A Brief Introduction to Bali

Bali is one of Indonesia's seventeen thousand islands and also a province. It is a very well-known holiday destination for visitors from both the West and the East. It lies about 8 degrees south of the Equator, south east of Singapore (a little over two hours flight time). Although most visitors arrive by air with local domestic and direct international flights from several countries, Bali is also a short ferry ride from Java, Indonesia's main island. There's much to see and do in Bali.

Most visitors to Indonesia (and therefore Bali) need a visa, available in many cases on arrival, or from an Indonesian Embassy abroad. Visa-free entry is granted to other ASEAN nationals and passports of some other countries. See our Visa Page for more information on visa requirements for Bali, Indonesia and other Asian countries.

Bali is a favourite vacation destination for many nationalities, especially Australians, including divers, surfers and others, both young and old, as other Western and Asian visitors. There is a sizeable ex-pat community too, some with their own businesses (usually joint ventures with an Indonesian partner), sporting and accommodation facilities to serve the many tourist activities. There are other nationals who have made permanent or temporary homes on the island including British, American, Germans, Dutch and Italians.

Bali has a very cosmopolitan foreign community, centred around popular areas like Kuta and Sanur, southern beach communities near the Bali Provincial capital Denpasar and international airport. There are also foreign communities living in and around the hills and rice fields of Ubud. Some ex-pats live on the North and East coasts of Bali too, where the island is much less developed. A new East coastal highway makes areas like Padangbai, Candidasa, Amed and the north coast towns and villages of Singaraja and Lovina more accessible than before. However the road north through the mountains and past vast volcanic lakes is far more scenic and spectacular.

Religion and Culture
One of the chief attractions of Bali is of course Balinese culture and Hindu religious ceremonies and rituals which form an integral part of the daily lives of most Bali natives. This is even more apparent in the outlying villages and smaller towns than in Denpasar itself, which as the main commercial centre, is inhabited by several different ethnic groups, including Muslim Indonesians from Java and other islands, Chinese and other nationalities. Culturally, Bali differs from most of the rest of Indonesia which is the largest Muslim-populated country on earth. Bali is an island province, so has its own local authorities, but the economy is controlled to a great degree by the Islamic majority government based in Jakarta, on the much larger island of Java, immediately to the west of Bali. A short ferry crossing links the two.

Bali ceremonies (including cremations) are a famous tourist attraction on their own, and many spectacular performances of dancing and local culture demonstrations are put on specially for the visitors. However, as a resident who has 'seen it all before' they can intrude into normal daily life; even be an annoyance, especially for those not really interested in religion or 'pagan rituals' like these offerings to the gods.

Art Galleries and Artists
Not all ex-pats come to Bali to find their 'inner spiritual selves'! There is a smaller community some distance inland in the mountains that will suit these people better. It is called Ubud, a refuge for both foreign and local artists and art students, and where there are many art galleries and shops selling handicraft and handmade furniture to tourists who flock there daily. The areas of Ubud and Payangan are also known for their luxurious and extremely expensive villas and spa resorts, with beautiful panoramic views over rice fields and over steep ravines, with even a Mt Fuji-type dormant volcano on the horizon.

Accommodation and Infrastructure
Although hotels, guest houses and residential accommodation, restaurants and facilities for foreigners are generally of a high standard, many exceeding those of other popular ex-pat locations, technological advances have been slow in reaching the island. Bali is near 'the end of the line' of Indonesian telecommunications (still government-controlled), including land and mobile telephones, fax and internet. Fast, reliable connections are not guaranteed even in the most populous areas. Indonesia still suffers from the corruption - past and unfortunately, present. Much of it is still in evidence, but accepted by those who live there. Tourists are not really affected. 

While Bali appears to be idyllic in many respects, and visitors are invariably impressed when seeing it for the first time. But daily life for a long term foreign resident can have its drawbacks, poor infrastructure and utilities like phone and internet connections being among them.

Learning the Language
Although English is spoken in tourist areas, Bahasa Indonesia is the main language and understood by most Balinese. Bali also has its own language which is quite difficult to learn. However Bahasa Indonesia will work very well in most situations. An English to-local-language dictionary is essential. Many people find Talking Dictionaries to be invaluable while travelling around Asia! They are available for many languages and not only from English into Asian.

There's also a Flash Card program you can download to your Nokia mobile phone. This is an easy and fun way to learn Indonesian general vocabulary, business, legal, medical and computer terms. It runs on many phones including Nokia 3600, 3620, 3650, 3660, 6600, 7610, 7650, N-Gage, Panasonic X700, Samsung SGH-D710, Sendo X, Siemens SX1 and others using the Symbian operating system.

Indonesian <-> English Flash Cards for Mobile Phones

Government and Religion
It was thought (hoped) that the fairly recent change of government in Indonesia, headed by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, referred to colloquially as 'SBY' would bring in positive change on all fronts. Sadly this does not look promising. Now in 2006, proposals continue in Jakarta to impose Sharia Law in Indonesia despite warnings that adopting it would adversely affect Indonesia's relations with other states. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population. Sharia law has already been partially implemented by the self-governing region of Aceh. Bali is unlikely to escape in spite of its 95% Hindu religious majority or the billions of tourist dollars generated there. Anti-pornography and promiscuity measures are likely to be imposed, highlighted by the recent arrest of the editor of the locally published Playboy magazine. At this stage it is "wait and see", but the outlook does not seem good for tourists – let alone for retirement or long stay in Bali (or Indonesia) for Westerners, especially Christians. Read more about Bali here.

If you are planning a holiday trip to Bali, we can recommend an excellent Balinese driver and tour guide (many are from Java and other islands). Ari (Jero) has his own page at Bali-Driver.blogspot.com or send him an email: jero@myway.com.

Bali is still excellent for a holiday, vacation or honeymoon
Go there before things start to change. For complete information on vacation accommodation, price comparisons and reviews by travellers, visit this site where you will see there is something suitable for every budget, from 'home stays' right up to 5 star luxury (and some very high prices!).

Check out some great accommodation deals in Bali!

Other visa information for visitors to Indonesia and other parts of Asia can be found on our Visa Page.

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