I have been living in Bali for two weeks now. I am slowly seeing the island and learning about the culture. All while teaching english. It has been interesting.
Ghost Palace Hotel
I went on a little excursion last week with some Tribe members. We stopped at the Ghost Palace Hotel. Originally known as PI Bedugul Taman Rekreasi Hotel and Resort.
Room at the Ghost Palace Hotel
Who sat here?
Creepy Bathroom
I am not sure if it is really haunted, but it does have an interesting story. The hotel was almost finished when the owner went to jail and the project stopped. It never opened.
The hotel is open to the public. You just have to pay the “security guard” at the fence a few dollars. It is massive. I only had time to explore the lobby area. I plan to go back. But not at night or by myself.
Court Yard Ghost Palace Hotel
In America, a place like this would be boarded up with “no trespassing” signs everywhere. Or it would be a “historic museum” with a $10 donation to see three rooms. Just look. Don’t touch.
I fell in a hole
That is the story. I went to the corner store for some candy and was running from tree to tree so I wouldn’t get hit by a scooter.
I took a step backwards and fell in a water canal that runs down the side of the road. Thankfully there was no water in it. I ended up with a few scrapes and bruises but my pride was hurt the most. A little girl watched the whole thing.
Past my prime?
I was in class with a twelve year old Chinese girl. I was asking about her family. She was very good at english and we could carry on a simple conversation.
She asked me if I had any children. I said, “No.” Then she asked if I had a husband. I said, “No.” Looking at me with confusion, she asked, “How old are you?.” “I am 34.”
Well at this point she was about to fall off her chair. “No, no, no,” shaking her head, “You should have a husband and children.”
Imagine how you feel when your mom questions you at Thanksgiving. Trust me, a twelve year old girl… ten times worse.
Pahk the Cah
VIPKID is going well. Even though I do not have a thick accent anymore, I can not deny the facts. I will always eat Fluffernutters, it’s a bureau not a dresser and I will never say my R’s right.
Guess what my lesson was covering… the “ar” sound. I might have skipped over some stuff and pretended the connection was bad.
So don’t worry.. the kids in China will speak Boston. It’s called well rounded.
I discussed this in my last blog. I was shocked the hostels have had western toilets.
Normally, places in Asia have a squat toilet. This photo is of a bathroom at a house I was visiting.
If you ever come across this yourself. It is okay. Be confident and act like you know what to do. If you really don’t, then you can learn here.
Travel Tip
No shoes past this point.
Shoes are a big no no. Homes, restaurants, stores, hotel rooms, etc. It is really nice to walk around bare foot. Although, I have had a few moments where I felt like I forgot something.
Is Indonesia expensive? Isn’t Bali even more expensive? Can you afford to live there full time? What is the cost of living? Why Bali?
Wait. Let me stop right here. WHY BALI? If you could work from anywhere in the world, why wouldn’t you want to work in Bali?
Tribe Theory Bali
Can you afford to live in Bali? Yes. Well I think so. I hope so. I’m going to find out. How much does it really cost to live full-time in Indonesia?
I have a lot of questions. And I don’t have a lot of answers… yet. I told people I wanted a break from nursing and was moving to Bali for the Summer. I knew it was going to be a pay cut from nursing but really, How much does your sanity cost?
“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”
George Lorimer
The plan… my plan… is to work teaching English online with VIPKID while traveling around Indonesia.
I am keeping track of all my expenses every day from accommodations to insurance. I don’t want to bore you with all that. However, if you want all the nitty gritty just keep scrolling past the credits. How did I do week one?
Accommodations: $126.00 I have a private room in a co-working hostel. Great Wifi and great people.
Travel/Transportation: $111.41 This includes transportation to the airport in Las Vegas AND MY FLIGHT to Bali. Not so bad then.
Food/Drink: $93.74 I need to cut my food bill down. More buying my own groceries and not eating at the hostel everyday.
Amazing Vegan Pasta (I don’t know what makes it vegan, but I don’t care, it’s good)
Bank Fees: $31.98 I know why most people don’t think it is cheap to travel. It’s the damn bank fees.
Travel Insurance: $11.88 Travel Insurance. I use SafetyWing. I have never used them before so I can’t give an opinion.
TOTAL: $459.37
Now I know that seems like a lot. It does to me too. The thing to remember is the total includes my flight, airport transportation, my visa and simcard. And this was over nine days. So it’s really only $51/day. Next week will be better. Either way, it is only 23 hours of work with VIPKID.
Now all the details…
Saturday June 22 — Total: $166.29
1. Accommodations — $14.00 I am staying in a private room at Tribe Theory. 2. Travel/Transportation — $101.71 The airplane ticket to Bali was $12.00 (Yes, $12.00). When I booked my flight I picked a window seat but realized later I wanted an aisle seat. There were not any free aisle seats left so I had to buy a seat for $50.00. Total fail on my part. My Uber ride to the airport in Vegas was $22.01. The car from the airport in Bali to my hostel was $17.70. 3. Food and Drink — $2.21 I ate and drank for free all day at two different airports using my lounge access. Unlimited food and cocktails. You don’t have to ask me twice. And I had one celebratory beer at my hostel that cost $2.21. 4. Bank Fees — $11.37 Bank fees are going to kill me. All of the ATMs I have found only let you take out 2,500,000 IDR. Most 100’s I will ever hold in my hand. It’s really only $177.38. Help! 5. Miscellaneous — $37.00 My VOA (visa on arrival). You can get into Indonesia for 30 days free, but if you want to extend another 30 days, you need to pay up front.
My first official beer in Bali!
Sunday June 23 — $26.81
1. Accommodations — $14.00 Private Room Tribe Theory 2. Travel — $0.00 I didn’t go any where because I was exhausted from travel and slept most the day. 3. Food/Drink — $12.81 I ate all my meals at my hostel. I ate two full meals that were each $5.30. I also had a watermelon smoothie for $2.21.
Monday June 24 — $70.72
1. Accommodations — $14.00 Still at Tribe Theory 2. Travel — $1.35 My GOJEK scooter was $0.78 one way to the beach and $0.57 back. (Yes, cents) 3. Food/Drink — $18.37 I had a coffee by the beach for $3.47. Then enjoyed the views at a restuarant on the water. The total at the restaurant was $10.65 (I was treating my self). Dinner at the hostel was $4.25. 4. Bank Fees — $10.31 Again, Really?! Bank of America is charging me $5 of that. FYI The ATMS’s around Bali have a cheaper fee then at the airport. I remember when I was in Thailand, I spent as much in bank fees as I spent on food and drinks. 5. Groceries — $26.69 I spent $26.69 on groceries. I got scammed. My plan is to eat my own food for breakfast (except my latte) to save money, so it should even out. 6. Miscellaneous- $0.00 I did a free fitness class.
The infamous groceries.
Worth every penny for that view.
Tuesday June 25 — $31.43
1. Accommodations — $14.00 Tribe Theory 2. Travel — $3.75 I took an actual GO-CAR to visit the Tanah Temple. I split it with my friend so one way was $3.75. 3. Food/Drink — $13.54 I had breakfast and coffee at the hostel for $6.73 and dinner for $4.60. Oh, and almost forgot my beer for $2.21. 4. Miscellaneous — $0.14 We tipped the Sadhu after receiving our blessing.
Wednesday June 26 — Total: $31.70
1. Accommodations — $14.00 2. Travel — $0.00 I didn’t go anywhere. Just relaxed. 3. Food/Drink — $17.70 I made my own breakfast but I did buy an iced latte for $1.77. I went out to dinner at an awesome restaurant on the water. I picked my own fish and then they cooked it right in front of me. $8.14 for a fancy meal and beer. So good. I ate lunch at my hostel for $7.79.
Receiving my blessing.
Washing my hands with holy water before my blessing.
Thursday June 27 — $36.16
1. Accommodations — $14.00 2. Travel — $2.69 I needed to get a SImcard so I had backup internet for teaching. You can buy them anywhere but they don’t always work. I went into Denpasar so my GOJEK was a little pricey at $2.69. 3. Food/Drink — $10.62 I made my own breakfast, but I bought my latte for $1.77. I ate lunch and dinner at the hostel. The food is so good and they have large portions but are a little expensive (for Bali standards). I need to venture out. 4. Miscellaneous — $8.85 I bought a simcard so I will have backup internet to teach with.
Friday June 28 — $32.23
1. Accommodations — $14.00 Same… 2. Travel — $1.91 Went to the beach. 3. Food/Drink — $6.02 My morning latte and one meal. I made my own breakfast. 4. Bank Fees — I Can’t even look… $10.30 You may be wondering why I have had to go to the ATM three times. My debit card had a bunch of charges on it that were not mine. It didn’t happen in Bali. It started before I left. Anyway, I needed to pull out cash to survive until my new card finds me in Bali. I don’t have high hopes.
Saturday June 29 — $24.70
1. Accommodations — $14.00 Same for another week. 2. Travel — $0.00 I worked on my computer and walked to the store. 3. Food/Drink — $10.70 I had my breakfast latte and my own breakfast. For lunch I walked down the street and found Chicken Satay for $2.21. I stopped at a little stand on the side of the road for desert. Two homemade deserts for $0.21. After dinner, I went to the corner store and got three types of wafers bars for $0.85.
My morning crack.
Sunday June 30 — $27.45
1.Accommodations — $14.00 I haven’t moved anywhere. 2.Travel/Transportation — $0.00 I hitched a ride to the gym with a guy at the hostel. 3. Food/Drink — $1.77 My regular morning latte. I know I should probably just make my own coffee to save money, but it’s like going to Starbucks. Should you spend $6.00 on a grande soy extra hot (I don’t understand extra hot, it’s hot and it has to cool down before you can drink it anyway) sugar free mocha and don’t forget the whipped cream? No, but we do and it starts our day on a good note. 4. Groceries — $9.91 We stopped at a fruit stand and Pepito’s (frown face) on the way home. 5. Miscellaneous — $1.77 I went to gym.
Until next week…
Disclaimer: The math is true to the best of my knowledge. I’m sure someone out there will find a mistake… because thats what people do on the internet.
I have been living in Bali for almost a week. Its been a great week of meeting friends and finding my way around. Here is what I did, what I learned and what I don’t want to do again.
Next to the Tanah Lot Temple
1. You don’t need to bring your snowboard.
I might have gotten really excited when I was waiting for my luggage at the airport. All these “snowboard” bags were everywhere. Obviously, it was snowboard season in hot humid Indonesia!
Yes, I promise it only took me a minute or two. Surfboards.
Remember, I am blonde underneath this purple hair.
2. One tourist attraction off my List, barely.
There are the typical top 10 tourist things to do anywhere you go. I knocked one off the Bali list when I went to the Tanah Lot Temple. I went with a new friend from my hostel Tribe Theory.
Our original plan was to leave at 6:00 am and drive scooters to the temple before the crowds.
Our new plan began when both the scooters we rented would not start, we could not get a GO-RIDE (see below) and the GO-CAR we rented wasn’t moving on the app. Since this would be my first time riding a scooter in Bali, I took this as a sign. Finally, on our last attempt before saying screw it, a GO-CAR driver was headed our way.
We arrived at the temple around 7 and missed the sunrise but we were the only ones there and the tide was still low enough for us to walk all the way to the temple. We received some type of blessing that we all know I need.
Tanah Lot Temple
3. No more autographs, please.
You might not know it, but I am a celebrity in China. I know. I know. You are not surprised. It was only a matter of time until I was discovered as they say.
Anyway, I have heard of this happening in certain parts of the world. But it has never happened to me.
As we were leaving the Temple, a tour bus had pulled in. We weren’t in our typical celebrity disguises because we just wanted to “be normal.” We were spotted almost instantly.
Just Two Famous People
A Chinese man approached us and asked us nicely if we would take a photo with him. Confused but being polite, we said sure. The photo was taken. Then a woman joined the man for another photo. Then just the woman by herself. Then two more people jumped in. Then another man. Then an older lady. Then the man and the old lady. Then a group photo with everyone.
We could not walk more than five feet when someone walked up to us asking for a photo. Finally, we nicely declined and got out of there.
From what I have been told and please understand I am not trying to be disrespectful in any way. If someone has a better explanation, please let me know. Many of these people are from more remote areas and have never seen people of another race in person. To them, we are people that are only in books and on tv.
People go on vacation and take photos of sights they have only seen in a brochure. So ultimately, a photo with two light-skinned, blonde and purple-haired females is the same as taking a photo with Cinderella at Disney World.
4. It’s a real toilet, kinda.
WARNING. This is getting a little personal. If you have ever been to southeast Asia, you understand and if not, sorry.
I actually have a flushable toilet. I mean it. You can flush pee, poop AND toilet paper.
Now I’ll be honest I haven’t really asked if it can flush everything but if not, there is usually a hose and a bucket. And a large sign warning you of what will come if you put anything other than human waste in the toilet.
I was nervous at first. I eased into it by only putting toilet paper in the toilet every other time. No issues yet and its been 4 days of semi-consistent flushing.
I say semi because my toilet does still have the ass cleaning water hose. I’m starting to get why people use it. It makes sense. Wiping with toilet paper instead of using the water hose is like washing with baby wipes instead of taking a shower. Something to think about.
One question though… I’m confused about what to do after. I mean, your bottom is clean but it’s wet. I’ve been using toilet paper to dry but normal households in many countries do not have toilet paper in their bathrooms. I have definitely done the shake shake after peeing in the woods at a pit party (It’s a hometown thing). But let’s be honest, it doesn’t work.
The whole thing is a mystery to me. Please help.
5. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck… It’s a Tourist Trap
I got scammed. It’s my own fault. I should have known when I walked in and only saw tourists shopping. Tip-off #1.
I needed to get groceries. I put a grocery store in google maps and off I went to what looked like a typical American grocery store. Tipoff #2.
I was so excited to see they had all the same brands, I bought back home in the US. Tipoff #3.
AND… everything was in English.
I know. I’m an idiot. Things were expensive but typical prices I would see at home. I thought that was weird but was still not overly concerned.
It wasn’t until later when I happily told my new friend how awesome it was that I could buy all my favorite food just down the street… Bubble popped… the grocery store chain (Pepito Market) is only for tourists.
Locals shop at all the amazing markets and stands I pass daily, selling…. you guessed it… groceries. But thankfully I’ll be ok because I now have my super healthy, organic, made in America almond butter.
Waiting for my GO-RIDE after getting scammed.
6. Your scooter driver is on his way. He is driving a green two-wheeled vehicle with license plate DK3198AC.
I think he can fit one more suitcase if he tried
My scooter arrives.
GOJEK. I thought Uber and Lyft were cool but GOJEK has them beat. In just a touch of an app, your scooter (yes, scooter) will be on its way. Fast and efficient. They even have their phone mounted on their handlebars. The only problem is there isn’t much room for stuff…
7. I went to the Gym… Once.
I went to the gym… once.
8. Beware of the scooters.
Don’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive. Ok, whatever.
What is really important….
DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE A SCOOTER WITH YOUR WIFE, GRANDMA, INFANT KID AND THE KITCHEN TABLE WITH YOU ON THE SAME SCOOTER.
