INFORMATION AND SERVICES

Tourist Offices
The most convenient for Denpasar is the Badung Tourist Office (Jl. Surapati 7) on the alun-alun (Puputan Square), which provides outstanding information in fluent English and free brochures. Office hours are Mon.-Sat. 0800-1300, except Friday, which is 0800-1030. From Monday to Thursday 0700-1530, and on Friday 0800-1030, you may telephone this office for information at (0361) 234569, or telephone 166 only.
     The Bali Government Tourist Office (Dinas Pariwisata Pemerintah Propinsi Daierah Tingkat I Bali), the headquarters office for the whole island, is out of town a bit in the Renon Civic Center (Jl. S. Parman, Niti Mandala, tel. 0361-222387 or 226313). Open Mon.-Thurs. 0730-1430, Friday 0730-1200. Chances are that this office has a wider selection of literature, though the office downtown dispenses better oral information.
     There's also a tourist information desk at Ngurah Rai Airport in the international terminal, and a hotel information desk in the domestic terminal. In Kuta, a Government Tourist Information Centre is on Jl. Bena Sari (tel. 0361-751419), open 0700-1400, closed Saturday and Sunday. In Ubud, Bina Wisata Ubud is next to the village head's office. Each regency also has a tourist office (see below), but in several of them—such as in Gianyar town—the staff speaks no English.
     Around Bali, the tourist offices of the other regencies are: Diparda Tingkat II Tabanan, Jl. Gunung Agung, Tabanan 82151 (tel. 0361-811602); Diparda Tingkat II Gianyar, J. Ngurah Rai 21, Gianyar 80551 (tel. 0361-93401); Diparda Tingkat II Klungkung, Jl. Surapati 3, Klungkung 80751 (tel. 0366-21448); Diparda Tingkat II Bangli, d/a Kantor Dinas Perkebunan Tk. II Bangli, Jl. Brigjen. Ngurah Rai, Bangli 80613 (tel. 0366-91537); Diparda Tingkat II Karangasem, Jl. Ngurah Rai 31, Amlapura 80817 (tel. 0363-21002 or 21003); Diparda Tingkat II Jembrana, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi 1, Negara 82251 (tel. 0365-41060); Diparda Tingkat II Buleleng, d/a Gedung Sasana Budaya, Jl. Veteran 23, Singaraja 81117 (tel. 0362-61141).
     Look for the Bali Tourist Guide (free from hotels) and the Bali Path Finder (Rp10,000) and Ubud Post (Napi Orti), issued by the Ubud Tourist Office in Ubud. The pamphlet Calendar of Events lists all of Bali's major religious holidays and annual cultural events. Indonesian embassies and consulates overseas as well as Garuda offices around the world dispense promotional literature, but publications go out of print quickly and may not see a reprint.

Immigration
The Kantor Imigrasi (Immigration Office) is in the Renon Complex, Niti Mandala, Denpasar, tel. (0361) 227828; another office is near the airport on Jl. Ngurah Rai, Tuban, tel. (0361) 751038. Both are open Mon.-Thurs. 0700-1300, Friday 0700-1100, Saturday 0700-1200. Follow the dress code chart on the wall. If you don't dress properly, these bureaucrats won't even talk to you. T-shirts, halter tops, and bathing suits don't cut it.
     Always apply for an extension three or four days prior to the expiration of your entry stamp or else you'll be held up at the airport and may even miss your flight. This applies even if you're one day over your two-month allowable period. Valid reasons for going over are a medical emergency, a missed flight, or a flight or ship you must board just a few days away. A letter or ticket confirming your departure date makes the extension easier to get.

Legal Services
There are now several, private, one-stop visa services on Bali that do the legal paperwork necessary for visa extensions and renewals: CV Jasa Bali, Jl. Legian Kaja 486 (tel./fax 0361-757008), and Wayan's CV Jasa Werda Dwi Karya, Biro Jasa (tel. 0361-975599). Wayan's office is just 100 meters from his Siti Homestay in Peliatan (near Ubud) in Gianyar. They both can help you obtain a social/cultural/business visa as well as provide legal services and notary assistance.

Business Services
The best business services on Bali for sending and receiving faxes, making international phone calls (IDD), for secretarial service, translations, courier service, and even real estate are: Ary's Wisata Travel Service on Ubud's main street; Cafe Krakatoa (tel. 0361-752849) in Legian; and Ra Business and Communication Center (tel. 0361-281253) in Sanur.

Police Stations
Badung, Jl. Diponegoro 10 (tel. 0361-234928) and Jl. A. Yani, Denpasar (tel. 0361-225456); Bangli, Jl. Nusantara, Bangli (tel. 0366-971072); Bualu, Jl. Bypass Nusa Dua (tel. 0361-772110); Buleleng, Jl. Pramuka, Singaraja (tel. 0362-241510); Gianyar, Jl. Ngurah Rai, Gianyar Town (tel. 0361-973110); Jembrana, Jl. Pahlawan, Negara (tel. 0365-110); Karangasem, Jl. Bhayangkara (tel. 0366-110); Klungkung, Jl. Untung Surapati (tel. 0366-221115); Kuta, Jl. Bypass Tuban, Tuban (tel. 0361-751598); Sanur, Jl. Bypass Ngruah Rai, Sanur (tel. 0361-288597).

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance, tel. 118; police, tel. 110; fire, tel. 113; Search and Rescue, tel. (0361) 751111.

Foreign Consulates in Bali
Netherlands, Jl. Imam Bonjol 599, Denpasar (tel. 0361-751904 or 751497, fax 752777); France, Jl. Raya Sesetan 46 D, Banjar Pesanggaran, Denpasar (tel. 0361-233555); Japan, Jl. Moh. Yamin 9, Renon, Denpasar (tel. 0361-231308 or 234808); Germany, Jl. Pantai Karang 17, Sanur (tel. 0361-288535); Italy, Jl. Padang Galak, Sanur (tel. 0361-288996 or 288896).
     Switzerland/Austria, c/o Swiss Restaurant, Jl. Pura Bagus Taruna, Legian (tel. 0361-751735); Sweden/Finland, Segara Village Hotel, Sanur (tel. 0361-288407 or 288408); U.S.A., Jl. Sanur Ayu 5, Sanur (tel. 0361-288478); Denmark/Norway, Jl. Jayagiri, Gang VIII/10, Denpasar (tel. 0361-235098 or 233053); Australia, Jl. Prof. Moh. Yamin Kav. 51, P.O. Box 243, Renon, Denpasar (tel. 0361-235092 or 235093, fax 231990).

Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
Ten to 20% of the traveling public may appreciate learning that AA Meetings are held in Legian at the Dhyana Pura Hotel Coffee Shop (tel. 0361-751442 or 751443) on Tuesday at 0800, Wednesday at 2000, and Friday at 1800. In Ubud, meetings are held at Mumbul's Restaurant on Thursday at 2000. In Gianyar, meetings are held on Sunday at 1630 in the Waterfall Restaurant en route to Gianyar town.

Religious Services
Most churches and mosques are in the Denpasar area: Catholic Church, Jl. Kepundung; Protestant Maranatha, Jl. Surapati; Seventh Day Adventist, Jl. Surapati; Evangelical Church, Jl. Melati; Raya Mosque, Jl. Hasanudin; Annur Mosque, Jl. Diponegoro; Taqwa Mosque, Jl. Supratman; Al-Hassan Mosque, Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur.
     Catholic Mass: Bali Beach Hotel on Saturday at 0500-0600 (Legong Room); Bali Hyatt Hotel, Saturday at 1800-1900 (Hibiscus Room); Church of St. Francis Xavier, Kuta/Tuban, Sunday at 0800; Bali Solo Hotel, Sunday 1700 (Conference Hall I); Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Sunday at 1800 (Garuda Room).
     Protestant Service: Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur on Sunday 1830-1930. Inter-denominational Service: Nusa Dua Beach Hotel (Garuda Room) at 1730 in Nusa Dua.
     Ecclesiastical Service: Jl. Raya Tuban, Sunday at 1830-1930, in Tuban; Legian Church on Gang Menuh (off Jl. Legian), Sunday at 1700 in Kuta; Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur, Sunday at 1830-1930.
     Pentecostal: Jl. Kresna 19, Denpasar, Sunday at 2000; Jl. Raya Kuta, Sunday at 1800 and 2000 (tel. 0361-751504); Bali Sol (Conference Hall) in Nusa Dua at 1700.

Marriage Services
Some hotels in south Bali specialize in marrying Westerners for about US$1000, which includes the priest for the ceremony, blessings, witnesses, lunch and dinner for four, traditional Balinese wedding attire (pakaian adat), travel to Tanah Lot for photographs, other photo ops, a photo album, and champagne. Bolare Beach Bungalows (P.O. Box 256, Denpasar 80001, tel./fax 0361-35464) next to the Dewata Beach Resort in Petitingit is only one of many hotels offering this unique service which some have unkindly dubbed "masquerade tourism."

Laundry
Laundry is twice as cheap as in the West. Your accommodations will almost always offer a laundry service. There are no laundromats on Bali. In a homestay or losmen, there is often an ibu or one of the houseboys who does the washing. The charge depends on the article. Sometimes they don't even charge, but in those cases give a tip. Guests may also wash their clothes in the sinks or in the courtyard's mandi. Buy laundry soap, Rp400 per packet, at any grocery. An inexpensive nylon clothesline or length of rope, plus a few clothes pegs, are smart items to take to Indonesia.
     If you're staying in an upmarket hotel, try to find a laundry service outside your hotel as starred hotels could easily charge you US$15-20 to wash and press an average load of laundry. The tax alone may account for a fifth of the cost. In Kuta, Poppies Lane II has several laundries that wash your clothes at a much more reasonable rate: Rp1000 for a shirt, Rp500 for a T-shirt, Rp2000 for a pair of pants, Rp500 for a pair of socks.
     Big hotels offer drycleaning; every room has a price list. Don't ever put valuable garments, such as an expensive silk shirt, into the hands of any laundry service—they may ruin it. If it's a small, budget hotel doing your laundry, you need at least one good sunny day for them to complete the job. Better allow two or three days. Bigger, more expensive hotels have laundry facilities and can even offer 12-hour express laundry service for a surcharge.

Babysitting
Though a housegirl receives a wage of about Rp35,000 per month, you have to give more for a babysitter who is trained in first aid and childcare. Informally ask her. Expect to pay around Rp85,000 per month for a full-time babysitter, and even more if she's able to speak English. For more on babysitting, see the special topic "Traveling with Children."

POSTAL SERVICES

Incoming Mail
Most travelers use the poste restante service to pick up mail in Bali. Since Bali's main post office is inconveniently located on Jl. Raya Puputan (open Mon.-Sat. 0800-2000, closed Sunday, tel. 0361-223565) in the administrative district of Denpasar (Renon), have your mail sent to any of the island's branch post offices. In Sanur, one is located in Banjar Taman, in Singaraja on Jl. Gajah Mada.
     Ida's Postal Agent on Jl. Legian in Kuta, tel. (0361) 751574, sells stamps, postcards, phrasebooks, aerograms, stationery, and offers postal service, registered post, and free poste restante. Just show your ID, that's all. Less convenient is Kuta's main post office at Jl. Raya Tuban. The poste restante at Ubud's post office (Jl. Jembawan 1) is a free-for-all and none too reliable. Letters can go astray. Have letters sent to a hotel if you can.
     Since letters are frequently missorted (such as under "P" when they should be under "B"), all mail should be addressed to you with your last name in caps and underlined, using only your first and middle initials. You might be able to locate a missorted letter under your first name. Tell people back home to put your name first, then poste restante, Kantor Pos, the town name, Regency name, Bali, and lastly Republik Indonesia. A fee of Rp50 is charged to pick up a letter at any of Bali's poste restante windows.

Sending Letters
In the post office, go to the window with a scale first; your letter has to be weighed and given a stamp value. Sometimes you then have to take it to another window for stamps. Go up to the clump of people and push your letter as far as possible through the barred window to gain the attention of the postal clerk. Then try to squeeze your money into some gap between all the other hands. These are acceptable manners at Indonesian post offices.
     The glue on Indonesian stamps is weak. After getting stamps, take them over to the glue stands and reglue them. Stamps can also be purchased at shops selling postcards, and most of the larger hotels sell stamps and collect letters for mailing, as well as handle faxes.
     For international mail, always use the express service (kilat), which takes only five to seven days to the Americas, Europe, or Australia. Airmail costs for postcards are Rp1000 to the U.S., Rp800 to Europe, and Rp800 to Australia. An airmail letter costs Rp1550 to the U.S., but handy and fast aerograms are only Rp750.
     Bring strong envelopes with you to Bali to make sure your exposed film or letter arrives safely. Register anything of value. The charge for registering a letter (surat tercatat) is about equal to postage, but the chances will greatly improve—though not be guaranteed—that your letter will reach its destination. Letters bound for overseas or domestic delivery may be registered at any post office branch.

SHIPPING ARTS AND CRAFTS

Art shops will usually wrap your purchases in layers of newspaper, binding the whole in plastic twine with a convenient carrying handle, an arrangement that would never withstand the rigors of surface post. To better protect your wares for shipping overseas, the best padding is foam carpet backing available from carpet stores. Also look for sturdy bamboo or rattan baskets from Sukawati, which run Rp3000-5000 for large ones. Found in dozens of shapes and sizes, these baskets have lids and hold up to 10 (the limit for overseas parcels) tightly packed kilos. Their interlocking construction can withstand almost any kind of punishment except crushing or penetration by sharp objects. Fabrics are the most damage-proof craft to send back home. Cheap colorful Chinese tali, plastic twine, is used to bind them. Some of the big art shops along the tourist corridor to Ubud ship bulky and heavy crafts—even some stone sculpture—by surface post.

Shipping Companies
Bali has specialized air express companies at Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Sanur, and Ngurah Rai International Airport, so if you're buying crafts in the Outer Islands wait until you get to Bali to air or sea freight them. Some companies are more competent than others, and different companies can charge wildly varying prices. Look around and query every exporter you meet. Dealers can't be trusted to recommend reliable shippers as they invariably send you to their brother-in-laws (nepotism is rampant in Bali). In any case, be patient. Don't be surprised if it takes longer than they promised. The shipper will tell you what you want to hear.
     These companies take care of everything: domestic and international air cargo, freight forwarding, container and warehouse service, packing and surface shipping, insurance, customs clearance, DHL (door to door) worldwide express service, postal agent. Shipping is expensive, charging for one square meter a total of US$270, which includes US$35 for packing (crating), US$25 for documents, US$25 for handling, US$20 for transport. Everything is trucked overland first to Surabaya. A 20-cubic-foot container costs US$2000-3000 to ship anywhere in the world.
     If you pack it yourself, you might get the price down. Also, check on the "unaccompanied baggage" rates on your flight home, which may be cheaper than air freight. Some airlines only allow you 20 kg of "free" luggage. Garuda usually won't let you check in more than two large pieces of luggage; for a third piece you'll be charged. For example, it costs US$110 for an extra bag from Denpasar to Los Angeles. Have them paste "fragile" stickers on any parcels containing breakables.
     Several good shippers in Ubud: CV. Ary's Jasa Wisata (Ary's tourist Service Centre), Jl. Raya Ubud 80571 (tel. 0361-975162 or 975523, fax 975162); PT Bali Purnama Cargo, Jl. Jembawan (tel. 0361-975033), near the post office. Quality problems? PT Bali Surya Agung Cargo & Buying Agents (tel. 0361-975547, fax 974361) can help you find it, buy it, get the right quality, and get it shipped. Wir sprechen Deutsch.
     Other cargo agents: C.V. Bali Great, Jl. Raya Kuta 93, Kuta (tel. 0361-755649, fax 756761); Alpha Sigma CV, Jl. Raya Imam Bonjol 98, Denpasar 80361 (tel. 0361-227768 or 227760); Bali Delta Express CV, Jl. Kartini 58, Denpasar 80112 (tel. 0361-223340 or 224430); Bali International Cargo CV, Jl. Raya Sanur 2, Sanur (tel. 0361-288563).
     PT Bayu Pesona Cargo, Tegehe, Batubulan, Gianyar (tel./fax 0361-298067), just up the road from the bemo terminal, offers worldwide packing and shipping service by air, sea, or land, international air and sea freight, domestic door-to-door service, household and office moving, and exhibition freight forwarding. Prices are very competitive.
     Also receiving good reports for reliability are PT Golden Bali Express, Jl. Hayam Wuruk 162 A, Denpasar (tel. 0361-238174, fax 235303), with branch offices in Kuta (tel. 0361-751771) and at the airport (tel. 0361-751011, ext. 4114); and PT Orient Pacific Express, Jl. Diponegoro 155, Denpasar (tel. 0361-234791, fax 234366). Aero Sea Cargo, Jl. Dhyana Pura 2, Seminyak (tel. 0361-753531), offers two safe ways of packing. Their hanging system, with each item hung on a frame before going into the container, is the best way to pack ready-to-wear garments. Their cardbox system is suitable for more durable goods like furniture and garments.
     UPS, Jl. Raya Sesetan 118, Denpasar (tel. 0361-232720), offers package and document delivery with electronic tracking capability to over 180 countries. Rates: 15 kg to San Francisco costs US$312, five kg to San Francisco US$170, 15 kg to Copenhagen US$356, five kg to Copengagen US$195, letter to New Zealand US$20, letter to Frankfurt US$24, letter to Sydney US$26.
     Another nifty service is VIP—"Very Important Package"—offering same-day door-to-door service or overnight door-to-door service anywhere in Indonesia. You can easily check the location and status of your package anytime. VIP will pick up your package until 1900, or you can drop it off at their office at Jl. Diponegoro 196 (tel. 0361-240033, 231329, or 756879, fax 756879) until 2200.

Paket Pos
Seamail or surface post (paket pos) is the cheapest way of all to send goods home. It will cost you a trip into Denpasar, two hours of your time, and average out to about US$3 per kilo. The most efficient paket pos (parcel post) office is in Denpasar where overseas-bound packages may be posted, insured, and registered. Customs inspectors will open the parcel to make sure you're not smuggling out antiquities, so don't bother sealing it up.
     Packers will be on hand to package your goods securely for Rp5000-6000. Get there as soon as it opens at 0800 because the postal inspectors, who must inspect every parcel, may go home at 1300.
     Sample seamail rates from Bali to U.S.: up to one kg, Rp7250; over one kg but less than three, Rp12,350; over three kg but less than five, Rp17,550; over five kg but less than 10, Rp28,900. To Europe: up to one kg, Rp8000; over one kg but less than three, Rp10,250; over three kg but less than five, Rp13,050; over five kg but less than 10, Rp17,750.
     When sending packages, always max out your parcel to 10 kg because you're paying for the five- to 10-kg rate anyway. Likewise, on the three- to five-kg rate, max out to five kilos. In case of loss or damage, put your name and address on a slip of paper inside the parcel as well as outside. International seamail can take up to six months, but it usually takes six to eight weeks.
     If you have a lot to send back, try surface instead of a more expensive shipping company. The postal agent on Jl. Legian on Kuta offers parcel service with the same rates as official government rates, but they charge Rp10,000-15,000 for packaging. Kuta's main post office does not have paket pos service for parcels over one kilo.

COMMUNICATIONS

Both domestic and international calls can routinely be made from any hotel with an in-house phone system. Pay phones can now be found virtually all over Bali—look for a three-meter-tall blue sign with a picture of a phone on its end and an arrow pointing down to the phone. Finding a working one with a phone directory could be difficult.
     Take note that in 1993 all phone numbers in southern Bali were changed to accommodate the demand for more phones. Nearly all numbers in this part of Bali now have six digits. In the Denpasar/Sanur area, this was achieved by adding a "2" in front of the old number, but there have been some variations to this: Kuta numbers, for instance, added a "7." All the changes have been made, and there are currently recorded messages in English and Indonesian for misdialed numbers.
     Local calls (Rp100 for three minutes) from public telephones are fairly easy to place, though it's a hassle collecting the heavy Rp100 coins. There are two handy public telephones outside of Ngurah Rai Airport's international terminal which are normally in working order. The number for directory assistance is 108; use the Alpha-Bravo system in spelling out proper names. The number for the police all over Bali is 110 (like 911 in the U.S.A.). All operators speak at least rudimentary English.
     If you're in southern Bali, calls to Tabanan, Gianyar, Badung, Ubud, and Denpasar Regencies are considered local "city" calls, while calls to Bali's more distant regencies like Karangasem, Singaraja, Buleleng, and Jembrana are considered long-distance (interlokal).
     Depending upon their size and class, hotels charge from Rp250 to Rp3000 for local calls made from your room. From 0600 to 0900, long-distance calls from hotels are usually Rp1000 for three minutes; from 0900 to 1400, business hours, Rp1750 for three minutes; from 1400 to 2000, Rp1000 for three minutes; and from 2000 to 0600 a 50% discount (Rp500) applies.
     But the rate is arbitrary; hotels could charge you anywhere from Rp1000 to Rp5000 for each long-distance call. For example, an interlokal call made from the Kartika Plaza Hotel in Kuta to Singaraja costs Rp4700 for three minutes, and a call made from Candidasa's Puri Bagus to Legian is Rp3000. The Booklet "International Direct Dialing and Other Telephone Charges," found near the phone in hotel rooms, gives a breakdown of the hotel's rates.
     For calls outside of Bali to other cities in Indonesia, dial long distance by first dialing the city code number, for example, Malang 0341, Banda Aceh 0851, then the local number. The archipelago is divided into five zones, and calls are priced according to zone. The rate ranges from Rp4000 to Rp12,000 per minute.
     If you're doing a lot of calling, an Indonesian telephone credit card, or kartu telpon, can be bought in Denpasar's supermarkets as well as at many hotels. Look for the sign Kartu Telpon Dijual Disini. These very convenient cards can be used all over Indonesia at telephones that accept them—in hotel lobbies, train stations, and airports. You choose how many units you want—140 units is Rp11,000, 500 units is Rp30,000. A call to Amsterdam is 140 units. Keep your card away from magnetic fields.

International Telecommunications
International calls are handled by Indosat, a state-owned enterprise that uses an international satellite and microwave system linked with 127 countries. Since the early '90s, Bali has experienced an explosion in sophisticated communications technology which has brought the world much closer. Nowadays Balinese aren't as likely to gather in the balai banjar; they'll just call up their friends and chat. Now if your phone doesn't work and you call the telephone company, somebody actually comes to fix it. Sound quality has improved considerably, too.
     Presently foreign visitors may avail themselves of a wide network of Warung Telekomunikasi (Wartel), or privately owned telephone offices, some technically more together than others. Sometimes only two of four booths operate properly, and out of 45 minutes spent in one, six of eight Westerners trying to make calls may have initial difficulties. Though the person in charge may repeatedly ask if you want to cancel, it pays to persevere.
     For International Direct Dialing (IDD), do it from your hotel room or go to one of Bali's many Wartel. Dial the country code (U.S. 01, Australia 61, etc.), then the area code and the local number. You'll be charged according to the country zone you dial. To get AT&T service on a call to the U.S.A., dial first the access code 0080110, then give your telephone credit card number, then the telephone number you want. When you get back home, the charge will appear on your telephone bill.
     Although it's a thrill dialing direct in minutes to a friend in New York from your Nusa Dua hotel room overlooking the pool, hotels routinely levy preposterous surcharges for in-room international calls—as much as Rp35,000 for a three minute call. It'll cost US$2.50 for the calling card service charge, plus US$4.07 for the first minute, then US$1.63 for each additional minute. In other words, a 15 minute call to New York will cost around US$26.89 (14 x 1.63 + 4.07 = 26.89). Calls to the U.K. can be made for Rp31,000 for three minutes.
     Instead, take a bemo to the nearest Wartel, some open 24 hours a day seven days a week. There's a Wartel within five minutes walk from the Ngurah Rai Airport's domestic terminal building, going toward the road where you get bemo to Kuta. In Kuta, a Wartel, open til 2100, is on Jl. Bakung Sari on the top floor of a two-story building which also has a Korean restaurant on the top floor. This office is about 10 minute's walk from the corner of Jl. Ngurah Rai.
     In Ubud, a Wartel is on the main road between the pasar and the Kantor Pos, open til 2000. Another is near Nomad's Restaurant. There's also an office in Padangbai, open til 2000, and a 24-hour, seven days a week Wartel in Amlapura. Bemo going into Amlapura drive past it on the way to the pasar/terminal, but not on leaving the town.
     Collect (reverse-charge) calls are only accepted now between Indonesia and Europe, America, and Australia. Remember it's at least 10% cheaper to dial direct than to have an operator assist you. Person-to-person calls are almost twice as expensive as station-to-station calls, with reduced rates on Sunday. The collect call fee for a long-distance call is Rp2500, and the cancellation fee is Rp1000.
     Home Country Direct is a service whereby you merely lift the receiver on a special phone, press a button next to the country you want to dial (20 different countries participating), and speak directly to an operator in your home country. One phone is outside the airport's international terminal, others are found in Kuta, Ubud, and in Sanur's Bali Beach Hotel. It's marvelous to be able to talk to a U.S., British, or German operator, give her your credit card number, and be connected in 30 seconds.

Other High-Tech Services
Shops offering photocopies at Rp20 per copy are found in Denpasar, Kuta, Sanur, Ubud, Singaraja, Lovina, and Candidasa. Telegrams can be sent from Bali's kantor telekomunikasi (telephone offices) run by the government's telephone system monopoly, Permuntel. Fax machines are available in major hotels which boast "business centers" like the Kartika Plaza in Kuta and the Bali Hyatt in Sanur. Wartel centers also send faxes for Rp10,000 or receive faxes for Rp1000. Computers are popping up everywhere in Bali now. Your hotel may offer computer connected services.

TIME

There are three time zones in Indonesia. Bali shares the same time zone as Nusatenggara, but the neighboring island of Java is one hour behind Bali. West Indonesia standard time (Sumatra, Java) is Greenwich mean time plus seven hours; central Indonesia standard time (Kalimantan, Bali, Nusatenggara) is GMT plus eight hours; east Indonesia standard time (Maluku, Irian Jaya) is GMT plus nine hours.
     What this means is (daylight saving time excluded) that at 0500 in the morning in London, it's 1200 in Jakarta, 1300 in Denpasar and Lombok, and 1400 in Ambon and Jayapura. What time is it elsewhere when it's 1200 on Bali? It would be 0400 in London, 1100 in Singapore, 1400 in Sydney, 2000 in San Francisco, and 2300 in New York.
     Since Bali is only eight degrees south of the equator, days and nights are about the same length. On Bali, about midpoint in the archipelago, the sun rises 90 minutes before it does in West Sumatra. There is full daylight before 0630 and total nightfall at 1830 when the sun drops out of the sky like a lead balloon.
     Nighttime is lively on Bali. You have to admire the Balinese ability to go without sleep, such as during an all-night wayang. Even as little children, they start to practice staying awake. Consequently, the best time of the day for people-watching is after sunset.

Business Hours
Business hours are flexible, depending on numerous variables. The workweek on Bali can seem convoluted because of the country's attempt to accommodate two separate religious schemes, meshing the Islamic calendar with the Gregorian. Consequently, banks, offices, and schools close early on Friday for the Islamic Sabbath, but Sunday is also observed as a day of rest. Saturday, meanwhile, is a partial work day, so the Balinese workweek consists of four full days and two partial days. During major Islamic holidays such as the monthlong Muslim fast, restaurants on overwhelmingly Hindu Bali are unaffected.
     Always get an early start for bureaucratic offices, before the lines get long and the day grows hot. Generally speaking, government offices open at 0800 Mon.-Sat., closing at 1500 or 1600 Mon.-Thurs., 1100 or 1130 on Friday, and 1400 on Saturday. Banks are open Mon.-Fri. 0800-1200, Saturday 0800-1100. Bank branches in hotels often remain open into the afternoon, and moneychangers in the tourist centers and the bank windows at the airport stay open until up to 2100.
     Shops operate from 0900 to 1800 or later, six days a week. Shopping arcades and the new Balinese "supermarkets" frequently remain open until 2100. Expect businesses to take midday lunch breaks of an hour or more, during which time no one answers the phone, even in Denpasar.

ELECTRICITY

Because of the power generated by a heat conversion plant at Bondalem (near Tejakula), power is fairly reliable, with about 75% of Bali's villages supplied with electricity. Current may be 110V, 50 cycles AC, but most areas have by now completely changed over to 220-240V, 50 cycles AC. Some residences and hotels may even have both 110 and 220. Always check to make sure which current is installed before plugging in expensive electrical appliances.
     One almost pines for the days of the oil lamps, which used to blend in so well with the environment. But the amount of electricity in some village kampung can be absolutely minimal—solitary, dim, 25-watt bulbs, which you can replace with higher-wattage bulbs. In the larger towns, humming fluorescent lamps are all too prevalent. The lack of street lighting can make for hazardous walking at night. Ubud, Kuta, and Candidasa's back lanes may be pitch dark and run alongside treacherous open drainage ditches. Always carry a flashlight.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ever since Gregor Krause's photos stunned Europe in 1912, Bali has been photographed by some of the world's best professional photographers. With its lush landscapes, colorful markets, spectacular temple sites, long colorful processions, and above all its friendly people, Bali is an endlessly photogenic island with thousands of subjects popping up constantly.
     Get up with the Balinese at sunrise to catch the best village scenes in clear, crisp colors—women carrying loads on their heads to market, children bathing in streams, fishermen casting their nets. Light diffusion on the equator differs from that in the temperate zones, so be aware of intense sunlight and haze from around 1000 to 1500, which causes color film to flatten and wash out. A polarizing filter will cut down on this, while a lens hood will reduce reflection or direct sunlight on the lens.
     When photographing performances, even in the dim, flickering, phantasmagoric light of a kecak dance, the latest low-lux camcorders can produce quite acceptable recordings. But with so many amateur filmmakers present at these dances, it's difficult to get a good shooting position. Your best bet is to use a tripod from one of the elevated back rows; this way, you'll have an unobstructed shot, and you won't block the view of others. If you have a handheld camera, try to get a seat in the front row, where you can follow the action with a wide-angle lens.
     For those sunset shots on Kuta Beach or Tanah Lot, switching to the manual sunshine setting rather than the automatic white-balance will get you deeper, richer, more exotic colors. Or take your light exposure reading off the sky rather than the bright sun, then shoot directly into the sunset. If you use a camcorder, use the wide-angle mode and a tripod to keep the scene steady. When photographing monkeys in the shade of the forest at Ubud's Monkey Forest or at Sangeh, you'll need a strong flash. Remember also that the lush tropical green of sawah or jungle usually photographs better if backlit by the sun.

Equipment
For recreational photography, leave your cumbersome changeable-lens, 35mm SLRs at home. If you're struggling with two bags full of photo equipment, you'll only worry about your gear. Instead, take a new generation, 35mm, fully automatic subcompact.
     For camera repair, try Prima Photo on Jl. Thamrin in Denpasar. Camera Service & Repair, Pertokoan Terminal Tegal Sari No. 27 (no telephone), on Jl. Imam Bonjol, has a better reputation—at prices much lower than in the West. This shop is in the same complex/terminal where you catch bemo to Kuta.

Film
Color film on Bali is cheaper than in Europe or North America and is widely available. With the suffocatingly humid climate, make sure it has been stored in an air-conditioned environment. The most popular 35mm brand is Fuji, in a full range of ASA/DIN ratings. Although a 36-exposure Kodachrome 64 slide film is for sale at a cost of around Rp15,000 for film and processing, the processing is unreliable unless it is sent to Jakarta or Australia.
     By contrast, a 36-exposure roll of Fujicolor print film (100 ASA) costs around Rp7000, 200 ASA is Rp8000. Batteries are also less expensive here: a six-volt lithium battery is Rp25,000, while in the U.S.A. it's US$17. You'll find good selections of film at dozens of photo shops on Kuta, Legian, Sanur, and Denpasar, and at most of the high-priced hotels.
     Bali Foto Centre (Jl. Raya Kuta 121, tel. 0361-751329 or 751373) in Kuta carries more than 50 film brands, kept in an air-conditioned showcase, including such leading world brands as Agfa, Polaroid, a range of black-and-white films, as well as film in larger formats (9mm), Super 8 movie film, and videotapes. Prices tend to be higher than back home.

Printing
Any one of the dozens of photo shops in Kuta, Legian, Nusa Dua, Sanur, or Denpasar can develop and print color film in just two hours or less. Slide film takes five to seven days, movie film seven. The quality is generally good. At around Rp350 per print, color print costs are lower than in most Western countries. This equals to about Rp8500 for 24 exposures, Rp12,600 for 35 exposures. Most of the hotels of south Bali offer Kodak and Fuji film development and printing service. If reception calls, someone from a photo shop comes around and picks up your film and then delivers your prints three hours later in a mini-album. Most hotels sell film too.
     An alternative to printing on Bali is to just store your exposed film, which can keep up to two months before processing if kept in a cool, dark place, or send your exposed film via airmail to processing centers back home. Kodak mailers sell for around US$10-13 for both film and mailer in U.S. camera shops or through the mail-order houses of New York. By using mailers, all your processed slide film will be waiting for you when you get back home.

Etiquette for Photographers
The Balinese are polite, congenial, and usually willing to have you record them and their ceremonies on film. Although there are no religious prohibitions against taking photos of people in prayer, it's extremely impolite to photograph people bathing in streams or bathing places.
     As a courtesy before taking a photo, first ask permission with the word permisi or an expressive hand gesture making your intention clear. Please respect refusals. Being pushy will make it not only unpleasant for you but also for photographers who follow. The discreet use of a telephoto lens obviates having to ask permission.
     Be aware of the sacredness of many of the ceremonies you may witness; act accordingly when using a flash or maneuvering for shots. Although a powerful flash is sometimes the only means by which to capture the nighttime dances of Bali, it is distracting to the audience and mars the performance.
     Unless there happens to be a festival taking place inside, ask first before photographing the interiors of temples. It's highly unlikely that permission will be refused. A modest fee may be charged for a camera and a higher one for a movie or video camera. This fee may apply to the exterior, interior, and even surrounding grounds.

EDUCATION AND MUSEUMS

Study Opportunities
The School for International Training sponsors a college semester in Bali intended for students interested in artistic and cultural traditions and in how change affects traditional societies. An important component of this 15-week-long program is independent study, as well as language instruction, classes in life and culture, and fieldwork methodology. For information, write the Admissions Office, College Semester Abroad, School for International Training, Kipling Rd., Brattleboro, VT 05302-0676 (tel. 802-257-7751).
     Bali Language Training & Cultural Centre, sponsored by the Mastapa Garden Hotel of Kuta Beach (Jl. Legian 139, P.O. Box 3013, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751660, fax 755098), offers courses in Balinese painting, carving, dancing, music, batik, and the Indonesian language. Regular classes are 72 hours per week for 12 weeks; the intensive is 40 hours per week for four weeks. Fees run US$15 for enrollment, US$700 for the regular course, US$500 for the intensive course. Price includes field trips.
     The Arts of Bali is a nine-seminar course on Balinese culture, literature, painting, music, dancing, archaeology, and sculpture presented by Ki Mantle Hood, Seminar Director (2816 Deerfield Dr., Ellicott City, MD 21043, fax 410-313 8500), in collaboration with the Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia of Denpasar, Bali. Incidentally, the SSTI Press publishes a Journal of Balinese Arts called Mudra: Jurnal Seni Budaya.
     Each summer, The Society of Balinese Studies (SBS, or Perhimpunan Pengajian Budaya Bali) holds an international interdisciplinary conference covering a wide range of topics on Baliology. Conference fees are Rp20,000 per day or Rp50,000 for three days for Indonesians, US$20 per day or US$50 for three days for non-Indonesians. The exchange of views is about as frank and open as you'll ever get in an Indonesian academic setting. Keep your eye out in the BACN newsletter (see below) for upcoming SBS conferences.

Museums
One of the first things you should do is visit the Bali Museum at Puputan Square, Denpasar, for an introduction to the archaeology, crafts, building styles, and the folk, traditional, modern, and theatrical arts of Bali. Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud houses a collection of modern Balinese paintings and some sculptures from the 1920s. The Neka Museum (also a gallery) in Campuan (near Ubud) houses a collection of some of Bali's best contemporary paintings.
     Also visit the Museum Le Mayeur in Sanur, which contains the works of the Belgian painter Le Mayeur, who arrived on Bali in 1932 and lived there for 26 years. The Pejeng Archaeological Museum, one km north of Bedulu on the road to Tampaksiring, contains megalithic and Bronze Age artifacts found on Bali.
     The Agung Rai Museum of Art (tel. 0361-974228, fax 974229, e-mail armaubud@denpasar.wasantara.net.id) in Peliatan, near Ubud in Gianyar District, is a dynamic new enterprise consisting of a whole complex of ventures including a hotel, restaurant, conference venue, cafe/nightclub, galleries, a painting school, gamelan orchestra, and a bookshop well-stocked with books on Balinese arts and culture. ARMA is also in the process of establishing a reference library of published works, unpublished manuscripts, and audio-video materials. It will not be a lending library but function more as a reading room.
     In the Netherlands, the Royal Tropical Institute (Koninklijk Instituut Voor de Tropen) occupies a large, beautiful old building at 63 Mauritskade, Amsterdam 1092 (tel. 020-924949). Specializing in the tropical areas of the world, this institute is involved in economic-development programs in Indonesia. They often have special exhibits on Bali. The best museum in Indonesia for Baliana, besides the Bali Museum in Denpasar, is the National Museum in Jakarta.

NEWS, TRAVEL, AND ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA

Television and Radio
Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) is a government-operated nationwide TV network which covers most of Indonesia via domestic satellite and microwave stations (Bali's microwave is on the Bukit Peninsula). Television broadcasts six hours daily. Programming consists of pro-government Indonesian-language local and national news, educational and religious programs, sports and special events, Indonesian music and dramas, nationalistic documentaries and reports, and about one and a half hours of English-language cartoons and old syndicated American re-runs. Don't miss the English-language news broadcast—with a Balinese perspective—each day at 1800.
     Since 1991, Bali has had a second television channel, Surya Cipta Televisi (SCTV), which formerly was broadcast only in Surabaya (East Java) and Bandung (West Java). SCTV broadcasts news and current affairs from overseas, western films and serials such as Spencer for Hire, popular sports such as Italian and English League Soccer, and music programs like American Top-10. As many of its programs are in English, SCTV also appeals to tourists.
     Despite the fact that transnational television networks may officially air their programs in Indonesia, the CNN signal is scrambled now as a result of government censorship. Only those who can afford the decoder and exorbitant cable rates can get it. These include the international-standard "starred" hotels of Bali.
     Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) still keeps much of the population informed and entertained. RRI broadcasts news and commentary in English about an hour each day (early morning and evening) and contemporary Indonesian pop music. Besides the government radio station, there are local commercial stations in Denpasar, including a great "soft and easy" FM station (at 89.7 Mhz) with a "Flashback to the 60s" program, "American Top 40" (Sunday 0400-0700) hosted by American DJ Shadoe Stevens, a classics hour with Beethoven's "Emperior's Concerto," a jazz hour with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and company, and a "Bali in a Week" cultural program (Sunday 0900-1000)—they do it all.

Libraries
Pusat Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Bali (PUSDOK), on Jl. Ir. Juanda (tel. 0361-228593) near the Governor's office in Renon, Denpasar, collects and preserves documentation in any form that concerns Bali and the Balinese. The Gedong Kirtya in Singaraja is incorporated within the Pusat Dokumentasi. Their collection of thousands of lontar, transcriptions of lontar, and books is especially valuable. A printed bibliography is available, but no card catalog.
     The Mitchell Library in Sydney, Australia, has one of the world's largest collections of books on Indonesia, while Melbourne (Australia) has The Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Monash University. The library at Australian National University, GPO Box 4, Canberra ACT 2601 Australia (fax 06-249-0734), actively acquires material on or about Indonesia and Bali.
     The Wason Collection of the Olin Library (Room 107) on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, U.S.A., is the finest and largest library of Indonesiana in the world. Cornell University also publishes studies, bibliographies, and dictionaries. Their Indonesia magazine is an outstanding journal for scholars of Indonesian culture and history with at least one article in every issue devoted to Bali. Write Southeast Asia Program Publications, Distribution Office, Cornell University, East Hill Plaza, Ithaca, NY 14850, tel. (607) 255-8038.
     In the Netherlands, the Koninklijk Instituut Voor de Tropen (Royal Tropical Institute), 63 Mauritskade, 1092 AD Amsterdam (tel. 20-5688-711, fax 20-6654-423), has a very fine and very large collection of books and old photos on Indonesia and Bali. Another huge, famous prewar collection of books and periodicals on Indonesia and Bali is housed at the University of Leiden (Witte Singel) in the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land-en Volkenkunde (KITLV).

Newspapers and Magazines
The Bali Post is a twice-monthly newspaper with a 20,000 circulation. It features columns about Balinese culture and schedules of events happening all over the island. If you can read Indonesian, Bali's oldest existing newspaper is an excellent source of information covering local happenings in literally hundreds of isolated hamlets. Since it relies on amateur news-gatherers in the villages themselves, the lead stories have a charming local flavor: reports on village awards, competitions, personalities, enterprises. The Bali Post is also an interpreter of the ongoing dialogue between tourists and the Balinese. Buy it at any bookstore and in the gift shops and news agencies of the big hotels. It used to have a one- or two-page "English Corner," but this was eliminated in 1994.
     Bali Echo Visitor's Guide, published six times yearly by PT Wijaya Grandmedia (Jl. Hayam Wuruk 173, Denpasar, tel. 0361-228333 or 228888, fax 228888), is a slick, very readable, tourist-oriented magazine for sale in hotels, bookstores, and restaurants for Rp5000. It contains the latest "in" spots, restaurants, ex-pat events; its articles are well written, opinionated, and practical. Even the infomercials and ads—aimed mostly to upscale visitors—are informative and useful.
     English-language dailies published in Jakarta include The Indonesian Times (morning), The Indonesian Observer (afternoon), the Jakarta Post, and the English-language Surabaya Post (published in East Java). All are available on Bali, cost around Rp600, have limited, one-sided world coverage, and contain occasional articles on Bali. Newsstands at the large hotels sell overseas editions of the Asian Wall Street Journal, London Times, Bangkok Post, Singapore's Straits Times, and Time and Newsweek magazines (Rp5000). Tragia Supermarket in Galleria Nusa Dua is a great place to pick up foreign newspapers and magazines.
     The best daily newspaper for bringing international news from the leading news organizations, with regular business, financial, and sports features, is the International Herald Tribune available in the tourist centers of Bali for Rp4500. For a 12-month subscription (Rp843,150) delivered to your address on Bali, write NV Indoprom Co. Ltd., Arthaloka Bldg., Ground Floor, Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jakarta Pusat (tel. 62-21-809-1928, fax 62-21-809-2679).

Specialty Publications
Specialized magazines for the business community are the weeklies Review Indonesia and Asiaweek. Both magazines are excellent sources of the latest news highlights from Indonesia, with an emphasis on the economy, and both are available for around Rp5000 from newsstands in the metropolitan and tourist areas of Indonesia.
     If you're looking for a job or want to rent or sell your house or land, one of the best advertising vehicles is Bali Advertiser, Jl. Tanjung Mekar 28 D, Kuta (tel./fax 0361-755392). Distributed in Kuta-Legian, Denpasar, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Ubud, Lovina, and Candidasa, they publish personal ads and notices for all clubs, groups, and other nonprofit organizations free. For commercial ads brought into their office a 25% discount and faster service is offered.
     Bali Pathfinder is a walking guide and map for sale for Rp10,000 in hotels and newsstands, particularly around the Ubud area. The guiding philosophy of this 166-page booklet is that tourists should be treated like guests in the hopes that they'll act like guests. A new feature of the booklet is vouchers which can be redeemed at photo shops, restaurants, and swimming pools (Rp1000 instead of Rp2500), so you can quickly recoup its purchase price in savings.
     Inside Indonesia is a hard-hitting, incisive, illustrated, independent magazine published in Australia containing brilliant insights into Indonesian politics, lifestyles, culture, new technologies, environment, foreign policy, human rights, dissent, and the business community, as well as book reviews and listings of new resources. Equally valuable to the traveler and to the scholar, Inside Indonesia monitors Indonesia's political landscape like no other publication. Every issue has at least two stories about Bali, usually addressing the powerful impact of tourism on the island. For a subscription (28 issues for AUS$50 in Australia, AUS$78 overseas), write Box 190, Northcote, Victoria 3070, Australia, tel. (03) 481-1581, fax 416-2746.
     An extremely informative periodical for Balinists, scholars, and artists is the Bali Arts & Culture News edited by the renowned scholar Fredrik E. DeBoer. This newsletter is aimed at facilitating the free flow of news and information among those interested in the arts and culture of Bali. Though a subscription is free (write to BACN, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06457 U.S.A., tel. 203-347-3417, fax 343-3965), those receiving it are expected to report news of interest to readers from time to time or else contribute toward the cost of postage and handling. For those with access to the Internet, the address is fdeboer@eagle.wesleyan.edu.
     John MacDougall is the publisher of Indonesia Publications which sponsors a number of periodicals such as the Indonesia News Service, which digests current news stories about Indonesia and Bali from leading magazines and newspapers. Subscriptions to this 12-page bulletin, issued four times a year, cost US$6 in the U.S., US$9 in Europe, and US$10 in Asia and Africa. John is also the publisher of Antara Kita, the quarterly official English-language bulletin of the Indonesian Studies Committee of the Association for Asian Studies. The subscription is US$6 surface in the U.S.A. and Canada, US$8 elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere, US$9 in Europe, and US$10 in Asia. E-mail subscriptions are available for US$5, anywhere. Address: 7538 Newberry Lane, Lanham-Seabrook, MD 20706, tel. (301) 552-3251, fax 552-4465, e-mail apakabar@access.digex.net.
     American Gamelan Institute, Box 1052, Lebanon, NH 03766 U.S.A. (tel./fax 603-448-8837), produces cassettes and CDs of Balinese music. Their "Bali Cassette Collection" is an essential survey for teachers, students, and enthusiasts, representing many major styles of Balinese music. Ten cassettes: US$75. They also publish the periodical Balungan on Indonesian performing arts and their international counterparts for US$15 for two issues, US$20 for overseas, US$30 for institutions. Vol. 4, No. 2 is a special issue on Bali: US$7.50.

Leading Book and Guidebook Publishers
Refer to the backmatter for a definitive reading list of books on Bali. One of the most prolific and inspired publishers of books on the society, culture, art, ancient history, language, and natural history of the whole Malay Archipelago is Periplus Editions, 1655 Scenic Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, tel. (510) 540-0146, fax 540-1057. Distributed in the U.S. by Passport Books/NTC, 4255 W. Tougy Ave., Lincolnwood (Chicago), IL 60646. Their Singapore office is at Periplus Pte Ltd, Farrer Road, P.O. Box 115, Singapore 9128. Periplus has published a number of excellent reference books on or about Bali.
     The most active publisher of both reprints and new titles on Indonesia is Oxford University Press (Walton St., Oxford OX2 6DP, London, England; their American office is at 16-00 Pollitt Dr., Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 U.S.A.). OUP carries at least 40 titles on Indonesia in its famous, well-written, and attractive "Oxford in Asia" series.
     Of a more scholarly persuasion are the publications of the Cornell Modern Indonesia Project (102 West Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850). Ask for a complete list of publications. Another estimable publishing house occasionally publishing books on Bali is the University of Hawaii Press (2840 Kolowalu St., Honolulu, HI 96822).
     E.J. Brill (Postbus 9000, 2300 PA Leiden, the Netherlands, Holland, tel. 071-312624) publishes Dutch-, English-, German-, and French-language reprints of old out-of-print classics on Indonesia and Bali.
     The KITLV Press, Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Reuvensplaats 2, P.O. Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands (tel. 071-27-23-72, fax 31-71-27-26-38), also publishes some intriguing titles on Bali. Ask for a copy of their latest catalog.
     AMS Press, Inc. (56 East 13th St., New York, NY 10003) publishes a fascinating selection of reprints of arcane classics on Indonesia and Bali. Ask for their Southeast Asia mail-order catalog. In Australia, a publisher to keep your eye on for material on or about Bali is Allen & Unwin, P.O. Box 8500, St. Leonards, New South Wales 2065, tel. (02) 901-4088, fax 906-2218.
     The Instituut Indoneisische Cursussen (Rappenburg 8-10, 2311 EV Leiden, The Netherlands) has issued a catalog of interest to readers interested in purchasing books relating to Bali. Antiquarian Booksellers Gemilang, P.O. Box 47, 1120 AA Landsmeer, The Netherlands, and Tamarind Books, P.O. Box 49217, Greensboro, NC 27419, U.S.A. (tel. 910-852-1905, fax 852-0750), also sell many items of interest to Balinists in English, Dutch, and Indonesian in their mail-order catalog.

Bookstores
On the road in Asia you'll always meet people with books to trade, so bring some of your best paperbacks and hard-to-get magazines for trading. On Bali, prices for imported books, paperbacks, and magazines are high. Kuta Beach Road and Jl. Legian in Kuta, as well as Jl. D. Tamblingan in Sanur, have some of the island's best new and used bookstores where you'll find ample reading material.
     Denpasar's supermarkets are the best place to buy new foreign-language publications on Bali. Probably the best selection of new books is in Gramedia Bookstore in the basement of the Matahari Shopping Center, and Gunung Agung Bookstore in Libi. Hotel bookshops also have newsstands with surprisingly good selections. Prices are high: Wildlife of Indonesia, by Elizabeth MacKinnon, published in Indonesia, costs Rp84,500.
     Many small hotels have an informal policy allowing guests to take a book if they donate a book to the hotel library, and nonguests may take a book if they donate two books. In non-hotel bookshops along Jl. Legian, most of what's available are used, dog-eared paperbacks. The cheapest, which could be five years old, run about US$1; most are about US$1.50-2, but some cost up to Rp7000-8000. However, the system does work for the buyer to some degree. Once the book is finished, it can be returned and half the purchase price either returned or deducted from the cost of the next book.
     In Singapore, Select Books Pte. Ltd., 19 Tanglin Rd. No. 03-15, Tanglin Shopping Centre, third floor, Singapore 1024 (tel. 65-732-1515, fax 736-0855), is a bookseller, library supplier, distributor, and publisher with one of the world's largest retail selections of books on Southeast Asia currently in print. They always have books on Bali.
     Also in Singapore, the huge Toppan Bookstore in the Orchard Plaza Shopping Centre on Orchard Road, and MPH Bookstore at 71-77 Stanford Rd. both have very respectable Indonesiana collections as well. These big Singaporean chain bookstores may very well have a wider selection of books on Indonesia than many bookshops in Indonesia itself.
     Ge Nabrink Antiquarian Booksellers, Korte Korsjespoortsteeg 8, 1012 TC Amsterdam, The Netherlands (tel. 020-622-3058, fax 31-20-62457), has a huge stock of 100,000 used books, pamphlets, wonderful old b/w prints, photographs, and folios on Indonesia and Bali on four floors near the center of Amsterdam. This Indonesiana store is divided into different categories, such as scientific, literary, and anthropology. Prices and quality are high.

Film
Ring of Fire documents an extraordinary 10-year voyage of two British filmmakers, brothers Lorne and Lawrence Blair. As much a spiritual travelogue as a harrowing physical journey, this avant-garde series is made up of four volumes, each an hour long. The volume called "East of Krakatoa" is about Bali and contains some mesmerizing footage on the Balinese kris dance. The set is available for US$99.50 from Mystic Fire Video, Inc., 225 Lafayette St., Suite 1206, New York, NY 10012, tel. (800) 727-8433 (credit card orders). Total running time: 232 minutes. These videos describe a Bali of 25 years ago. They have also produced Lempad of Bali (color, 60 minutes, 1979, US$29.95), which portrays the great Balinese painter known throughout Europe for his remarkable religious and erotic art.
     The paradise myth of Bali is exposed in the blistering Australian film Done Bali. While there have been many films which expound the Western image of Bali as an idyllic, creative, tropical holiday destination, this film looks behind the myth—to the island's traumatic past and its current, fragile state as it moves into the future. Using rare archival film footage and interviews with locals, anthropologists, historians, business leaders, and academics, Done Bali examines a range of social and historical tragedies that have rocked the island "paradise" and her inhabitants. For more information, contact SBS, tel. (02) 430-3783.
     Mitra Tourism Development Division, Jl. Ciputat Raya 64, Pondok Pinang, Jakarta 12310, tel. 769-6004, produces videos on such popular tourist performances and attractions as "Bali," "The Topeng," "The Kecak," "The Barong & Kris Dance," "Drama Gong," "The Bedugal Tour," "The Besakih Tour," "The Legong Dance," and "The Baris and Rejang Dance." Tapes sell at the Ngurah Airport for Rp50,000 apiece.
     Documentary Educational Resources, 1001 Morse St., Watertown, MA 02172 U.S.A., sells films and videos on Bali such as films on the trance dances of the late Jero Tapakan. Write for their new price list.
     Film on Indonesia, a catalog, has been compiled by Toby Alice Volkman; send US$5 (which includes shipping). Write to Yale Southeast Asia Studies, Yale University, P.O. Box 208206, New Haven, CT 06520-8206. This is a valuable, informative, and very readable resource for teachers and students of Indonesian studies, anthropology, ethnographic film.
     Anthropological film archives at universities in the States or in Australia may have copies of Margaret Mead's Island of Bali; the strong, primitive feeling of this 1930s film no longer exists on Bali.
     The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York has a very fine collection of books, manuscripts, and artifacts on Asian dance, including audio recordings of Javanese and Balinese dance masters, photos, and other documents provided by the Claire Holt Collection on Indonesian dance.

Music
Recordings of Balinese music have been made since 1928 when some 78s were produced by the Odeon and Beka companies from Europe. In the backmatter of the visually sumptuous large-format book Bali: The Ultimate Island by Lueras and Lloyd (1987) you'll find an exhaustive discography and cassetography compiled by Andy Toth of postwar LP records and cassettes, as well as a Bali Filmography (1926-1986) compiled by John Darling.
     The American Gamelan Institute (tel./fax 603-448-8837, Box 5036, Hanover, NH 03755) produces a journal as well as videos, cassettes, and CDs featuring Indonesian music. Recent productions include four CDs for US$50.
     Trans Asian Press (Hoffmannlaan 641, 5011 VP Tilburg, The Netherlands, tel./fax 013-555994) is a multi-media company specializing in Southeast Asia with an accent on Indonesia; inquire about their delightful "Bali: Eternal Circle 1" music tape. Their office in Indonesia is at Jl. H. Agus Salim 67 A, Yogyakarta, tel. (0274) 74876.

Consultants
MAP International (Box 56, Nusa Dua, Bali 80361) provides traditional dancers, both locally and abroad, for embassies or cultural events. They also help TV crews with permits, locations, and other similar needs. Contact the Entertainment Division, Box 63532, 2502 JM Den Haag, Netherlands, tel./fax 31-70-3694416.

Maps
The best folded maps available of Bali are produced by Nelles Verlag GmbH, Schleibheimer Str. 371 b, D 80935 Munich 45, Germany, tel. (089) 351-5084 or 351-5085, fax 354-2544. This beautiful map features vivid color printing, topographic features in realistic relief, and major city plans in margin inserts. Widely available in bookstores with good travel sections in the U.S. for US$7.95, they're cheaper in Indonesia (around Rp12,000). Periplus Editions (address above) also publishes a map to Bali.
     Another high-quality folded map of Bali is put out by APA Maps (scale 1:180,000) and is available for Rp8000 at any well-stocked bookstore or gift shop on Bali. In the U.S. it's distributed by Prentice-Hall, but you can buy it for US$6.95 at any travel bookstore or general bookstore with a good travel section. This beautiful map has color printing, topographic features in realistic relief, and major town plans—Denpasar, Sanur, Kuta, and Ubud—in close-up margin inserts, as well as a special map of southern Bali. The map is almost too detailed, with place-names labeled so small they are difficult to read.
     Tourist offices in Bali sometimes stock maps of Indonesia and Bali, but you can't always rely on their accuracy or up-to-dateness. Airline offices, travel agencies, and hotels display big wall maps—the best local area maps available. Small hotels frequently even publish their own maps so their guests won't get lost and will also be able to find their way to the owner's sister's restaurant, prominently labeled on the map.
     PT Pembina (Jl. Pajaitan 45, Jakarta, tel. 813886) publishes a regional map of Bali, complete with distance chart, found at most bookstores. The most extensive stock of Southeast Asia maps for sale in Australia are at Angus and Robertsons, 107 Elizabeth St., Melbourne; Sydney's Angus and Robertsons on Pitt St.; Dymock's on George St., Sydney.