For general city information see the main Denpasar page.
The majority of visitors to Bali simply adore going to the markets because of the great shopping bargains, the enjoyment of walking around the stalls seeing almost the same product in each stall, getting hassled by stall-owners to but their goods, and in general, the sheer delight in bargaining the price of the product you want to buy whether it be a sarung or one of those trashy ‘Fuck the Terrorists’ T-Shirts or even a bedspread. The list goes on. In Kuta, everybody heads down to the Kuta Art Market albeit smaller now after Kuta Square was built and in doing so reduced the once large market into a few alleyways of choc-a-bloc terror, a nightmare for those first timers to Bali. The crowded and dusty-dry market in Denpasar is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is all part of the joy of market mania.
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Denpasar is the only municipality in Bali, being the largest center of population. Culturally its an interesting mix of Denpasar natives, Balinese from other parts of the island who work in Kuta other and Indonesians, particularly Javanese. Indonesians will tell you Denpasar has a community feel, where neighbours help each other, the affordable long term accommodation options and assortment of food make it popular with Indonesian tourists. Denpasar is only on the fringe of the tourist map, being away from the beach, not particularly scenic and having limited nightlife. There are accommodation options for those who choose to stay in Denpasar.
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Denpasar means ‘by the market’ and is Bali’s only real city. Denpasar is home to Balinese people from all over the island who work in Kuta, so in the late afternoon the roads leading to Denpasar are choked with traffic. For a Javanese person Denpasar is home from home. I’ve been told that there is a real community feeling there and people look after each other. Around 500,000 people live in Denpasar, including Balinese, Javanese and others from around the country. Denpasar is ‘local friendly’ in that rent, food and almost anything else is cheap and you will find food vendors from many parts of Indonesia. Denpasar is not particularly ‘tourist friendly’, traffic system and the lack of obvious tourist facilities mean its is often overlooked by visitors.
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The Bali Museum is located at Puputan Square in Denpasar. Set in traditional looking grounds, adjacent to Pura Jagatnata, a visit to the museum is a relaxing and affordable place, where you can learn about Balinese history. Split into 4 main buildings, the museum is stocked with artifacts dating back to the megalithic period. The museum dates back to 1910, when the Dutch started building it. The structure was in the puri-pura style, meaning like a palace-temple, complete with courtyards, pavilions and decorated temple gateways. Walter Spies played a part in the Bali Museum, helping put together the collection and organize the display.
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Denpasar’s Chinese style shop-houses and small selection of departments store are not as interesting as the traditional markets in the city. The largest Balinese market in Denpasar is Pasar Badung, located in a massive 3-storey building on the banks of the Badung river in the center of downtown, close to Jl. Gajah Mada. Pasar Badung has plenty of parking, however the entrance at Jl. Sulawesi may seem a little hectic. Parking is also found along the streets leading away from the market. Some people have reported that local women offer their services as ‘guides’ but this does not seem to be the rule. You do not need a guide to explore Pasar Badung market and wandering around by yourself is truly an education in Balinese culture and commerce.
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Here is a map of Denpasar highlighting major streets and places of interest.
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On my home home from Ketewel today I swung through Denpasar, the capital of Bali. My guide book said the Natour Bali hotel. close to the Bali Museum, on Jl. Veteran, had a Rijstaffel for a very reasonable price. Arriving at where the hotel was supposed to be, I was informed by locals that the Natour had become the Inna, changing hands a while ago. Oh well, so much for the rice table, but on to other options. Circling around to the south, passing Ramayana mall and swinging right (in Denpasar you do a lot of ’swinging’ due to the large streets and one-way system), I rode down Jl. Teuku Umar, where there is a choice of Indonesian food places.
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On the way to the Bali Museum today, I made a stop at warung in Denpasar. The road to the museum, Jl. Teuku Umar has many places to choose from and I chose Kedai (warung) Nasi Uduk. This warung had a very small menu, a few locals dining inside and on the few tables outside. The waitress invited me to choose items from a tray behind a glass screen, which would be deep fried and served with rice. I chose ayam (chicken) and udang (prawn), together with lalapan (raw vegetables) and a teh panas tanpa gula (hot tea without sugar).
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