuts quarantine period for foreign visitors to three days"
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2021/11/02/indonesia...
indo-dreaming wrote:Just saw this news too.
"Indonesia cuts quarantine period for foreign visitors to three days"
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2021/11/02/indonesia...
Thailand would be benefiting from this
udo wrote:https://www.baliwaves.com/2021/11/traditional-balinese-warung-or-beach-c...
I personally loathe the beach clubs like finns , ku da ta , etc . Shit places to go spend $150 on lunch with a couple of drinks and look at all the beautiful people. Give me a nasi campur wrapped in banana leaves any day, plus a good laugh with the hagglers on the beach .
I have zero interest in those places, but love the traditional Bali warung or just local warungs anywhere in Indo.
Even if its not near the beach, i love just kicking back in a warung eating local food or even just having a cold drink or bintang and watching the locals go about life, it's often the time where a local will strike up a conversation too.
Some of you warung fanciers might even remember these.
Sure do ..unreal times
The old chew & spew at Canggu was a classic
So did that law pass that banned couples who weren't married to having sex?
Sure will turn a lot of people away from Indo if it passed.
I don't think so, but if you travel with an Indonesian lady in many parts of Indonesia outside of Bali they wont let you stay unless you show a copy of wedding certificate, especially muslim hotels.
udo wrote:https://www.traveldailymedia.com/indonesia-mulls-travel-lane-for-vaccina...
That’s great news udo
Yes it is
Has that Barge been removed from Shipwrecks reef yet ?
udo wrote:Yes it is
Has that Barge been removed from Shipwrecks reef yet ?
No mate it’s still there , Wouldn’t be surprised if they have to cut it up .
And that would be a Mammoth task
@udo , the local lads are saying its a bit dangerous once the swell picks up and the sweep increases, pulls you into the side of the barge. Smaller days are ok with a wedge coming of it . This year was one of the most consistent for lacerations.
heading over in a couple of weeks for a month, lots of empty peaks my friends tell me
mickseq wrote:heading over in a couple of weeks for a month, lots of empty peaks my friends tell me
Plenty of options on the east coast mate , enjoy
East coast bali past padang bai has plenty of empty reefs on south swells. For an island that's as popular as Bali there are some real empty gems if you look.Wouldn't be surprised to find waves around gili selang or even further north on big swells.
groundswell wrote:East coast bali past padang bai has plenty of empty reefs on south swells. For an island that's as popular as Bali there are some real empty gems if you look.Wouldn't be surprised to find waves around gili selang or even further north on big swells.
You sound like a nice bloke groundswell but geez I wish you’d just shut your fucking lips when you feel like giving up surf spots.
groundswell wrote:East coast bali past padang bai has plenty of empty reefs on south swells. For an island that's as popular as Bali there are some real empty gems if you look.Wouldn't be surprised to find waves around gili selang or even further north on big swells.
Onshore nearly every day after 8am, and local crew from Sanur will send you in if waves.....
Yeah blowin i do sometimes have a bad habit of opening my mouth about spots..its a large area though and takes about 4 to 8 hours hours from sanur/denpasar to get to and as andy-mac says onshore early most often.
I was just amazed that as much as Bali has strangled itself to death with tourism and crowds there are empty waves for those willing to drive a bit and risk it being onshore an hour after you get there.
I wished i could have deleted that comment about 10 minutes after i posted it but couldn't.
Ive mentioned this before but I really don't think many people that go to Indo to seek out the road less travelled. For 7 years I surfed 2 insane reefs 5 times a year with only a 2-3 other people out max, about 20 min ride from several popular surf spots, only now (or just before covid) a surf camp rocked up and sent people out which I suppose is now the beginning of the end, but even then there was another break, another 15 min up the coast. but not quite as gnarly.
I wont mention what island this is on, but if you googled the island and put in "best surf spot XXX" you will get at least 2 blogs that vote for this spot as number one, plus a map with directions. The crazy thing is, is that people prefer the popular spots closer to town. This is just my opinion of course, some food for thought.
Quarantine down to 2 nights now in Jakarta,
yeah most people prefer setups close to town for sure, and offshore in or at least protected by trades/monsoons.
People also worry about where they will leave their bikes, and some breaks only work well on the low, so they have to navigate the reef on the walk out and from the shore it can appear deceptive and sketchy
I don't spend much time in Bali, but its an amazing island when you think about it, coral reefs left and rights, beach breaks, lava reefs even cobble stone point.
There is no where else in Indo that has as much variety and as much quality surfable coast and ability to hold that many surfers, if it was some remote Island and was discovered in the 90s like the Mentawais we would have been all just as blown away.
Crazy when you compare it to somewhere like Nias that has about the same amount of exposed coast and only has a handful of decent waves.
Actually a quick measure on google earth and both islands have about 150km of exposed coast.
I still love leaving the board at home and jumping on the bike in between surfs and heading out by myself, exploring all the coastlines little roads and alleys that lead to random beach's, cliffs etc. You always find a classic warung and an empty beach to explore. I did this all over Sumbawa as well and found some true gems.
True that Mick, i did that in sumbawa and sumatra a lot..Was a fresh change after hanging in my room getting bored and hot on flat or onshore days and got to see a lot of good rice fields etc. One time found a warung that sells bbq fish and udang singang soup(black prawn soup). Best soup ive ever tried, not sure what sauce is used but its so tasty.
I took my girlfriend there the next day and for two of us it only cost m from memory 120 000 Rupiah and we pigged out.
On one 15-20 foot SW swell where my local reef was triple overhead and getting too big (rarely gets bigger than 6 foot, i hired a dugout canoe to a mysto spot that only breaks once every three years or so. took some footage of it on my camcorder from the boat but a week later my camera was stolen along with a lot of other stuff. Also lost my international drivers license. Bonus was i had insurance which gave me about $3000 nearing the end of my trip so lived life large for a few months.But spewing i couldn't recover that footage of the mysto spot.
Its too damn deadly to surf anyway unless you're Kerby Brown etc.
Well that sucks about your footage, at least you have the memories. Funny you mention that warung, I found one around the ngali island area in Sumbawa, and we chose a whole calamari fresh off one of the boats on the beach and this little old Indo lady took it away, prepared it and cooked it over flame for us, as well as heaps of other little side dishes, it was amazing. I have great memories of Sumbawa, we travelled a short while with some local Indo kids, and they took us to this village and they caught killed and plucked a "special blessed chicken" then we ate it with some massive local prawns on a empty beach with bintangs after an amazing surf. Dompu was one of the craziest place I have ever been to, think I will drive around it next time.
Good times mick. Did you ever head to sumbawa berat on a scooter? Id like to do that one day if staying in lakeh and a good swell for one of the breaks comes..but then the winds are fickle in west sumbawa and trades don't always kick in which makes it a pain in the ass. Ive seen pros come for a strike mission to supers and get skunked due to swell dieing out early or the monsoon winds kick in instead of trade winds.
Anyway i had good times there but dont think ill be going back to sumbawa berat..Sometimes you only get one swell a month. Prefer krui even though only a few waves are world class on their day. and only a couple of fickle sheltered waves are offshore in trades.
Great comment Andy -Mac ,good stuff .
Cheers.
And yeh ,new path construction underway at Sanur,warungs on beachside of old path getting turfed ,bummer.
Hey there blowin
I’m fully picking up what your laying down about naming surf spots but it might be better to not quote the offending statement next time , as it stays on the front page. LOL
groundswell wrote:Good times mick. Did you ever head to sumbawa berat on a scooter? Id like to do that one day if staying in lakeh and a good swell for one of the breaks comes..but then the winds are fickle in west sumbawa and trades don't always kick in which makes it a pain in the ass. Ive seen pros come for a strike mission to supers and get skunked due to swell dieing out early or the monsoon winds kick in instead of trade winds.
Anyway i had good times there but dont think ill be going back to sumbawa berat..Sometimes you only get one swell a month. Prefer krui even though only a few waves are world class on their day. and only a couple of fickle sheltered waves are offshore in trades.
,
Yeah Ive done the drive many times from Lombok to Lakey, bike and car etc, I dont think I would recommend the bike unless you want to go off the road and see some random beach spots as the hike is a fair while. A bike in Lakey is a must though, for me I found there were lots of good spots away from there, the local groms used to take us to other breaks. I have given up going to supers, even when yo'yos was pumping supers still stayed flat, maybe just my luck though. I have to say that the people that camp out there at supers remind me of the same type of character that lives at desert point, the crazy, eccentric type of nomad, and when they all get together in the water once the swell comes there is this type of manic feeding frenzy for waves lol
Im afraid i think i missed the boat with lakeh area...seemed crowded in the 90's but at least there are a lot of waves to choose from. That new resort in the south east coast looks good but they dont allow surfers from other camps/homestays.
I like the look of nungas but dont think it handles trades so wont bother with lakeh area i think.
Got my spots in mind where i will go and hopefully i can get there next year.
The regular long stint guys in sumbawa berat really charge and rip, some full underground chargers there for sure...Its good that its such a pain in the arse to get there with boards, thats one thing saving the area from crowds, as well as the notoriously bad monsoon winds that frequent in dry season and small swell window.
@udo , yeah ok , go into hotel quarantine, do covid test , test comes back positive , sorry you must stay 2 weeks in quarantine . Nothing would surprise me .
Reckon quarantine will not be necessary by early next year if vaxxed..
Reckon quarantine will not be necessary by early next year if vaxxed..
Has anyone booked flights yet for 2022?
Who with, and reasonably priced?
Edit - just put in flights in august with Jetstar to Bali $619 return from Melbourne with bags/oversized included
Now it’s just what they will be doing with quarantine..?
And Bobby’s camp website is still on 2020 reservation lol
Just had a sniff around Goofy..that price seems good with baggage
Lock that in i reckon..
i usually use this mob
https://www.directflights.com.au/
Malindo out of Brisbane to Denpasar with 10kg baggage and board was often cheaper with them than thru Malindo itself...at least $50 cheaper
goofyfoot wrote:Has anyone booked flights yet for 2022?
Who with, and reasonably priced?Edit - just put in flights in august with Jetstar to Bali $619 return from Melbourne with bags/oversized included
Its a fair price mate , will only get dearer , just remember if it all turns to shit again don’t except a voucher , you are entitled to full refund even if its a cheap saver ticket.
goofyfoot wrote:Has anyone booked flights yet for 2022?
Who with, and reasonably priced?Edit - just put in flights in august with Jetstar to Bali $619 return from Melbourne with bags/oversized included
I bought flights the other week with Jetstar for 2022, two adults, child & toddler return Melb to Bali, boards and baggage, meals and paid a little extra to give more flexibility if need to change or cancel flights total $1,383.00
But other airlines at the time were super expensive, we still have credit with Garuda but flight's were too expensive, hopefully they wont go bust before can use them :D
Quarantine in Indo is already down to two nights, expect it will be scrapped by the time we fly though.
BTW. I prefer to fly in through KL or Singapore, but though best to go direct to Indo, incase KL or Singapore has an outbreak and changes rules or something.
Sounds good, might lock it in
Was a sale though, not sure if still get those prices, id imagine there will be a few more decent sales though.
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.