Bali

How can a tiny island mean so many things to so many different people? Water sports, beaches, landscapes, temples- they're all there. Take your pick, or pick them all. That's why Bali is so great, it lets you try so many different kinds of activities.

MAPPING
Bali has an area of around 5780 sq km, tiny as far as islands go, but as far as destinations go, it is quite a big place. South Bali is home to many of the beach resort areas, such as Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua. The airport and the capital city, Denpasar, are also located in south Bali. Central Bali is home to Ubud, Bedugul. The volcanic Mt Kintamani is in East Bali.

SIGHTS
SOUTH BALI
Denpasar

Bajra Sandhi Monument

Denpasar is the capital of Bali with a population of around half a million people. The city centre is clean and green, with many government buildings and a number of interesting attractions.

Visit the Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat, set in nice well-maintained parkland, in Denpasar, built to recognise the struggle of the Balinese people from time to time. Climb the spiral staircase for good views over the city. Entrance fee for foreign adults is Rp 10,000. Opening hours are 8.30-16.30 MON-FRI and 9.00-16.30 on weekends. Closed all Hindu public holidays.

View of Denpasar from the Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat

Lapangan Puputan Margarana (Puputan Park) is a well-maintained park in the center of town. Next to one of its sides is the Jagatnatha Temple.

Jagatnatha Temple

A street in central Denpasar

Also in South Bali are the towns of Kuta, Jimbaran, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua which are touristy and don't have much apart from beaches, shops and restaurants. The beach town of Canggu, though, is less touristy.

CENTRAL BALI

Ubud

Ubud is the cultural heartland of Bali with superb temples, villages specialising in things like silver and wood carvings and simply beautiful architecture. More than 90% of Bali's population is Hindu and each house here has a temple, which they maintain carefully. Every village also has a minimum of 3 temples. 

Located here are some beautifully ornate temples and palaces, such as the Puri Saren.

The Ubud area consists of 14 villages, each specialising in either wood carvings, silver or paintings. If you take tours, you will be shown the process of actually doing the work and then you can buy- some of the things can be of good quality and at some places you can bargain.

Another attraction around Ubud is the cave of Goa Gajah (Elephant Caves). It was built in the ninth century and served as a sanctuary. I am claustrophobic and didn't find it a problem- the cave is quite small, however narrow and you are not likely to spend too much time in it.

Entrance to the cave, Goa Gajah

Bedugul
Bedugul is another area in Central Bali, and it is home to the picturesque Lake Beratan (Bratan). On the lakefront is the beautiful Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (Lake Bratan Temple). Entrance fee Rp 30,000 per adult. Parking also costs, around Rp 5000-10,000. The temple is on the western side of the lake and is an iconic image of Bali. You can't go inside the main temple but just viewing it from outside, and the whole compound is a great experience. There is some scenic greenery on the other side- behind the main temple.

The temple was built in 1663 for offering ceremonies to the Balinese water goddess, Dewi Danu.

Lake Bratan and the temple

The nearby town of Candikuning is a good place to shop for fruit and souvenirs. The sellers themselves encourage bargaining!

Bali is famous for its rice paddies, and one of the best viewpoints is at Jatiluwih, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Unfortunately it was raining when I got there, so views weren't too great.

This area is much higher than South Bali so it is usually much cooler up here. It may not be a bad idea to bring a light jacket, particularly when it is raining.

A farmer works at a rice paddy in Jatiluwih

EAST BALI
Mt Kintamani 
Mt Kintamani is a mountain in East Bali from where there are great views of Lake Batur and the active volcano Mt Batur. As in Bedugul, this area can be surprisingly cool, due to its elevation.

Lake Batur and Mt Batur

WEST BALI
Tanah Lot
On the western coast, not very far from South Bali, is the iconic Tanah Lot temple (Pura Tanah Lot), one of the most photographed in Bali, on Tanah Lot, a rock formation.

It is a very popular point at sunset and gets very crowded- however if you intend to visit at sunset, cloudy/rainy days can spoil the fun!

Tanah Lot

ACCOMMODATION
I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Nusa Dua, in the resort town of Nusa Dua in South Bali. Nice hotel with good rooms. Has an hourly shuttle to a private beach jointly owned by this and a couple of other resorts.

FOOD
The Loving Hut in Denpasar (Pertokoan Sudirman Agung B 12A Jl. PB Sudirman Denpasar, Bali) A little hard to find- it is a lane of two inside a commercial complex. Good food though, all vegan.
Bali is famous for its bars, such as the Rock Bar in Ayana Resort, Jimbaran.

SHOPPING
The Ubud area has villages famous for wood, silver, batik etc and if you are going on tours, you will certainly be taken to those places. Prices may seem quite high; if you're stopping in Jakarta, it may be worthwhile to have a look there as well. Denpasar is home to the usual department stores.

For groceries and such, there are numerous branches of Alfamart, Indomaret, Circle K, Minimart and Coco Mart virtually everywhere.

TRANSPORT
Cheap petrol means that getting car + driver for a whole day need not be expensive. You can find a 5 seater for around 400,000 rupiah for 10 hrs, anywhere in Bali. Your hotel may have suggestions.

Bali is served by the Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in South Bali and has flights to many South-East Asian destinations. It is a modern airport, but with beautiful traditional designs on its exterior.

Last visit- Jun/Jul 2014
No of visits- 1

Jakarta

Jakarta, a massive city of more than 9 million people, is the big beating heart of Indonesia. It is Indonesia in a nutshell, home to people from throughout the country hoping to make a living. Clearly, a large city such as this will have something to offer, and it's worth spending a few days here for its sights and shopping.

CITY MAPPING
Jakarta is a huge city, with the airport north-west of the center. Some sights, such as Taman Fatahillah, are located north of the center, in Kota, while Lapangan Merdeka (Merdeka Sq) is located in the heart of town. South of the square is the more modern heart of town, with lots of malls, hotels and office buildings.

Jakarta's skyline, with the skyscrapers in the modern south

One key road is Jl Gajah Mada, a north-south road which comes from Kota. It becomes Jl Medan Merdeka Barat when it is on the western side of Merdeka Sq, then it becomes Jl MH Thamrin where many hotels, malls and the Hotel Indonesia roundabout (Bundaran HI) is located. Further south, it becomes Jl Jenderal Sudirman.

SIGHTS
JAKARTA PUSAT (CENTRAL JAKARTA)
Lapangan Merdeka
Lapangan Merdeka, or Freedom Sq, is a massive, nearly 1 sq km, green open area right at the heart of the city. In the 1997 Asian economic crisis, protesters engulfed the entire square, demanding the resignation of President Suharto. His resignation paved the way for the introduction of democracy in Indonesia.

Now, Merdeka Sq is a popular place for locals to just relax in, with its plethora of shops and street food. The square is home to the National Monument, called Monas, a 137 m high landmark which was officially opened by President Suharto in 1975. The top of the landmark is home to a 35 kg gold leaf.

Built to commemorate Indonesia's struggle for independence, the monument was opened to the public in 1975, and is topped by a flame covered with gold foil.

Monas

Just entrance to the monument is Rp 5000 which allows you entry to the lower level (which also has good views) and access to the History Museum, located just as you enter the monument. Weekends and holidays can be very crowded; I went the day before Ramadan and the queue to get to the top was so long, the waiting time was 3 hrs! The lowest level of the interior is a history museum.

View from Monas

Lapangan Banteng and around
Very close to the north-east section of Merdeka Sq is Banteng Sq.
The area around is home to the iconic Hotel Borobudur, Masjid Istiqlal (the largest mosque in south east Asia)- it can be seen from Monas, as well as Gereja Katedral (Jakarta Cathedral).

The mosque and the cathedral are bang opposite each other, in fact, the best views of the cathedral are from inside the mosque compound.

Jakarta Cathedral

Masjid Istiqlal

The roads around these squares are very green and parts are beautifully landscaped. If you feel tired of Jakarta's concrete jungle, you really just need to drop into the centre of town!

Gambir station is on the eastern side of Merdeka Sq.

Also located in central Jakarta is the National Museum, and very close by is the Mahkamah Konstitusi (Constitutional Court of Indonesia), both on Jln Medan Merdeka Barat.



KOTA
Kota is Jakarta's true old town, and is located north of the centre. By road, excluding in the worst of traffic, it should take 30-40 minutes from around Lapangan Banteng.

Kota is home to some well-maintained colonial architecture. Much is around the main square of Kota, called Taman Fatahillah.

Taman Fatahillah is a bustling square, home to various attractions such as the Jakarta History Museum and the Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum).

Jakarta History Museum

Entrance to Museum Wayang is Rp 5000 for an adult and exhibits are really beautiful, truly showing how artistic Indonesian society really is. Maintenance is not top, but the place is blissfully air-conditioned.

The museum is open Tue-Sun 9 am-3 pm. Closed Mondays and holidays.

The square has lots of street food- up to you whether it's safe for you, but the things not using cut fruit/tap water should be fine.

The above list is far from exhaustive: we had only 2 nights. Other places of interest include National Museum, Ancol and Glodok.

ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Hotel Merlynn Park in Central Jakarta, a few kilometers north-west of Merdeka Sq.
Rooms- 8/10 Generally of good quality, but edges in and around the wash basin are not very clean.
Staff- 8/10 Fine staff, no special comment here.
Location- 7/10 Not the best possible location. It is central but many other 5-star hotels are located in the southern part of the centre, which is more modern. However, amenities such as ATMs and convenience stores are closeby.
Breakfast- 7/10 OK breakfast, no special comment here.
Other point- 1/0 Free 4 garments laundry per day per room.
Overall 31/40 Recommended. Rates were good. However I would prefer a similar quality hotel at a similar rate in Sudirman or Hotel Indonesia roundabout area.

FOOD
Cafe Betawi serves good local cuisine and is located in many malls. We went to its outlet in Plaza Indonesia.

SHOPPING
Jakarta is very famous for shopping, with well over a 100 malls and shopping centres. One of the top is Plaza Indonesia, a posh mall at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in central Jakarta. Prices of branded goods are very similar to those elsewhere so there are no great deals to be found, in general.

However, you can get genuinely good discounts and prices for a wide range of clothes (including batik), shoes etc at Blok M, a shopping centre in south Jakarta, not far from Senayan. A must-visit for bargain hunters, in my opinion. Next door is Pasaraya, home to a wide range of handicrafts, souvenir items and clothes etc, but at standard prices.

TRANSPORT
Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), around 25-30 km from the centre. Travel times depend a lot on day and time, so ask your accommodation to avoid tense moments spent sitting in traffic.

Taxis are available from the airport but they can be infrequent, resulting in large waiting times even for relatively small queues. There are different queues for different taxi companies. Queues for some of the more expensive taxis may be very short. A Silverbird (one of the more expensive ones) should cost Rp 150,000 to 200,000 to the centre.

There are many taxi companies within the city, such as Blue Bird and Silverbird. Other taxi companies, also reliable, such as White Horse, are attached to different hotels. Taxi fares are cheap compared to fares in Singapore or any Western city so travelling by taxi is a viable option. A Blue Bird from Plaza Indonesia to Hotel Merlynn Park (around 4 km) should be around Rp 20,000.

There is no metro but there is a suburban train network.

TOURIST FRIENDLINESS 
People are in general friendly but English is uncommon, compared to, say Bangkok. It is wise to learn a few phrases in Indonesian, especially for taxis. There was not a single sign in English at Monas, but signs were in English as well in Museum Wayang.

Know the address of your hotel, as well as a nearby landmark/main road. For example, Hotel Merlynn Park is on Jln K.H. Hasyim Azhari, however few taxi drivers understood this, as compared to a nearby main road Jln Gajah Mada.

Crossing roads requires more awareness of what is going on than knowledge of rules. A time we crossed, absolutely no one obeyed the pedestrian light outside the Jakarta Cathedral- this is because pedestrians do not obey traffic lights either. Cross with care! Take help of locals, or cross at a junction where there are other pedestrians.

Last visit- Jun 2014
No of visits- 1