Bali - From 0 to Coronoavirus Impact in 6 days

Bali, Indonesia ...Jakarta, Indonesia... Tokyo, Japan ... Honolulu, US

(Sorry these next few posts are not going to be in chronological order to address current topics first...perhaps we should call it "corona-logical order?")

The last leg on an extended trip to SE Asia centered on the island Bali and diving in Indonesia. We scheduled 2 months, 1/2 of it planned, hoping for recommendations for the 2nd half. Worked swimmingly until the coronavirus appeared, eliminating our last 4 weeks as we scrambled to get back to the US before all travel options shut down. 

Bali, apriori to us, was a place defined by amazing artistic expression, natural beauty, alluring dancing, beautiful local costumes. We eventually saw all of that, and also learned that Bali is predominantly Hindu, unlike the rest of Indonesia which is predominantly Muslim (with a lot of animism surviving in the 17,000 islands comprising it.) Hinduism was the main religion in Indonesia in the 1st century AD. It gradually was replaced by Buddhism, which in turn was replaced by Islam around the 14th century. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, 13% of the total, with 225 million followers.

Our arrival into the country presaged the challenges we were to experience throughout this part of the trip....(cue ominous music here....)  We arrived at the Denpasar Airport on Bali on February 29, and proceeded to the Immigration line. We spent several days in Los Angeles in early November, with 4 trips to the Indonesian consulate, to get a 60-day visa. The immigration agents said our visas were expired! Back and forth we went for a while, then we figured out what had happened. First of all the Indonesian month/day norm is day first, month second. So Feb 4 is 04/02. Our visas said 04/02. When we checked this in LA, we thought we had until April 2 to get into the country to start the 60 days. Starting the 60 days when you arrive is also wrong. 

Our Visa Extension team

So after 4 trips and about $150 in LA, we spent another $80 (cash only!) to get a 30-day visa-on-demand, the only kind you can extend once you are in country. We found a visa extension service, and another $179 and a few days later we were back on track for 60 days. (Ironically, we left the country after exactly 30 days, due to Covid 19. Buddha was laughing at us again!)

The first 10 days or so we were in Kuta, a tourist hub in Bali. Eighty percent of Bali's economy is based on tourism, twice that of Thailand. This was early March, so tourists were still coming. The place was choked, traffic was terrible, taking an hour to go about 10 km in a cab. All that and we were told that tourist numbers were already down. We checked in to an Airbnb we had reserved for 11 days. The place was old and tired, smelled moldy and like chemicals, but it was about 9 pm, pouring down rain, and often places look a lot better in the light of day. So we made a rum and coke, unpacked a little, and went to sleep.

Do NOT go in there!!

The next morning, we both woke up not feeling well, and Linda was having an allergic reaction, with one eye swollen almost closed. In the light of day, it really was as bad as we feared in the night. It had 3 bedrooms, yes, and each had a/c, but the rest of the roomy house was not air conditioned, and it was sweltering. The lighting in the entire place seemed to be from about five 11-watt bare bulbs. The toaster was completely wrapped in saran wrap - yes, due to bugs. Our bathroom, "en suite" in the master bedroom, was deodorized with mothballs. There were insecticide pellets behind the bedroom door. Bad. Think of being locked in your Grandma's sweater drawer overnight.

We contacted the owners to ask for cancel and partial refund... "R-r-REFUND?! ?" ...so we asked if we could at least use the washing machine. As it turned out, we did 4 loads, net cost about $60 per load, AFTER Airbnb refunded 1/2 our money and removed the host's negative review of US. [Really?] We walked next door and checked in to a Best Western, an oasis after Moldy Mothball Manor.

Funny monkey

Bad, cell and glass stealing monkey

We did have a few good experiences in Kuta. The famous Kecak Fire Dance, at the beautiful Uluwatu Temple. Combination of trance singing, and a telling of the Ramayana epic poem. Yes, there were monkeys -- real ones and in the play (but Hanuman is muuuch funnier!). Nonstop smiles at how lovely it all was. We also had a number of good meals, surprise.

Memorial at bomb site

We also visited the Ground Zero Memorial, where 202 people from 23 countries died in 2002 from an Al Qaeda bombing of a popular dance club. Very sobering, and full of obake (ghosts, in Japanese).

Finally, driving north out of Kuta as we started our "Scuba Safari," we saw rice terraces and beautiful mountains and volcanoes. The NatGeo version, instead of the overrun tourist why-would-you-go-there southwest coast of Bali.

Clown triggerfish

Mark with Manta, not his beloved car

Our safari involved scuba diving 2-3 times a day, for 11 days, in 4 different locations. The diving was very good, some interesting experiences above water as well, including 2 nights in a "hostel" that was even worse than Mothball Manor. (Really) Diving-wise, we saw squadrons of giant mantas at a cleaning station, 12-15 foot wingspans, swooping quietly by. Stunning. And acres of staghorn coral. And lots of fish.

Spotted moray with great coral

An observation about the Balinese we met. They are almost to a fault polite and welcoming. They smile and defer to you, and generally say yes and try to deliver what they think you want. That said, you can say something pretty simple several times, and you still don't know what you will get. That's fine, really...but the "lost in translation" was very interesting.

Cultural diversity is the defining characteristic

Example...During our stay in the Best Western, one evening there was suddenly a commotion in the room above us. Furniture moving, loud noises, a dog running around. We called the front desk to ask what was going on. They sent a young man up who looked around our room, then opened the crawl space panels and shined his phone light inside, asked us if we wanted to move [No, we want the noise to stop]. Two more young men showed up and communicated from the balcony with some staff upstairs, then said "Everything is OK now" -- handed us the phone when we looked puzzled, and the front desk informed us that "the mouse is gone." Hmmm. Twenty minutes later, a knock at the door, and someone delivered us a fruit plate, and a note apologizing for "noisy above your room that exceed your satisfaction."

We had a couple of meals in a restaurant called Chops & Hops, in Tulamben, owned and operated by a not small German guy. As Sam Choy says, never trust a skinny chef! Mark ordered schnitzel, pork pounded out flat, bread crumbs, [geez louise it was good]. When it arrived, there were 2 (!) pieces, each the size of Mark's hand. Hot, perfectly fried, tender, to die for. Mark could not finish it the first time, but we went back a couple of days later with a ziploc bag! Mark had a conversation with the owner about how good schnitzel is cold for breakfast, like cold pizza. We also asked the owner where we might find a bottle of rum or vodka. He said not in this town, and sold us one from his stock at cost. To the right just ONE of the schnitzels!

As mentioned above, we had hoped to get to Lombok/ Gili Islands and Flores/Komodo, but on our last day on Nusa Lembongan, they shut down the fastboats to other islands (virus concerns,) and we got an email saying our flight back to California 1 month hence had been cancelled. Where our fellow French, German and Australian divers had been receiving messages for a few days to get back to home countries yesterday, the US Embassy messages had been relatively mild, so we were a bit surprised.

Special Nyepi day food in the hotel!

We booked a flight out for Tuesday, but while at the airport, Taiwan shut its borders to connecting flights and we were left to fend for ourselves. The next day was Nyepi, the Day of Silence, where no one goes outside (therefore no flights) to convince the demons no one lives on Bali. Nothing to see here, move along, demons! Perfect for Covid-19! So the governor extended the "stay at home" holiday for an extra day.....

Jakarta airport -- some complied

The human "covid wash"

Finally Friday, we got a flight to Jakarta, which ironically had the MOST Covid-19 measures for travellers, with a "disinfection tent" and temperature body scanner. The only other screening we got was "have you been in China, Iran or Europe?" in Tokyo and Hawaii.

Jakarta to Tokyo onboard map -- showing Wuhan

Happy to be on last leg to Honolulu

Then we got to Tokyo, hung out in deserted Narita airport for 15 hours, then took an almost empty flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, where we are now, under 14-day quarantine.

Handwritten note from Japan Airlines staff, 12 to 11 ratio

March 2020