In Reply to: Jetstar Sale from Perth posted by Fletchie on Tuesday, 6. December 2011 at 20:36 Bali Time:
Hello fellow Bali-lovers, My 7 year old son and I are back home again in Perth after 3 weeks in wonderful Bali in November 2011. I'm time-poor, so never really have much of an opportunity to write those glorious JBR's that we all love reading here - oh to be fabulously wealthy and not have to waste time on something as mundane as earning a living!
Despite this, however, I always try to take the time to let my fellow forumites share in my good fortune at FINALLY finding a driver who really is a blessing and adds so much peace of mind and convenience to our regular bali holiday - something really valuable, especially when travelling with kids.
I also like to repay his kindness by helping him maybe get some new converts, like us, for the inevitable tough times when business is slow who hopefully will similarly extol his virtues to others, like I do. This forum is all about helping us get the best out of our Bali travels and finding excellent accommodation and transport are at the top of the list for us all. I always use BTF to research both these things first before leaving and have had various wins and a few fails, so am happy to pass on my good luck when I strike gold. Kind of like "paying it forward". :)
I have been reading the BTF and checking out driver suggestions for the last 14 years since my first trip to Bali in 98. I've read plenty of glowing reports about drivers who some have claimed to be so wonderful and scrupulously honest - so much so that they've even gone as far as investing in helping them purchase vehicles and set up in business. Unfortunately the expectations created have never lived up to reality when I've enlisted their services. This has been disappointing because I love Bali and come here often and have always wanted to find a good, trustworthy contact in Bali, but have never found anyone who quite ticks all of the boxes.
That has now changed because after 10 years of looking I have finally found the BEST driver ever, for us - and I am more than willing to share my good fortune with you all. :)
Before I give details, though, I'm going to preface this with a disclaimer. The driver I'm about to recommend is not a flashy, big talker who will promise you the world. He is the total opposite which is partially why I recommend him so strongly. I know that when he undertakes to be somewhere or do something for me, it will ALWAYS happen, exactly as promised. This is something that is hard to find in Bali, not because of honesty issues but mainly because the Balinese hate to disappoint so will say "yes, no problem" when really they mean "hmm, maybe - I'll try my best".
I have used Kadek 3 times now and have also sent many friends to Bali to be entrusted to his care, and all have come back happy and impressed with his gentle, quiet, kindness and honesty.
Here is my "honesty" test with drivers - I have yet to find one other than kadek who did not fail. Give your driver $30 and ask them to buy you a simpati or XL sim card for your phone at "Local Price". These sims are being sold for anyewhere from 20,000 up to 250,000 on the street when in reality they are less than 10,000k for locals to buy (which includes 5,000k credit - so really only 5,000k each. No matter WHAT I send Kadek to buy for me, he always, always, always comes back with the change at LOCAL price. He NEVER taxes it or adds his commission on top. Whether it's Bintang, sim cards, whatever - he has always only charged me what he was charged by the seller. (Of course, to be a fair test, the seller must not see you arranging the purchase with your driver otherwise they will almost certainly add the "tourist tax" on it themselves). After 3 visits and knowing that he always gives me the correct change, without fail, I have now stopped taking the change and just tell him to keep it. He has never failed me, once, and these are qualities that are not always easy to come by in Bali.
I have also entrusted him with several million rp to pay Artists/Tailors etc who have let me down by not having paintings and suits ready in time for my departing flight. I made arrangements with him to check the progress of the work, hurry it along and then wrap it and mail it on to me in Australia. After leaving him with roughly $US500 to pay the artist and tailor with and he did exactly as I asked and I have received my items safely and cheaply using sea mail and he has also sourced copious quantities of bubble-wrap for me by the meter at rockbottom local prices.
As well as being scrupulously honest he is also a very careful driver, which is very important to me as I'm very safety conscious. I have never had to ask him to slow down, he is naturally cautious, something I greatly appreciate with the precious cargo of my young son on board.
Which leads me to my next point. Although quiet and unnassuming - he knows how to keep my 7 year old amused and out of trouble. They enjoy hanging out together and I trust Kadek enough after several trips to leave him in his company for babysitting while I am doing "boring shopping", having a pedicure, whatever. Everywhere we go, Kadek has friends on almost every corner wherever we go and he introduces them to William and they all have a riot of laughs til it's time to go.
My son can be a handful, a bit over the top and a lot to handle sometimes - he NEVER stops talking, but he is kept under control and safe by Kadek and still enjoys himself. I have even extended my trust as far as having Kadek babysit him in our hotel room on a few occasions and have paid him a small hourly rate to watch dvd's with him until he fell asleep or keep an eye on him in the pool if it's during the day. He has never let him out of his sight and I am confident in his supervision of him, which says a lot because I have never before used daycare or had someone who was not a direct family member babysit my son.
You can never be too careful with your children, and I have felt confident with my assessment of Kadek in entrusting him with my son and actually, because he is able to be firm with him, I maybe trust his ability perhaps a little more than a female babysitter because I suspect that William would run rings around the balinese girls who would maybe struggle with exerting the authority required to keep him out of harm's way. It's hard to explain, but I guess it's a cultural thing that needs to be considered and I find that my son is able to be kept out of trouble better by Kadek than by the Balinese girls that he manages to charm into letting him get away with murder. (I have contemplated using female babysitters before but have visions of coming back to something along the lines of a room full of a dozen or so monkeys and several stray dogs and a giggling babysitter at her wit's end who doesn't know whether to collapse in a fit of laughter, tears or both)
Another useful service he has provided us is when we have moved around the island staying at different accommodation I have also had Kadek look after our luggage with laptops, nintendo DS's etc included. We took the fast boat to Lembongan Island for 3 days and while we were gone I left all our luggage (a large amount) with Kadek to save us lugging it around. Nothing has ever been touched or taken and, again, I trust him completely.
In addition we have made a couple of trips to Amlapura orphanage to drop off school supplies and rice and I will tell you now that it is fairly tricky to find, even when you have the street address because it is tucked up way behind the street front buildings at the back. Having taken us there twice he knows how to get there if anyone is interested in visiting the kids and bringing them donated clothes and educational supplies.
I have also sought his assistance in getting him to try and source certain product for me by giving him photos of what I'm after to locate suppliers for us to check out when we get back after spending a few nights offshore on Nusa Lembongan. He did a darn good job of helping us source some particularly hard to find ugly plaid suit fabric for some bad-taste 1970's safari suits that my Fiance wanted to have made. Thanks to Kadek we got the suits made and ready to take home by the day of our departure. Couldn't have achieved it without his investigative fabric sourcing during our side trip to Lembongan and, like I said , it was a freebie at no charge, just being his kind, helpful self :)
So yeah, he's a jack-of-all trades pretty much with services ranging from driver, navigator, tour guide, babysitter, luggage and shopping minder, personal shopper and babysitter. Best of all, he is a good guy, overall, who is quiet, respectful and honest. We have used him many times on long day trips (12 hours plus) and short trips of a few hours and he is fantastic and super-cheap for overnight trips. We have travelled round the island many times with him and he recommends places to visit and also does his best to seek out info on places I want to find.
We have done 3 overnight trips with him to places like Amlapura, Amed, Lovina, Ubud (he actually is based in Ubud but will travel anywhere to you - no problem. I spend half my time based in Legian and half in Ubud when I visit Bali and always use him no matter where I am - he will come get me at no extra cost if outside Ubud, no problems.
For tour itineraries he can recommend places to go if you'd like suggestions, or you can tell him where you'd like to go, it's up to you. Whatever the choice, never once have I been taken way out of the way to see some uncle or cousin's shop and nor have I ever been told a sob story about a relative with ailing health that requires urgent and expensive medical intervention. It's just not his style, he has never asked me for help and everything I have ever written on BTF about him or told my friends has solely been through my initiative because I've been so pleased with his services that have enhanced my Bali experience. He was so grateful for this that he refused payment for our transfer from Ubud to the airport on our last day and also spent a week carving us a beautiful large wooden statue as a parting goodbye gift. Other than this I have no reason or incentive to post about our driver and the great service he provides us except for the fact that I like to reward those who prove themselves deserving, and, like the rest of us - hate being ripped off.
Having said that, though, I am also not naive - the bottom line remains that Kadek is running a business and has a car loan to pay off and extended family to support. Just like the rest of us he works because he has to and not because he's an altruistic saint. He is in the business of making money but he conducts himself in such a dignified, respectful and honest way. I guess what I find so refreshing about him is that after being constantly haggled and pestered in Bali, Kadek's car and company is a relaxing, quiet, cool (great a/c) haven to escape into and enjoy the beautiful balinese scenery whizzing by with occasional chat. He is not a huge conversationalist - he won't initiate chat other than to occasionally point out something that may be of interest for us. He is not intrusive yet still pleasant and friendly - the perfect driver for us but each unto their own, of course. After several trips Kadek is comfortable with us and vice versa and on long overnight trips we often ask him to accompany us for lunch or dinner but he is a little shy and sometimes has to be encouraged to do so if that's what you'd like because he usually just disappears until he is needed (we keep in contact via sms or he is quietly keeping an eye out nearby and appears from nowhere when needed, almost telepathically).
He is NEVER imposing or in-your-face, and will never say yes to anything that is offered to him - food, drink, keep the change, etc. You kinda have to insist and actually hand him the purchased drink, snack or clearly say "no, no - keep the change" etc.
OK, well that's my best description - he may not be the perfect fit for you if you want an 'entertainer' or a big personality, but if you are looking for someone who will respect your privacy and need for personal space and be focused on helping you save $$$ where possible and getting the best value out of your travel dollar, he is fantastic and you will not be disappointed.
Particularly good when you go on overnight trips. He organises his own accommodation, meals, etc if it's a over-nighter and quietly makes sure that you have everything you need when you request it of him. Don't be afraid to ask - nothing is too much trouble and he will take care of you in an honest and confidence inspiring way.
He is also great with kids, a very responsible, polite and mild mannered 38 year old and has a nice mid sized black Xenia 4WD rego # DK 1140 with extra cool airconditioning that seats 5 adults plus driver at a squeeze or 3 plus driver and LOTS of luggage comfortably.. Nothing was too much trouble and he was extra nice and patient to the nth degree and helpful with anything we asked of him. His rates were great at 450,000 to 500,000 for a full day and we also negotiated an hourly rate with him for short shopping trips into denpasar or Sukawati.
His name is Kadek Long and he is based in Ubud but he is more than happy to pick you up from wherever you are. On this trip we brought friends with us and Kadek organised a second driver from his family with their own vehicle but a much larger mini van. His cousin, also a Kadek - Kadek Letuk or "Kadek2" as my son called him :) is a younger man, 28 years old and also very polite, kind, gentle and well mannered just like his older cousin. He and my young son also got on famously so if you have a larger family or group, Kadek Long can organise a second driver and larger vehicle. My friends who travelled in his vehicle said K2 was lovely and they were very happy with his services
If you'd like to book him or enquire about his availability and/or services, he is easy to contact at short notice via sms to take us out whenever we needed him or you can phone him for an immediate answer or email for arranging bookings in advance. On that note, however, don't be put oiff by his written English via email because his spoken English is much, much better. I have had some 'interesting' emails but I suspect he was relying on an online translator which really caused more confusion than anything because his spoken English is great.
He was really reliable and always on time, if anything we kept him waiting most of the time, but nothing was ever too much trouble and always done with a good natured smile.
I hope that he gets some work from this because after 5 trips to Bali it has taken me ten years to get such a great driver. Really pleasant, trustworthy, patient and reliable, his English is excellent, so no communication issues at all. I have left my email address open for anyone who would like more details about him, just remove the no-spam bit at the start :) You can contact Kadek direct on his mobile @ 081 338 123 629 and his email address is kadeklong@yahoo.com
He usually sits at the corner of Monkey forest road and jalan Dewisita in Ubud on some steps in a doorway at the corner of the soccer field - (we call it "Kadek Korner") if you want to talk to him face to face and check out his car - just ask around there for Kadek Long or look for his black Xenia 4 door registration plate DK 1140 :)
And if you do decide to give him a shot and try him out on our recommendation then please let hi use him please let him know you were referred by me (Lara) and please pass his details on to others if you are as happy as we were with his company and services!
KADEK LONG
cell/mobile number = 081 338 123 629
email address: kadeklong@yahoo.com
Black 4 door Xenia plate # DK1140
Anyway - hope this helps someone in their quest for a great driver!
Cheers,
Lara