Ubud
We took a bimo (Balinese semi-public transport) to the city of Ubud and found a nice room overlooking some rice fields. Our experience with the bimo has been so so at best. It seems that while these green and blue vans do provide low cost local transport to the Balinese locals, they also are available for private hire by foreigners. We cannot simply jump on the ‘bus’ with everyone else and get off in a couple stops. No, when we approach a bimo the driver stops the vehicle and starts the bargaining process. It usually goes something like this……
Driver: “Where do you go today?”
Us: “Well, we would like to go to
Driver: “Okay, I take you. One hundred thousand (Rupiahs) for two.” Again bear in mind here that this may or may not be where the ‘public’ bus was originally heading. Regardless, you should be able to ride from one end of the route to the other for around 5000 rupiahs. Also note that the preceding question of where the bimo was previously headed is completely ignored. It has no relevance what so ever. The bimo is going, white rich foreigner, wherever you want the bimo to go. The only relevant question is how much are you going to pay to get there.
Us: “Hmmm, one hundred thousand seems high (Our room last night was 70000). We will give you 15000 for both of us”
Driver: Looking insulted and frustrated. “No, that is not possible. Okay, 75000” By now the passengers are a mixture of bored and annoyed because they know how this will end.
Us: “We will give you 25000 for both. Final offer.”
Driver: “No, it is very far and gas is very expensive. I drive there just for you. Okay, 50000.”
Us: “Nope” and walk away.
Driver: Waits until the count of three. “Okay 30000.”
Us: “Fine” and at that the driver basically tells the rest of the passengers to get off and wait for the next one as the driver puts our backpacks in back and drives the usually not very far distance to where we wanted to go.
It is a frustrating process and for that reason there is a whole separate tourist travel infrastructure that is more expensive, but relative hassle free. The tourist bus, however, does not transport wicker cages with live piglets and you really can’t put a price on that.
Anyway, transport aside, Ubud was great. We really liked it. Despite its distance from the coast it was my favorite place on Bali. The rice fields were emerald green and the temples all around the city were beautiful. I had roast suckling pig there; much to Erica’s disapproval. There is a sacred monkey park with fat monkeys. People sell fruit at the entrance and the monkeys go nuts when you brought it in. They would follow you and climb all over you. The monkeys are cute unti they start grabbing on you. That’s when you remember their long sharp teeth and strong little monkey hands. Erica is just plain frightened of them. It is a great place to buy paintings. Local artists, sometimes generations of the same family, get shops and sell their stuff. It was a neat scene. We stayed for three days. From there it was back to the beach.
Tags: Travel
