GETTING AROUND

Denpasar is the travel hub of Bali. Here you can catch bemo, minibuses, and long-distance buses to every part of the island. Denpasar drivers are reckless and inconsiderate, with one foot on the accelerator at all times. Pedestrians take their lives in their hands crossing Denpasar's streets. There are more vehicles here per capita than even Jakarta, and if the sheer volume and cacophony of traffic don't get you, the oppressive heat and humidity will.
If you try to drive on your own, use a map. Tourists have spent hours circling the city's confusing pinwheel of one-way streets, trying to escape. You can obtain a local license for motorbiking or driving at the Denpasar Police Station on Jl. Supratman. It's far better, however, to get an International License before you reach Bali.

Bemo, Taxis, and Dokar
The minimum bemo or minibus fare to anywhere in Denpasar is Rp500 for the inner city, and Rp700 maximum for the rest of the place.
      Denpasar now has metered taxis—yellow, with a sign reading Taxi. Still, drivers for Praja Taxi, tel. (0361) 751919 or 289090, may claim the meter is broken, or may take a route longer than necessary, so it's best to settle on a fare before climbing in. With the recent rise in gasoline prices, flagfall is now around Rp800. From the Matahari Shopping Center to the Denpasar Tourist Office the fare should run about Rp2000. Taxis from Denpasar to the airport cost about Rp12,000; to Kuta, Rp10,000; to Sanur, Rp8000. Don't tip.
     The most expedient and least expensive way to get somewhere in Denpasar is to charter a three-wheeled bemo—a poor man's taxi—for about Rp2000 or Rp3000 for an average run. Or just flag down anything going in your direction—private cars, trucks, or motorcycles. Many drivers cruise for paying riders, charging Rp1000-1500 for a two- to five-km ride.
     You'll find pony-drawn dokar outside Kereneng Station or just off Jl. Sulawesi beside the household market. They aren't allowed on main streets. Dokar charge tourists at least Rp1500 for a short ride. Capacity three Australians or four Indonesians.

Car and Motorcycle Rental
Jeeps with drivers can be rented through Utama Motors, tel. (0361) 222073, or Bali Wisata, tel. (0361) 224479, both on Jl. Imam Bonjol; or Surya Agung Dewata Rent-a-Car, Jl. Diponegoro 69, tel. (0361) 233448. You can also ask your hotel desk clerk or homestay owner. Taman Sari Hotel, Jl. Danau Buyan 31, tel. (0361) 288187, also rents out cars. Rent a motorcycle from Koperasi Jasa Bakor Motor, Kompleks Pertokoan and Terminal Tegal Sari 33 B, Jl. Imam Bonjol, tel. (0361) 226576.
You'll have to pay for parking almost everywhere in Denpasar; as soon as you start to turn the key, attendants appear out of nowhere to collect Rp200 per car, Rp100 per motorcycle.

GETTING AWAY

By Bemo
Four-wheeled bemo emanate from Denpasar's five bemo stations on the perimeter of the city to points all over the island. Go to the station closest to your destination. If you find yourself in the wrong station, there are three-wheeled bemo constantly going around in circles, zipping passengers back and forth between stations.
     Denpasar is so big that in most cases you must pass through it on your way to someplace else. For example, if heading from Kuta to Sanur you must first get a bemo from Kuta to Tegal station (Rp800), then transfer to Kereneng where you board a another bemo to Sanur (Rp500).
     From Kereneng, on the east edge of town off Jl. Kamboja, bemo serve Denpasar itself and the suburbs of Batubulan and Sanur for Rp500. From Tegal, in western Denpasar, bemo depart for Kuta, Legian, the airport, and Nusa Dua; from Ubung Station on Jl. Cokroaminoto in the north of town, bemo head west and north to Gilimanuk (Rp3000), Bedugal (Rp2500), Singaraja (Rp3000), and points east on Java. From the mother of all bus stations, Batubulan, east of town just before the village of Batubulan, big vans and minivans leave for every major tourist destination. From Suci, take bemo to Benoa Port, and Sanggaran. From Wangaya, bemo depart for the Sangeh Monkey Forest, Plaga, and Petang. Bemo arrive and leave Denpasar's stations in all directions until around 2000 (or in the high season, as late as 2200). If you plan on returning to Denpasar the same day, plan ahead because after nightfall the bemo of Kuta, Legian, Sanur, Ubud, and Singaraja are the only ones still running (at jacked-up prices) on the island.
     Organized thieves sometimes work bemo traveling out of Denpasar. Beware of pairs of young men: one will get on carrying large parcels, which he uses to cloak his attempt to pick your pocket, moneybelt, or backpack; the other distracts you with friendly conversation in quite intelligible English.

By Bus
All night buses leaving the island depart from Ubung. You can catch an overnight ride to Yogyakarta for about Rp40,000; guard your possessions and don't fret about getting much sleep. The trip is very long and slow—about 30 hours.
Sample fares to Java: Probolinggo, 4 hours, Rp21,000; Surabaya, 6 hours, Rp21,000; Malang, 8 hours, Rp21,000; Semarang, 14 hours, Rp35,000; Bandung, 24 hours, Rp45,000; Jakarta/Bogor, 24 hours, Rp56,500; Lampung on Sumatra, 47 hours, Rp90,000. All buses—except to Yogyakarta—depart at 1830 and are equipped with toilets, a/c, reclining seats, and refreshments.
You can also try a bus/train combo. At least if you take the train, you won't get a flat tire (oh, maybe on the the way to the train). Sample fares: Probolinggo, Rp8500 economy, Rp12,000 second class; Surabaya, Rp7700, Rp12,000 second Class; Semarang, Rp17,000 economy, Rp64,500 second class, Rp64,500 executive class; Yogyakarta, Rp12,500 economy, Rp34,500 second class, Rp64,500 executive class; Bandung, Rp15,500 economy, Rp36,000 second class; Jakarta, Rp23,000 economy, Rp34,500 second class, Rp71,500 executive class. Departure times 1300 and 1600.

Travel Agencies and Airline Offices
Discounts are available, so check around. Try ANTA Express, Jl. Dewi Sartika, Kompleks Pertokoan Duta Permai BI 1/H, tel. (0361) 235581; Bali Tours and Travel, Jl. Sri Kesari 51, tel. (0361) 287720; Surya Jaya Tours, Jl. Nangka 231 A/B, tel. (0361) 225253 or 35058; and Vaya Tours, Jl. Hayam Wuruk 124 A, tel. (0361) 223747 or 24449.
     P.T. Nitour, Jl. Veteran 5, tel. (0361) 222849, offers full- and half-day tours to such destinations as Lombok, Baluran Game Reserve, and the classical ruins of Central Java. For Rp144,000 rafting trips, contact Ayung River Rafting Company, Jl. Diponegoro 150 B-29, tel. (0361) 224236. Gapura Jaya Tours, Jl. Hayam Wuruk 74, tel. (0361) 228460, is an efficient airline ticketing agency for Garuda and Merpati. Astina Tours & Travel, Jl. Hayam Wuruk 8 (within walking distance from Kereneng Station), tel. (0361) 223266 or 227464, fax 231740, sells terrificly priced Air New Zealand tickets to Singapore and other points in Southeast Asia. Open Mon.-Thurs. 0800-2000, Saturday 0800-1600, holidays and Sunday 0800-1300.
     Garuda is at Jl. Melati 61, near the Kereneng bus station, tel. (0361) 225245. Find Merpati at Jl. Melati 59, tel. (0361) 222864 or 225841. Both are opposite the stadium, near each other, and have roughly the same business hours: Mon.-Fri. 0700-1600, Saturday until 1300, Sunday 0900-1300.
     Use Bouraq, Jl. Sudirman 19 A, tel. (0361) 224656 or 223564, in front of Udayana University, for flights at very competitive prices to Nusatenggara, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan.
Many foreign airlines—Thai, Qantas, Cathay Pacific—maintain offices in the Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur. UTA is at Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai, tel. (0361) 233341.

VICINITY OF DENPASAR

Visit the saltmaking flats at Suwung, where salt is gleaned from sand, dried in the sun, then mixed with water and poured through a wooden filter, leaving salt residue. On a good day a family can make five kilos. Look for the salt factories on the right side of Jl. Bypass on the way from Kuta to Sanur.

Kesiman
Visit this village, four km from Denpasar, to see the slender prasada Pura Petilan, built for a former prince, with its beautiful candi bentar. Every six months on a Sunday afternoon during odalan, watch the strange parade of barong and Rangda that ends with a dramatic reenactment of an historical battle. Head to Kesiman's stage, 500 meters from Pura Petilan, to see entertaining, high-quality barong dances performed daily.
Kesiman has some of the best examples of Badung's brick buildings, many of which now sadly giving way to the kitschy new-baroque style devouring the island. Check out one of Bali's most remarkable kulkul on Jl. Gianyar opposite the end of Jl. Abiankapas, a four-tiered drum tower constructed almost exclusively of carved brick, giving the structure an age-old, warm, and rustic feeling.