In Reply to: Whats the feel in Bali Now? posted by jonnoperth on Saturday, 10. December 2005 at 19:51 Bali Time:
Just back and it was very quiet in Tuban/Kuta/Legian. Yes, it was a quiet time anyway but it was very quiet.
Have recently read other forum feedback that people werent in Kuta but planes were full so they must have stayed elsewhere. But for me the planes were full of Air Paradise extras being bought home, as the flight to Bali wasnt anywhere near full.
For me there was quite a bit of what I call charity bargaining. This was my 10th visit since 2001 so I know what I want to pay and if they offered my price first up I just took it. Yeah I probably could have got an extra 5000-10000 rupiah (.70c-$1.36) off but hey, I am happy to not do that if they offer a good price. Also made it a nice, quick way to shop.
There was a lot of talk about some places going bankrupt and with the amount of empty restaurants by January some may be gone. Hopefully lots of people are going at Christmas which will bolster the economy for a little while.
But as always with Bali, whilst ever so quiet, the Balinese are as lovely as ever. So save all your dollars and spend spend spend during your visit - they will definitely need it!