Bali Shopping

Shopping in Bali at glance

You can go shopping for fine art and handicrafts such as antique and semi-antique furniture, all kinds of paintings, delicately crafted gold and silver jewelry, wood and stone carvings, masks, woven and dyed fabrics, etc. in many shops in the Kuta/Legian area, in Sanur, in various handicraft villages and the Sukawati market on the way to Ubud, and in the town of Ubud.

Bali is the place to practise your bargaining skills. Unless the product is price-tagged, bargaining is the norm. It will prove to be an exciting venture if this is your first time while the experts will find it exhilarating, especially when a good deal was struck. Many come to Bali with a 'shop till you drop' attitude, so you would probably end up buying a few things anyhow. There are numerous western-style department stores and shopping centers in Denpasar, Kuta-Legian, Sanur and Nusa Dua that offer a range of clothing, shoes, leather goods, sports gear, and toys. The service is generally good, and the low value of the rupiah ensures excellent prices. Balinese arts and crafts are the most popular purchases but you can also get value-for-money goods such as clothing, music, musical instruments and watches.

In most of the shops you can and should bargain for the best price. Be especially careful with the vendors near popular tourist attractions such as Tanah Lot or, for instance, the rip-off artists in the Bali Aga village Tenganan who are well-known for selling fake "antique" fabrics (even spray-painted instead of woven cloth) for very high prices.

Popular buys are DVDs featuring even very recent movies. These are illegal copies but they sell for just 10,000 Rupiah per piece or 100,000 Rupiah for 11 and are available everywhere in Bali. Beach wear, T-shirts, pants and other clothing, shoes and leather goods, sea shells, trinkets, etc. are offered at low prices in numerous shops in Kuta and Legian as well as – much more expensive – in many hotels. Popular shopping centers are Geneva, Jalan Raya Kerobokan in Seminyak for cheap handicrafts, Kuta Square with many shops and a branch of the Matahari Department Store and Supermarket offering everything a tourist could be interested in as well as the huge new Kartika Discovery Mall in Jalan Kartika in Tuban.

Avoid the DUTY FREE SHOPPERS outlets by all means! Local products are ridiculously expensive here. As an example, one bottle of the HATTEN Rose wine which is made in Sanur costs at DFS US$11 which is more than in most local restaurants! Even worse – if you look for a beautiful French made blouse, a designer handbag, some jewellry or a dress watch for your partner to wear at a special occasion in Bali, you'll totally waste your time: all imported items, even clothing and accessories, bought at DFS will be delivered to you at the airport and not before you leave Bali.

Shopping at Bedugul Bali

This is known as a farming area and is a great place to buy the choicest fruits, vegetables and flowers. Bedugul Bali is located at the mountain side and the weather is a bit cold and fresh. You may find interesting shopping at the traditional market, its provide various traditional goods (handicarfts), plants for gardening, vegetables and fruits.

Shopping at Celuk Bali

The home of silver and gold artisans, Celuk presents huge stores that house a wide variety of all types of intricately designed pieces. The silver filigree work is quite unbelievable but bargaining is a must.


Shopping at Denpasar Bali

The capital of Bali is not exactly a tourist area but there are a few main areas worth checking out. The Kumbasari market near the river gives an interesting overview of Indonesian markets with household wares and clothing on the third level, spices and goods on the second level, and a traditional market in the basement. Nearby is Jalan Hasanudin, a whole street of gold shops selling 18 to 22 carat gold jewellery. Not far is Jalan Sulawesi where all manner of fabrics are available. The entire street has fabric stores on both sides with a few household ware shops in between. If handicrafts are your aim, then move along to Jalan Gajah Mada where items similar to those sold in Kuta are found, but without the presence of hawkers. It is a good idea to visit the government-run handicraft center in Tohpati, Sanggraha Kriya Asti, which offers a range of handicrafts at fixed prices. You can also shop at department stores such as Matahari, Libi, MA, Tiara Dewata, Tragia, or Ramayana.

Duty Free Shopping

Plaza Bali and DFS have duty free shopping outlets in Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua, and the airport in Bali. A wide range of designer label boutiques can be found but bear in mind that some products in Indonesia do not have high duties, such as cigarettes.

(Source: http://www.balispecial.com/bali-shopping.html)

Read More

Bali Arts and Crafts

Traditional Balinese Creativity

The Balinese are surrounded by art throughout their lives as art is omnipresent in Bali. They make art out of the most basic necessities in their daily lives. However, artistic knowledge is not commissioned only to a special intellectual class, but is open to everyone at all levels. Painting, sculpture, carving and music have traditionally been the province of men, while women channeled their creative energy into creating lavish offerings to the gods. In every festival, you can see spectacular pyramids of flowers, fruit, and cakes up to two meters high, constructed with such love and adoration that it could only be meant for a higher being. Although a religiously regarded practice, Balinese art does not serve religion solely. Bemos, jackets, menus, motorcycles, hotel doorways and other objects are decorated with sacred symbols. They do not view this use as sacrilegious. It is incredible to see so many people in such a small area pour so much energy into creating beautiful things.


Bali Wood Carving

The Balinese sculpture with natural media - wood, stone, bone, horn, deadwood, and even gnarled tree roots. Nowadays, souvenir-caliber wood carving is churned out and successful creations are mass produced. Any visitor to Bali is likely to be exposed to wood carving in all forms, be it the traditional ornate carved doors, the carved figures of gods, or the countless carved items in craft shops. Wood carving is a craft practiced all over Bali. Open your ears to the tapping sound of the carver's mallet and you would know that there is one around. It would be taxing to separate traditional and foreign influences. However, Balinese are intense observers of the outside world, effortlessly incorporating and adapting foreign themes into their work.

For quality wood carving, head to Tegallalang, Pujung, and Sebatu, which is north of Ubud. It is a great area to meet woodcarvers; it is best to take note of the artist's name and visit him at the workshop to negotiate a better price. Bali is a perfect place for western artists to study their crafts. There are wood carving lessons in which you can learn to carve your own mask in about three weeks.


Bali Stone Carving

The technique used in stone carving is very much the same as wood carving since soft volcanic rock is used. Stone carving is relatively unaffected by tourist consumerism as most pieces are too exorbitant to ship. You can vividly see stone carving skills in the distinctive split gates, swirling stone friezes, and absurd and menacing mythological statuary. The centers for stone carving are Kapal and Batubulan. Although stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces, the carvers had much more leeway in their use of subject matter than the artists and illustrators. There is little difference between the iconography decorating temples and that of private buildings. Gateways represent the dividing line between the inner and outer worlds, and as such are the recipients of some of the most fantastic carvings. As well as portraying deities and demons, the carvers included many scenes from public life and there are many temple surfaces enriched with the antics of the Dutch Colonialists, including scenes of bicycles, drunken parties, car break-downs and even airplanes. Bali's modem-day centre of stone carving is the village of Batubulan, situated halfway between Denpasar and Gianyar. Although you can see excellent examples of Balinese stone carving all over the island, the temples in the North tend to bc much more creative (with the exception of Pura Puseh in Batabulan).


Bali Textiles

One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be seen in thousands of shops throughout the island. However, only a small proportion of these are indigenous to Bali. The myriad of batik clothes and sarongs available everywhere are mainly imported from Java. A large proportion of the woven cloths (Ikat) round in and around the Kuta / Legian area, are imported from the islands of Sumba and Flores. However, Bali does have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful Songket fabrics wom by performers of traditional dance are a good example. In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. Sometimes they use so much gold and silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible.

The first kind of textile that you will find in Bali is batik, which is popular among tourists and locals alike. There is every imaginable style and quality that you can chance upon throughout the island, but it is surprising that batik is actually produced in central Java and then shipped to Bali. Bali's own home-produced cloth is a weft ikat called endek. Ikat is made by tying the weft threads of a cloth before it is woven and then dying them so that the tied areas do not absorb the dye. The cloth is then woven and the pattern, created by the tying of the threads, emerges. This cloth is not very popular with visitors but is indispensable to the locals. Authentic ikat is made of silk but cotton and synthetic yarns are also widely used. Also, keep a look out for kain prada, fabrics woven of silk or cotton and decorated with silver or gold threads or gold leaf. These colorful kerchiefs are worn by temple girls during festivals and take three weeks to a month to weave.

(source:http://www.balispecial.com/bali-arts.html)

Read More

Bali Night Life

what you can do in Bali at night
Night life in Bali starts late, which means around midnight. Many visitors wonder where crowds of expats suddenly come from around 1:00 in the morning – even when all of Kuta has been very quiet during the whole evening, the IN-places often become crowded after midnight.There's a simple explanation: during the early evenings many of Bali's night owls either still work, visit friends at home, or simply sleep. Most of them visit pubs, bars, or discos only in the early morning hours. Therefore, if you plan a night out don't start your dinner too early. Between 9:00 p.m. and midnight there are not many places we can recommend.

Visitors looking for company don't need to worry. Wherever you go in Sanur and the Kuta area, there are many other single travellers with the same problem around – day and night. In Bali's discos you'll meet also many "kupu kupu malams" ("night butterflies" or working girls) and young boys who compete with the females and service all sexes. All taxi drivers know the more popular karaoke bars and massage parlours in Kuta and Denpasar, and the various "Houses of ill Repute" in Sanur's narrow back lanes.

As reported that "Prostitution is illegal in Bali. However, like in many countries, everyone turns a blind eye. Many girls can be found in nightclubs and bars in most areas. They look usually just like the girl next door, albeit with a bit more make up on, and they usually dress to please the eye. For the most part, they are gentle, easy to be with, and a lot of fun if you want to dance, drink and have a little fun with. Most will be yours for the whole night for about 300,000 Rupiah although prices range from 100,000 Rupiah to 1,000,000 Rupiah and more – depending on the season, the time of night, the situation and the quality of service".


Bali Kuta Night Life

Everybody looking for some action and fun in the evening goes to "Kuta" which nowadays means the area extending about 4 miles or 7 kilometers North from the original village of Kuta and includes now Legian, Seminyak and even Basangkasa. PEANUTS Discotheque on Jalan Raya Legian at the Jalan Melasti corner (about the border between Kuta and Legian) has been re-opened very soon after it was gutted by a fire. The huge (air-conditioned) dance floor is often crowded, guests are a mix of locals and younger foreign visitors.

You'll find a large and quite popular HARD ROCK CAFE right at the beginning of Kuta's beach road with live music from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Expect to find many singles of all kinds here looking for company. If you think this is too noisy, too crowded, or the air-conditioning too cold for you, try the CENTER STAGE at the HARD ROCK RESORT located in the back of the CAFE. As the name implies, the band performs on a raised stage in the middle of the huge round lobby bar until 11:00 p.m. Both HARD ROCK outlets are expensive by Bali standards.

Later, from 2:00 a.m., it's party time at the PAPARAZZI LOUNGE and DOUBLE SIX, a large open-air disco with several bars, big dance floor, and many tables. Both are located next to each other on the beach in Seminyak and charge an entrance fee of 30,000 to 100,000 Rupiah (depending on the day) for which you get a voucher for a free drink. Here you'll find most of Bali's night owls drinking and dancing the night away until 4:30 a.m. or so. (The legendary GADO GADO Disco has been re-converted into a restaurant.)

Also, watch out for notices and small posters in Kuta and Seminyak announcing special events such as Full Moon Parties, House Warming Parties, Body Painting Parties, etc, etc. If these "parties" are announced to the public (even if only by word-of-mouth), they are open for everybody. You'll have to pay for your drinks, therefore, don't be shy.



Sanur and Nusa Dua Bali area

Some quite popular places in Sanur are the BORNEO PUB on Jalan Danau Tamblingan and the TROPHY PUB in front of the Sanur Beach Hotel. Both, however, close around 1:00 a.m. The JAZZ GRILLE, was opened in February 1999 and attracts tourists and locals alike with live bands (from 9:30 to 12:00 p.m.), a smallish menu, and a billiard table upstairs. KAFE WAYANG in the same building has life music with a good local band and jam sessions with foreign guests every Friday – no wonder it's very popular with many residents. JANGER is currently the only disco in Sanur. Most tourists and even the expats living in Sanur prefer to go to "Kuta" if they look for some fun. The discos and pubs in Nusa Dua's 5-star hotels are often rather empty. They are mostly frequented by those visitors who stay in-house and are too tired to make the 30 minutes drive to Kuta.


Ubud Bali Night Life

Don't expect too much here, because Ubud is identic to relaxation, fresh, peaceful and quiets place. Ubud is the best place for honeymooners, senior tourists and people who demand quiet and peaceful place. But names frequently mentioned include PUTRA BAR, Jl. Monkey Forest (every night live music ranging from Reggae to rock), MAGIC BAR, Jl. Monkey Forest (live music and sometimes great atmosphere), JAZZ CAFE, Jl. Tebesaya (live music and jam sessions on different nights), EXILE BAR (Saturday nights only, great music), and FUNKY MONKEY (early hours cafe).

(source:http://www.balispecial.com/bali-night-life.html)

Read More