Tips on Traveling in Bali

And here were the best travel tips we picked up along the way:

Upon arriving in Bali’s Denpasar Airport:

• Entry visas are required
• Make sure you have cash in hand (US currency is fine) for each of your entry visas

• A 7-day visa costs $10
• Anything longer, up to 30 days, costs $25

• Be prepared to stand in line for a good healthy while to get said visas (bathrooms are to your right)

• Hire a car & driver, unless you relish driving the British way amongst chickens, dogs, and motorbikes

In Bali:

• $1 US = 9,300 rupiah (Rp.)
• Bring something portable in which you can safely keep a whole lot of rupiah

• Try not to spend your entire vacation in Southern Bali tourist areas of Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua…or you’ll learn more about Australians and Europeans than you will about the Balinese

• Brush up on a few words and phrases in Balinese so you can at least tell local people that things are good or pretty, beg their pardon, greet them in the morning and afternoon, and bid them goodnight

• If you’re planning to enter a temple, both men and women should have sarongs on hand to keep legs covered, and shoes should be removed; at some temples, but not all, you can borrow or rent sarongs 

• Cats, monkeys, and cows are sacred, and protected from harm by law

• Don’t ask for beef; Bali is almost entirely a Hindu-Buddhist country, and — see above

• If you’re know you’re going to a monkey forest/temple, consider wearing closed-toe shoes to avoid having your toes bitten, and don’t bring food that you’re not prepared to have taken away from you…by monkeys

• You can pet cats all over Bali, but don’t ever put your hand out to a strange dog; they’re trained and kept by Balinese families exclusively for home security, and trust only their families and the people they know

• Traditional Balinese food is difficult to find in tourist-friendly restaurants; it’s far more likely that you’ll find general Indonesian specialties.  To enjoy specifically Balinese cooking, which is generally home-based, arrange to take a cooking class through your hotel or a local restaurant (Bumbu Bali,Casa Luna, Puri Lumbung) or ask a local for a recommendation to their favorite small cafe, or warung

• Bring insect repellent if you even think you might go for a walk in the woods or jungle