In Reply to: 6 nights to go and I'm starting to worry posted by Wayne on Sunday, 18. April 1999 at 00:32 Bali Time:
Hi Wayne. To some extent it depends on your personality, all of the above can be true, how you react to it can make or break your vacation. You would have to be very unlucky to experience all of these 'problems' in one short trip. We were never ripped off by the money changers in Kuta or Ubud, as far as we are aware they never even tried but we followed the advise here about not letting them touch the money once we had checked it. A couple of times we had no choice but to accept a price for a ride, but we were only out $2US which is not going to break the bank if it happens it happens, it is daft to let it ruin your day. We never had a Bali Blue Cab driver refuse to put on the meter. Heat and humidity were manageable. Do your gadding about in the morning and evening seek out shade and relax by a pool or take a nap in the heat of the day. Take all reasonable precautions when eating and drinking, carry imodium for extreme emergencies and buy sulphur tablets from the local pharmacy for minor stomach upsets. Take a 20 o/o Deet preparation to discourage mozzies. Steer clear of hawker unless you are seriously interested in their wares.
I know all this seems like a real downer when you are on vacation but I can only say that for us and many others it is not. After a day or so you will be 'Bali wise' and doing all these things automatically. If in the meantime you have been 'ripped off' a few $'s, what the heck, you can probably afford it more than they. The Balinese really are very nice people, hang out with them and you will definately have a more interesting vacation. Hope I have not added to your anxiety. Enjoy, Sue