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Sep 10, 2003
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Going to Kuta in late Apr looking for any tips on shopping, eating out, best places to buy DVD's, watches, clothes, knock offs and real brands, etc.


How much should you pay for DVD's, shorts t-shirts

Also things to go and see.
 
i just went to bali and i stayed at the hard rock hotel.

don't get dvds i say, they aren't that good of quality and clothes are cheap in the retail shops. i got 4 quiksilver shirts for 100 australian, but make sure you get the bigger size. a lot of the shirts are suited for smaller people. shoes are cheap as well in the retail shops and so are watches.

the retail shops are the best places to buy stuff and the street vendors aren't. dodge the the people oin the street trying to sell you stuff, they are dodgy as.

there are heaps of tours you can go on, from a volcano tour to river rafting. your hotel should have the tour outlets

when you leave it's 150000rp to get out of the country
 
You can get a bintang singlet for 20,000 or a shirt in a nice air conditioned shop for a 500,000. All depends what you're looking for as to where you look.

DVDs are generally 15 for 100,000 and the quality varies. I bought seasons 1-11 of TopGear and the quality is fine. If you're expecting 1080p and 7 channel surround sound I'd suggest not looking in Bali.

Importantly, the 150,000 on the way out must be paid in cash and the ATM is outside the terminal, so if you check in and don't have 150,000 it's a pain in the arse.
 

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I have 1 t-shirt left from my visit to Bali. I had to drink 10 or so pots and at the end of the holiday I had 8 Koala Blu T-shirts. That was in '89 so quality aint that bad.

The t-shirt is more than likely older than most on this site. :eek:
 
damochandler said:
i just went to bali and i stayed at the hard rock hotel.

don't get dvds i say, they aren't that good of quality and clothes are cheap in the retail shops. i got 4 quiksilver shirts for 100 australian, but make sure you get the bigger size. a lot of the shirts are suited for smaller people. shoes are cheap as well in the retail shops and so are watches.

the retail shops are the best places to buy stuff and the street vendors aren't. dodge the the people oin the street trying to sell you stuff, they are dodgy as.

there are heaps of tours you can go on, from a volcano tour to river rafting. your hotel should have the tour outlets

when you leave it's 150000rp to get out of the country
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You failed at Bali.
 
change your money in bali, exchange rate is so much better, people say dont trust thier money exchangers but you would have to be a complete moron to be ripped off, just count your cash after you get it. (use your mobiles calculator to work it out)

balinese folk love aussie one dollar coins. they melt them down to make jewellery or something, they will love you if you tip them with these

dvds or good, should pay about a dollar each for them depending on how many you buy, the new release ones ( movies currently showing in cinemas ) are most likely recorded in a cinema and hence terrible, but other movies are normal dvd quality

the suit i had made was terrible, wouldnt bother with one. ( for $60 it was worth a try though)

pocari sweat is an awesome sports drink too
 
chunkylover said:
change your money in bali, exchange rate is so much better, people say dont trust thier money exchangers but you would have to be a complete moron to be ripped off, just count your cash after you get it. (use your mobiles calculator to work it out)

balinese folk love aussie one dollar coins. they melt them down to make jewellery or something, they will love you if you tip them with these

dvds or good, should pay about a dollar each for them depending on how many you buy, the new release ones ( movies currently showing in cinemas ) are most likely recorded in a cinema and hence terrible, but other movies are normal dvd quality

the suit i had made was terrible, wouldnt bother with one. ( for $60 it was worth a try though)

pocari sweat is an awesome sports drink too
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what i was told the first time i went to bali, everyone said to tell the money exchange person. count the money on the table or counter.
 
Waterbom Park is good. Here is a map i sent to my brother when he was going.

Get there for opening time (10am...I think)

Head straight to the gazebo spot i marked on the map and camp in one of the gazebos for the day. They are located just to the right hand side of a big kiddies pool with play equipment in the middle. Just make sure one of your group is attending it at any one time.

You will find that you have toilets/showers about 20m to your left of it and a kiosk where u can buy drinks (yes Beer as well) and ice creams about 20m to your right. You pay using a credit tag bracelet thingy, but worry about that after u have secured a gazebo.

Also, u have a kiddies pool right in front of u...good if u have kids. The slides are pretty good, but then again Im from Perth and there are only lame slides here.
waterbompark.jpg
 
I've had DVDs from Thailand, China, Bali. Some don't work, some are Cams (filmed in cinema with cam in hand), some you get towards the end and discover you can't watch the ending, and some work.

Isn't it way better to download from the net?
 
HarryTiger said:
I've had DVDs from Thailand, China, Bali. Some don't work, some are Cams (filmed in cinema with cam in hand), some you get towards the end and discover you can't watch the ending, and some work.

Isn't it way better to download from the net?
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You get exactly the same issues.
 
bac said:
Going to Kuta in late Apr looking for any tips on shopping, eating out, best places to buy DVD's, watches, clothes, knock offs and real brands, etc.


How much should you pay for DVD's, shorts t-shirts

Also things to go and see.
Click to expand...

I'd suggest you try Baliforum for more specifics but to give you a basic guide DVD's are normally 10K ea (which is about $1.20) but if you buy 10 you get 2-3 free (depending on the shop). If you buy 100 some places give you up to 50 free. As for quality well some are very good & some are crap. Normally the real latest release stuff (just at the movies) are ordinary quality but I've found that if you ask the shop owners/workers more often than not they will tell you the quality. In any case you can always get them to put it on the telly for you to have a look. Always skip to the last chapter to check as if its going to stuff up its usually at the end of the disk.

For cloths there are places like Discovery Mall that have real brands but most of the stuff is similar prices to here so why bother??? There is a pretty good "factory outlet" just on the outskirts so this is an option to stop at when you are doing day trips. If you're in Kuta try the art market for cheap cloths. If you can't find it go to the beach opposite hard rock, turn left facing the water & walk about 100-200m. The market runs up from the beach to I think its Kartika plaza. Singlets start from 15K for bintang, 20-25 for rip curl, T-shirts 25-35 for fake quicksilver etc, shorts I think were about 30-35k for fakes. Sunnies are 15-20 (buy heaps they don't last long). Of course you will have to barter to get to a price but just remember to have fun & don't get aggressive when bartering. Also you may have to ask for the fakes (Rip Curl etc) as every now & then the Authorities clamp down so the stalls have them hidden away under the counter. For watches there are places everywhere but I think the stalls around Kuta square seem to have the best range. You can get the really cheap fakes that are battery opperated & they are around 30-50K (the beach sellers have these usually the cheapest) or you can get the better quality automatic watches that have dates, weekdays etc that should all work. These watches are much heavier & much more expensive but in my experience last longer & look better. These usually range between $20-50 depending on the style & your bargaining powers.

For eating out don't be afraid to try the Warungs in the side streets a lanes. They are cheap & more often very good food. If you go up to Ubud try to get to a place that serves Babi Gulling (Suckling Pig) its fantastic. There are some very nice western style restaurants along the beach in Legian/Seminyak & the Lanai is one of my favourites. I hate to say don't go to Jimbaran Bay as it is a good experience but there's just too many places trying to rip you off with dodgy scales, food swapping (they don't cook the fresh fish you pick out) & very inflated pricing. If you get a chance check out the Beach House on Echo beach for a great view & good food. Its out of the way but worth it.

If you want to do some day tours or airport transfers I can give you the contact details for a Bali friend I have who has a nice 4wd & can take you to places like the monkey forrest, elelphant cave, tannah lot, Ulawatu, Ubud, Bali safari park or wherever you want to go & can also organise things like white water rafting (a great day out & must do). PM me if you want his details even if you only want a comparrison (do not book any tours through your hotel or from agents here as they are expensive). I have used him many times, trust him completely & have no problem in reccomending him to others.
 

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Remember don't drink the tap water there and be very careful you dont have dirty hands when eating, putting your hands near your mouth etc as it is very easy to get Bali Belly (Food Poisoning) due to the bacteria in the water. Having Ice in your drinks should be fine though I found.
User bottled water for drinking, brush your teeth and dont drink the water in the shower.

I had bali belly when I went over there and was trying to be careful with these things but still got it! never felt so sick and was bed ridden for 2-3 days of my holiday :(

When batering don't be afriad to walk away as there is always a stall near by which sells the same stuff. in the first day or 2 you will get an idea of what things cost.
Also watch out for the Bali Boys who come out at night. When I was there a couple of them rode around on a scooter and jumped off and ran up to me and my mate as we left the pub. They were putting there hands all over us, and i gather trying to pick our pockets/steal our jewellery.
 
Dookey901 said:
Having Ice in your drinks should be fine though I found.

I had bali belly when I went over there and was trying to be careful with these things but still got it! never felt so sick and was bed ridden for 2-3 days of my holiday :(
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I think you found your answer there.

Ice is as dangerous as the water it is made from. Many resorts have their own ice machines and will only use filtered water, but often the smaller bars, restaurants and stalls buy their ice on the street from guys who move from place to place with massive slabs of ice, carving a bit off at each stop.

This isn't just restricted to Bali, I saw the exact same thing happen in Cairo (although there the enormous slab of ice was literally being dragged along the ground in a busy market).

Moral of the story, ice ain't safe.
 
patsmith said:
I think you found your answer there.

Ice is as dangerous as the water it is made from. Many resorts have their own ice machines and will only use filtered water, but often the smaller bars, restaurants and stalls buy their ice on the street from guys who move from place to place with massive slabs of ice, carving a bit off at each stop.

This isn't just restricted to Bali, I saw the exact same thing happen in Cairo (although there the enormous slab of ice was literally being dragged along the ground in a busy market).

Moral of the story, ice ain't safe.
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In Bali, thats often true, although the vast majority of bars that tourists drink in will use "clean" ice.

The real moral of the story is that most Aussies have pissweak constitutions and need to spend some time in other parts of the world to toughen up :p
 
patsmith said:
Ice is as dangerous as the water it is made from.
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Actually it is ussually quite safe to have the ice. It’s government-quality controlled in established bars and restaurants. Just keep an eye out for where they get it from and even just ask them. If you have any doubts dont have ice at all. The bags of ice you buy from the 7-11 strores etc.. are fine.

Just drink the bottles of Bintang and you have nothing to worry about :)
 
Dookey901 said:
Actually it is ussually quite safe to have the ice. It’s government-quality controlled in established bars and restaurants. Just keep an eye out for where they get it from and even just ask them. If you have any doubts dont have ice at all. The bags of ice you buy from the 7-11 strores etc.. are fine.

Just drink the bottles of Bintang and you have nothing to worry about :)
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Well, apart from drinking pretty s**t beer.... :p
 
Eagle87 said:
In Bali, thats often true, although the vast majority of bars that tourists drink in will use "clean" ice.

The real moral of the story is that most Aussies have pissweak constitutions and need to spend some time in other parts of the world to toughen up :p
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Such as?
 
Dookey901 said:
It's not too bad. you need to make sure they get one from the back of the fridge. They are best really cold :)
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Like most beers. Balis weather doesnt help things either. I like my beers very close to freezing point so I always get the maids to rotate a few through the freezer. Dont go buying the big bottles or it will taste like cats piss when half way through...not that I know what that tastes like.

Try rotating a couple of cans in the mini bar freezer if u are staying in a hotel.

I get horrid hangovers from Bintang.
 
4n20 said:
Like most beers. Balis weather doesnt help things either. I like my beers very close to freezing point so I always get the maids to rotate a few through the freezer.

I get horrid hangovers from Bintang.
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We got them to do the same thing, with the beers in the freezer. They tasted much better when they were really chilled.

I found the hangovers with bintang to be no differetn to what you get with any beer
 
Dookey901 said:
We got them to do the same thing, with the beers in the freezer. They tasted much better when they were really chilled.

I found the hangovers with bintang to be no differetn to what you get with any beer
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I sweat like an absolute pig over there so it was probably due to me not drinking enough water.
 
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