Bali, hi!

Until two days ago, I wasn’t so sure I’d be here – arranging it was a seat-of-the-pants kind of thing, and I didn’t get the tickets until the last possible minute. But here I am anyway, on the first leg of an Indonesia jaunt that will take me and a few other bloggers through Bali, Jogjakarta, and Jakarta.

I’m writing this in the morning after my arrival at the Dynasty Bali Hotel – looking back, it’s been an educational 24 hours. Here’s how it went down:

Ticket Drama. My gracious hosts from Pesta Blogger and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism booked me connecting flights from Manila to Denpasar (Bali) via Hong Kong. I thought things were hunky-dory until the Cathay Pacific ticketing officer asked me for my return ticket, or proof thereof. Many countries in Southeast Asia – including Indonesia – often ask for proof of onward or return passage before allowing you entry; Cathay Pacific wouldn’t let me board until I’d provided that proof!

To make a long story short, I showed the print-out of my itinerary, showing the Singapore Airways flights I was booked on for my return. That got me through, with little time to spare!

Welcome to Ngurah Rai! Seven hours after leaving Manila, I arrived at Bali’s international Airport, Ngurah Rai. Bali has never been confused about its cultural identity, and I loved how they showed it off to disembarking travelers – I saw the ornate Indonesian-style gate that must have received visitors back when there were no skybridges, and the hallways were full of stone and wood carvings. After an uneventful disembarkation, I got out to meet Indri, our Pesta Blogger liaison, and Mark Tafoya from the Culinary Media Network out of New York.

Jalan Kartika. Dynasty Bali, our digs for the next two days, sits right between Tuban beach and Jalan Kartika, a key tourist trap in Bali. Indri found us a cozy restaurant on Jln Kartika that served warung-style food. We were not disappointed - Mark got a spicy chicken dish, and I got Bali-style beef rendang.

While Mark withdrew money from an ATM in the Discovery Mall (a nice modern air-conditioned mall right on the beach!) I had my dollars changed. To my disappointment, the attendant refused to change one $100 bill because of a small tear in the middle. Mark was kind enough to swap my C-note for five pristine twenties, and I got the change I needed. With a catch - the exchange rate is slightly lower for smaller bills! (11,000 rupiah for the dollar per $100 and $50 bills, 10,900 rupiah to the dollar per $20 bills.)

Moral of the story - when changing your dollars in Bali, remember a few things: 1) look for the best possible exchange rate - hotels' rates are not as competitive as those outside; 2) make sure your bills are clean, or else your money-changer will not accept them; 3) exchange rates are lower for smaller bills.

I'll be blogging the whole way while I'm here. Please come back for more updates!