Jl. Double Six in Legian Bali

One of the busiest streets in Legian / Seminyak is Jl. Double Six. It run perpendicular to the beach and connects Jl. Legian to Jl. Arjuna. The narrow winding street is lined with shops selling a never-ending selection of sarongs, flashy / holiday style clothes, accessories, hats and handicrafts. During the daytime the street is very busy with traffic, all pushing its way through and causing blockages. The traffic problem has been helped greatly by the new regulation that forces traffic to exit this dead-end street via Jl. Padma Utara. Motorbikes can still drive both ways. Double Six, which actually Jl. Arjuna, was unofficially re-named after the large nightclub that occupies a beach side spot at the end of the road.

For a visitor your reasons for walking down Jl. Double Six might be shopping, because there is a lot of competition. I watched ladies sitting in front of many shops folding sarongs and other garments into stacks, a ton of stuff is shipped in here. For someone looking to pick up a ton of sarongs quickly to sell overseas the selection here is much better than the standard offerings in Kuta. If you are planning on making a big purchase shop around, ask questions and remember you have the power, not them. Use the bulk order to leverage the price. Tell them, "I'll take 50 sarongs, 25 tops and 50 cushion covers for '$x'". If you show them enough cash in an environment where everyone is doing the same thing, you will get what you want. Never be afraid to walk away. Many of the clothing places on Jl. Double Six offer 'made to order' services.

There are car and motorbike rental places on Jl. Double Six including Baik Baik and Bali Ocean. They all offer the same range of cars and bikes and availability will depend on how many of their limited supply of vehicles are already rented. The usual thing that happens if a car is not available is the renter starts calling every friend and relative in order to get their car for the day which will arrive within the hour, the gas gauge on 'Empty'. You will have to negotiate your price. There are a few places to catch a bite and a cold drink including '69 Cafè Lounge' (69, Jl. Double Six, 0361-734610). This funky place has street side tables and chairs as well as an inside bar area and cushion area.

69 is open daily 9am-9pm and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant features a range of coffees and ayurvedic teas, soups, sandwiches, snacks, organically grown salads, vegetarian options, pasta, meat dishes, desserts and alcoholic drinks. An espresso is 6,000rp, a small Bintang 10,000rp and a Carbonara 28,000rp. Further down the street on the same side is Warung Melati, serving nasi camper and another 20 yards in Warung Murah, the unassuming place that consistently serves great Indonesia food for under 15,000rp a place. They are open for lunch and dinner and serve soft drinks, beer and freshly made juices. On the other side of the street slightly back towards Jl. Legian is a typical Bali restaurant type place called Blue Star restaurant. The menu features an extensive list of mixed drinks, lassies and others. The food menu is divided into soups, appetizers, sandwiches, Indonesian favourites, pasta, seafood, burgers, satay, main courses and desserts. In order to satisfy a range of tourists many restaurants are forced to spread their menu over half the world. It must be a nightmare training the chefs to cook 40 different dishes and the logistics are mind-boggling. I haven't eaten at the Blue Star but will if I get a chance.

The prices at Blue Star include 20,000rp for a chicken curry, 43,000rp for a black pepper steak and 35,000rp for a margarita.

Late in the afternoon Jl. Double Six gets very busy with tourists and expats heading to Blue Ocean beach at the end of the street. Blue Ocean beach was named after the very first bar that is still in operation. Along this strip you have Zanzibar, Benny's Blue Ocean, Hotel Komala Pantai and Cafë Warna. Great area for sunset and a bit of a pick up scene! As the night scene rolls along people start drifting away from the beachside places and De Ja Vu, the flashy Red and Black place next to Circle K, warms up. The is a Lippo Bank ATM here too. Double Six nightclub to the right at the end of the street opens at midnight and is the islands best dance place. Newly renovated and featuring an endless stream of foreign DJ's to techno you into oblivion.

Among the signs I saw today on Jl. Double six were one advertising 'Affordable private Villas located down Gang Raja, as well as houses for rent and also the Hotel Prince and Lori Beach Inn. There are a couple o places selling furniture but I wasn't impressed. You can also find a lot of wooden carved items here. Some of the more progressive vendors on this street display their email address and some have a website. One vendor who Barrie would love is the soto ayam stand. They appear in the early evening and spread out a mat on the ground with a low table, Yogya style. Located about 50 meters in from Jl. Legian. This far Jl. Double Six does not have any fancy places to speak of, it's a batik and clothes center with a major copycat emphasis. You might find a stroll down here interesting. Close to the beach end of Jl. Double Six are a couple of hotels, the first being Sari Bunga which is close to Warung Murah. Right on the bottom corner is Sing Ken Ken, a place that has a pool you can use as long as you buy some food. Adjacent to Sing Ken Ken is Pura Naga, a decent size places with a better pool than Sing Ken Ken. All these place are affordable and I will be doing a more extensive review of them some other time.