Arriving to Bali & Renewing our Visas
From Malang, we had every intention to head to the far east of Java to Banyuwangi by train to see the blue flame of the Mount Ijen volcano. However, after an eruption on July 10, tours were closed for this natural wonder and we really weren’t in the mood to blow up anyways. Thus, we tabled it for next time and instead, grabbed a $96 (two tickets) flight from Surabaya onward to our next destination.
For the record, “BALI IS NOT A COUNTRY. IT’S AN ISLAND IN INDONESIA.” We saw this sign in an Indonesian lady’s house living in Spain a couple years ago. Apparently this is a common misconception and I guess it drove her nuts. Rightfully so. Bali, while it may be a tourist haven, and absolutely paradise, it’s only one of 17,000 islands within this massive country. So, we kind of had mixed feelings on going here, but knew we had to at least check it out and make an opinion for ourselves.
Our one-hour flight, actually two hours due to time change, would take us to Denpasar…Bali’s largest airport. We quickly relocated ourselves 30-minutes to Sanur, which we’d read was a quieter community with many expats for a couple of nights. Also, we needed to deal with some exciting logistical stuff….visa extensions.
After taking the Day Trans shuttle from Malang to Surabaya’s airport ($16/total), we flew on an airline called “Super Jet,” which actually was pretty super because there were no additional fees for any of our bags.
As is becoming our travel day game, we arrived four hours early to the airport so we’d have plenty of time to enjoy the lounge. Unfortunately, most likely because of the Islamic presence on Java, no alcohol was included so we started with an ice latte.
The lounge had a decent buffet selection, which mostly included Indonesian fare, which we’re so over. Also, we have to admit, it wasn’t the most pleasant of the lounges we’ve visited mostly because of the booming speakers that filled the room with airport announcements, and even the Call to Prayer. (Alright, privileged lounge-goer rant over.)
A few hours we arrived to Bali, which is evidently “the last paradise in the world.” No wonder it’s packed!! And as soon as you get off the plane, you are immediately inundated with a whole new world which can only be summarised as ….Las Vegas meets Indonesia.
The whole new world started with the inflated prices and the expense it cost to travel 25 minutes from the airport to Sanur, which was $12. But it was 9 pm, so we were happy to pay for a ride rather than figure out public transit. Arriving to our quiet and cozy guesthouse for two nights, which still cost a very reasonable $18. Plus, it had a very zen outdoor seating area, and even our own temple! Not to mention an outdoor kitchen, and was a 5-minute walk to the beach.
But, our main order of business that first morning was definitely not beaching. We had to ensure that our visas were in order for another month in Indonesia. We had applied for the electronic 30-day visa on arrival, which in theory, you are able to extend through the same website within two weeks of it expiring. Unfortunately, though we were able to PAY for our extension, ($32/each), the visa itself STILL said it was “WAITING VERIFICATION” even after five days had passed.
Thus, we found ourselves at the immigration office in Denpasar. Although very nice, unfortunately they were unable to help us because, like any good government office will proclaim, “It’s not in our jurisdiction.” <Insert smile, and sheepish sorry face.> IT, being the address we had put on the form, which was where we’d be staying in EAST Bali. (This was the south). Apparently, we needed to contact another office in the NORTH of Bali. Fortunately after many failed attempts, they helped us find the what’s app number on Instagram. It took three hours of back and forth, but we finally got our official documents in hand.
Whew! Good to go for another 30 days!
Exploring Sanur Beach
Bali is a world away from Java. In fact, it’s a world away from most places on earth, which is why 1.3 million people flock here annually, the biggest chunk of them Aussies.
Other than the sheer number of tourists and coinciding English, the most immediate different elements included the vast presence of Hindu culture…temples, shrines, offerings and statues inundate the landscape and the presence of mosques plummet. With that, the presence of street cats decline, and dogs increase and tea and coffee declines and alcohol skyrockets, alongside vegan/vegetarian fare.
For many, Bali can be “India Light”….a spiritual refuge or yogic dream. For others, it’s a hedonistic promised land, particularly in the south. For us, we wanted to escape the 3 for 1 happy hour Pina Colada crowd as quickly as possible to try and discover the real Bali.
That said, we still had a day in the south. We chose to go to Sanur, which is east of Denpasar on the coast and home to many white retired expats. We see housesits pop up there regularly so we wanted to see if we liked it. In short, absolutely, we’d take a housesit here, and two paid nights was just lovely. More than that, probably not our speed…
However, if you’re looking for a laidback experience with gorgeous beaches, tons of restaurant options, tourist services and souvenir shopping, it might be a fantastic option for you.
The beach at Sanur was a 5-minute walk from our guesthouse and certainly featured powdered yellow sand, paid loungers, a fair number of hawkers and lots of shade. The path alongside the beach seems to stretch for miles and is a lovely place to meander. It’s the kinda place to grab a chair and have a cocktail in the sand.
We’re happy to see you too! Also, after several months without seeing many street (or beach dogs in this case), it was bizarre to see (and hear!!) dogs again. A predictable, and a bit maddening, trade-off for the call to prayer.
A regular ritual for Balinese Hindus is placing a traditional offering, called a canang sari, outside the doors of businesses and homes. With swirling incense, they dot the perimeters of properties everywhere creating a sense of unity and peace. For the Balinese, religion isn’t merely a part of life, but a structure of how everything in the world works. The spiritual energy of the place is prevalent.
You often hear that the food on Bali is more expensive than other places in Indonesia. We found it slightly inflated, but at first glance, it seems that so long as you steer clear of “hedonistic” vegetarian temptations like avocado toast or bowl delights (smoothie and buddha), and stick to local joints, the budget traveler will be just fine. For lunch, we found ourselves at Warung Kecil, which still had plenty of amazing veg options. And cost a very reasonable $5.80 for two meals, including turmeric drinks for both of us.
Sanur was pretty easy on the eyes. We’d soon learn that was Bali overall.
Ha…you know you’re in an expat community when you see this…
Photos of the pathway along the beach…
The longer you’re in Bali, the more you see Jukungs, which are Indonesian traditional outrigger canoes used for fishing. Some of them are very expressive and seem to have personalities of their own.
The Balinese Hindu architecture is one of a kind. Just walking around and looking at the doors alone is a real treat. This magical little portal leads to a house for rent. Um. Yes, please. Can we kindly get a longer visa?!
Shop. Shop. Shop! And even though dogs rule in Sanur, it appears you can still get your cat fix. (And fixed cats).
An example of a local menu. The exchange is about $1 for 16 Indonesian Rupiahs, so you can see most things on this menu are $3.50 or under.
Gorgeous temples lining the street.
Dinner for us was at “Little Mars,” where we found ourselves eating a very weak, literally, version of a veggie spring roll. The Balinese may need to take rice paper rolling lessons from the Vietnamese. Greg had chicken satay, which he still can’t get enough of it. These two dishes and two juices were about $7.
Little Mars was perched on a street filled with other restaurants and shops. There were a lot of tourists, though it never felt obnoxious in any way.
Oh, do they know what westerners want. 🤣 Isn’t it funny how trendy avocados now are?
The beachside pathway by evening. On this pathway you could see a plethora of luxury resorts, including the opulent Hyatt Regency Bali which starts at around $200/night but there are other less chainy 4/5 star options which looked even nicer from $50/night. By the way, if you want a unique beachside place to grab a drink or dinner, we’d recommend hitting up the Tree Bar at happy hour which starts at 5 p.m.
