Kuta drainage project and new neighbor in Seminyak Bali

G’Day Nick,

Great to read you finally got new neighbours.
It was very nice of you to give him a couple of beers. Did you get an interview! (He, he…!).

No but I will when he’s not busy.

Lorenzo and his girlfriend do indeed seem like decent neighbors.

When my husband and I first moved to Portland in our own home, I baked a little something and went around to the neighbors, introducing myself. Three out of six households responded. I think that’s pretty good. One has since moved. The new owners keep their heads down at all times - an indication they would rather keep to themselves which I respect.

http://www.kbri-canberra.org.au/consular.html

Barrie/Nick….
What do you know about this??
Does it mean no VOA…? For Aussies, as the $25 fee is up to 14 days??? What’s going on..
Have not had the chance to read properly, as I am heading off for a meeting….
But any ideas?

Hi Nick
the tourist survey that they try to get you to fill out is a lead for Time Share at a couple of the big hotels at Nusa Dua and Sanur. You get phone calls at your hotel telling you that you have one a prize (free accomodation)and that they will pick you up and take you to the hotel to collect your prize. what they are taking you to is a time share presentation. They also have one where you open a card and win an instant prize, however you have to go to the presentation to find out what you have won.
GaryG

Hi Tracey,

I just rang the Indo consulate here in Perth. The info IO was given is as follows:

30 day visa - US$25

60 day visa - AUD$125. This visa must be obtained at the consulate. You need to supply 1 foto, passport and flight ticket. Takes 3 days to process.

Hope this helps.

Hi Nick,

looks like i’m gonna miss you. was here for a wedding, but so busy never really got online till now, and my plane is this afternoon.

anyway, great seeing what you’ve been posting here for the last year. sitting here in internet outpost right now. (after taking a little while to find it!)

btw, there are two japanese guides around here that have much much better maps (in english and japanese) than the english guides do. found them in the Fukutara (sp?) between here and Legian.

– Paul
http://www.paulwhkan.com/
http://www.bootsnall.com/cgi-bin/gt/travelogues/kan/index.shtml

The visa article had me thinknig waht Barrie wrote, that you’d have to go to the consulate to get these visas in advance but it won’t affect the Visa On Arrival. Indonesia has a strange way of communicating their rule changes. Out here the immigration department won’t communicate with the local immigration consulatants.

I will ask at Arjuna for an update next time I go.

Gary thanks for the info.

Paul sorry I missed you.

I’ve been told that I can quicken things up a bit on arrival in Bali by already having my US$25 in good clean notes. Is this true?

I am travelling on an Australian passport, my friend on a Japanese passport. Is a straight US$50 OK, or would it be better to have separate US$25 each?

It’s not convenient for me to go into Perth first to get the visas.

Hi Rex,

Going to the consulate just to get a tourist visa is strongly discouraged by the staff there and mainly because they consider their system at DPS to be sufficent. For all other visas you will need to go to the consulate.

YES, obtain your USD$25 in good clean cash. If you looking for a good moneychangers in Perth I suggest a small travel booth in the Hay St Mall not far from Portmans (same side) going towards Barrack street. It’s a straight cash transaction which means no fees.

Hi Rex,

Just found a receipt form the last lot of US$ I bought at that booth. The place is called ‘Nationwide’.

Hey, Well not that I am able to head over anytime really soon, but I read it & was worried we were only gonna get 14 days from now on!!!
Gede was drunk yesterday, he spent hours calling everyone, even in Japan!
He was homesick I think…. As a friend had just returned from 8 weeks & he was looking at all the photo’s!
He woke up Ok this morning, but just sent me a messages… hee hee hee, they have asked him to do an extra 2.5 hours!!!! ha ha ha, I can’t help but laugh at him, working OT with a hangover!!!!!!!

Hi Tracey,

Yeah that’s the way I read it and the reason why I called the consulate. They assured me that USD$25 gets you the 30 days.
IF the situation was 14 days then surely there would have been something in the media informing intending visitors. I checked the Perth papers and the Australian but found nothing. I’ll check out the JKT Post now and see if there is anything there.

I really can’t see the Indo govt imposing this because it would REALLY stuff up the tourism in Bali good and proper.

Hi Tracey,

Just checked that site again that you posted. Seems things are back to normal!. Have a gander here:

http://www.kbri-canberra.org.au/consular/visa/visa_on_arrival.htm

Thanks for the info Barrie.

The following is from Bali Update #405:

“President Megawati Defends Unpopular Visa Policy During Bali Visit.

Indonesia’s President used the format of a public dialogue in Bali on
Friday, June 11, 2004, to defend her Government’s introduction of a
visa-on-arrival policy.

As reported in the Indonesian-language Bali Post, responding to a question
asked by Mr. I Gusti Agung Prana, Bali’s Chairman of the Association of
Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA), the President insisted that the
visa policy was a necessary step to safeguard Indonesia from those seeking
to disrupt the Nation, permitting greater control over the Nation’s borders”

They’re going to check my passport and anything else they choose when I enter Bali via the airport. How is taking US$25 off me going to help their security?

Further to my last post.

On the balance of probabilities, is a citizen of [say] Finland more likely to be a security risk than [say] a citizen of Peru?

If you want something done in a businesslike manner, give it to a business person. If you want someone to justify the unjustifiable, get a politician.

Well said Rex. As if we [as Australians and the most prolific travellers to Bali] posed a threat to their nation.

Best to give them your $25, a cheesy grin, and grit your teeth knowing that not too long ago it cost nothing to enter paradise.