Monthly Archives: December 2010
Is Bali a good base for the Long Term Traveler?
Hey long term travelers,
why don’t travel bloggers choose to spend long term stints in Bali? It seam to me to be almost the perfect location for digital nomads, yet most of the travel bloggers and other long term travelers I read about, seam to choose Thailand as their base in South East Asia. In addition, Columbia in South America also seams to be one of the big locations.
But why not Bali?
Surf's Up!
I think it has so much going for it that should be absolutely perfect from Travel Bloggers, and I have chosen to act as a “Travel Blogger Recruitment Officer” and am offering the following reasons why YOU should consider BALI!
For example -
- Temperature - Bali is year round tropical paradise. Maximum temps are always around 30 degrees Celsius, (maybe up to 33 in the hottest time of year), and overnight minimums (away from the mountains) are 25 or more. This is serious “summer all year” stuff!
- Costs – everything is ridiculously cheap in Bali. With an exchange rate at close to 10,000 Indonesian Rupiah to the US dollar, the product for your dollar is great, weather you are American, English, European, Australian or just about anywhere else (except NZ, of course!). eat for 2 -3 dollars on the cheap, or $10 in a cheaper restaurant, beer for $1 a litre, motorbike rental for a few dollars a day, etc
- Accommodation – a great rage of accommodation, both long term and short term. Many cheaper hotel offer good monthly rates, and there is plenty of quality accommodation in villas for longer term. Short term, hotel rooms are available from $20 per night and less.
- Good Internet - Free Internet is available at cafes and restaurants everywhere,and most hotels and villas have good speed wireless networks.
Bintang and Wifi - what else do you need?
- Socialisation – there is plenty of nightlife, plenty of expats, and there should be plenty of bloggers (but I don’t think there is?).
- Friendly locals – Balinese love tourists, and are natural friendly people. They enjoy long term visitors, who will usually be culturally more sensitive than yobbos in 6 day booze-fests.
- Variety – Its a small island, but it has many different facets. Kuta is busy and commercial, the other beaches are much quieter, the North is Volcanic and quite, the mountains are cool and “arty”. And then there are the other islands easily accessible from Bali, including Lombok, Java, Lembongan, and thousands more not much further away.
- Travel hub – good access to the rest of Indonesia, South east Asia and the world. Garuda, the national airline, is now flying back to Europe, and considered one of the most improved airlines in the world, and Air Asia use Bali as a hub in the region, giving access to dozens of exotic locations.
So, I would love to hear why or why not, long term travelers would choose to live here, at least for a few months. Travel Bloggers in particular. Its my plan, just not quite sure when yet!
Tipping Hotel Staff in Bali?
Tipping… oh my god, what a confusing, hard to understand concept.
Yes, you guessed it, I am AUSTRALIAN!!
And we just have no clue how, when or who we should tip when we are in countries where tipping is standard practice, considering we would virtually never tip at home.
So, I am not a complete idiot, and I realise I need to tip the porter who brings my bags to my room, as well as the waiter or waitress who serves my meal, but who else? Where do you draw the line? I don’t know!
So these are my dilemmas. I am going to list a series of scenarios I faced while in Bali last week, and weather or not I should have tipped the people involved.
- Breakfast we delivered to my villa, it was included in the cost of thew room, so I didn’t pay at the time, But should I have tipped the kitchen staff who delivered?
- We had a spa day. 3 hours, with a series of services from different staff. Should we have tipped each person?
- Our Villa complex had a small reception crew, who we regularly spoke to us, we asked them to call us taxis, confirm flights etc. Should we have tipped them, and would you have to tip all half a dozen of the staff.
Should we have tipped?
I just never know, so if in doubt, I don’t tip! I think the Balinese are probably understanding of this, as so many Australians visit, but I’m sure they would love to train us better!
Mmmm. I must be feeling guilty, because the hospitality at the Astana Kunti Villas was absolutely sensational. Consider them if you are looking at visiting Seminyak, Bali. http://www.bali-seminyak-villas.com/villas/astanakunti/index.html
Himalayan Trekking when your over 40, do you need to going a group tour?
Last year, we visited Nepal, as part of our 3 month Asia tour, with the express intention of doing a trek of some description. We did limited forward planning in regard to which trek we would be taking, or how we would take it, but we did make sure we did a reasonable amount of fitness and trekking training. I am going to talk about trek fitness preparation in a following post, but this post I want to discuss whether or not potential travelers need to organise a trek from their home country, in advance? In particular, with reference to potential travelers who is not a young, carefree backpackers, but instead the 40+ year old traveler?
Short Answer – NO
Although I believe there is considerable pressure from travel agents and tour companies that a home country organised group tour, probably with a group leader from home, as well as a large local team, is the only way for a middle aged traveler to safely walk the Himalaya, in my opinion, this is not necessarily the ONLY option.
A quite momement!
I am not saying there is not going to be some benefits of being on a group trek, with a dozen or more similarly aged, same nationality hikers as yourself. However, there is also some major advantages of going it alone, getting to Kathmandu, finding a guide and/or porter and walking with them. For the over 40 year old in particular, some of the major advantages of an locally organised, independent trek are -
- Great ability in interact with your guide and/or porter
- With guides help, get a better interaction with locals
- Trek at your pace
- Amend your plans if you require
- Stay in Tea-houses instead of tent camps.
- All your expenditure goes to the Nepalese, and more of it goes to the people of the region you walk through
- In general, get a more “genuine” experience.
The second challenge, if you are considering the possibility of “going alone” on your trek, is that question that you find hard to get a convincing answer while in tour planning stage -
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ORGANISE YOUR OWN TREK?
Short Answer – NOT DIFFICULT
Honestly, with a little research to know what trek you are considering taking, it is genuinely not difficult to organise all the details once you get to Nepal. There are travel agents and trekking companies in all parts of Kathmandu, as there is in the towns where the major treks depart from – Pokhara and Lukla.
Himalaya Hinterland
We organised a local Pokhara based guide, a porter from Kathmandu, a hotel in Pokhara, bus tickets from Kathmandu to Pokhara, all from a Kathmandu Travel Agent, and all of this cost about 1/10th (probably much less than that), of the cost of a trek organised and paid for in UK, USA or Australia. An example of our costs were
- Guide – $15.00 per day
- Porter – $10.00 per day
- Pre Trek Accommodation in Pokhara – $20.00 per night
- Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara – $12.00
- Accommodation in tea houses on trek – $5.00 per night
- Meals while on trek – around $15.00 per day
So, in a nutshell – CONSIDER THIS OPTION
We genuinely believe this is the original way to trek the Himalaya. It is not impossible, and being over 40 is not an issue. While trekking, we met independent trekkers up to 70 years of age, and these people where all going to get to Annapurna Base camp, at 4100m above sea level. And that is a once n a lifetime experience at any age!!
Today’s Photo – Songkran festival, Pattaya, Thailand
A truck load of “ghosts” revelling in Pattaya, during the Songkran Festival, 2010
Full Service v’s Low Cost Airlines – a 40Plus Travelers Perspective
Over the last few years the proliferation of Low Cost Airlines around the world has massively decreased the costs of international and long distance travel. These airlines have opened up travel to many who could never have afforded it, as well as increased the amount many of the rest of us are able to fly. Another major achievement of low cost airlines that we don’t always think about , has been to force down the price of Full Service Airlines! I think some of the worlds stodgy old, national carriers where bloated and unresponsive to customers, which is often the case in a monopoly or duopoly situation.
So along came the Low Cost Carriers, and these airlines started offering fares for $150 dollars, that the old airlines were charging $1200 for. And as a result, a good portion of their “customers” moved to the new carriers.
Now, finally, Some full services airlines, national carriers or not, have woken up and are sometimes offering some great pricing, working on the strategy of the new airlines – fill the seats!
This is a long introduction (or boring modern history lesson!), to get to the subject I want to discuss -
Are Full Service Airlines Deals now Better the Low Cost Carriers?
My case study for this article, is my recent flight (holiday) from Perth, Western Australia, to Bali, Indonesia. This route is one that is services by at least 4 low costs carriers, and only one major Full service Airline, being Indonesia’s national carrier – Garuda International.
So comparing the Garuda best price v the low cost airline best price
Garuda – $ 386.00 AUD return v’s Air Asia – $220.00 AUD return
But then, when you add the services that are included with full service -
20 kg luggage each way - $50.00
1 meal each way, 1 bottle of water each way - $40.00
Seat allocation – $20.00
Comfort kit – $11.00.
Theses extras then make the comparison, as follows -
Garuda – $ 386.00 AUD return v’s Air Asia – $341.00 AUD return.
If you then add the cost of a beer or wine with your meal ( not available on Air Asia, even at a cost), and in-flight entertainment service, and added those on at an extra $25.00, comparisons become -
Garuda – $ 386.00 AUD return v’s Air Asia – $366.00 AUD return.
So, then you need to decide if the full service Garuda flight is worth an extra $20.00? (if you consume any extra alcohol on full service, or if you are likely to buy more food than just the one meal on the Low cost airline, this changes the equation again).
In my opinion, the full service flight is worth the few extra dollars, for a couple of reasons.
- The seats are bigger, and the leg room is greater.
- The quality of passenger is better!
- Seat-back entertainment system help pass the time
Now, I am not saying Full Service will always be a cheaper option, usually it is not. I do recommend doing the math, and allowing for all the add-ons and if the difference is not much, it might be a good idea to opt for the Full Service option.
I would be interested in any other comparisons, any of you out there may have done. Quick $ comparison would be great. send them in!
Today’s Photo – Jonkers St, Chinatown, Malacca, Malaysia
Jonker’s St, Malaca, Malaysia. Getting ready for chinese new year
A New Partnership with Agoda
Although I haven’t added any reference to it on this site yet, I have recently entered into a affiliate partnership with Agoda.com.
This came about as I have been searching for a good value 1 bedroom villa in Seminyak, Bali, for a quick trip to the island in early December. As I travel continually in South East Asia, I have spent many hours searching for good hotel deals in most of the South east Asian capitals, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, and many other start points for my various travel itineraries. Over the last few years I have noticed that the old hotel booking sites I have previously used, have not been getting the best deals. And I have noticed that Agoda continually do.
So I found a good villa – Astana Kunti – and a comparison of rates varies from over $400 per night, to Agoda’s rate of $138.00. And I have noticed this happens over and over.
I expect that Agoda’a success is a result of the company being based in the region, coupled with being a part of Priceline, one of the big players in the industry.
Anyway, this may seem like an add for Agoda, but its not really. I do, however, believe they are the best in the South East Asian market at the moment. And that is why I decided to join their affiliate program! So follow my affiliate ink if you are interested in looking for South east Asian hotel deals. You will get the best deal, and I will get a couple of bucks!
Unfortunately for me, this means a lot of work, changing all my referral links on my websites. But anyway, that is my problem.
