I stayed near Nusa Dua and rented a car/driver for a day. Great to go to spots you want to go to. Recommend Monkey Forest at Ubud
This shot was memorable because I totally had the wrong lens on me for it and no tripod. And I emerged from the bushes afterwards covered in red ants. Canon 17-40
Monkey Forest resident (canon 80-200 handheld)
Local soccer mom. Saw many extremely hot women with dumpy guys working on laptops.
Tanah Lot. I got there late for sunset. Get there early.
Thanks for posting Mike! Those are some great shots - monkey forest is definitely already on the Ubud itinerary. Did you have any trouble with the monkeys getting into your gear?
Wondering about coastline throughout the island since I enjoy waterscapes. Are good spots right at the water hard to get to (requiring lots of trekking through snake and insect-infested bushes?)?
Regarding the local soccer moms, well...I'm sure the wife would love to meet them. lol
Let's see, tips for Bali... Bring lots of US cash - they love it there - and it exchanges very high... Don't exchange at the airport, there are money changers on the main streets that will give you a MUCH higher rate... Start small with them - a $100 bill is over 1 Million rupiah - but if they give you the rate they promised then visit them again for future transactions... Your American credit card does well over there - when they do the rate conversions - but you lose money if your bank charges high foreign transaction fees...
As Mike said, definitely hire your own car/driver for a day. It's not that expensive and you get to call the shots... I had a little minivan and it was perfect for photo gear and getting in and out easily... Monkeys are all over the place - no fear of humans because they are sacred in Bali - they will let you get real close but never had problems with them actually in my gear... Tell the driver you want to get a little bag of monkey food and let your wife feed them - it's amazing...
Go to the Bali Zoo! If you do the VIP thing they will pick you up and take you back in a zoo vehicle - so you save taxi fare both ways! Also, with the VIP thing, they let you get real close to the elephants and feed them by hand - great family type shots there... Also, stick around after lunch for the animal petting - it sounded lame and I almost left - but I got to play with a lion cub and hold a bearcat on my shoulders! They want you to buy their pics - but if you hand a camera to the zoo staff they will take your pic - I handed them my EOS-M with 90ex flash and got some great shots with the animals...
If you go to Kuta Beach there is a great little restaurant on the boardwalk named, appropriately, The Boardwalk! I wish I would have found that place sooner - my hotel had a little lap pool - but if you hang at the Boardwalk they will let you use the hotel pool and bar for just being there - sweet! The local beer - Bintang - is quite good and quite cheap for hydration...
The people there are amazingly nice and there are little altars everywhere for their daily offerings - many photo opportunities... I stayed a week and could have stayed two...
Been there a few times - the area south of the airport (Nusa Dua, etc.) are your typical gated 4 and 5 star hotels. Not much of a Bali experience. My best trip was renting a car for a week and doing central (Ubud) and north shore (which has some decent diving). If you don't mind right hand steering the roads and traffic are easy - and I prefer the freedom of driving myself.
Dave
1. If you bring US cash, make sure that you bring crisp, new 100s in the newest serial numbers possible with no rips, tears, discolorations, etc. Even the slightest imperfection can cause a Bali moneychanger to reject your note. You want the new 100s because the rate changes depending on both the face value and the actual series number of the bill. BETTER OPTION: just get cash out with your ATM card in Kuta. ATMs that will work for you with low fees are all over Kuta.
2. Party a night or two then get the hell out of Kuta. It's a shithole with admitted hidden gems.
Where to? Well...
3a. The Bukit/south coast is awesome, but will be packed with people in the dry season. Picturesque, though. Do not attempt to surf Uluwatu unless you know what you're doing.
3b. Further up the West Coast is rural, more of a Balinese experience, and less of a roving Eurotrash disco. Also beautiful. Actually, everywhere on the island is beautiful except for Kuta and Denpasar, so I'll stop repeating myself.
3c. Ubud is great, and has supported an artist colony for decades based on the fact that it has fantastic light. Go in the Monkey Forest from the 'back entrance' and nobody will charge you. Don't let the little guys pick your pockets. Stop in at Flava Lounge afterwards and get a drink.
3d. Nusa Lembongan is overlooked. Not much to do on the island but explore a bit and relax. If you get synapse-fried from Kuta it's a great place. Bring all the cash you'll need for your entire stay.
4. If you eat seafood at a Jimbaran restaurant, you're going to get price gouged. Your driver will be in on it for a commission. There is a seafood market in Jimbaran that's much cheaper. It could be the difference between $4 and $30 for the same fish.
5. Istana Raja Kobra, at the highway cloverleaf. Not for squeamish eaters.
6. The price is really 1/10 of what you're quoted. If you get a black and white striped bag to take your stuff home in, you screwed up. If you get an orange bag, you really screwed up.
7. Get over your fear of dying and rent a scooter. It's the only effective way to travel. It's substantially cheaper than a car and driver and doesn't get stuck in the terrible island traffic. It feels a lot safer in the countryside than in Kuta.
8. Don't bring clothes with you. It's cheaper to buy them there than wash anything.
9. Don't bring anything else with you either. It's cheaper to buy it there than lug it halfway around the world.
10. Beli buku frasa dan belajar sedikit Bahasa. It's not a difficult language and a little effort will be appreciated. If you're one of those linguistic savants, try to wrap your head around Balinese. At least remember the phrase "sing ngelah pis." Translates to "I don't have any money."
11. Go to a cockfight if you see one happening. You might run into one on the side of the road out in the country. May the gods help you if you try to gamble with the natives.
12. Bali Reptile Park if you like snakes. Outside of Ubud.
