Tourism in Bali

Last July I spent a few days in Bali with my wife, between Nusa and Ubud.

It was a pleasant stay and I decided to repeat it, this time alone, arriving on Oct. 19, 2001 and leaving on Dec. 18, 2001.

Again the experience was pleasant and smooth. I spent one-and -a-half months in Sanur and the rest again in Ubud. There were just two nasty things to comment on.

First: On Nov. 30 I changed US$50 at a money changer -- without the word "Authorized" -- on Jl. Tamblingan, Sanur, very near to the shop on the same side of street selling wooden articles, called Uluwatu. Two boys gave me the rupiah in Rp 20,000 rupiah bank notes, but with their sleight of hand I received Rp 80,000 less than there should have been.

Second: On Dec. 18, at Ngurah Rai airport, with my luggage already checked in, I was told at the Immigration desk that I had to pay a US$20 fine because I had spent one day more than the sixty authorized days in Bali. I had no money and it was extremely hard to obtain the Rp 200,000 necessary.

During my last stay I had the opportunity to see how the authorities tried to take care of any matters concerning tourism because they appreciated the importance of it, especially during the difficult days of the last months.

In my opinion, it is a pity that the above events could still have occurred.

ORIOL VERT Matadepera, Spain