Bali is one of the most beautiful islands that you could ever come to visit,
but just like anywhere else in the world,
there are things that you shouldn't do here and there are things that I would advise you not to do.
Today I'm gonna be talking to you about 12 things not to do when you visit Bali.
We're gonna be talking about scooters, we're gonna be talking about money,
and we're gonna be talking about where and when you shouldn't visit on the island.
So let's jump in to number 1.
My first big no-no if you're visiting Bali is carrying around a lot of cash,
and there's a couple of reasons for this.
The first main reason is that everything here is pretty cheap,
so you don't need to be carrying around hundreds of dollars worth of money.
Instead, just carry around 3 to 500k, that's probably all you're going to need.
That's between 20 and 30 dollars,
and in that way you don't have to be worrying about all the money you're carrying on you.
The second reason I bring this up is because if you're riding around on a scooter,
a lot of the times at police checkpoints on the corners of junctions,
they'll pull you over and they'll find any reason to fine you,
and what they want is for you to give them straight cash instead of giving you a ticket.
Some people call this bribery, they might just call it smart.
But anyway, they don't have a card machine
and honestly, they can't really enforce it because it's kind of illegal.
So, if you're carrying around minimal cash and they're trying to "fine" you a million IDR
and you only have 300,000 on you,
you can say "oh, I've only got this", and they'll usually say "okay, that's enough, thank you",
and they give you your keys back to your bike and you can go on your way.
Okay, so my second big no-no in Bali is please, please,
please, for the love of God,
do not walk on the shortcuts.
If you're not sure about the road systems here in Canggu,
then you have Raya Canggu, which is the main road that runs along the north of the village,
and then you have multiple shortcuts that run all the way from Pererenan to Umalas,
and they're very very small.
So why am I telling you this?
Well, this is actually mainly for your own safety.
These roads are so narrow and there's usually cars going one way and bikes coming the other way,
it's very difficult for them to get around you if you're walking on the shortcut,
and not only that, there's a very high chance they might accidentally hit you,
which wouldn't be great for your vacation now, would it?
So instead of walking on the shortcuts, just invest like 10-15k
and get yourself a Grab or Gojek bike,
they'll take you across that nice and quick and a lot more safely than you would on your feet.
Number 3 on this list is: do not stick to the popular attractions.
There are so many beautiful places to see on this island of Bali,
you don't need to go to the same place as everyone else,
and trust me, if you did, when you arrive, it's gonna be so busy with tourists
and people lining up to get that Instagram shot
that it's gonna completely ruin the moment for you.
So, if you're interested and you wanna find some more hidden places of Bali,
let me know in the comments below and I'll make a separate video talking about places you should visit.
But let's move on to number 4.
So number 4 is a bit of an obvious one, but I need to bring it up anyway,
because I've been in so many situations where foreigners have really annoyed me with this.
That's don't expect everyone to be able to speak perfect English.
This is one of the most disrespectful and ignorant things you could do
when you're visiting or living in someone else's country.
Make an effort to try and learn the language while you're here.
That's what I've done. I can sort of get by with my Indonesian here now,
so if I need it, it's there.
Please, please, do not get angry with the locals
when they don't understand what you're trying to tell them. Just don't.
Number 5 is a really obvious one,
but you shouldn't forget it anyway, and that's don't drink the...
Tap water.
Not even the local people here drink the tap water.
You will get really really ill.
Instead, most accomodations will have a water dispenser,
they'll either look like this or they'll be a little bit fancier.
Or...
Or you can buy yourself one of these things.
I think the first one you buy is about 50 or 60k when you buy the container,
but then when you go back and just swap the container with a new one,
it's only 20k, that's one dollar for 19 liters of drinkable water.
Number 6 and 7 are about scooter safety.
Number 6 is always wear your helmet.
This bad boy will probably save your life.
There are so many accidents here in Bali that you just can't help.
One of my friends recently just fell off his scooter without an helmet on,
and now he's having to have 3 surgeries, which is costing him around 20 grand.
Good thing he's got an insurance, make sure you've got an insurance.
SafetyWing referral code below.
And then following on from that, number 7 is do not leave your phone
on the bike.
It will get stolen.
Mine got stolen from here back in December.
And if you're a passenger on the bike, be careful,
don't have your phone out because they will steal it from your hand,
and even if you're walking just down the road on the pathway and you got your phone out,
just be careful, because it might happen to you too.
No-no number 8:
maybe a little bit hypocritical considering the situation I am sitting in right now, but...
don't stick to western food here in Bali, and here is why.
There are so many great Indonesian dishes to try,
you really should, and they're so much cheaper,
so if you're a budget traveller, this is definitely the way to go,
because otherwise you're gonna be paying 4 or 5 times the amount
for western food here in Bali than you would for the local food.
You should be trying the local cuisine wherever you go, and that's no different here in Bali.
You can try Nasi campur, chicken satay, beef rendang, lalapan.
Try it all. And now let's move on to number 9.
Finished.
Okay, so number 9 on the list of don't do's in Bali:
don't walk around town in just a swimsuit.
You might come from a more liberal country, but here it's much more conservative,
so just be respectful of the culture. Guys, put a top or a singlet or a vest top on.
Girls, just put on like a nice dress, like a beach dress, like a flowy thing,
or a sarong, I'm not well versed in women's fashion,
but just cover up when you're not on the beach.
Perfect.
Hey! Number 10, we finally reached double digits.
Number 10 is, if you're gonna enter a temple, make sure you cover up your legs with a sarong.
Or the very least, cover up your legs with long pants.
Here in Bali, because of the Hindu religion,
they believe that the root of evil from a human comes from the legs.
This is why we cover up the legs if you're ever gonna go into a religious place.
For the most part, the bigger temples will usually offer you a sarong as you enter.
You might have to pay a little bit extra for it,
or sometimes they'll just give it to you as part of the ticket.
But you know, if you don't have a sarong, literally long trousers will do.
Just make sure your legs are covered up.
And bonus point,
these offerings, don't step on them. That's incredibly disrespectful to the religion.
They put them out every morning, noon and evening, in front of temples and on junctions.
Just avoid them as best as you can and be careful, because they do put incense in them,
I've burnt myself on incense a couple of times as well
without realizing that they're around.
But let's move on to the last 2 points.
So, point number 11, and the second-to-last point,
is don't spend all of your time in Canggu, Kuta and Seminyak.
These are the build-up tourist areas of Bali
and they are not "the real Bali", as people would say.
Instead, make sure you head up to the north and the east.
You can go to places like Sidemen, Karangasem,
Kintamani, which is one of my favourite places. I've made a video about Kintamani, I'll link it below.
But when it comes to down south and the build-up areas, honestly there's not a ton of culture to see.
If you're not living here, it's honestly not that interesting.
Unless you're coming on holiday with your friends and planning just to get drunk,
and go to the mall and lay on a beach, then maybe it's for you.
But if you're coming to experience Bali, Indonesia and the culture,
this is not gonna be for you.
And the last point, number 12, stems on from the previous point.
If you're coming here as a backpacker, especially a budget backpacker,
or you're coming on vacation, don't visit Canggu.
There is literally no point.
There is nothing in Canggu culture-wise or tourist attraction-wise worth seeing.
It's expensive, so you're gonna spend all of your money,
and it's really really busy. There's traffic everywhere right now in Canggu,
so if you want my professional advice after living here for one year,
just avoid Canggu, there are so many better places to visit,
and you'll be wasting your time and money.
But I hope you enjoyed this video, subscribe for more.