Kuta, Bali

Beautiful beaches and above all cheap.

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Quick Tips:

It is a very good place to start your Indonesian travels. It it's a place to acclimatise. It is a place which is not all that different from other tourist destinations. Once you have seen the Indonesian way of life I would advise you to visit other places, where fewer tourists come.

Best Way To Get Around:

Kuta is very close to the international airport. Take a taxi to your hotel an be prepared to pay too much. I consider this as my private contribution to the third world.

Nyonya Meneer. Meneer is a Dutch word and means gentleman. Nyonya is Bahasa Indonesia and means Mrs. So Mrs. Gentleman. I was determined to find out what Nyonya meneer is.

I soon found out that Nyonya meneer is a factory which produces ‘jamu’. Jamu is a herb drink which can cure minor ailments. It consist mainly of vegetable substances supplemented with dried ingredients. Approximately 150 different plants are may be used - everything from eucalyptus oil, tamarind, turmeric, to acacia and ginger. Spices and sweeteners such as cinnamon, fennel, mint and palm sugar are often added for flavour, as the mixtures can be bitter. So now you know!

’Jamu’ is used as a cure for minor ailments like colds, headaches, and fatigue. It also alleviates specific problems such as a man’s desire to better satisfy his wife or increase stamina. Jamu might be effective against most minor ailments, skin diseases, it improves sexual performance, it alleviates female problems associated with menstruation, childbirth.

So if you feel under the weather drink some jamu.

You will often see the "women with bottles" wandering down the streets carrying a heavy basket of colourful liquid in bottles. This is the ‘jamu lady’. She serves your drink in glasses which she carries along with her home-made brew. You don't know the composition of the jamu, nor do you order specific mixtures. The jamu lady knows which tonics are intended to alleviate your minor ailments.

"Excuse me. You wanna buy a watch?"

I hesitate

"I give you good price."
He opens up a big box full of watches.
"No, thank you, Alex".

"How you know my name????"

Not so difficult as it is written inside his box.

"You now buy a watch?"
"No, thank you, not now."
"Later?"
"Perhaps".


Next time he'll see me he'll remind me of my "maybe" promise.

In the end I bought two watches, they never worked properly, I didn't mind. I made him happy and whenever he saw me again, he greeted me as his best friend. It is easy to make people happy with only a small amount of western money.


It's best to approach these vendors in a friendly way. If you ignore them or if you are rude they keep on pestering you and may even be aggressive. Besides they are human beings just like you. They simply try to earn a living, like you, albeit in a differrent way.

If you've recently been stressed by the relentless pace of life in the developed world, just look at the photos of the rice paddies. Even better go the Indonesia and and see them for yourselves.

If this is your first time visit to a third world country you may be a bit apprehensive. The Balinese look different from your friends, they react differently, but like you they have a family, have friends.

The pace of life in Bali is much slower than in most western countries and people take time to sit around and chat and just enjoy each other. I began to wonder why places like this are seen as backward or under-developed. They are simply different!

If you have never seen monkeys at close range you should go to Ubud, to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The monkeys come together in a small forest area adjoining the temple Pura Dalem Agung.

The monkeys are long tailed Macacaqua monkeys. Although the monkey population varies, it consist of more than 150 monkeys. The monkey is important in Balinese culture and you find it featured in the Kecak Dance and the Ramayana Epic.

You should be beware of these monkeys. They may seem tame at times, they are nevertheless wild animals and at times react accordingly.

I concentrated on taking a photo of one of them, at the same time another monkey tried to catch the dangling strap of my camera. I took the photo and held on to my camera. It was not a nice experience. When I took the next photos I took better care of the surrounding monkeys.

This is a great place to visit, you can walk through the trails of the monkey forest and visit the adjoining temple.

The temple complex consist of a holy bathing temple, a mortality temple, two graveyards, and the Pura Dalem Agung.