Bali Travel Tips

Bali Indonesia is considered to be one of the most exotic islands in the world. everyday, especially in peak seasons millions of tourists from all over the world come to this tropical paradise to surf the beauty of this island.

If you love to travel, no doubt this island is the right place to visit. But before you pack your luggage, please spend a little time to read this Bali travel tips before you take off to ensure your amenities during your journey.

* Money. Rupiah is the basic unit of money, foreign currency wheter in banknotes or traveller's checks can be exchanged easily at major banks or authorised moneychangers available all across this island. It's recommended that you exchange the currency at the moneychangers as it usually has better exchange rates than the banks. Moneychangers are stay open longer transactions are quicker. Indonesian Rupiah is devided by denominations of Rp 25, Rp 50, Rp 100 and Rp 500 which are available in the form of coins, and Rp 1.000, Rp 2.000, Rp 5.000, Rp 10.000, Rp 20.000, Rp 50.000 and Rp 100.000 which are available in the form of bills. To travel around Bali Indonesia, make sure you carry a handful of Rp 100 and Rp 500 coins especially if you wish to travel to the corners of this island where you're going to need them. Don't exchange large sum of money, because , due to the volatility of the rupiah, most mid-range hotels, all top-end hotels and restaurants, and some tourist attractions, car rental agencies and tour companies list their prices in US dollar. The postal service in Bali has a type of postal traveller's check called cek pos. You can exchange your cash for these checks at a main post office and use them throughout Indonesia as traveller's checks or cash them at any post office. However, these traveller's checks cannot be accepted by individuals.

* Credit Cards. You can use credit card in almost every shop in Bali, large or small, with with a 3-5 percent added to the bill. Cash advance can be obtained in all major tourist resorts. ATM are available all over the island and most of them are also connected to international banking networks,so it is possible to look for machines that are affiliated with your own ATM network. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted by most of the bigger businesses. The amount signed for is in rupiah and the bill is then converted to your domestic currency.

* Security. Don't bring too many cash especialy when you're travelling to some remote areas without a guide. US dollars are the most negotiable currency, particularly in remote areas. It would be a practical way to change as much as you can and feel safe carrying before heading into more remote regions.
Please be careful with your belonging, leave your important documents in your hotel and you can wander around with the copies. Once again don't bring too many cash, as picking pocket is the most comon crime in every region in Indonesia.

* Health. You will be asked for an international health certificate if you enter Bali Indonesia from an area infected with smallpox, cholera and yellow fever. It is advisable to take typhoid and paratyphoid vaccinations if you intend to stay in Bali for a long time, and to reduce the risk of hepatitis it's also advisable that you take a gamma-globulin injections. don't be too worry about the famous "Bali Belly" as the simptoms can be stopped by taking Lomotil and Imodium.At the first sign of sickness (diarrhoea and cramps), drink strong, hot tea and avoid all fruits and spicy food. a medicine named Norit which is a charcoal tablet, will help alleviate the cramping. If a fever occurs with the above symptoms, go to a doctor for a course of antibiotics. Be sure to rehydrate yourself by taking mineral replacements salts such as Oralite and drinking as much liquids as possible.
Protect yourself from dengue fever which is today become a major threat in Bali by wearing long sleeves and trousers or use insect repellent to keep the Aedes mosquitoes at bay. Don't forget to bring along sunscreen and sunblock as the Bali sun is very harsh, and you may also need a wide brimmed straw hat that useful around noon when the sun is intense, remember bali lies very close to the equator so the sunlight is pretty hot.
For your own convinience, check your teeth health before you go to Bali Indonesia and make sure there's nothing wrong with them, because dentist is a very hard thing to find in Bali.while shopping or just walking around, it's acceptable to wear shorts or singlets, but when visitting friends or older people, calling on government offices, or visiting places of worship, it is advisable to wear trousers for men and dresses for women. When your visitting a Balinese Pura or Temple or any other holy places, there are certain dressing codes and attitudes that you must follow. Usually most of these places require you to wear Balinese sarong which are usualy available in these places.

* Dressing. Most of Indonesian people including Balinese believe that correct attire is the basic sign of showing respect to others.

* Weather. weather is generally calm for most of the year. Daytime temperatures are in the 80's (Fahrenheit) throughout the year with the rains traditionally falling between November and April.Bali is spared a monsoonal season and rains, when they do come, generally last only several hours, lowering the temperatures slightly and making for greener scenery all around.

* Shopping. In small shops you can bargain before buying things, except on price tagged goods. When you meet souvenirs or goods offerings in the street just ignore them and give a polite rejection, they usually sell low quality goods.

* Attitudes. Touching grow people's head is a taboo and can be consider as an offensive act to Balinese Hindus, don't enter temples during menstruation because it's highly forbidden by the Hindus. Don't use your left hand for shaking or handing over things to someone, it's consider to be a very impolite thing to do.

* Last but not least, it would be better if you have a travel insurance. Having a travel insurance can guarantee that your holiday would not end up as a disaster, so better prepare yourself before bad things come.

I hope you found these Bali travel tips useful for your journey, and to see another general tips of travelling to Indonesia that are not mention here in Bali travel tips post,please read my previous post Indonesia Travel Tips, you can find informations about customs, passport and visas, legal rules etc. Have a nice trip.