Arrived in bali two weeks ago (17Aug). VOA was quick - Customs check was as slow as a wet week (1 hour wait)Taxi from airport to central Legian was 50k Rp.
Accom: Stayed 1 week at Mata Hari Bungalows, 1 night at Masa Inn and 8 days at Camplung Mas. Would stay at the Mata Hari and Camplung Mas again, but not the Masa Inn.
Transport: Mainly motor bike new Yamaha 125cc @ 25000Rp p/d x 1 7days + 70000Rp insurance w/US$300 excess. Internat licence recommended but not necessary according to international convention. Would suggest u get one although, because of corrupt little coppers. If u have a minor accident - suggest u get away quick as I saw an angry mob converge on a luckless yank who missed a corner on his 125cc and clip a van and another bike. It is best not to mistake Balinese tolerance for deep seated anger and a readiness to make a quick quid.
Shopping: tee shirts 20kRp polo tee shirts xxxl 30KRp thongs 20K joggers 100k+ 1 suit and 5 pants AUD$120 (excellent work) business cards from 25k 1 colour per 100 - 200k 4 colour per 100, petrol 10kRp per 2 litre plonk bottle dvd's cd's 10k ea buy 100 & get 70 free most dvd cd outlets. Most have english sub titles and 7/10 quality. Computer & Electronic equipment is a waste of time up here as it is not cheap and warranty would be a problem.
Eating out: Unfortunately most restaurants serve you up the sterile western style Asian food along with western dishes. Best tasting food was at Kuta night markets and on top floor of Centro and Ramayana in Denpasar. Cheapest Bintangs at Secret Garden in PoppiesI. Cheap fresh fruit at morning markets in Melasti st. Indo seems to be the most popular restaurant in Bali.
Tours: Highly recommend mountain bike tour for anyone who is reasonably fit. Started at Kintimani and ended at Ubud. It is not all downhill as some might suggest. But a lot of fun & laughs for around 220k pp. incl brekky & lunch. Would suggest some level of fitness as there is one big hill to climb.
Tourists: Definite lack of tourists in central Legian between Melasti and PoppiesI. Most tourists seem to be concentrated up Seminyak area. Ubud was busy last week - markets were chokkers.
Highlight of the trip for me besides mountain bike ride was a deep tissue massage that cost me 150k Rp and I would recommend to anyone suffering from backache, stomach problems, sinus disease etc.
Leaving Bali: We queued along with about 400 other travellers outside the main terminal @ Ngurah Rai with a prelim security check of tickets. Thereafter there were about three more security checks with a final body & bag search. We got there 2 hrs before T/O and had 45 mins left for a final drink.
Australian Customs: Strict on anything that is made of skin incl lamps bongoes etc. You will lose them. Food stuff that has cloves as an ingredient is on the hit list (apparently a cancer causing substance) an absolute load of bs. Interestingly they will prevent you taking a kite onboard in Bali (???), along with nail scissors, pocket knives etc (ok), but will allow you to board an aircraft with a sharp end steel ball point pen so as you fill out the immigration cards & stat dec on goods coming into both Australia and Bali. Be wary when you sign those little cards - they can incriminate you and form a contractual relationship between you and the respective governments.
For me Bali is still a good place to holiday and Australia is a better place to leave for a couple of weeks at least. The best part was I never heard little Johnny's name mentioned for 17 days.