Arriving in Bali: A tourist’s account

Thousands of tourists arrive everyday in Bali. Ngurah Rai airport is at it’s busiest between 12pm and 4pm, with 4 or more flights arriving an hour. The airport scene is frantic to a newcomer, less threatening to an expat. Hotel reps wait dressed in colored outfits, armed with hand-held signs, indicating who they are waiting for. One recent arrival documented how this experience was for him.

His first impression of Bali was it is beautiful and hot. He’s right and the stuff about people selling day tours is accurate too. As far as expats wearing long pants, for sure that’s how it is in certain situations. I myself wore jeans last night, not overly uncomfortable after you acclimatize.

Regarding expats living in places without AC, it’s true you can find people in that situation. One of my friends has lived in Bali for almost 20 years and never had AC. Personally I can make do with air-flow and strong fan, but it is nice to be able to close the windows and whack on the cool air if you need it.