Welcome To Kuta

My flight arrived in Bali late at night which was not my preference. After clearing customs, I picked up my bag and made a quick stop in the bathroom which was opposite a prayer room. It was small, with both a Western and Eastern (ie. squat) toilet. The urinal had a white flower petal on it. Clearly I was in new territory.

I grabbed some cash from an ATM in the terminal and headed out into the night. Once past the ubiquitous crowd of people that gathers outside smaller foreign airports, I hit the taxi drivers. I took my third offer, which was the same as my first, and none were in the mood to bargain with me. I wasn't in the mood to haggle so I agreed to pay the $7-8 or so for the drive to nearby Kuta.

Kuta Beach is *the* tourist spot in Bali, and the temporary home to many a surfer and backpacker. It is also the sight of the two terrorist bombings, most notably the one that killed over 200 people in a club back in 2002. I can still remember the image on the news of the building on fire, and I was a bit anxious about the safety situation prior to arrival.

As my taxi driver sped toward my bungalow accommodation for the next 2 nights (right across the street from the beach), I tried to take in all the bars and restaurants lit up at night, and the constant buzz of motorbikes whizzing past us on both sides. The ground was wet so I could tell it had just rained. My taxi driver was kind enough to offer to arrange a “complete” massage, which I was kind enough to decline. He dropped me at my accommodation, and I was met by the security guard as the reception office had closed.

The security guard showed me to my room, and along the way, offered to arrange a “complete massage” or a program (ie. tour package). After dropping my stuff off at my nicely decorated room, I walked next door to the “K” convenience store to get some water. Along the 10-feet of sidewalk to get there, I was offered drugs. I was getting quite the introduction to Bali. The convenience store was blasting Guns ‘N Roses. They were out of the cheap 1.5 liter bottles of water (about $0.30 apiece), so I had to cough up a bit more than $1 for Evian. I returned back to my room, and was out like a light.

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PS – for all those that voted for me to splurge on a nicer than normal accommodation since reaching the 200 subscriber mark, this was it! And it only cost $24/night, including free breakfast, towel, soap, and toilet paper!

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He’s been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.