What to do when I arrived at the airport in Bali????

These are the questions I often get from Couchsurfers (CSers). Where should I go? what I have to do? How to get there? How much is the taxi??

If you don’t have plan of your travel yet, don’t know where to go, haven’t book any accommodation and confused what to do… so, here is I suggest you to do!

But first, if you don’t know what is CSer, then you better join COUCHSURFING before leaving your country. It’s a website where you can meet locals, other traveler or stay at local’s place for free which will make your travel away easier. I am sure you will not regret to join.

Anyways, here we go! Once you arrived in International Airport Ngurah Rai, take a taxi. Can be airport taxi which you need to pay 50-70K or find BLUE BIRD taxi which is cheaper. If you take Blue Bird (stop them after they drop passenger), ask them to use the Meter, or if they they bargain with you, just pay max 50k. Ask them to bring you to KUTA, either ask them to drop you at JALAN LEGIAN (in front of bombing monument) or at POPPIES LANE 1 (next to McD Kuta Beach). From there, you can walk through the road to find cheap hostel. Price between 60k-500k.

Once you got a hostel, get a local sim card that you can find anywhere around that area. I use XL, but there are may provider though. But I suggest you to get XL or SIMPATI. The new sim card costs max 15k with 5k credit. Or you can upload it with 10k credit which will cost you 12k. Enough for 30 text or 5 minutes calls. Then contact one of the CSers you know.

If you are new in Couchsurfing, then join the BALI group and check our what’s happening there. There are 2 weekly meeting every Wednesday and Friday or if you are lucky, you will have chance to join the monthly or yearly events. If you are an experienced CSer, then I’m sure you know what to do.

Or, you can always email me if you have any questions: reni.yuliastutik@gmail.com

Enjoy your stay and happy traveling!!

Trip for Orphanage Visit in Singaraja with Awesome Waterfalls

Family picture

It was a Couchsurfing event that held every 3 months (i guess). We visit some orphanage in Bali just to share a lil bit of what we have (money, used clothes, books, foods, etc). And this time was an orphanage in Singaraja (North of Bali) at Kubu Tambahan Village called PAKISAN CHILDREN’S HOME (Taman Kanak Kanak Saiva Dharma). We left Kuta on Saturday (17th Dec’11) at around 11ish in the morning and got there at around 4ish in the afternoon. It took 5 hours because we stopped many times to eat and take a rest since it was a long ride and we went there by motorbike and it was raining.

This place could be reach through Sanur – Gianyar – Ubud – Kintamani – Singaraja. It’s not quite hard to find it since you just need to follow the big road. There are many things that can be seen on the way there and the view on the way was just nice . The road is good but just need to be a lil bit careful from Ubud to Kintamani since there are many small holes on the road. But generally all the way is fine. Only from the Kubu Tambahan Vilage to the Pakisan Orphanage is a lil bit hard since you need to go up and down the hill, but if you ask around I’m sure you will find it. (will give you direction later on).

That's how the area looks like nice no?

This orphanage is run by a lady (Ibu Didi) from Jakarta and a guy who always help her who lives near by the orphanage (Pak Harun). There are 18 kids who are mostly from a broken family who need to be taken care of. The age range is from 4 to 17 years old.  They live in a simple house with a small hall where they use it as a classroom for the Kindegarten ones. The other ones go to public school (Kindegarten – Senior High School). I thought that they go to school for free, but apparently not. There is no regular donation for the orphanage. They only get donations from the big hearted people who would share. Not even the rich people who live on the area. They don’t really care. Those kids NEED HELP!

They are smart and they need help!!!

Ibu Didi is very nice to provide us a place to stay, dinner, breakfast and lunch for the next day. There are 36 Couchsurfers who went there. We slept on the open air hall which is enough to accommodate all of us. We did yoga in the morning and then did health check up for the kids since there are 2 CSers who are doctors. Some kids from the orphanage did performances for us and we did spontanious play for them too. I’m very happy to see the smiles of the kids. We made it to collect around 7 millions IDR to be donated to the orphanage and glad that we could help them even a lil bit of what we have. But the most important thing is to be with them. I am very looking forward to go there again.

Dinner together

We left the orphanage at around 2pm and we went to a waterfall near by called Sekumpul Waterfall. It took around 20 minutes to get there. There are 7 points of waterfalls with fishing pond on the way down. We need to pay Rp. 2000 for the entrance fee which is nothing compare with what we get. We need to go around 350 stairs down and cross the river to reach the waterfall. The view… is so damn AMAZING! It looks like in Pandora… The avatar world. That was the best waterfall that I ever seen or went or jumped into. A very worthy to visit. I’m sure I will go there again even I need to drive 4 hours by motorbike in the rain.

Looks like in Pandora, doen't it? and we swam down there

We took the same way back and it was raining a lil bit. It was already dark when we reach the border between Singaraja and Kintamani. We drove very slow since it’s foggy and cloudy. Was very cold which I had to wear socks and I wished I had a winter jacket to wear . Well anyway… this trip was just great.

Couchsurfing Weekly Meeting – Friday Rendezvous

Couchsurfing is a social website of traveler who want to meet local or surf or host other traveler.

This meeting is organized by a local couchsurfers (CSers) in purposed to meet other CSers having nice chit chat while having nice cheap dinner at a local restaurant. It held every friday at 7pm. You can get many info from this meeting since there are always many CSers come. Either locals or travelers who are in Bali. Sometimes we organize some trips, parties or events here.

If you have no clue what to do in Bali and want to enjoy Bali in different way like the normal tourist do, I recommend to come to this meeting at least once.

Here is the meeting detail post:

When we talk about CULTURE, it seems endless, as it does has many related different meanings. It is represented by the way people respond on things, languages etc etc.

Nah! this is not going to be an anthropology class or anything, but just chat over dinner on one particular subject : CULTURE

Most travelers said that they want to experience, to know, and to understand different culture, therefore they are traveling.

And Yay! we have couchsurfing that has become a great vessel for different people to meet and share.

So why not have dinner gathering and swap stories, it might be about local ghosts or myth (it’s friday after all, well in indonesia, friday nite is the spooky nite =D).

Where : Warung Taman Bambu, jalan Plawa , seminyak.
when : Every Friday, start from 7

For direction you cant contact me at +6281337521952
or
Abi : +6285640085308
Reni : +6281933095906

P.S. : it would be another weekly meeting you can join

Klick here for the meeting place.

I jumped from 45meter tall building!!

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!” that was came out from my mouth when my body was falling from that 45km crane!! Extremely scary and shocking,… BUT I want to do it again!!! Hahahaha….

Another thing on my 99-things-i-want-to-dobefore-i-die-list. Noooo… it’s not a suicide apparantly, but it was a Bungy Jumping. Wuuuuuuffffhhhhh finally I did it. So, this bungy jumping company name is AJ HACKET. Located at 66 beach in Seminyak. There are saveral kind of jump like normal jump (like what i did), harmest jump, fireball jump, motorbike jumping and I dunno the others… (klick here for the details). Well anyways… It was my first time doing it. First I was scared because I saw a video on youtube where someone was doing a jump and the rope got loose.

But then i thought again, if i have to die… then i will die. Hehehe… i know it’s a stupid thought, but that the way i think sometimes. So… I went to the Aj Hacket with my friend and he also convinced me to go. He like bungy jumping and did it twice and a lot higher then here. It made me wanted to go. Even he said “When you’re already up there… promise me, don’t come down again” Hahahaha… Well, i promised him and usually i don’t break promise.

I looked some videos of people doing the jump before me. Some were very relax, and some were very scared . Then they measured my wight, and we (me and other people) go up to the crane. I was the first one in the group. They tied my legs and put a chain connected to the harmes on my waist. I was collecting my soul (hahahhaa… they were not in my body, i think still down there). The instructor keep talking while i walk to the edge of the crane. Looking at the beach in front of me for a few second and think that I have to jump. I heard the instructor counting “1…. 2… 3…” and “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!” I JUMPED!!!!!

You cannot imagine what i felt when i was looking at the pool down there became closer and closer. My heart was like still up there… my body a lil bit shaking and i kept screaming and swearing. Thank God i did not have any heart attack! I bounced for 3 times then they pulled me down. When i got down there… felt really good. It was fuckin’ awesome. And I want to do it AGAIN!!!! Anyone want to jump? contact me. I might join you!

Sorry no picture

My Name is Reni and I am not an ARAK-holic :)

Have u ever seen a movie or whatever where there is a group of people sitting make a circle and doing a rehab to stop their addiction of alcohol or drugs or whatever? And usually they introduce themselves like “Hi my name is Reni and I am a drug addict” something like that. But that thing has nothing to do with the topic of this post actually. Hehehe… What I wanted to write is… how local Balinese do the socialization in their community… (I think the last sentence is a mess) Sorry about my English.

ARAK! The traditional liquor made of tuak (fermented drink made of sugary fruits) or fermented rice wit some process which I don’t really know the details (sorry). This arak is not only for drink,but is also used for ceremony for hindu’s. But mostly for drink like normal alcoholic drink. We can find arak in some local place (warung). What i know, it’s 15k for 500ml and they usually pakc it with plastic bags. Please ask local where to buy good arak, because some arak is not good and caused poisonous.(correct me if i’m wrong)

My friends usually mix arak with sprite. 2 bags of arak with one bottle of sprite (2:1). And it’s usually drank as shots… do not drink arak too much in a short term, it could be danger for your body. Well i think consume TOO MUCH anything is not good though.

Where to get a good arak in Bali? I know one warung only where my friends usually go. And only locals go there, but I have a American friend who goes there a lot since we consider he’s a local (he speaks Indonesian and Balinese very well. Even too good . So, if you’re staying in Kuta area.. then it’s really close. The warung is located at Jalan Majapahit. If you’re in Legian area, go down to the south until the end of Jalan Legian, take the left turn on the intersection… go for about 100 meters until you meet small intersection with big oak trees on your left side. Take the left turn and go up to the north for about 500 meter. Well i think you can only recognize this warung at night… because this is only warung that open at midnight… GOOD LUCK!

I will check some landmark so you can find it during the day. Will update soon with picture.

Transport?? Massage?? Boyfriend?? Girlfriend??

You might hear those words shouted by many locals when you walk through Jalan Legian in Kuta, or around Seminyak area or other touristy area in Bali. I can say it’s quite annoying if it happens every 5 meters walk and happens many times. Some hawker will stop trying when u said “NO”, and some other will keep trying until you got disturb. Well, all I can say just that they need to earn money to make the living. Sadly if they force tourist by keep saying “miss transport… transport… ” even you said “NO” for every word they said. But then again, they need to live.

Hawkers think that foreigners/tourists are rich people (most of em yes) well, since they earn higher currency than Indonesian, even tough they are not rich in their country but I’m sure they are wealthy when they are in Bali. Anyways… those hawker you will not be able to avoid. Just keep walking and don’t say any word and you’ll be fine. Or do the nice way “Thank you” and smile…

I just read an article written by an Australian. How really bad Bali in her opinion. As we know, Bali is a tourist destination. When you’re in Bali and stays in the main tourist area then you would not be able to avoid the hawkers. But do not forget, we have some other place that you can visit which far away from the hawkers or something like that. We have many other people who are friendly and would help you with anything without asking for money. It just you’re the one who decide which part of Bali do you want to enjoy.

We have jati luwih with beautiful rice fields, or amed/tulamben to enjoy snorkling or scuba diving, candi dasa or stay with local to enjoy Balinese lifestyle. There are a lot of choices. There is always good and bad. It just the way how to enjoy it.

Welcome to Bali. I’ll be happy to help you with anything.

Climbing Mt.Batur took my breath away! :P

It was in my 99 list things to do before i die. Climbing a mountain. Well I did it once when I was in high school, it was an orientation for all student to climb Mt.Abang in Bali but i totally forgot how it was. It was 11 years ago. Hehehe… So i told Sita (a CS friend of mine) that I wanted to climb Mt.Batur. She went there 11 times already and I still don’t get it why. hehehe… Well I’m a lazy type of person who prefer doing bungy jumping that takes few seconds than have to walk up the mountains for hours. But I managed to do that. Hehehe…

So, there were 12 of us (all couchsurfers) and I was the slowest one. We left Denpasar at around 1am because we wanted to catch the sunrise. We went there by 2 cars and took around 2 hours. The weather was good (no rain) and a lil bit chilly. We rented a car for 450k including the petrol and driver (1am to 5pm the next day). We hired 2 guides (500k both -  one guide is for 4 persons). Actually we did not need any guide since Sita knows the way and she could guide us, but apparently it’s kinda a must to hire a guide. Ah ya… we had to pay entrance ticket for 10k/person.

For a climber, they can reach the top of the mountain for 30 minutes to 1 hour. But i slowed then down since i stop too much. I could not breath. I think i stopped every minutes. The air is quite chill, but since it was tiring it became hot. Hehehe… We started the hike at around 3am and got to the top 15 minutes before the sunrise. The trek was a very hard for me (i’m sure not for others) . But Josh and Daniel (my CSers) helped me and dragged me to the top. Hehehe… Well, i’m proud of myself. Hehehehe… Even I made the hike became 3 hours and the hike took my breath away.When I breath I sounded like an old lady. But after seeing the sunrise… big smile colored my face.

There is a hot spring (eh, not spring actually) where you can boil eggs and also there is a warung where you can order hot tea to warm yourself since it’s very cold up there. Not too cold though… . Ah ya.. tips from Sita about the hike: bring 2 bottles of water (600ml each) and some light food that you can have for breakfast. And don’t forget to bring a torch/ flash light to light your way since it’s dark at night. – Happy Hiking!

The way down was even worse (as my opinion and i’m sure not for other) Hehehe. We had to slide (not real slide) because it was sandy so a bit slippery and quite stiff. My knees were very hurt and i could not walk fast. I had to stop many times and had to do streching on my knees like every 2 minutes walk. I think it took 2 hours (i did not remember exactly). Hooo… I felt sooo damn tired and wanted to go home so bad and don’t wanna do it again . It was the hardest day in my life of walking (too much ) But the most important thing is… the companion with great people makes the hike became interesting. Well, I ticked it on my list… so… next will be the bungy jump!!

*Picture coming soon

The biggest earthquake I ever felt in Bali!!

It was 13th Oct 2011. I was putting my serious face in front of my huge screen dekstop when suddenly i heard the sound of the glass window of my office. Earthquake!!!!!! everyone in my office suddenly stood up and ran out. My office is on the second floor with may windows made of glass. From outside looks like an aquarium. But luckily the floor if made of teak wood so it’s stronger than normal floor. When we’re outside the office, i can see the water on the fishpond moving looks like making wave and the windows were shaking with very noisy sound. Sooo… scary….

My CSers was at home, so I called him and made sure if he’s ok. And my room mate was at the beach but i could not reach him. But thankfully they are fine. I went back to the office and googled about the earthquake. It was 6.8 SR and the center was in Nusa Dua… where my brother live. The roads are cracking and some building are damaged. There were around 45 people were injured but no one died. The quake shaked Bali around 1 minute… quite long and honesty I was very scared. But Thank God no tsunami warning.

Road in Nusa Dua

XL Office

The second happened 5 hours after. It was at around 5.30ish pm and the first one was 11.30 ish am. The second one is not as big as the first one. It was 5.6SR. And only few seconds. Huuufff… i really hope there will be no earthquake anymore.

How to make SAMBAL MATAH

Sambal is a special dish from Indonesia normally made of chilly mix with tomatoes, onions, salt. Grind them and just to add with everything to make it spicy. Can be add on Nasi Campur, or Bakso or anything you want. There are many kinds of sambals, but since I’m from Bali, so the special Balinese Sambal is SAMBAL MATAH.

I’m not a good cook and I don’t cook much. But I’ve tried to make it and 16 people tried it. They said it’s good. Hehehe…

Here is simple way how to make Sambal Matah.

Ingredients: chilly, onions, salt, lemon grass, lemon leaves, oil and shrimp paste.

The portion of chilly and onions are same, and the lemon grass is the half of the onion/chilly. And for the lemon leaves just 3 pcs. Slice/cut everything into small pieces. Mix all together and add 4 spoon of oil and 1/2 tea spoon of salt.

Fry the shrimp paste (1/4 tea spoon) and add it into the mixed ingredients. Mix it again and ready to serve.

Usually it serve with mix rice with fish and veggies or with ayam betutu or suckling pig (very Balinese dishes)

Good Luck!

What kind of VISA do you need?? Find here!

Source: http://www.bali-visa.com/

Visa on arrival

For most visitors to Bali and Indonesia, they will be issued with a Visa on Arrival (VOA) at the port of entry into the country.

The visa on arrival is valid for 30 days and costs US$25. The period of stay includes the day of arrival. Make sure you book your tickets for the correct duration, as there are penalties for overstaying your visa.

The visa can only be extended once for another 30 days. If you do plan on staying more than 30 days it might be more convenient to apply for a 60 day visa in advance.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on the date of entry into the country and you need to have an onward ticket.

Visa free stays

People from the following countries are eligible for a 30 day visa free stay in Indonesia.

The visa cannot be extended.

1. Brunei Darussalam
2. Chile
3. Hong Kong SAR
4. Macao SAR
5. Malaysia
6. Morocco
7. Peru
8. Philippines
9. Singapore
10. Thailand
11. Vietnam

Social cultural visa

The social/cultural visa is for people visiting Indonesia for social or cultural reasons or visiting friends and family. The visa does not allow any form of work.

The visa is good for a stay of 60 days, but can be extended four times on a monthly basis, for a maximum stay of 6 months.

You need to have an Indonesian national sponsor you for the visa. You need a copy of your sponsor’s KTP (ID card) and an invitation letter, signed by your sponsor.

Some embassies require proof of funds and a letter from your employer stating that you intend to return to your country after your stay in Bali.

At the Indonesian embassies in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur the requirements are less strict. Typically only a copy of your sponsor’s KTP and invitation letter is required.

If you are planning to spend most of your time in Bali, it is better to make sure your sponsor’s address on their ID card is in Bali.

Extending your visa

The social visa can be extended up to four times on a monthly basis. To apply for a renewal, you need to apply at immigration at least one week before your current visa expires.

You will need to provide a photocopy of your sponsor’s KTP as well as a copy of the front page of your passport and a copy of your current visa.

Many foreigners in Bali use the service of a visa agent to handle the extensions. For the little bit of money it costs to use an agent, it is money well worth spent.

For the second extension, whether you use the services of a visa agent in Bali or not, you are required to visit your local immigration office in person, to have your fingerprints and photograph taken.

Social visa sample sponsor letter

Here is a sample letter which you can use to base your sponsor letter on for the Social/cultural visa to Indonesia.

Just copy and paste the text into your favorite word processing program and add your own details to it.  Don’t forget to get your sponsor’s signature.

====================================================

Br ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S BANJAR
Desa ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S DESA
Bali
Indonesia

ADD ADDRESS OF THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE TO WHICH YOU WILL BE APPLYING, FOR EXAMPLE

Kepada Yth
Bapak Pimpinan Imigrasi
Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia
Di Bangkok, Thailand

OR

Kepada Yth
Bapak Pimpinan Imigrasi
Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia
Di Singapura

21 December 2009 ADD CURRENT DATE

Dengan Hormat

Yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini saya

Nama : ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S NAME
Umur : ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S AGE (Kelahiran: ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH)
Alamat : ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S ADDRESS
Pekerjaan : ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S OCCUPATION
Nomor KTP : ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S KTP NUMBER

Dengan ini menyatakan bahwa,

Nama : ADD YOUR NAME
Kebangsaan : ADD YOUR NAME NATIONALITY
Normor paspor : ADD YOUR PASSPORT NUMBER
Tempat – Tgl lahir : ADD YOUR DATE & PLACE OF BIRTH AS IN YOUR PASSPORT
Pekerjaan : ADD YOUR YOUR PROFESSION

Adalah kenalan saya yang akan ke Indonesia untuk mengadakan kunjungan kepada keluarga saya.
ADD YOUR NAME AS IT APPEARS IN YOUR PASSPORT, sejak lama kenal sebagai orang yang berkelakuan baik dan tidak pernah tersangkut urusan Kepolisian Republik Indonesia. Selama kunjungannya kepada saya, ia akan menjadi tanggung jawab dan dibawah pengawasan saya.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sejujur-jujurnya, agar menjadi perhatian Bapak seperlunya.
Untuk itu saya mengucapkan banyak terima kasih.

Hormat saya

ADD YOUR SPONSOR’S NAME & SIGNATURE
Sponsor

Retirement visa

Indonesia offers a retirement visa for people over the age of 55 to reside in the country. Bali is becoming a popular place for retirees to spend a few years, with a low cost of living, warm tropical climate and some beautiful villas to stay.

The basic requirements include, being at least 55 years of age, having a pension or retirement income of at least US$1,500, medical insurance and employing at least one maid in Indonesia.

The visa is good for one year and can be extended for a maximum stay of five years.

The following nationalities can apply for the retirement visa:

* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Brunei
* Canada
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* German
* Italy
* Japan
* Luxemburg
* Malaysia
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Singapore
* Spain
* Sweden
* Swiss
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* The Philippines
* United Kingdom
* USA

Working visa

To work legally in Bali you need a working visa (KITAS). Most foreigners running their own business in Bali create a company which then sponsors them for the visa.

The cost of the visa is US$1,200 per year, not including the costs for actually getting the visa.

The application for the working visa can be made in Indonesia, but once it is approved, you need to pick it up at an overseas embassy.

Business visa

The business visa is for people visiting Indonesia to conduct business, but not taking employment in the country, like attending a seminar or meetings.

The maximum stay is 60 days, but the visa can be extended. The visa requires a sponsor in Indonesia and letters from your company explaining the purpose of your trip.

A multiple-entry business visa is also available for frequent travelers to Indonesia.