Is Bali Safe?

I'll admit I was concerned when we first started considering a visit to Bali. I only knew two things about Bali
1) My wife always dreamed of visiting the island
2) There was a terrorist bombing there a few years ago

As I did more research into Bali, I heard over and over that it is safe to visit. It is a favorite vacation spot for Aussies, especially those from western Australia. But the bombing kept nagging at the back of my mind.

Well, I bit the bullet and went along with the plan. We landed on New Year's Eve and watched the fireworks lugging our baggage through the airport. Check out the video here.

The plan was to spend a month in Bali. So we rented a car to see the island, staying in Kuta, Sanur, Ubud, Uluwatu, Amed, and more.

The island is spectacular and I am so glad we had the chance to see all that Bali has to offer. We made it out alive too!

But is Bali Safe?

Bali is definitely a third-world place. There is a high level of poverty and daily life for the Balinese is much more difficult than what we're accustomed to. From what we saw, the people were some of the friendliest, good-natured and generous we've ever met. I couldn't imagine a Balinese person becoming hostile enough to harm a tourist.

In retrospect, renting a car to drive the island was not safe. The roads are not well marked, super narrow and very windy. Motorbikes are everywhere and love to pass from all sides. Our toddlers were in booster seats, buckled (most the time). Instead of an actual carseat, we had to use a baby seat made for a  bicycle. I was white-knuckled the whole time I drove. We should have hired a driver to take us from city to city. It probably would have been cheaper too!

We made it 29 days without any significant incident. OK, I may have left some paint on a few parked cars and we had to pay off a cop in Sauur, but both are to be expected, I suppose.

On our last full day, I was walking back from dropping off laundry in the morning. I stepped out to cross the street and heard some shouts. As I was turning to see what it was, I felt a motorbike hit my ankle and saw the driver fly by! I guess I should have looked both ways before crossing the street (I only repeat it ad nauseum to our kids). For the record, he was going the wrong way down a one-way street (and pretty fast too).

He got the worst of it. But we were both fine and gave each other a thumb's up before going our separate ways.

Do you think Bali is safe? Let us know below...

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Is Bali Safe?

I'll admit I was concerned when we first started considering a visit to Bali. I only knew two things about Bali
1) My wife always dreamed of visiting the island
2) There was a terrorist bombing there a few years ago

As I did more research into Bali, I heard over and over that it is safe to visit. It is a favorite vacation spot for Aussies, especially those from western Australia. But the bombing kept nagging at the back of my mind.

Well, I bit the bullet and went along with the plan. We landed on New Year's Eve and watched the fireworks lugging our baggage through the airport. Check out the video here.

The plan was to spend a month in Bali. So we rented a car to see the island, staying in Kuta, Sanur, Ubud, Uluwatu, Amed, and more.

The island is spectacular and I am so glad we had the chance to see all that Bali has to offer. We made it out alive too!

But is Bali Safe?

Bali is definitely a third-world place. There is a high level of poverty and daily life for the Balinese is much more difficult than what we're accustomed to. From what we saw, the people were some of the friendliest, good-natured and generous we've ever met. I couldn't imagine a Balinese person becoming hostile enough to harm a tourist.

In retrospect, renting a car to drive the island was not safe. The roads are not well marked, super narrow and very windy. Motorbikes are everywhere and love to pass from all sides. Our toddlers were in booster seats, buckled (most the time). Instead of an actual carseat, we had to use a baby seat made for a  bicycle. I was white-knuckled the whole time I drove. We should have hired a driver to take us from city to city. It probably would have been cheaper too!

We made it 29 days without any significant incident. OK, I may have left some paint on a few parked cars and we had to pay off a cop in Sauur, but both are to be expected, I suppose.

On our last full day, I was walking back from dropping off laundry in the morning. I stepped out to cross the street and heard some shouts. As I was turning to see what it was, I felt a motorbike hit my ankle and saw the driver fly by! I guess I should have looked both ways before crossing the street (I only repeat it ad nauseum to our kids). For the record, he was going the wrong way down a one-way street (and pretty fast too).

He got the worst of it. But we were both fine and gave each other a thumb's up before going our separate ways.

Do you think Bali is safe? Let us know below...

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Pering Bungalows, Ubud, Bali

We stayed at the Pering Bungalows on 3 separate occasions so it must be a decent hotel, right?  Pering Bungalows is located near the northern corner of the soccer field off Monkey road in Ubud.  The location is quiet and perfect for exploring Ubud.

The accommodations are a bit dated but the beds are comfortable and the rooms are big.  Our favorite room was #4 downstairs.  We had a double bed and an extra mattress on the floor for the kids.  The rooms downstairs have aircon while the rooms upstairs get a nice breeze and are fan only.  We stayed a couple nights in the fan only room upstairs and did not need aircon.  Although it was January and the nights were a bit chilly.


All rooms are big with larges terraces to enjoy afternoon coffee or tea.  A large breakfast is served on the terrace every morning.  Breakfast was a fruit plate with coffee or tea and choice of either a banana pancake or eggs and toast.

The bathrooms are huge but also a bit dark and dated.  Water pressure was fine but could always be improved.  Wifi was excellent last time we stayed however the two previous times it was hit and miss.  Their is also a pool that the kids loved playing in a few times despite being so cold, but it was January so maybe it warms up in the summer.




Pering Bungalows seems to get people who stay long term year after year.  We paid $20 USD a night however our neighbor paid $17 a night so negotiate everything.  The people who run the hotel are incredibly nice and accommodating.  We really enjoyed staying here and would probably stay here again.  I know there are better places but you get a lot for your money here!




http://www.peringbungalow.com/

Anyone recommend another place to stay in Ubud?  Please share with us

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Monkey Forest

Monkeys, monkeys everywhere, jumping on your head and jumping on the beds (wait, that's my kids at home!).  We loved monkey forest!  There are monkeys everywhere and they are aggressive.  Nick saw a monkey's tail (he thinks) laying on the ground.  Poor monkey!

We loved walking around and exploring the different trails and statues and seeing all the monkeys.  We also loved seeing the waterfall and bridge with dragons and the koi fish.

The monkeys rule this forest and they have no fear.  B wanted to carry his backpack with a water bottle sticking out and several monkeys started to stalk him.  Good thing Nick intervened or B might have had a monkey tackle him.  Don't carry a plastic bag or water bottle or any bag for that matter.  The monkeys try and steal everything.  Most times they are successful.  And if you try a showdown with the monkeys to get your stuff back they bare their teeth and scare the heck out of you.  They win!

On our way back up from the stream (which is quite a hike down), we were mesmerized by a few fighting monkeys. They are fierce!

Who loves a good monkey fight?

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Monkey Forest

Monkeys, monkeys everywhere, jumping on your head and jumping on the beds (wait, that's my kids at home!).  We loved monkey forest!  There are monkeys everywhere and they are aggressive.  Nick saw a monkey's tail (he thinks) laying on the ground.  Poor monkey!

We loved walking around and exploring the different trails and statues and seeing all the monkeys.  We also loved seeing the waterfall and bridge with dragons and the koi fish.

The monkeys rule this forest and they have no fear.  B wanted to carry his backpack with a water bottle sticking out and several monkeys started to stalk him.  Good thing Nick intervened or B might have had a monkey tackle him.  Don't carry a plastic bag or water bottle or any bag for that matter.  The monkeys try and steal everything.  Most times they are successful.  And if you try a showdown with the monkeys to get your stuff back they bare their teeth and scare the heck out of you.  They win!

On our way back up from the stream (which is quite a hike down), we were mesmerized by a few fighting monkeys. They are fierce!

Who loves a good monkey fight?

Follow our adventures on Facebook!

My first motorbike ride was a bloody mess!

At times, Ubud is nothing but bumper to bumper traffic... unless you have a motorbike. It has been amazing to watch riders navigate through cars. I had only planned on watching but Cam has had a terrible cough for several days now and we'd been debating whether to take him to a doctor or not. He sounded pretty bad yesterday, so we took him to the doctor to have him checked out. Actually, Nick came in our room and said the the people at the guest house are waiting out front to take us to the clinic. Before I could think it totally through, little Cam was strapped in the baby bjorn, I was on the back of a motorbike, and away we went. No helmets, of course. Did I mention I'm terrified of motorbikes?

The guy turned out to be an excellent driver, methodically moving in and out of cars and taking secret side streets to get us past traffic. The first 2 km were uneventful and I started to ease up on my death grip. That was until we hit the jungle road with hanging vines and monkeys in the trees! My fear shifted from the bike to worrying that a monkey was going to jump on my helmet-less head (thanks Mary!). Thankfully, no moneys jumped on our heads.


We arrived at the clinic and Cam checked out fine. As we left the clinic to get back on the motorbike that is when I saw my worst nightmare. This man walks in after being in a motorbike accident. His entire right side was covered in blood and his elbow was sticking out about 2 inches. The man (who happened to be from Sedona, AZ!) assures me he's fine and that it was just a tiny motorbike accident. Um, just? And very gross!

So Cam and I jump on the back and away we go for a very uneventful but still nerve racking ride back home. Thus ending my first and most likely last motorbike ride. Or will it be?  Most likely not. But here's the thing, motorbikes are a way of life in most countries. They make it quick and easy to get around. And people will load them up with their entire family or an entire business.





This is the norm here. This is everyday life and people survive just fine.   Cultural norms are a funny thing.  Like car seats for kids ... required in Western cultures but not in the rest of the world.  We do a lot of things outside the US that would never be acceptable in the US.  It's just a different cultural perspective.

 

Oh, the things that seem so normal to do in other countries that you would never think to do in the US!






Ever rode a motorbike with an 8 month old strapped to your front and no helmets? Let us know your best and worst motorbike experience in the comments.

Follow our adventures on Facebook!

My first motorbike ride was a bloody mess!

At times, Ubud is nothing but bumper to bumper traffic... unless you have a motorbike. It has been amazing to watch riders navigate through cars. I had only planned on watching but Cam has had a terrible cough for several days now and we'd been debating whether to take him to a doctor or not. He sounded pretty bad yesterday, so we took him to the doctor to have him checked out. Actually, Nick came in our room and said the the people at the guest house are waiting out front to take us to the clinic. Before I could think it totally through, little Cam was strapped in the baby bjorn, I was on the back of a motorbike, and away we went. No helmets, of course. Did I mention I'm terrified of motorbikes?

The guy turned out to be an excellent driver, methodically moving in and out of cars and taking secret side streets to get us past traffic. The first 2 km were uneventful and I started to ease up on my death grip. That was until we hit the jungle road with hanging vines and monkeys in the trees! My fear shifted from the bike to worrying that a monkey was going to jump on my helmet-less head (thanks Mary!). Thankfully, no moneys jumped on our heads.


We arrived at the clinic and Cam checked out fine. As we left the clinic to get back on the motorbike that is when I saw my worst nightmare. This man walks in after being in a motorbike accident. His entire right side was covered in blood and his elbow was sticking out about 2 inches. The man (who happened to be from Sedona, AZ!) assures me he's fine and that it was just a tiny motorbike accident. Um, just? And very gross!

So Cam and I jump on the back and away we go for a very uneventful but still nerve racking ride back home. Thus ending my first and most likely last motorbike ride. Or will it be?  Most likely not. But here's the thing, motorbikes are a way of life in most countries. They make it quick and easy to get around. And people will load them up with their entire family or an entire business.





This is the norm here. This is everyday life and people survive just fine.   Cultural norms are a funny thing.  Like car seats for kids ... required in Western cultures but not in the rest of the world.  We do a lot of things outside the US that would never be acceptable in the US.  It's just a different cultural perspective.

 

Oh, the things that seem so normal to do in other countries that you would never think to do in the US!






Ever rode a motorbike with an 8 month old strapped to your front and no helmets? Let us know your best and worst motorbike experience in the comments.

Follow our adventures on Facebook!