In Reply to: Bargaining ..please help me get it right posted by Murphy_Sue on Friday, 11. February 2005 at 17:33 Bali Time:
DONS BALI GUIDE 2005
DRINKS & COCKTAILS:
Coke (can or sml btle) RP 3200
Water (Bottle 500ml) RP 3200
Depending where you go cocktails range from RP 4000 - 50000
Arak Attack (rice wine cocktail)small RP 4000
large RP 10000
CAR & DRIVER
Half day hire approx 4 hrs (depends on mileage) RP150000 - 200000
All day hire approx 6-8hrs (depends on mileage) RP300000 - 450000
Tuban - Kuta RP 6000 - 8000
Kuta -Legian RP 6000 - 8000
Legian - Semniyak RP 6000 - 8000
Tuban - Nusa Dua RP 35000 - 40000
Kuta - Tanah Lot RP 60000 - 70000
Kuta - Sanur Beach RP 30000 - 50000
BLUE TAXIS Airport - Kuta RP 16500
- Legian RP 20000
- Jimbaran RP 20000
- Seminyak RP 25000
- Denpasar RP 26000
- Oberoi RP 26000
- Kerobokan RP 28000
- Nusa Dua RP 30000
- Sanur RP 35000
(Short trips 4 Persons or less best with metered Blue Cabs)
MARKET PRICES
Aftershave Blk Mkt (Joop,Yves St.Laurent etc) RP 15000
Belt Leather RP 15000
Bowls Wooden Sml - Lge RP 5000 - 15000
Beach Towels Sml - Lge RP 25000 - 50000
Beer Bintang (sml bottle) RP 12000
Baskets (Woven) Sml - Lge RP 1000 - 5000
Bracelet made from 2 Aussie Gold Coins U supply RP 10000
Bracelet made from 2 Aussie Gold Coins RP 20000
Bamboo Wind chimes: Sml - Lge RP 10000 - 15000
Bead Necklaces RP 5000
Bags Louis Vuitton Lge Overnight Bag RP 180000 -200000
Board shorts Billabong Blk Mkt RP 30000
Caps Baseball Peaked RP 10000 - 15000
Cardigans lite weight crochet RP 30000 - 35000
Cushion covers RP 30000 - 35000
Car Timber Steering Wheel (with boss kit) RP 150000
Cigarettes pkt or crtn RP 10000 - 65000
DVD Player Hire (week) RP 100000
Dresses (summer) RP 25000 - 40000
Earrings RP 5000
Games PS2 or Xbox games Blk Mkt RP 15000
Handbags Louie Vetton RP 55000 - 70000
Jackets Leather Tailor made RP 500000 -700000
Jeans Levi's 501 RP 75000
Kids T-shirts/Singlets RP 15000
Kimonos 55,000 (depending on length & material);RP 35000 - 50000
Masks RP 9000 - 15000
Meals - Entrée average RP 5000 - 30000
Meals - Mains average price (more for seafood) RP 15000 - 50000
Mobile Phone Nokia 1110 RP 700000
Music Cd's (discounts for volume) RP 8000
Necklaces beaded or polished shells RP 5000 - 10000
Placemats Woven RP 5000
Photo prints (digital) RP 1000 - 1500
Photo Memory Stick Card to disk RP 25000
Perfumes Blk Mkt RP 15000
Photos onto a CDR RP 25000
Placemats Wooden RP 12000
Singlets RP 25000 - 30000
Sarongs Short (basic printed) RP 9000 - 12000
Sarongs Long (detailed embroided) RP 20000 - 30000
Tops (Paul Frank for teen girls) RP 20000 - 25000
Singlets Bintang printed RP 15000
Shirts Collared RP 20000
Stubby holders RP 4000
Sandals Leather RP 25000 - 40000
Sunglasses Oakley etc... Blk Mkt RP 15000 - 25000
T-shirts Blk Mkt (Billabong,Quicksilver,Nike) RP 10000 - 30000
Watches Blk Mkt RP 15000 - 30000
Wallet Leather Billabong RP 10000
DVD's - After advice on the BTF we placed our order with Helgi via email before we arrived in Bali and he supplied us about 300 DVD's and 150 PS2 Games. They are all great quality so we are totally satisfied. He is a really nice guy and also hires DVD's players at about a quarter of the price inside the hotels. His email address for a list of available DVD's is mcshop@hotmail.com and he will deliver to your hotel room when you arrive (pay in Rupiah).
ACCOMMODATION
There are many sites on the net that give details for various accommodation so I won't touch on that but if you want a local travel agent that is 'on the ground' over there and can barter some great deals try Mida. She is a travel agent that lives in Bali. She is great and gets better prices than if you tried booking direct. Tell her what you want and she will Email you with prices. She provides free transport (she will try to get you to do tours but is not pushy if you say no). You just pay upon arrival at the hotel. Cheap for accom. Does not do flights.
Contact Mida at: wahyutur@indosat.net.id
LINKS TO MAPS AND GUIDES
Why not print a copy of this list and a map and take it with you
Try these links for handy maps and guides:
THE BEST BALI MAPS:
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~grum/kuta.htm
THE BEST BALI FORUM:
http://www.balitravelforum.com
GARUDA AIRLINES SITE:
http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/index.php
GARUDA ORIENT HOLIDAYS:
http://www.balionanybudget.com.au/index.jsp
AIR PARADISE SITE:
http://www.airparadise.com.au
PACKAGES:
http://www.bestflights.com.au/web/content/bali_packages.shtml
MY FAVORITE ORPHANAGE:
http://www.carryforkids.org/schools/bali/salam.html
AIRCRAFT SEATING CHART:http://frequentflyer.oag.com/airlines_airports/seating.asp
WORLD TIME CLOCK:
http://www.travelovista.com/guides/worldclock.htm
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS 2005:
http://www.oztourism.com.au/ozhols.htm#school
TRIP PLANING CALENDAR:
http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar
A MUST DO RESTAURANT:
http://www.indo-national.com
THE BEST BALI INFO:
http://www.filosbali.net/ForumRecom.htm
A WEDDING IN BALI:
http://www.baliweddingsinternational.com
THINGS TO DO and NOT TO DO WHILE IN BALI
DO go to the Elephant park.
DO go to the Monkey Forest in Ubud
DO take the kids to Waterbom Park...they'll have a ball
DO go Swimming and snorkling
DO go Shopping...shop till you drop in Poppies Lane II at Kuta
DO get a Massage
DO buy some copy DVD's
DO buy a fake watch
DO buy some fake perfume
DO buy a leather jacket
DO see a Barong Dance
DO see a Kecak Dance
DO see a Legong Dance
DO see a shadow puppet show
DO go to Ubud
DO eat some Satay...no eat much satay...best in the world
DO go White Water Rafting
DO go to Kintamani Volcano
DO buy some silver jewellery in Celuk
DO drink some Bintang.....no drink much Bintang
DO have a cocktail.......no have many cocktails
DO buy a T-shirt with 'F%#k The Terrorists printed on the front
DO try and go see the memorial to the bombings...it makes you think
DO change money at the Kodak shops, don't risk the others.
DO try a swim up bar in one of the resorts, it's heaps of fun.
DO take sunblock and use heaps of it.
DO go to the Monkey forest in Ubud is beautiful, monkeys not to
cheeky!
DO ask first before you take a picture of somebody its common
courtesy.
DO go to Tanah Lot Temple and get blessed by the priests
DO eat seafood at Jimbaran Bay
DO see the black sand of Lovina Beach
DO go to Poppies in Poppies Lane 1 for lunch (or dinner).
DO go to Poppies Lane II to shop...you won't find better deals
anywhere and won't have to leave this street to get just about
anything you want or need
DO smile at everyone who smiles at you....chances are that you will
have a smile on your face until you step on the plane to come home
DO TAKE ALL YOUR SPENDING MONEY IN AUST $$ IN CASH!! Don't
bother with a visa card most places just use cash anyway.
DO go on an ocean cruise and don't chicken out of snorkelling there
are no sharks and thousands of the most beautiful tropical fish
and reef.
DO go on volcano tour, it fun but don't get out of the car up the
mountain, the hawkers are really really desperate and bad up
there.
DO get a fake tattoo just before you come home and freak out your
mum/kids/hubby etc. They are great and really realistic!
DO try Arak. Arak is a Bali rice wine , very potent (40% alcohol)
don't drink too much of it, but it's a really great drink with
fruit juice (punch)
DO drink many Bintangs. Bintang takes a couple to get used to but
once you get the taste for it ....lookout !
DO leave the air-conditioning on when you sleep cos it doesn't get
cool at night like it does in Oz
DO start your shopping in an area that is fairly busy (like Poppies
Lane II or Legian st) they are not so desperate and hence not so
scarily pushy.
DO hire a 'Blue Cab' for short distance travel - they are metered
and so cheap half the time your tip will be more than the fare
DO book you holidays for 10+ days...it takes 4-5 simply to unwind and
getinto 'Bali Mode'.
DO post your JBR (Just Back Report) on the Bali Travel Forum (BTF)
so that others can share your experience.
DONT step on the offerings on the footpath, please be respectful.
DONT drive yourself anywhere - get a Driver and / or Guide
DONT do anything in the resort (ie. use internet, hire DVD player
burn CD's make phone calls) big rip off, you can get any of
these things way cheaper in the shops.
DONT freak out about the roads. There are road rules, even if they
are less obvious, they are very very good drivers/riders.
DONT get sucked in by someone who calls out a price for some thing
(especially if it sounds really cheap) once you show interest
the price will start to go up. Pick what you want, ask the
price, then start bargaining, anytime the process is any
different to that, don't get yourself into it.
DONT get stuck with hair braiding hawkers. Worst hawkers were the
women wanting to braid hair, they would grab our girls hair and
are alot harder to get away from, so get braided early on, cut
it short or tie it up well.
If a hawker says "I sell this watch for 350000 normally" say either "But I'm not Japanese" or "maybe to a first timer". The Japanese mostly just pay the first price, they hardly ever bargain. The Balinese are really nice genuine people, but they are only happy to sell something to you for too much if you are happy to pay too much, if you're not sure about a price, show your discomfort they will pick it up straight away and will become much more reasonable.
DONT be afraid to go into a shop with a price in mind and if they
wont give it to you for near that price walk away. There are no
doubt a hundred shops with the same thing, so the next time you
put your price up a little bit. Once the battering is over
with usually they are so keen to get to know you and ask many
questions.
As you can see there are more DO's than DON'Ts in Bali.....
If it's your first holiday in Bali I guarantee it won't be your last.
Have Fun and Enjoy your stay.
A WORD ON PRICING - I have had mail from some experienced forumites who tell me that they have purchased some of the items on my list cheaper than I have quoted or that they can get transport much cheaper from this guy or that guy.
But to those experienced Bali Travellers I ask one simple question 'how much did you pay the 1st time in Bali'. I think that most would agree, if you were a Bali Virgin and you paid the prices that I have on here 1st up you would have to be pretty chuffed with yourself.
A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU
A very special thank you and credit to the Bali Travel Forum (BTF) contributors that I have mostly plagiarised for making this list possible.
I will re-post this from time to time as requested or following updates to pricing etc....please contact me via email if you would like a word file text copy emailed to you.