Baliblog tour 2005

hey nick.. i really like that idea of urs.. maybe next yr april u’ll bring me along with my mates ard bali..

What a fantastic idea!! Do you know exactly when you will be doing this tour?

Its gonna be later this year. I hope all kinds of fun loving people sign up for it and we can have some fun. Hard for me to know what people want as there are distinctly different groups that come to Bali. Surfers want beach type action, the Ubud crowd is all about Balinese culture, guys want to meet girls, some people like hiking to arts, other prefer painting to trekking.

It will be great anyhow. I have a few standbys that always work.

G’day Nick,

you could always combine the lot to appease those going.

Nick, it sounds like a good idea. I’m really interested in what you’re doing. I don’t want to invade your space, but I’m particularly interested to know whether this is what you do in Indonesia, and if you went to Bali with the plan of doing it. I’ll be in Bali in about a week and will give you a call if I can get round to it. My very nascent blog is at http://www.ivebeentobalitoo.blogspot.com.

Great idea Nick as i am sure you have a lot of hidden gems to show people around. I was thinking Nick that it could well be woth your while setting up Nicks Magic Tours whereby for a certain amount you take tourists on a tour of Bali most of them wouldnt see normally. Could be a nice way to make a few spondulicks Nick.
Bali Blog Slog and Hog(roasted hog in your garden Nick at the end) could be the name of your tours Nick. Get a new van and paint it in a safari type mode say like a zebra with the old Bali Blog boots as the logo. Yes Nick the more i think about it the more i know you could make it work mate.

Regs Mark

Let’s talk about this soon, Nick - and maybe start promoting it more on Bootsnall.

Email me when you have some time.

Donovan

If you are going to do tours, one very unbeaten path would be a day trip to Yogya then bus to Borobudor temple, it is a “world heritage site”. The airfare is $30.00 on Garuda, one hour flight then an hour by bus to the temple, $10.00 entrance (unless you are local/Indonesian then its only a few rupiahs) a couple of hours at the temple- it is breathtaking, maybe a one hour visit to the local silver place, lunch & then right back to Bali & on with the rest of the tour. Of course you don’t want to show up on Idul Fitri, like we did. Are you thinking just day tours or whole package tours? If you are going to do a group package, going to Padang Bai & staying at the Bamboo cabins right on the beach, directions to the really nice beach, independent meals at the beach would be a treat for most. I saw those places on our first trip there, didn’t even ask how much assumed they would be way out of our price range and was so surprised when you stayed there for only a few dollars. This last trip we splurged & stayed at a deluxe villa at Puri Bagus in Candidasa for $80.00/night, what a treat(for a couple of nights). Oh you must include a meal on the beach at Jimbaran, that is a big treat, yummy & cheap & memorable. Anything you could learn from Mick’s bike tour business? We were very interested but he was charging US prices, why would we pay thousands when we knew how cheap it is to rent bikes & sleep & eat? Good luck.

Hi Cathleen C,

The silver place in Yogya is called Kota Gede and is actually a small town on the outskirts. There are more silverworks naturally, but KG is the place to go.

Heh Hi yourself, Barrie- Would you believe that we headed to Yogya to buy silver on Idul Fitri!(end of ramadan) Talk about dumb americans. The whole place was deserted and we had to hang out for days for the shops to open, Although one place actually opened up for us to do business in Kota Gede on the holiday. Guess they could spot “big spenders”. I just thought that if Nick were to do a tour that going to the town where they do the silver for the Borobudor Silver company might be pretty interesting, out in the country & not so many other shoppers & tourists. Our taxi driver to the temple didn’t speak much english & so we didn’t hear about the factory til we did some research later–maybe next trip. Still working on selling all of the silver that we bought while there. Importing sounds good in theory but I work 10 to 12 hours a day at my job, plus keep a big garden going. I didn’t take that into account in working on a seconday business. I am always dreaming/plotting about how I could spend more time in Bali and go to part-time in my job. I always look forward to your comments.

Cathleen C, the trouble with going to Yogya is that you have to spend at least a month there to even digest some of the culture and the magnificent food and see the relevant places.

You know yourself that when you go to Borobudur, there is the nearby Candi’s Mendut and Pawon and the Buddist monastery. Heck, that’s a good day, and if you want to capture the right light for photography, then it’s either get there at sunrise or be there at sunset.

When you next go to Kota Gede, forget the main street and the main silver shops. Head down any of the gangs leading off that. Heaps of little shops where you can bargain with the owner over items and not just a dumb shop assistant. Better quality and variety too because it’s not mass produced.

Head over to Kasongan for some great pottery. Again, not on the main street but go down the gangs.

Hi Nick,

MY friend and I travelling in october and november in Indonesia.
It is a great idee this trip of yours…….
Let me know ….maybe we can join the group.

Hey Nick,

I’m arriving in Bali on 3rd Sept, and have planned my own little tour for the month. My itinery as it stands (sorry - this may be a bit dull but will try and be brief) goes from Sanur accross to Nusa Lembongan, up the east coast to Padangbli, then accross to Lombok and maybe the Gili islands, back to Bali then inland to Ubud, up to the north near Lovina, west to the National park, down the coast to Medewi, then back down past Kutu to Ulu Watu or thereabouts. May be a bit ambitious for 3 1/2 weeks but am going to give it a crack?!

Are you going in completely the opposite direction or does it sound like you may be in any of those place when i am? I was supposed to be going with another girl, but she’s dropped out at the last minute, so am flying solo.
Would be awesome to tag along for a leg of your tour with you as, although the travelling solo thing is cool, as a 25 year old girl when you’re on your own you feel compelled to stay to the more well-worn paths which, although safer, are usually less fun!

hope to hear from you,

Sarah

Hi Nick,

That is a fantastic idea. I hope you’ll have fun doing it.

What kinds of jobs/businesses most expatriates do in Bali? I am thinking of retiring from my job here with Dell computer and move to Bali. Been overthere several times and like it. How much would I need to spend each month to support my self and a wife? I don’t have a lot of cash, but have some on my retirement account (401K). How about the visa? Can we buy property? Thanks.

This is a message for Tom Yusran. I am moving to Bali next year and helping to set up a youth centre. I was planning to ask Dell to donate 2 computers so I can teach kids basic internet and e-tail skills, with a view to setting up on-line stores. Would you be able to help out with any contacts at Dell for donating computers and/or would you be willing to volunteer some time helping out when you move to Bali? Thanks.

I couldn’t imagine there’s much money in that. PCs that are a few years old are a dime a dozen. Pick some up for nothing and they’re powerful enough for what you’ll be doing. Even buy a couple of new notebooks yourself. Computers are dirt cheap now.

Teach the kids how to use computers, but think big. There’s no money in what you’re doing. Do it on the side and consider it volunteer work. Think outside the box nigga.

Liz Sinclair,

Don’t listen to tony as he is a moron with no friends.

Where in Bali will you be doing your volunteering work? Some of us here may be interested in helping out.

I am planning to be in Bali for a few days next year. I would like to pay you a visit and give donations for the kids.

Dell is probably too big a company to donate only a couple computers. But if you insist you can write to them at:

Dell Inc., One Dell way, Round Rock, Texas 78664.

I got that address from the web. If I were you I would send the request to the to the marketing department. good luck.