Here I am! The atmosphere around me has changed completely! I am in Bali now! After a sleepless night for a very uncomfortable with Jetstar (Australian cheap flight company), I landed at Denpasar International Airport. It is great how I am always able to adapt to the jetlag! My trick? When in doubt, sleep! So I basically slept during the flight from Christchurch (NZ) to Melbourne (AUS) and from Melbourne to Denpasar!
Landing in Bali
I love how you know that you landed in a non-Western rich country just by the smell in the airport. It is not that fake cosmetics and duty-free plastic-like smell. It is a strong, pungent smell usually that you notice only when you first arrive and then be++es ordinary.
So as you land in Denpasar International Airport, you’ll have to queue a bit for your free 30-days-long visa (if your country applies to the free visa regulation). Once you get your stamp and collect your luggage, your way out to the exit is quite long, but also convenient. On the way to the exit, you’ll find money change offices, sim cards for sale so that you can get a local sim card and transportation companies. So do not worry when coming to Bali, you are all covered from the very first steps in the country!
Transportation from Denpasar Airport
Once out, you’ll find a crowd of taxi drivers trying to get you to follow them. And you might as well do. Balinese people are quite reliable, just check the rates first online. I preferred to organize a taxi driver with my hotel, which was the same price, but at least I was sure that the driver knew where he had to go. The other option is to use one of the local apps like Grab; you need to create an account and register your credit card and then just book a driver, just as you do with Uber.
Amed, Bali
When deciding where to stay for my first night in Bali I struggled quite a lot to decide. I found that there was not much information online and I don’t use travel guides. The only valid suggestion I got before coming here was from a French guy I met in Byron Bay who told me to go to this yoga studio in Amed. So, without knowing exactly anything about it I had booked my stay with Good Karma Bungalows, close to Amed. It turned out to be a very good choice. It was so relieving to see my taxi driving away from the traffic and leading me through the wonderful countryside of Bali. What I had not realized is that it was going to be a 3 hours drive! After driving through rice fields, small villages and forests we reached a surprisingly busy small town. Amed is indeed one of the best locations for divers and funny enough it turns out they are mainly from France (or so did my taxi driver tell me).
Just a few kilometers past the village, here I reached my future home in Bali for a few days: some Bungalows on a small fishermen beach. My bungalow is only 20 euros per night and has two double beds (one inside the bungalow one on the veranda) a hammock, a bamboo table over the beach and free wifi. In other words: a piece of paradise on Earth!
Welcome to my Bali experience!
