INDONESIA 
Bali
(2020)
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk"
The day before going to Bali I almost canceled my flight. My plan was to travel for 2 months through Indonesia and Vietnam... However, the day before the flight I realized I was going alone, Covid was already spreading and there was something wrong with the check-in page of my flight.
I almost gave up but ended up not doing it... It was a life changing decision...
In my opinion, Bali is a life changing destination and it was exactly what I needed at that time. One of the most remarkable things I bring from this adventure is the freedom I felt while driving a motorcycle on the island. Driving through total chaos on the street to the middle of rice fields or driving while watching an amazing sunset in front of me... That's so dope!
Enjoy till the end of the page... It was definitely an adventure full of insane moments and situations.
Index 🔍
indonesia adventures
- RICE FIELDS ARE F*CKIN DOPE!
- Tegallalang Rice Field
- This Kid and a bottle of vodka... This is true?!
- Nyepi the "Day of Silence"... you will not believe it.
- day after Nyepi
- i didn't accept... this is corrupt as f*ck ⛔️
- I was repatriated from Bali to Portugal because of the Covid pandemic
- How is "UBER" in Bali
- Pretty Poison Bar
- How much do you think a Big Mac menu costs in Bali?
- indonesian MONEY WORTHS NoTHING
- ShiShi Bar- Free drinks, free sushi and probably money laundering...
- suluban beach
- Random Chat with a local guy- Part 1
- Food Market with a lot of...
- riding a Bike from total chaos to total peace
- The Tattoo to remember this adventure
- The Villa for quarantine... 3€ per night with gardener included...
- 3 hours Hiking Mount Batur
- If you love sunsets, you will love these videos... Sound on please! 🔊
- SongBird competition... Wtf?
- Strange Baskets on the ground
- Delicious and cheap food
- I WENT TO A COCKFIGHTING EVENT 🐓
- Visiting random wood tables fabric with chickens
- Nungallan Beach
- (no cut) driving bike in bali
- Driving Bike in hidden places
- Driving Bike in the middle of the forest
RICE FIELDS ARE F*CKIN DOPE!
UBUD, iNDONESIA
Bali is famous for its rice fields... There are some tourist rice fields like Tegallalang Rice Field that you can visit and take pictures.
But I'm not a "mainstream" tourist guy, I like to explore unknown places... I like the feeling of exclusivity... and that's exactly what I found while I was driving from Ubud to Canggu.
I found the following rice field in the middle of nowhere... no tourists at all and I even came face to face with a man showering outside naked...
Watch this video to see how breathtaking this place is.
Tegallalang Rice Field
UBUD, iNDONESIA
The Tegalalang Rice Terrace, part of the Cultural Landscape of Bali Province UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprises cascading emerald-green fields worked by local rice farmers.
The high roadside location is cool and breezy and it is a well-known spot for tourists to stop and take photos.
This Kid and a bottle of vodka... This is true?!
ubud, iNDONESIA
Beyond unknown places, what I really like to experience are unusual situations...
And the best way for this to happen is to get in touch with the local population away from the tourist attractions...
The following video shows exactly what I'm talking about.
Nyepi the "Day of Silence"... you will not believe it.
canggu, iNDONESIA
Ok, let's start with a dope story...
On 25 March 2020, Balinese people commemorated the "Day of Silence" that is like a religious New Year's Eve... During this day everything is closed, all lights are turned off, you cannot make noise and cannot go outside your accommodation... even the only airport in Bali is closed for 24 hours... no flights at all.
The locals take the day to stay at home fasting and meditating...
On this day it is extremely forbidden to go out on the street. To ensure that all the rules are obeyed, local guards known as Pecalang (Nyepi Police) are deployed all over the Island.
Days after Nyepi, the news on the image above came out..."FOREIGNER CHAINED AFTER INSISTING HE ISN'T BREAKING RULE FOR JOGGING DURING NYEPI".
If you dare to go outside on this day, something like this could happen to you... I'm not kidding...
So, during this day I was in the hostel and the staff didn't show up all day... and they didn't even warn us.
As I explained before, everything was closed, we couldn't go outside the hostel and we didn't have food. So at dinner we went to the hostel kitchen and we looked for food... after we found some stuff we started to make fried rice with vegetables like a vegan Paella.
We couldn't turn on the lights so we used the flashlights of 3 phones... and then... two Nyepi Police guys showed up and told us to turn off the lights!
"STOP STOP STOP! No lights, no lights now!"- they said.
"Man, we just need 3 more minutes to finish the rice! How can we do it without light?!"
"STOP NOW!"
So we turned off the flashlights and they left... we looked at each other- "Wtf? What about now?".
5/10min later we finished the dinner with the help of the light that comes from my phone display.
Don't think that this was a bad experience, not at all! It's exactly the kind of situation I like to experience... can you imagine two policemen telling you to turn off the lights while you cook? 
And due to all the lights in Bali being off, I was able to see an amazing dark sky full of stars...
Happy Nyepi day!
day after Nyepi
canggu, iNDONESIA
After Nyepi day, we woke up and went outside to buy food but... Everything was closed! 2 days in a row and nobody warned us about anything!
As you can see below, every single mini market was closed and we still didn't have food.
Even the beaches were closed... The following guys saying that everything is closed due to Covid are Pecalang. They are the religious local police as I said before... so they probably decided to extend Nyepi day and Covid was kind of an excuse to keep foreigners at home.
That night I took a ride on my bike and found several signs like this one in the video... Locals really tried to "scare" the foreigners with Covid propaganda.
i didn't accept... this is corrupt as f*ck ⛔️
canggu, iNDONESIA
At the end of March 2020 the Covid chaos came and suddenly a lot of tourists were leaving Bali. Then lots of flights were canceled and prices skyrocketed. A friend I met in Bali paid 1800€ to go to the UK. I bought a flight ticket to Thailand and the next day it was canceled... I'm writing this in 2022 and I'm still waiting for my refund.
So I didn't have too many options... either I literally risk more money to take a flight or I stay in Bali till something happens...
Everything was very uncertain. Countries changed their Covid rules every single day. Many people were stuck in airports trying to make a stopover to their destinations... For me, it was less risky to stay and wait until the dust settles.
When I arrived in Bali they gave me the Holiday Visa that gives me permission to stay only 30 days. If you stay longer, you must pay +- 60€ fine per day you overstay.
So my Visa was running out and the only way to extend it was to fly to another country and come back the next day... But all countries around Indonesia were in lockdown and all flights were canceled... it was impossible to leave Indonesia and to extend the Visa...
While I was talking with some people in the same situation as me, they told me about a Visa Agency that might help... After some research I found it on the internet and sent an e-mail... Now take a moment to read my e-mail asking for more info and their answer.
Did you read "shady way"? 
Yes, I called them through WhatsApp and the plan was like this:
I pay this Visa Agency 2.5million IDR (+- 150€) per month and when I decide to leave Indonesia I must contact them again to plan the day and hour of the flight so they can plan with their friend that works in the airport so he can take my passport at the airport and let me pass without a fine...
That was a really shady and risky plan because I could be caught in 2 different ways:
1)- If a policeman makes me stop and ask for my passport while I'm in Bali;
2)- If the plan is f*cked up and the guy that should be at the airport waiting for me just doesn't show up at the airport...
I didn't take the risk and just waited until I was lucky and got repatriated!
I was repatriated from Bali to Portugal because of the Covid pandemic
iNDONESIA | Portugal
... and Covid arrived in southeast Asia... Crazy time. A lot of tourists leaving Bali everyday, flights were canceled and prices skyrocketed. I bought a plane ticket to Thailand and the next day it was canceled... A friend I met paid 1800€ to go to the UK.
Every beach and touristc place was closed due Covid...
After a long long story I was repatriated back to my country. Basically a cruise of MSC Fantasia was stuck in Lisbon, Portugal, due Covid situation and 200 crew members were from Indonesia. MSC Fantasia planned to send all the crew members back to Indonesia so the Portuguese government was able to make an arrangement with the cruise company to use the same plane to repatriate portuguese and other european people stuck in Bali.
At the day of repatriation, this was the only flight of the day, so they opened the airport just for us.
You can watch the whole process of the repatriation from the villa I was sharing with 5 more people in Bali until my home in Portugal where I did 14 days of quarantine.
How is "UBER" in Bali
seminyak | indonesia
Yeah, in Bali you can call for a Gojack that is the same as Uber in Europe... But please, take just 1min and 20 seconds to discover this adventure of taking an "Indonesian Uber".
Pretty Poison Bar
canggu | iNDONESIA
Pretty Poison is a concrete bar with a skatepark inside... This place is perfect to chill out while drinking beers and watching skaters doing their thing...
Watch the video below to see the vibe of this place...
How much do you think a Big Mac menu costs in Bali?
canggu | iNDONESIA
Answer below.
This was the personalized message (on the left) that came on the package. Translation on the right.
indonesian MONEY WORTHS NoTHING
iNDONESIA
ShiShi Bar- Free drinks, free sushi and probably money laundering...
seminyak | iNDONESIA
Three levels of disco, house and hip-hop, kicking off at 9pm with Free Drinks for 2 hours till 11.
• Asian Bistro Open 6pm till 5am
• Nightclubs Open 9pm till late
• Free Entry & Drinks 9-11pm | 7 nights a week⠀
I didn't believe it until I went there. I know it might have a sketchy business behind it, but I went there 3 times in a row from 9pm to 11pm and I can tell you that... besides the free cocktails, they even give free sushi by the tray in the middle of the dance floor 
The rules?
NO SLIPPERS OR SWIM SHORTS AND YOU CAN ONLY ORDER TWO DRINKS MAXIMUM EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE BAR
After 11pm at the Shishi bar, me and the people I met at the hostel went to the beach party where you can see drunk people getting tattoos surrounded by people dancing on the beach.
suluban beach
uluwatu | iNDONESIA
Clean water, amazing landscape and a Gopro.
Random Chat with a local guy- Part 1
canggu | iNDONESIA
When I travel I look for genuine experiences... and nothing better than talking with local people in random situations.
In the video below I was looking for coconut water when I found a guy working on a motorcycle and then the owner of the motorcycle showed up.
I started talking to the owner and at some point he told me he worked in a hotel. I asked him- "Is your hotel a good hotel?" and he replied "no it's not"...
Food Market with a lot of...
canggu | iNDONESIA
One day I took my motorcycle and randomly found this local food market... But as you can see in the video... It's not the most hygienic place ever, especially if you want to buy meat or fish for your next meal...
Fresh chicken full of flying flies or fish in dirty warm water... You chose.
riding a Bike from total chaos to total peace
ubud - Aling aling waterfall | indonesia
On that day, 2 friends (who I met at the first hostel I stayed at) and I rented 3 scooters and took a 2-hour ride to the north of Bali island. In the video below you can see how randomly beautiful it can be just 4 hours of one day while traveling in Bali... Enjoy 
When we arrived at the Aling Aling waterfall region we met Bob, the local guide and probably the craziest guy in Bali. Bob guided us through the waterfalls and told us crazy stories about his past... he used to live in Kuta, the city in Bali known for its night life and prostitution, and at that time he was addicted to hard drugs and because of drugs he had 9 women at the same time...
Then he thought it was time to change his life so he went to north of Bali, Sambangan, a non-touristy region, to start a new chapter. He saw an opportunity to develop, together with the local community, a tourism business through the Aling Aling waterfalls...
Bob is the guy with the "LEAVE ME ALONE" shirt...
The waterfall below is the Aling Aling waterfall with +- 30 meters high... Bob was the first person to jump this waterfall and when Redbull saw his picture jumping, they sent two athletes to jump the waterfall too.
Cliff jumping and Backflips are two of my addictions... "Send it bro!"
At the end of the tour through the waterfalls, Bob took us to a local restaurant to have lunch with him... I was surprised when the old woman working there gave us the bill on random papers...
15000 IDR = 0.93€ at that time
20000 IDR= 1.24€ at that time
And then Bob took us to a fake barbershop... If you have ever visited a fake barbershop in Asia, you know what it means 
The fake barbershop... 
The Tattoo to remember this adventure
canggu | indonesia
This was definitely an adventure I wanted to remember with a tattoo on my body...
The Villa for quarantine... 3€ per night with gardener included...
canggu | indonesia
When everything closed because of Covid, me and some people I met in Bali went to this Villa in Canggu... 3 rooms, 4 bathrooms, a pool and so on. We just paid +- 3€ each per night and we even had a gardener...
3 hours Hiking Mount Batur
Bangli Regency | indonesia
On this day we woke up at 3am and a small van took us from the hostel to have breakfast (fried banana and tea) at the driver's home. Then he took us to Mount Batur where we hiked 3 hours to the top to see the sunset.
Mount Batur is an active volcano and when you are at the top you feel the heat under your feet...
Suddenly, wild monkeys showed up on top of Mount Batur and started stealing food from people...
If you love sunsets, you will love these videos... Sound on please! 
canggu | iNDONESIA
SongBird competition... Wtf?
canggu | indonesia
In Bali you can experience really crazy random moments... but this one...
After lunch, we were heading back to the hostel when we noticed a huge crowd. We went there out of curiosity and found this... a songbird competition.
The four low walls of the competition ring are surrounded by young men, yelling in Bahasa.
It's like a boxing match, but this competition is quite different. The competitors hang high from the roof. And they're not fighting, they're singing.
Below them there are juries giving them points with sticks.
The sad side of this competition is the birds are illegally caught in forests by trappers and dozens of species of birds are endangered because of the trade.
Strange Baskets on the ground
bali | indonesia
Bali, the island of the gods and demons, is full of small offerings that are all over the floor, on walls or in shrines. It is called Canang Sari and usually is a small basket woven from palm or banana leaves and includes flowers, oils, salt, money, cigarettes, cookies and so on.
Balinese people are a really harmonic folk and always try to be in harmony with their gods. They have two ways to try living in harmony: Ask the god for assistance and appease the evil. For this reason, you can find the Canangs on all possible conflict points such as cross roads or bridges, but also in front of shops, houses, cars, hotels, temples and also on the beach.
Some shop and village owners pay women to make these Canangs by hand and leave them everyday in the right places... and they should do this 3 times a day.
Delicious and cheap food
canggu | indonesia
25000 IDR = 1,55€ at that time
I WENT TO A COCKFIGHTING EVENT 🐓
UBUD | indonesia
I was leaving Ubud by moto when I noticed a huge crowd inside a tent so, as I always do when I'm curious, I went there to see what was going on.
It was a cockfighting event... I'm an animal lover and it hurts my heart when I see any kind of animal suffering... but in Indonesia the cockfighting culture is very common. A lot of people make money to live with this competition.
So I stayed there for a while watching how this event works. I was surprised when I saw big blades on the cocks' paws... That's crazy. If you are curious, just watch the video below.
Visiting random wood tables fabric with chickens
canggu | indonesia
Those are the experiences I like while exploring local places.
Nungallan Beach
uluwatu | indonesia
(no cut) driving bike in bali
canggu | indonesia
Driving Bike in hidden places
bali | indonesia
Driving Bike in the middle of the forest
ubud | indonesia
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canggu | indonesia
