Travel in Bali
We have been in Bali for 11 days now and have traveled all over the eastern/northern region. Today is our 4th full day in Lovina and we are getting ready to travel to Ubud via scooter. As Scott mentioned before most foreigners visiting Bali steer clear of actually renting a scooter. There seem to be multiple reasons to avoid driving in Bali I thought it might be helpful to list a few.
1.) There are numerous drivers on every corner yelling “transport” that will take you to the moon and back for “cheap price”.
2.) The roads are extremely narrow and windy especially through the rice terraces and mountains, actually, more like two bike lanes put together.
3.) Balinese drivers are crazy! There seems to be no rhyme or reason to driving in Bali and miraculously traffic just seems to just flow…oh maybe one obvious rule everyone has the right of way.
4.) As Scott mentioned…very difficult getting a drivers license.
We have seen some amazing sites while driving our scooter. For example, whole families on there way to work & school sharing a single motorcycle. On our way to Amed I saw a young woman balancing 15 trays of eggs while driving…she could barely see over them. They seem to transport everyone and everything, including 50lbs of rice and 30 ft bamboo pools.
Incredible!
In spite of these obstacles, Scott has learned to maneuver us over the island amazingly well…i’ve resigned myself to biting my tongue, closing my eyes, and holding on.
As we drive through some of the more rural areas it’s almost comical to see many of the villagers looking up in surprise as they see an American…he is extremely fair complected…riding a motorcycle. They almost always smile and wave while the children run after us yelling “hello”. I on the other hand could possibly pass for some variation of Indonesian except my shorts/tank tops give me away. Traditionally Balinese women don’t wear shorts…or show knees & underarms. I’ve experienced more men checking out my kneecaps 🙂
We have truly had an amazing time riding through these villages and I feel it has given us an accurate perspective of everyday life in Bali.
Things I will never take for granted: warm water, clean towels, air conditioning, ice cold beer, and fresh water swimming pools!
I am not being soft… just a new found appreciation.
Tags: Bali
Weiser Wander
I know what you mean about those scooter drivers. Everyone drives them and they don’t seem to have a worry in the world. I think we saw 4-5 passengers on ONE BIKE!, but my friend TD Paul said he saw 5 and 6 sometimes. It IS crazy. Good job, Scott, for braving it and maneuverying you both around safely.
Man!, you are making me miss Bali. The food is really awesome!
Nice info guys – keep it coming. Enjoy every second of your experience, sounds like you are. Interested to know what you think of the people and culture around you? Also – any signs of anti-American danger at all?