Is Bali safe to go to? Traveling tips to Bali Part I

It is very crucial to research on the country you are traveling to and have some understanding of how the actual situation is like in the country to have a good vacation.

The most common questions for travelers are; Is Bali safe to go? Is the food there clean? Is the water clean?

As a fellow tourist, i used to look up and research the situation in countries before traveling there. Generally, i am not quite happy with the amount of information available online and decide to compile this for people who are traveling there.

Hope you find it useful and have a great trip there! :)

1. Traffic is unregulated, hire vehicle based on your location and purpose

I stayed in Seminyak and i realised that the place has very poor traffic regulations.

The main roads are usually very squeezy, you can barely find space to over-take a vehicle if there are vehicles on the opposite side lane. And to top that off, there are no parking lots available (except for the shopping center), so if you hired a vehicle and want to stop by a shop, the chances is that you will have to park your vehicle at the pavement for pedestrian.

What we just mentioned are the main road of Seminyak, in the side road/alley, there are no directional sign on the road to indicate the flow of traffic. Often, the road is only wide enough to accommodate 1 vehicle and it is very common to encounter 2 vehicles traveling opposite direction to be stuck at the same side of the road.

2.Beware of the vehicles especially motorcycle

There are too many motorcycles in Bali.

The locals depend on it as a cheap and fast mode of transport to travel from their home (usually located far away from tourist hot-spot) to get to work.

Tourists rent it to get around Bali! Motorcycle are widely available for rental anywhere!

These convenience comes at a price. Safety of the pedestrian. As mentioned earlier, traffic is not regulated in Bali.

People can ride anywhere including the pavement for pedestrian and in areas not for suited vehicles, so don't be surprised to get honked by a motorist even when you are on the pavement.

Be very careful when walking on the pavement especially near the pub/beach area where the pavement is pretty narrow.

Despite saying that, fret not, the locals are pretty skillful and drive slowly. That explains why there are few accidents even if traffic is not regulated. I highlight few because i encountered a minor accident between cars on the roads of Seminyak; near Eat Well Restaurant. :P

3. Dark and deserted alley
Some area are really really dark. There are people who are afraid of the dark, so my advice is to bring a torch or make sure your phone is fully charged to illuminate your way around.
Some area of the beach are dark and some alley are pretty dark and deserted. These alley are places where you will not want to linger in for long for your safety

4. Wild animals! Especially big dogs everywhere

Good news animal lovers!!!Bad news people who fear dogs or cats.

It is a sprinkle of mother nature over a suburban state. From the beaches to the streets of Bali, you can find all sorts of animals around. For example dogs are especially prevalent in all parts of Bali.

In every countries, cities and states, dogs and cats always comes as a pair. There is a reason why they are known as best friends/rivals. However, it may be due to the places i went to, i rarely see any stray cats around except for restaurant near the beaches.

Surprise finding

Besides those usual stray animals you can find in a city. Be prepared to get a tinge of farm life as you can spot cows around rice padi, monkeys in some famous temple/mountainous area and even horses in the beach; how cool can that get. Of course, the horses are not stray horses and you can even take photo or ride on it for a small sum.