South Bali, Indonesia Travel Guide
About Getting Around Attractions Hotels Eats & Nightlife Essentials & Practicals
Intro to South Bali
When I arrived at the Denpasar airport in Bali, I was immediately struck by the attire of the airport staff. The staff warmly greeted passengers in colorful sarongs around their wastes, and the men wore head cloths known as udengs. Maybe this traditional clothing adds to the “paradise” effect for the millions of tourists who eagerly lug their weary bones into Bali every year. I just knew it’d be a great trip. This other gentlemen, Sean Stephenson, a motivational speaker (unbeknownst to me) who now has his own show in the Bio Channel, and I were were shuffled to a side room so security could process our immigration paperwork. My enthusiasm was ruffled a bit when I found the entry process to disorganized and time-consuming. I left the room as soon as my passport and customs declaration were returned. At the baggage carousel, I waited a couple of hours. My luggage did not arrive – for three days. Hey, that happens sometimes! Regardless, I was excited to be in a place that had such a paradisiacal mystique.
My friend and I purchased a taxi voucher and cabbed it from Tuban, Denpasar (where the airport is) to Legian and Kuta. We ducked under the threatening arrow of Ajuna, a statue of the warrior who stands poised for action in his chariot just outside the airport. It took about 20 minutes or so from the airport to Legian/Kuta. Kuta is THE most popular spot in Bali. The average person thinks “Bali” is one small place. Most people don’t know WHERE to go in Bali.
It was about 11:30 at night and the driver made his way to Jalan Legian (“jalan” stands for road or street), the main tourist street that runs north and south through Kuta, Legian and up to Seminyak. Though I’d never been to Kuta, I knew exactly where we were from research. The sidewalks got a little higher and the streets, narrower. Restaurants and stores swelled up. Frenetic crowds swarmed and darted between cars, on the sidewalks, in and out of bars and clubs. I knew this was Kuta, the heart of Bali’s famous nightlife.
The streets were so crowded that you could do a high five from the cab with the party people on the sidewalks. The sidewalks looked old and weathered; the crowd was young and sprite. Bali’s nightlife in Kuta was kicking off. Music thumped and moaned from every bar and club. My blood pumped in sync with the thick beats bumping from the clubs. Kuta, Bali was definitely an exciting place. Our driver turned left down a lane to our hotel – just a few hundred yards from the uninhibited masses.
So here you have it. If you like to party, Kuta, Bali is your place. If you like to relax with an older, family and mild crowd, and if you like the beach and nice resorts, Sanur, which is located across the peninsula, is your place. If you can toss wads of money in the air like a green hail storm, Nusa Dua’s extravagant resorts and Seminyak’s poshness fit the bill.
This section of Wheel Adventure Travel presents the southern part of Bali. Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are located on the west coast and Sanur and Nusa Dua, on the east coast. If you look at a map of Indonesia, it might be hard to pick out Bali because it’s surprisingly one of the smaller islands in the bespeckled burst of islands in the Indonesian archipelago. Bali lies between Java (to the west) and Lombok (east) (Indonesia lies between the Indian Ocean on the west and Java Sea, east). Of interest, Bali stands alone as the only Hindu region amidst the predominately Muslim climate of Indonesia.
Bali is a sea, forest and jungle resort. The streets of south Bali (except for Bypass Road to the airport) are lined with weather-worn stone temples and shrines. The temples sit snugly between Bali’s vast bamboo jungle. It’s easy to confuse hotels and temples because many hotels appear to have the same, hand-crafted and stone-built style and decor as the temples. There’s no shortage of restaurants and bars either. That’s what you do in Bali: eat, drink, sleep and be merry. Bali’s natural wonders (beaches and plants), nightlife, food, drink and people are south Bali’s attractions.
When you’re in Bali, don’t over exert yourself. You’re not supposed to. Relax, enjoy a Balinese spa treatment, catch up on sleep and let Bali heal your weary bones.