Joanna's Singapore adventures

The road is a crazy place in Bali. People go fast, act as though lane markings are mere suggestions and don't stop for anything or anyone. Being a pedestrian is truly scary. Here are some of the interesting sights on the roads.

The roads are overun with motorbikes. It is very common to see riders without helmets and wearing totally inappropriate shoes. Sometimes there will be multiple people on the bike. And then there is the rediculous loads people sometimes carry, such as massive pieces of wood.

Many use the road and footpaths as a place to sell stuff. Here they are selling new years eve party stuff (several days in advance). People often dart between the traffic trying to sell expensive copies of international newspapers.

Of course their are proper petrol stations just like everywhere else. But for the people who run out suddenly or just need a litre or 2 for their motorbike there is these little roadside stalls that sell fuel from one litre bottles.

We only took a day trip to the town of Ubud which is a town north of the main tourist area of Kuta and the capital Dempasar. Unfortunately for some of the day I was a bit distracted by having a case of the rather unpleasant “Bali belly” bug. What I did get to see when I was feeling well was great. Ubud is the creative center of Bali and is home to many painters, dancers and other creative types. Driving into the town is like driving through an art gallery as so many road side galleries put their paintings outside hoping to attract a buyer. The streets of the town are lined with more galleries, gift shops and cafes. At night there are many performances of various styles of Balinese dance (see previous photos post). The tourist demographic in Ubud is very different to Kuta- the typical Ubud tourists seemed to be middle aged European women rather than the bogan Australians of Kuta.

Near the city center is the monkey forest. The monkeys look cute in the photos but in reality are cheeky brats. I had one leap at me from a ledge a couple of meters away to try getting into my bag. Myself and my bag survived unhurt. Often the other tourists were more entertaining than the monkeys because many tried really stupid things like picking the monkeys up or dangling food infront of them. The monkeys have been known to steal valuables like cameras from tourists who annoy them or come too close. The most stupid thing I saw was giving food to a small toddler to give to the monkey. That's just asking for trouble! Because the monkey wasn't that much smaller than the toddler, the monkey successfully pushed the kid over and grabbed the food.

Compared to Singapore Bali seems like a different world entirely. Before I'd even made it out of customs I'd already been scammed. In most countries if someone in uniform grabs your bag in the customs area, they are customs staff who want to check it. This guy was actually a porter who demanded a S$10 (AU$8) tip for carrying the bag a small distance. How such con artists are allowed inside what should be a secure part of the airport I do not know. Here things are a lot more chaotic- concepts such as road, food, or fireworks safety don't seem to be given a great deal of thought. The roads can be a bit crazy, especially all the motorcycle drivers.

My auntie I'm staying with and I don't intend to spend much time in the really tourist areas. We did however briefly visit Kuta which is a favorite of Australian tourists. The last few months I'd seen relatively few Australian bogans (the alcohol is probably too expensive for them in Singapore). In Kuta they were out in force. It was like the Gold Coast with extra crazy drivers. The place had all the bogan essentials- surfwear shops selling clothes that reveal too much, (likely unsafe) tattoo parlors and of course, plenty of pubs and bars. I even had someone try to sell me overpriced copies of the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper! I'm not sure what exactly compels them all to come to another country to be in an Australia-like environment. It is a shame many stay in Kuta because there are other parts of Bali that are much more interesting.