Bali is one of the most beloved places on Earth and this is partly why most articles reveal the island from a positive side.

It so happened that we focus more on positive things (often even unconsciously), so many disadvantages fall out of sight. It's much easier to live like this, but for bloggers it's not a very good quality, so Bemorepanda, nevertheless, try to be more objective and look closely at the minuses too (there are plenty of them here too).

Bali is an island with character, it is quite contrasting, there are many different conjectures and stereotypes about it, and unlike the almost ideal Thailand, which almost everyone loves, after Bali some tourists spit and swear that they will not be here again. The other part, despite not all the disadvantages, considers it ideal and falls in love with the island irrevocably!

With this article, we decided to put everything in its place and talk about the pros and cons of Bali.

Disadvantages

1. Traffic and driving style. For us, this is perhaps the most significant minus - on the roads, especially in the southern part of the island, chaos is happening here.

A cocktail of an incredible amount of motorbikes, narrow roads and a crazy driving style result in traffic jams and turn the movement from point A to point B into a real torture. ⠀

At the same time, sometimes it is worth turning aside to a secondary street and immediately the traffic disappears instantly.

2. Direct beaches. We have said this many times and will say it again, Bali is not for a beach holiday. There are no "bounty" beaches and most of them are shallow, or big waves, or there is no infrastructure, or very crowded. There are exceptions, but there are few of them, and it is not a fact that it will be possible to settle just next to them. ⠀

3.High humidity. The humidity level here rarely drops below 80%, so the heat on the island is rather difficult to endure. In addition to this - long-drying things, mold on your favorite clothes and lenses. ⠀

4. Dangerous sun. Sun exposure during the day is tantamount to suicide. Skin, especially unaccustomed to the sun, burns instantly and can burn several times during the vacation. ⠀

5. The rainy season. Unlike most resorts around the world, winter is not the season here. Hot, humid and a lot of rain. Moreover, the rains are quite long, so if you go to Bali to celebrate the New Year, be prepared for the fact that you may have to ride a bike ankle-deep in water.

6. And also, the rainy season is very dirty beaches and a lot of garbage on the ocean. ⠀

7. Expensive seafood. Surprisingly, despite the fact that Bali is surrounded on all sides by water, seafood is quite expensive here.

⠀

At the same time, it is worth driving away from the coast and they disappear, almost completely.

8. Lack of public transport. If you are accustomed to using buses, trains, tuk-tuk, jeepney, songteo and other public vehicles, then here you will be disappointed, there is nothing like it and without your own transport (or using a taxi) it will be very difficult here. ⠀

9.Taxis here, at the same time, are quite expensive by Asian standards, and besides, local taxi drivers are actively fighting with cheap Uber and Grab, up to the use of physical force, which significantly reduces their number and makes life difficult for visitors.

10. The growing crime situation. In recent years, attacks on tourists have become more frequent - they rip off handbags and chains, snatch phones, push them off bikes, climb into houses and villas. It is worth noting that this mainly occurs at night and in the south of Bali. ⠀

11. Delicious local cuisine. Dishes prepared in varungs (local cafes) are often heavily fried, fatty and spicy. In tourist places, this is easier, but it is worth driving a little to the side, and only two dishes will be waiting for you on the menu - mi goreng and nasi goreng (fried noodles and fried rice).

12. High prices in restaurants. If you focus on the average level, then the cost of cafes and restaurants here will be higher than in the same Thailand.

If you are used to good restaurants, then you will hardly notice the difference, and if you want to eat cheap, then see the previous paragraph. ⠀

13. Bank card fraud. In Bali, cases of skimming are very common, when, some time after you have withdrawn money from an ATM, additional charges are made from the card. You need to choose an ATM very carefully so as not to become a victim of scammers. ⠀

14.Calculation. In small stores, they may incorrectly give change or break through excess goods. In the exchanger, you can easily see professional tricks with money, which look impressive, but are not cheap.

15. High level of corruption. The police often deliberately arrange raids in order to shake the cherished dollars from tourists.

However, if everything is in order with your documents, you are not violating anything, then most likely there will be no problems.

16. Slow internet. In general, the situation is noticeably improving, many places where fiber is laid and the speed becomes stable (we have 10 Mbit / s at home), but often it is still quite unhurried on the island.

17. Dirt and debris. Despite the fact that the Balinese themselves are very clean, tidy and tidy, the roads and beaches, especially in the rainy season, can be quite dirty.

Either the point is in the visiting Indonesians from other islands, or in their culture, which, accustomed to organic waste, did not have time to convert to a huge amount of plastic and other inorganic waste.

18.Active and diverse fauna. This is not a minus, but rather a common enough point for Asia.

There is a huge number of all those who fly, crawl and jump - insects, frogs, lizards, geckos, snakes, scorpions, etc. in the overwhelming majority are not dangerous, but from habit they can, at least, annoy. There are also quite a few stray dogs here, which, again, are usually not aggressive, but love to bark and jump out onto the road in front of the bike.

19. Cataclysms. Bali is located in an earthquake-prone region, therefore it periodically shakes it. Earthquakes are usually not strong and do not happen very often, but anything can happen. There are also several volcanoes here, in particular the active Batur. It does not represent a serious danger, but for example, in the early 2000s, there was a small outflow of ash, which reached 300 meters in height.

20. Lack of sidewalks. In some places they are found, but in general, it is better not to count on them. Even where they are, they can be crammed with bikes, half-broken, etc. As a result, it is quite difficult to defile here in a long dress with heels, as well as to walk with a stroller if you are traveling with a small child. Locals here, in general, rarely travel on foot - they get on a bike whenever possible, even if you need to travel 100 meters.

21. A large number of tourists. Especially Chinese, and every year there are more and more of them. Popular attractions (such as the Tanah Lot or Uluwatu temples) are simply overcrowded during the day. Life hack for those who are not lazy - come early in the morning, for the opening, then there is a chance to walk almost alone.

22. Taxes in restaurants. Most cafes and restaurants here do not include taxes and service charges, as a rule, it is 15-21%. Judging by the fact that in some establishments the amount is already included, there is no single rule or law on this matter, so this can be considered a trick of the owners in order to make the price visually lower. Tax information is usually indicated at the bottom of the menu, but it also happens (infrequently) that this is reported after the fact.

23. Paid parking. Quite often, near beaches or attractions, locals charge for parking. Most often they give out a ticket, but it happens that they just collect it. The cost is small, usually $ 0.15-0.4 for a bike and about $ 1 for a car, but many people really don't like it, so let's write it down =)

24. No direct flight. Well, another disadvantage is that it is quite long and difficult to get to Bali. There are no direct flights, from Moscow, as a rule, they fly with two connections, and if you do not live in the capital, then add one more. Sometimes you can pick up a flight with one stop, but it will be significantly more expensive.

Advantages

1. Large selection of vegetables and tropical fruits, especially in August / September and also in winter.

Dragonfruits, grapes, mangosteen, vani, marquise, durians, vani, rambutans, longans - all this can be found in Bali in certain seasons, and pineapples, papayas, bananas, watermelons, herring, tangerines, strawberries, young coconuts grow here all year round.

2. Amazing nature. There is an ocean and volcanoes, rocks and mountain lakes, jungles, rice terraces and waterfalls - such a variety on one island is difficult to find anywhere else.

3. The nature here is not only diverse, but also very photogenic, a real paradise for photographers and lovers of beautiful views.

4. Picturesque ocean. Despite the fact that we included a beach vacation in the minus section, the ocean itself is very impressive, especially if you look at it from the side.

5. A large number of tourist attractions. There are diving, snorkeling, rafting, safari park, elephant park, avkapark, bird park, cultural park, etc.

6. Surfing. It should be highlighted as a separate item, as it is really cool here. There are waves all the time, all year round, there are a lot of spots, both for beginners and professionals - it is not for nothing that a huge number of Australians who know a lot about surfing come here for surfing. And besides, all this is very cheap here.

7. A huge number of attractions. In Bali, there is no question of what to do with your time; rather, on the contrary, “how to cram all this into your short vacation”.

8. Compactness. All the joys of life from the previous two points are located on a relatively small area, the distance from the southernmost point to the northernmost point is ~ 120 km.

9. Unique culture and religion. Daily religious rituals and offerings in themselves already delight many, and there are also many bright holidays (Nyepi, Galungan, Kuningan), impressive cremations, and a thousand other ceremonies, when local residents in their outfits bring offerings to gods and demons - all it looks mesmerizing.

10. Friendly local population. Balinese are very friendly, responsive and, in our opinion, smile much more than the same Thais from the “land of smiles”. Sure, in tourist epicenters, you are likely to be seen as a source of income, but a little aside, they are really cool and sincere.

11. Wonderful architecture. Carved windows, doors, facades near houses, beautiful temples in picturesque places, stylish cafes and restaurants - the Balinese have their hands growing from where they need it, they are quite hardworking and this immediately catches your eye, literally as soon as you descend from the plane.

12. A wide range of accommodation. Here it is quite easy to rent a simple room in a guesthouse for $ 15, and rent a luxury villa for several hundred dollars a day.

There are no problems with both daily rent and long term rentals.

13. The civilized contingent of tourists. Due to the significant distance and a small number of "all inclusive", the audience here, for the most part, is quite decent. Although anything can happen, of course =)

14. Good selection of cafes and restaurants. Despite the fact that we recorded the local food as a minus, it is difficult to die of hunger in Bali - here you can find almost any cuisine, all kinds of directions and specializations, including organic, vegetarian, etc. Many restaurants are very stylish atmospheric, or just with a cool look.

15. A good selection of yoga schools. Many people go to Bali (and especially to Ubud) in order to join yoga and everything is really good here - there are many schools, studios and private teachers, both with classical directions, and with more sophisticated ones - for example roll and release, rope yoga, acro yoga, etc.

16. Cheap transport rental and inexpensive gasoline. Renting cars and motorbikes here costs almost two times less (especially if you rent for a long time) than in Thailand, and besides, it does not cause any hassle. Here no one requires a passport as a deposit and does not extort money for invented scratches. In addition, gasoline costs about $ 0.6 here, and you can rent a car with a driver here for $ 40-50 per day (including gas).

17. Proximity to other islands. If, nevertheless, Bali is fed up, there are other islands nearby - Lombok, Gili, Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Java, which can be reached in a couple of hours. Not to mention the other 17800 Indonesian islands, which, however, are more difficult to get to =)

18.Convenient visa policy. For Russians, you can enter the country either free of charge with a stamp at the airport (for a month), or for money, but with the possibility of extending the period of stay for another month. And for those who want to spend more time here - with the help of certain manipulations (legal) without departure, you can stay in Indonesia for up to 6 months. ⠀

19. Balinese love children. Every time the locals see a small child, they break into a touching smile. They will never look askance at a screaming child, they will always offer an extra pillow to put the baby somewhere in a restaurant, and in general they show pronounced positive emotions towards children. True, sometimes such love goes to an extreme, when they start grabbing children by the cheeks, asking them to hold them in their arms, etc., not everyone likes it.

20. Large selection of spas and massage parlors. Here you can find massage at a local eatery for $ 5, and a European-level spa with good cosmetics, professional specialists and the highest level of service.

21. Special atmosphere. This point is quite difficult to describe in words, but many people feel that something special is in the air here. Some attribute this to the enormous energy that thousands of Balinese generate every day with their religious rituals. Others explain the special location of the island.

Bali island, Indonesia

If you, after reading this post, decide that you should not go to Bali, then you really should not! If you are not afraid of all the disadvantages, then welcome to the fan club of bali lovers 😉

In any case, we hope that the description of the pros and cons of Bali will allow you to put together a balanced picture in your head and decide for yourself whether you should go here! ⠀

Have you been to Bali before? Do you agree with our observations? Maybe you noted for yourself some other pros and cons?