We've recently covered a variety of different transport options across Indonesia including minibus (angkot) and train -- here we focus on one of the most efficient forms, the motorcycle taxi which is known in Indonesia as the ojek.

A mud pit only accessible by ojek.

Like many other places in the world, the motorcycle taxi in Indonesia is an important part of the transport landscape, in this case filling in the gaps left by incomplete and inadequate angkot routes, shuttling people through the crowded streets of the big cities with speed and providing a good way for tourists to quickly tour cities and their surrounds without having to ride a motorbike on their own.

In many parts of Indonesia, ojeks congregate at junctions to roads that angkots don't service, train stations and bus terminals, and any other place where a ready supply of customers awaits. Armed with this knowledge, it is usually quite easy to track down a nearby ojek post wherever you are. If all else fails, any guy with a motorbike is a potential ojek, so it's quite possible to just say "ojek" to a random guy with a bike and get a lift to where you want to go.

An expensive ojek due to the condition of the "road".

Prices of ojeks are highly negotiable, but a good starting point is 80,000 rupiah for an eight-hour journey of about 100 kilometres which includes the cost of petrol. You would normally be expected to buy the guy lunch and a drink as well, but if that's awkward you can get around this by just increasing the price you pay him. If the road you are travelling on is rough and likely to increase wear and tear on his motorbike, there is excessive traffic, it's raining or the stuff you want him to do is just not appealing, the price starts to increase. A two kilometre trip should cost 5,000 rupiah, so those guys you see in the Kuta backstreets charging 50,000 rupiah for a short trip to nearby Seminyak are rip-off merchants. The moral of the story: for a fair price, negotiate hard.

Once you have selected your ojek and negotiated a price, it's time to hop on board and experience Indonesian traffic up close and personal. The bike will normally have pegs for you to rest your feet on and you will normally be given a helmet, unless the journey is short in which case your life is in the hands of the driver and the surrounding traffic. If you have a big backpack to transport as well, it is usually possible for the backpack to be stored between the driver's legs. If you have another passenger to carry, meaning three people are on board, one person will usually not have pegs to rest their feet on. The three-person motorbike journey is an experience in itself, but rarely encouraged as it is illegal and should only be used in rural areas or for short journeys.

Ojek post -- negotiate beforehand!

Ojeks are a great way to get out of the hustle and bustle of an Indonesian city where sometimes it's possible to feel trapped by the heavy congestion, thick smog and diabolical transport arrangements. Ojeks quickly get past all of this and carry you out into the countryside where green Indonesia reveals its true beauty. Give an ojek a go!

Tags: motorbike taxis, ojeks

Kawah Ijen is one of the stunning highlights of a trip through Java and is a regular stop on many tours departing from Yogyakarta and ending up in Bali. The usual way of getting to Kawah Ijen on a tour involves heading to the inland town of Bondowoso and making your way up to the crater's carpark via the rutted road and returning the same way. Independent travellers usually catch an angkot from Bondowoso to the final town before the crater which is serviced by public transport and then make the final ascent by ojek. But we here at Travelfish.org believe there is a better way for independent travellers to access Kawah Ijen if coming from or heading to Bali which saves time by using the access road leading to Banyuwangi, right next to the port from where ferries depart to Bali.

The acidic lake filling Kawah Ijen. Swimming not recommended.

Since Bondowoso lies inland in the hills 30 kilometres from the main highway which travels along the north coast of Java and Kawah Ijen is a further three hours from there, it takes much longer to travel via Bondowoso when travelling between Kawah Ijen and Bali than the alternative Banyuwangi route.

The surrounding mountains along the road to Kawah Ijen from Banyuwangi.

With this in mind, if travelling from Bali it is possible to hire an ojek in Banyuwangi for the journey up to Kawah Ijen, have the ojek driver wait for you to climb up to the crater. The ojek can then to take you onwards to the bus terminal in Bondowoso or to a waiting angkot in the first town on the way down from the crater that is serviced by public transport, Sempol. This way you can avoid having to backtrack and waste time.

Some 70 kilograms of sulphur waiting for human transportation.

The same is true for those travelling in an easterly direction from places such as Gunung Bromo. Buses from dusty Probolinggo on the coast below Gunung Bromo will take you directly to Bondowoso, where most will stay overnight before taking an angkot to Sempol early the next day. From Sempol it is possible to hire an ojek who will take you to Kawah Ijen, wait for you and then take you onwards to Banyuwangi or a further six kilometres to the ferry port for onward travel to Bali.

In the bowels of the crater.

The road from Banyuwangi to Kawah Ijen starts off in great condition, but as you get closer to the top, it deteriorates into something resembling the surface of the moon. It's steep, rocky and even cars have trouble traversing it. But that's part of the adventure of travelling this way. After a few voluntary motorcycle dismounts and some involuntary near dismounts, you arrive at your destination a good few hours ahead of most other travellers choosing the more circuitous route via Bondowoso.

We know this is not the moon because of the surrounding jungle (and the motorbike).

Whichever route you choose, the utlimate prize is witnessing Kawah Ijen -- and that makes everything worthwhile.

The prize that awaits those with determination: magnificent Ijen crater.

Tags: Banyuwangi, Bondowoso, Gunung Bromo, Kawah Ijen

Being one of Java's premier attractions, Gunung Bromo and the Tengger Caldera area get their fair share of visitors with many travelling straight from Yogyakarta via some sort of pre-arranged tour. It's not a bad option to take a tour from Yogyakarta, but one thing is almost gauranteed: you will be travelling via the town of Probolinggo, staying overnight in the town of Cemoro Lawang on the lip of the Tengger Caldera and the next day you will either be travelling to Kawah Ijen, Bali or back to Yogyakarta. A whirlwind tour if you like. But there is another alternative for those not wishing to take organised transport.

A river valley on the journey from Malang to Gunung Bromo.

If visiting the city of Malang, it is possible to reach the Tengger Caldera and Gunung Bromo much more quickly than taking the circuitous route of heading to Probolinggo and then up the hill to Cemoro Lawang. Better still, you can head to Bromo one way and depart the other, allowing you to see two totally different but spectactular sections of scenery that truly are a joy to behold.

Jeeps making their way across the savanna around the back of Gunung Bromo.

The route from Malang starts on the side of the road, looking for an angkot to take you to the Arjosari bus terminal. Luckily for you angkots travelling to Arjosari pass most main roads in town frequently from early in the morning to late at night. Look for any angkot with the letter A on the windscreen -- such as an ADL or GA -- and it will get you to the terminal for 2,500 rupiah.

Farming the incredibly steep slopes around Gunung Bromo.

Once at Arjosari, catch an angkot to Tumpang, 24 kilometres away for 5,000 rupiah. In Tumpang, things get interesting.

There are two ways of getting to the Tengger Caldera, Gunung Bromo and accommodation in Cemoro Lawang. The first and easiest way is to charter a motorbike taxi (ojek) to carry you and your luggage for 80,000 rupiah up the steep ridge, which affords some absolutely magnificent views. It gets cold along the way and long pants and a jacket are a good idea.

The second way of getting to the top is by jumping in a shared jeep, which departs from the Tumpang market, for 60,000 rupiah. The problem with this method is that the jeeps only leave when there are enough passengers, meaning that a long wait could be in order. Worse, they simply won't depart at all if enough people don't show up, so it's advisable to arrive early and with a backup plan to use an ojek if the jeep option doesn't materialise.

Dreamy savanna around the back of Gunung Bromo.

The good thing about heading to Bromo from this direction is that you get to pass through the savanna at the back of the caldera which is an incredible contrast to the Sea of Sand around the front -- something the vast majority of visitors to the area simply do not see. It is so impressive that we reckon it's a must-see if already in the area. The other good thing about this route is that it's easy to make a slight six-kilometre detour to the town of Ranu Pane where hikes to Java's tallest volcano commence from.

Of course, you can do this entire journey in reverse for the same price. It's a great way to do something a little bit different when visiting Gunung Bromo.

Tags: angkot, Gunung Bromo, ojek

We previously wrote about Java's answer to Kuta beach, the wonderful Pangandaran located on the south coast of West Java. It's a fairly remote outpost off the main highway, disconnected from the rail network and seemingly a hassle to get to. But it's really not as difficult as it first seems and here we explain the different ways of getting there.

One of many deserted sections along Pangandaran's beach.

Bandung to Pangandaran

Many visitors to Java make their way across the island starting in the capital Jakarta, heading east to Bandung and then onwards from there. From Bandung, Pangandaran is quite easy to reach, although it can be tiring due to the condition of the road. Buses regularly depart Bandung from the Cicaheum bus terminal in the east of town, costing 35,000 rupiah and taking seven hours. Many angkots (public minivans) zooming around all parts of Bandung head directly to Cicaheum, so it's simply a matter of finding one of those, hopping on it and paying the 3,000 rupiah fare. If in doubt, angkots and buses depart from the train station for Cicaheum. Alternatively, a taxi should cost no more than 30,000 rupiah. Once at Cicaheum, touts will spring up out of the ground and ensure you get on the right bus -- but don't bank on air-con as many buses to Pangandaran don't have it.

An alternative to the bus is to fly to Pangandaran. Susi Air has regular services costing about 350,000 rupiah and taking a mere 40 minutes. These services depart from Bandung airport and land on a beach strip about a kilometre north of the main tourist area in Pangandaran. The ticket's an absolute bargain in our eyes.

Green Canyon near Pangandaran -- worthy of a visit.

Yogyakarta to Pangandaran

For those traversing Java in the opposite direction, the trip to Pangandaran is also simple. Most travellers will be heading to Pangandaran from Yogyakarta as there is not a lot to see between the two locations. A morning train from Yogyakarta to Banjar should take about four hours and cost upwards of 60,000 rupiah depending on the class of travel chosen. From Banjar train station, ojeks and angkots are available to take you to the bus terminal about a kilometre away. From there, it's a 90 minute, 30,000 rupiah bus journey to Pangandaran.

Banjar train station is not much, but it does the job.

Both of these options may on the surface sound complicated but in reality the story is vastly different. Fellow travellers and touts all along these routes are keen to help you get to your destination and will point you in the right direction should you just ask in English things like, "Cicaheum?", "How far to Banjar?".

So now's there's no excuse for skipping Pangandaran on your trans-Java excursion. Keen?

Tags: angkots, Bandung, Pangandaran, Yogyakarta

Indonesia is a massive archipelago spanning over 5,000 kilometres from its western tip in Aceh to the eastern border in Papua, and travelling across this huge country requires the use of a wide variety of transport (including boats, which we cover here). On the densely populated island of Java, which is the home to more than 120 million people, a popular and relatively fast form of transport is the railway, which connects all the major cities (including Jakarta, where the trains have been in the news).

No one cares if you poke your head out the window on Java trains.

There are also train services in Sumatra, but the train lines there are not connected to one another, making long distance travel impossible and usually not worth the effort. In Java, the story is different, with frequent trains between many of the destinations that travellers are likely to find themselves heading to.

As a general rule trains are faster than buses in Java, but also more expensive. We like to think of train travel as a great compromise between scenery-skipping flights and stomach-churning buses. For example the journey from Bandung to Yogyakarta by train takes eight hours and costs 110,000 rupiah while by bus it takes 12 hours and costs 90,000 rupiah. Occasionally it is possible to pick up an economy fare on a train with cramped bench seats for a slightly lower price than the bus, but be warned that the bus in this instance may well be more comfortable.

It's economy, but clean.

Indonesian trains offer three different classes of travel: economy, which has three-person and two-person bench seats and fans; business, which has larger coach-style seating in a two-two configuration; and executive, which has air-con, more legroom and power sockets for all your gadgets. In the economy and business carriages, sellers will regularly jump on the train to sell food, drinks and knick-knacks, meaning you don't need to go hungry on your journey. In all carriages you will be regularly offered nasi goreng on plates from the train staff themselves, but you pay a premium for this service.

Those with long legs need not apply.

All classes of carriages have clean squat toilets and racks for luggage which are large enough to fit even the biggest of backpacks. It is worth noting that theft on trains is not unknown in Indonesia so it's best to keep valuables close especially if heading to the toilet or having a sleep.

Plenty of space for luggage here.

The process of booking a ticket for train travel in Indonesia is fairly simple. Head to the nearest train station and ask for the ticket office. The ticket office can arrange tickets for train travel that day or for weeks in advance. Outside of holiday periods and weekends, trains are rarely fully booked and pre-purchase is not absolutely necessary. If you find yourself stuck during a holiday period without a train ticket, it is possible to obtain black market tickets from agents who generally buy tickets in bulk and on-sell them at hefty premiums. Check in shops surrounding the train station!

No concrete balls, yet.

A great place to get started on planning for your train journey is www.kereta-api.co.id  Not all fares are listed on the site, particularly those cheaper economy tickets, but it does give a good idea of where trains go to and from, how long they take and what the approximate costs are. More accurate and reliable information is available at train stations.

The journey is part of the experience.

Travel travel in Java is a fantastic way to see the countryside without having to endure the perils of bus travel. The scenery is magnificent, the service efficient and the price competitive. Tempted?

Tags: trains

Bali is the jewel in the crown of Indonesian tourism, attracting more and more visitors every year; for some, the number of fellow tourists is just too high and there is a strong desire to high-tail it right out of there. That's where Bali's western neighbour comes into the picture: Java, a long slender island with a good number of top-class destinations and best of all, hardly any other tourists. Catching a plane to Java from Bali is easy and fast, but has the downside of skipping much of the natural beauty along the way. The bus from Bali to Java solves this problem.

Is that a volcano I see?

Why Java?
More adventurous visitors to Bali often don't know whether it's better to travel to Java or Lombok for their side trip into a less-touristed area of the country. Most people travel to Lombok to visit the relatively quiet beaches of Kuta and Sengiggi and perhaps to visit the nearby Gili Islands. Java is more about volcanoes, temples and colonial history with highlights being Kawah Ijen and Mount Bromo, both in East Java province and not too far from Bali.

A temple from the Majapahit empire, just outside Surabaya.

Getting to the main bus terminal in Bali
The  easiest departure point from Bali to Java is the Ubung bus terminal in Denpasar. Buses from this terminal run with regularity from early morning until night, although as usual, buses are more frequent in the morning. Getting to Ubung bus terminal can be a chore in itself depending on your mode of transport and starting point.

The easiest way to get to Ubung is by using a Blue Bird taxi. From the Kuta area, a taxi will set you back about 60,000 rupiah, so long as the traffic is fluid. Given there are no taxis available in Ubud, hiring a car and driver is the best option from here and will cost around 150,000 rupiah after some hard bargaining.

For those wanting to use public transport to get to Ubung bus terminal, the fun starts the minute you start your journey. Two bemos are required to get to Ubung from Kuta: the first from Bemo corner on the corner of Jalan Raya Kuta and Jalan Pantai Kuta to the Tegal Sari terminal in Denpasar costs 10,000 rupiah; the second from Tegal Sari to Ubung bus terminal costs 6,000 rupiah. The bemos run regularly throughout the day and into the evening, although with less frequency later in the day.

From Ubud to Ubung is a more difficult proposition, mainly due to the scarcity of other passengers travelling this route, but it is possible to do. Firstly, catch a bemo costing 25,000 rupiah from outside Ubud market to Batubulan, preferably in the morning when bemo connections are more likely to be friendly. From Batubulan, you can get a bemo directly to Ubung for 6,000 rupiah, but these bemos dry up by mid-afternoon so get there early.

Hell or a simple sulphur mine in the bowels of a volcano?

Ubung to Java
Once at Ubung bus terminal, the task of getting to Java is relatively easy. It's better to buy tickets either after hopping on the appropriate bus or from an official ticket seller standing next to your chosen bus, rather than from the ticket offices lining the perimeter of the terminal, as these sellers have a reputation for inflating prices. Buses from Ubung travel to many destinations in Java such as:

Banyuwangi (for Kawah Ijen) - 4hrs - 60,000 rupiah (air-con express), 30,000 rupiah (non-air-con, not express, to the port only)
Surabaya (for Trowulan) - 12hrs - 145,000 rupiah
Probolinggo (for Mount Bromo) - 10hrs - 125,000 rupiah
Yogyakarta (for Borobudur) - 17hrs - 215,000 rupiah

The journey on these long distance buses is usually comfortable enough with air-con, soft coach seats and a place to store your luggage. But this all changes in peak Indonesian holiday periods when buses are cramped, stuffy and passengers are usually required to nurse at least some of their their luggage.

Heading to Java is a perfect way to spice up your holiday to Bali and now armed with this information, there is no excuse to not give it a go.

Tags: Batubulan, buses, java, Ubung bus terminal

Nusa Lembongan is a beautiful little patch of an island just off the east coast of southern Bali. It's famous for its surfing, sunsets and snorkelling, and is growing in popularity among those looking for a less crowded, unadulterated flavour of Bali. But the big question: how to get there?

We say: Scoot across with Scoot!

It's an island, there's no bridge and not an airport in sight, so unless you've got access to a helicopter and a landing pad, it's boats all the way. There are fast boats and slow boats, shiny boats and rusty boats, expensive boats and cheap boats. All this for a short jaunt across the water!

Bali to Lembongan 101
Sanur, the south coast sleepy resort town, is the main gateway to Nusa Lembongan (and neighbouring Nusa Penida for that matter) so regardless of where you're actually leaving from, chances are you'll actually wade onto the boat at Sanur.

Boats arrive at Jungkut Batu, one of the two main villages on Nusa Lembongan. Jungkut Batu is home to the vast bulk of the accommodation, restaurants and other tourist paraphernalia on the island.

Pretty at sunset, ugly at sea.

The Badung strait swings between near glassy smooth waters and a boisterous torrent of swirling eddies and waves in the middle of nowhere. If the weather is foul ashore, rest assured the waters will be doubly so.

What are the options
Four main options are worth considering, each probably appealling to a specific segment of the market. Broadly speaking, there's the "local" local boat, the Perama local boat (basically a local boat aimed at non-locals), speedboat services (many of these to choose from, though most opt for one of two main operators) and the daytripper cruise ships.

Lifejackets optional.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, it is worth pointing out that excepting the daytripping services, none of these boats use a pier -- you will need to wade (generally up to about knee-depth, but sometimes more) up to the back of the boat and climb the steps into the boat. If you are mobility-impaired or not comfortable getting onto a boat in this manner, someone will need to carry you. In rough seas getting on can be a bit of a circus and injuries do happen, so do take care. If you're not comfortable getting on the boat, don't get on the boat.

The local local boat
This leaves Sanur at 08:00 and Nusa Lembongan at 08:00, and costs 60,000 to 100,000 rupiah (depending on what they feel like telling you) and takes about an hour to 90 minutes. Like many local boat services in Indonesia, this boat is invariably overloaded and basically meets few of the safety regulations in your home country (unless you're from say Indonesia or the Philippines). We saw no life jackets. In poor weather, or when travelling with children, we would not use this service.

The Perama local boat
This leaves Sanur at 10:30 and Nusa Lembongan at 08:30, and costs 150,000 rupiah. It takes about an hour to 90 minutes. There are few differences between the Perama boat and the local local boat, other than you're likely to be sharing a bench with a German backpacker rather than a bag of rice and you won't be as crowded. Other boats, not all run by Perama, run this route in a somewhat informal fashion. We didn't see life jackets in any of the ones we looked into and watched a boatman on Nusa Lembongan tell a potential passenger that life jackets were not needed because it is a short, safe trip. In our opinion, this is not true.

Ducks in a row: Penida and Lembongan fastboats.

The fast boats
There are two main fast boat services between Bali and Nusa Lembongan: Scoot and Rocky Fast Cruises. The former is the more established of the two and runs boats not only to Nusa Lembongan, but also to the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. Both companies ostensibly offer pickup and drop-off services (to a set range of destinations) but we've found Scoot's to be far superior and despite them being cheaper, we'd not use Rocky again solely due to their utterly inept approach to drop offs in Bali.

The actual boat services are close to identical, though Scoot has a larger boat if you end up on the boat that presses onwards to the Gilis after stopping at Lembongan. Both services have new-looking life jackets stowed under the seat, or overhead (though we didn't actually eyeball the overhead ones). Luggage is tagged and porters carry bags on and off the boat for you.

Scoot charges 300,000 rupiah one way and Rocky 250,000 rupiah (both include pick-up and drop-off services). A return ticket is slightly cheaper.

Seatbelts? The Kusamba boat arriving at Nusa Penida.

Aside from Scoot and Rocky, a bunch of other operators offer a fast boat service for as little as 150,000 rupiah one way. Ask around at either beach for a "cheaper boat" and you'll get what you want. Personally, we feel Scoot is worth the extra money.

The daytrippers
Bounty and Bali Hai are among the companies that run day-trip cruises to Nusa Lembongan. They leave from Benoa port on Bali and moor at especially unsightly pontoons near Playgrounds surf break on Nusa Lembongan. Once on the pontoon you're able to be ferried to the mainland to mix it up with the natives -- or in the case of Bali Hai, take a trip in their semi-submergeable coral-viewing submarine.

These services are essentially a pleasure cruise with an island tacked on and, unless you are especially rushed, not really worth considering -- the boat services from Sanur are better value. Bounty offers a one way ticket for US$35, a day cruise with Bali Hai $95 -- but there are a few options available.

Butt ugly.

Which boat service to use?
If it doesn't break your budget, or if you're travelling with kids, use Scoot. If you're on a tight budget, use Perama. Given the other options available, we wouldn't use the local boat service.

In bad weather we wouldn't use either the local service or the Perama boat. Boats have sunk, and will continue to sink on the Bali to Lembongan/Penida route -- the waters can be treacherous.

Are the fares set?
No, sort-of, maybe -- well, it depends really! There is a local rate to Nusa Penida for starters. If you have a KITAS and speak Indonesian, you should be able to make an effort at getting the local fare, but at the end of the day, you're most likely not really local, so don't risk an aneurism over $7.

Tourist fares, especially onwards to the Gili Islands, are absolutely negotiable. Note though, you will need to show up in person to haggle (neither the phone centre, nor the website will haggle, in our experience!).

Final thoughts
By Indonesian standards, the Bali to Nusa Lembongan route is one of the most organised and with the best safety standards you're likely to encounter in Indonesia. That doesn't mean it operates at international standards.

Nusa Lembongan is worth the effort to reach.

If you're new to how boats typically run in Southeast Asia (unsafely and overloaded, but generally speaking, without incident), then you may find it a little confronting. If weather is bad, the boat overloaded and you've got a bad feeling, then don't get on. The boats run daily, multiple times a day -- there is always another boat.

Looking for more reassurance? Read our boating in Indonesia story.

Have fun and be sure to head up to mangrove beach one sunset!

Bali Hai Cruises
T: (0361) 720 331
http://www.balihaicruises.com/content/reef-cruise

Bounty Cruises
T: (0361) 726 666
http://www.balibountycruises.com/html/nusa.htm

Perama
T: (0361) 750 808
http://www.peramatour.com/Daily-Bali-Lombok-Shuttle-Bus-Boat.html

Rocky Fast Cruises
T: (0361) 801 2324
http://www.rockyfastcruise.com/

Scoot Fast Cruises
T: (0361) 285 522
http://www.scootcruise.com/

After we did our initial post regarding taxis fares from Bali airport, we've had many more inquiries about fares for specific routes. So, keeping that in mind, here are some of the more popular requests for taxi prices in Bali. Note these are eitherfrom the airport board (and so covered in the previous post as well), or estimated from the meter reading. If your taxi refuses to use the meter, use another taxi -- Bali has plenty of taxis. Also note, Bali's traffic is getting steadily worse, especially from the airport to Simpang Siur and this will affect your taxi fare.
(more...)

Tags: taxi

Bali is big, beautiful, round(ish) and dotted with interesting places to visit — perfect for a road trip. You can circumnavigate Bali in as little as a couple of days or as long as a couple of months, by car or by motorbike. We thought we'd zoom around the island and put together a suggested route for those looking to take in the main destinations, along with some more off-the-beaten-track spots. But before we get started, here are some general pointers to help you get the most out of the trip — and to have a safe drive around the island.

Getting wheels
We rented an old Honda Dream manual 100cc step-through for 30,000 rupiah per day for two weeks. Out the front of your hotel in Kuta rentals may be a little higher, as it will be if you're renting for a shorter time. Check the bike thoroughly. Make sure there is sufficient tread on the tires, that both the front and back brakes work, and most importantly that the horn works. The bike should have a yellow registration form (laminated) that will be stored under the seat — don't lose this! Your bike should come with a helmet. Wear it.

Check the bike carefully -- no monkey business!

Not getting booked
You've already read our piece on how to avoid motorcycle fines in Bali, right? In theory you must have either an international license for riding or an Indonesian motorcycle license. Both are easy to get. If you don't have one and are pulled over, expect to pay a fine/bribe on the spot — 50,000 rupiah is about right, though we've heard stories of people paying far more. Always be polite and expedite the situation as quickly as possible. They'll also fine you if you're spotted riding without a helmet. Unfortunately, they don't seem to fine people for driving without shirts.

Why Bali has so many drivers
Bali has horrendous signposting, and for years I've clung to the belief that it's some kind of elaborate scheme to keep the private-driver industry in business. What few road signs you'll see will invariably be obscured by trees, or only signpost a far distant place, like Gilimanuk, the westernmost point of the entire island. In theory there are kilometre markers every, well, kilometre, but they often are missing and when they are in attendance, are pegged with abbreviations to towns that you're probably not actually heading to or even aware of. All in all the road signage is designed for locals and people who already know where they are going — like your friendly Bali driver who offers you "transport" every morning.

Sometimes it is easy to know where you are going

Get an atlas
Assuming you're not planning on taking the main roads the whole way, to save yourself driving forever in circles or pulling over every 10 minutes to holler "Candi Dasa di mana?" at some startled farmer, you need a good map. The best street map, by far, is the Periplus Bali Street Atlas. The 160-odd page atlas is available at most good bookstores in Bali and retails at around the 200,000 rupiah mark. If you're planning on getting off the beaten track it will be the best 200,000 rupiah you spend outside of petrol. One flaw with the Periplus map is that they don't have enough line styles so there is no differentiation between a secondary road and a badly rutted trail fit only for a motorcycle.

Get a smartphone
If you have some kind of a smartphone, Google Maps is an excellent addition to this, not only because it is remarkably detailed, but also, far more usefully, it will show you where on the map you are! It does mark a lot of roads that don't exist or are really just for goats, but in most cases we found it to be pretty good. If you are smartphone-enabled, be sure to check out our range of iPhone travel apps.

Or go with the flow
Because turnoffs are seldom marked and because your atlas most likely won't mark street names, picking the right turnoff can sometimes be a bit of a case of taking a guess. Watch what other traffic is doing. If you're already on a secondary road and come to a junction where the correct direction isn't clear, look at what others are doing. In many cases, while the road goes four or five ways, most people will be going the way you are. Luckily there's always someone standing around to ask should you be truly baffled — they'll probably gesture the correct way before you even ask.

If only all signposting was this good

Petrol
The big Pertamina petrol stations are all over the place, and in between them you'll find innumerable vendors selling petrol of differing qualities out of old liquor bottles. You'll need to try really hard to run out of gas.

Not all animals are equal
Driving pecking order in Bali (and Indonesia for that matter) works on size taking right of way. Truck beats bus beats flatbed beats car beats motorbike beats bicycle beats pedestrian. This means you'll see drivers doing extremely idiotic things on the road. All the time. Sometimes what you see and will be required to deal with will fly in the face of what you may have been taught in your home country, but the golden rule is to drive slowly, always yield, and, most importantly, be especially aware of other motorcycles as they will be driving on the assumption that you know where they are. Don't try to retain your lane just because it is your lane — it's not — you're just borrowing it from someone bigger than you.

Just about the only type of vehicle you probably won't encounter

One more note regarding pecking order. A VIP-convoy, generally led (and tailed depending on perceived self importance) by police cars, takes precedence over everything.

What's next?
In the next entry we'll tackle the first leg of the loop: Sanur to Candi Dasa.

The simple answer to this question is to not ask "how much", but rather just to ask the taxi driver to put the meter on -- that's what it is there for. But, if you prefer to do it "off the meter" here are the "official" prices from Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport to various spots across Bali.

You'll find these stuck on the wall at the back of the "official taxi office" just outside the arrivals hall (exit arrivals and turn right, you can't miss it). You tell them where you are going and pay there and then, get given a receipt and go jump in a cab.

These fares are slightly higher than what you'd pay inbound on the meter (for example the official fare to Sanur is 95,000 rupiah, but depending on traffic it will probably cost 10,000 or so less). The following should also make for a useful reference when the shyster cabbie in Kuta tells you he wants 200,000 rupiah for an off the meter run into the airport.

Taxi from Ngurah Rai Airport to:
Batubulan 105,000 rupiah
Bukit (Ayana) 95,000 rupiah
Bukit (Pecatu) 115,000 rupiah
Bukit (Uluwatu) 135,000 rupiah
Candidasa 335,000 rupiah
Canggu 135,000 rupiah
Denpasar 70,000-90,000 rupiah
Dyana Pura / Abimanyu 65,000 rupiah
Jimbaran (Intercon) 60,000 rupiah
Jimbaran (Four Seasons) 75,000 rupiah
Kuta (Discovery) 45,000 rupiah
Kuta Centre (Melasti etc) 50,000 rupiah
Legian (Jl Padma) 55,000 rupiah
Nusa Dua 95,000 rupiah
Nusa Dua (Nikko) 110,000 rupiah
Oberoi / Kerobokan 70,000 rupiah
Padang Bai 315,000 rupiah
Sanur 95,000 rupiah
Seminyak (Jl Double Six) 60,000 rupiah
Tanah Lot 190,000 rupiah
Tanjung Benoa 105,000 rupiah
Ubud 195,000 rupiah
Umalas 85,000 rupiah

If the cabbie says the above fares are wrong, here's a pic

Taxi fares from Bali airport to destinations across the island

If you're leaving from the airport, and want to bargain for a price, again use the above as a benchmark, If the driver wants more, then you're better off using the official office. If he'll take less, you're in luck!

Update June 2011
We have more of Bali taxi fares here.