Directory - Bali and Lombok - page 162

TIME
Bali, Lombok and the islands of Nusa Tenggara
to the east are all on Waktu Indonesian Tengah
or WIT ( Central Indonesian Standard Time) ,
which is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time/Universal Time or two hours behind
Australian Eastern Standard Time. Java is an-
other hour behind Bali and Lombok.
Not allowing for variations due to day-
light-saving time in foreign countries, when
it's noon on Bali and Lombok, it's 11pm the
previous day in New York and 8pm in Los
Angeles, 4am in London, 5am in Paris and
Amsterdam, noon in Perth, 1pm in Tokyo,
and 2pm in Sydney and Melbourne. See the
World Time Zones map (p394-5).
'Bali time' is an expression that refers to
the Balinese reluctance to be obsessed by
punctuality.
TOILETS
You'll still encounter Asian-style toilets in the
cheapest losmen around Bali (particularly in
the far west). These toilets have two footrests
and a hole in the floor - you squat down and
aim. In almost every place catering for tourists,
Western-style sit-down toilets are the norm. At
some tourist attractions in Bali, there are public
toilets that cost about 500Rp per visit.
Apart from tourist cafés and restaurants,
and midrange and top-end accommodation,
you won't find toilet paper, so bring your
own. If there is a bin next to the toilet, it's for
toilet paper. Where public toilets exist they
are often horrible.
TOURIST INFORMATION
The tourist office in Ubud is an excellent
source of information on cultural events.
Otherwise the tourist offices in this topic are
largely hit or miss (mostly the latter). It helps
to have a specific question and don't bother
asking about tourist services like tours. Hotels
are often good sources of info.
Some of the best information is found in
the many free publications aimed at tourists
and expats which are distributed in South Bali
and Ubud. These include the following:
Bali Advertiser Newspaper and website (www.bali
advertiser.biz) with voluminous ads and comprehensive
information; idiosyncratic columnists.

Lombok Times Newspaper and website (www.lombok
times.com) with tourist news and features.
What's Up Bali Useful weekly brochure with
entertainment listings.
Yak Glossy mag celebrating the expat swells of Seminyak
and Ubud.

mark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait,
Laos, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mal-
dives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zea-
land, Norway, Oman, People's Republic
of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea,
Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Sweden,
Taiwan, The Netherlands, United Arab
Emirates, UK and the USA.

leave the country and then re-enter - some
long-term foreign residents have been doing
this for years. Singapore is the destination of
choice for obtaining a new visa.
There are two main kantor imigrasi (immi-
gration offices) in Bali. The Denpasar office (Map
pp166-7 ; 8am-2pm Mon-Thu, 8am-11am

Fri, 8am-noon Sat) is just up the street from the main
post office in Renon. The airport immigration
office (

0361-227828;

% h

The website Bali Discovery (www.balidiscovery.com)
has a first-rate Bali news section and a wealth
of other island information. Use the handy
search feature.
VISAS
The visa situation in Indonesia seems to be
constantly in flux. It is essential that you con-
firm current formalities before you arrive
in Bali or Lombok. Failure to meet all the
entrance requirements can see you on the
first flight out.
No matter what type of visa you are going
to use, your passport must be valid for at least
six months from the date of your arrival.
The main visa options for visitors to Bali
and Lombok follow:

0361-751038) has similar hours.
On Lombok, the immigration office (Map p289 ;
%

%

Visa Free - citizens of Brunei, Chile,
Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco,
Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam may receive a nonextend-
able 30-day visa for free when they arrive
at the airport in Bali.

7am-2pm Mon-Thu, 7am-11am
Fri, 7am-12.30am Sat) is in Mataram. If you have to
apply for changes to your visa, make sure you're
neatly dressed, but don't be overly optimistic.
For visa advice and service, many expats in
South Bali use the services of Bali Mode (

632520; Jl Udayana 2;

h

0361-
765162; [e-mail]) . Visa extensions (on
legally extendable visas) average 400,000Rp
to 500,000Rp.

%

Whichever type of visa you use to enter Bali
or Lombok, you'll be issued with a tourist card
that is valid for a 30- or 60-day stay according
to your visa (if you have obtained one of the
coveted 60-day visas in advance, be sure the
immigration official at the airport gives you a
60-day card). Keep the tourist card with your
passport, as you'll have to hand it back when
you leave the country. Note that some travel-
lers have been fined for overstaying by only a
day or so (officially it is US$20 per day for up
to 60 days past your visa, after which it can
mean jail) or for losing their tourist card.
The vast majority of visitors to Lombok
first pass through Bali or another Indonesian
city such as Jakarta so they already have tour-
ist cards. There are, however, a few direct
flights to Lombok from other countries so in
these instances the same visa rules outlined
above apply.

Social Visas
If you have a good reason for staying longer
(eg study or family reasons), you can apply for
a sosial/budaya (social/cultural) visa. You will
need an application form from an Indonesian
embassy or consulate, and a letter of introduc-
tion or promise of sponsorship from a reputa-
ble person or school in Indonesia. It's initially
valid for three months, but it can be extended
for one month at a time at an immigration
office within Indonesia for a maximum of six
months. There are fees for the application and
for extending the visa too.
WOMEN TRAVELLERS
Women travelling solo on Bali will get a lot
of attention from Balinese guys, but Balinese
men are, on the whole, fairly benign. Gener-
ally, Bali is safer for women than most areas
of the world and, with the usual care, women
should feel secure travelling alone.
Some precautions are simply the same for
any traveller, but women should take extra care
not to find themselves alone on empty beaches,
down dark streets or in other situations where
help might not be available. Late at night in
the tourist centres, solo women should take a
taxi, and sit in the back. Note that problems
do occur and it is a good idea to practise the
same precautions you use at home.

Visa in Advance - citizens of countries
not eligible for Visa Free or Visa on Ar-
rival must apply for a visa before they
arrive in Indonesia. Typically this is a vis-
itors visa, which comes in two flavours:
30 or 60 days. Details vary by country,
so you should contact the nearest In-
donesian embassy or consulate in order
to determine processing fees and time.
Note this is the only way people from any
country can obtain a 60-day visitor visa.

Visa on Arrival - citizens of over 50 coun-
tries may apply for a visa when they arrive
at the airport in Bali. There are special
lanes for this at immigration in the ar-
rivals area. The cost is US$25, collectable
on the spot. You can pay by credit card
or major currency, which will be con-
verted (but it's easiest to hand them the
exact amount in US currency). This visa
is only good for 30 days and cannot be
extended. Note that only EU citizens who
carry passports issued by the countries
listed opposite can use visa on arrival.
You can also obtain a seven-day visa this
way for US$10 but go with the 30-day one
unless you know for sure you'll be out of

Other Requirements
Officially, an onward/return ticket is a require-
ment for a tourist card (and visitors visa), and
visitors are frequently asked to show their
ticket on arrival. If you look scruffy or broke,
you may also be asked to present evidence of
sufficient funds to support yourself during
your stay - US$1000 in cash or travellers
cheques (or the equivalent in other curren-
cies) should be sufficient. A credit card in lieu
of cash or travellers cheques may not satisfy
these requirements, although this is rare.