Frequenting a variety of Bali internet cafes, it occurs to me there is a huge variance in the conditions and the type of service I recieve. Here are some thoughts about Bali internet cafes.
One thing I always hear in Bali internet cafes, from other customers is “It’s SO slow.” Compared to Australia, the rest of Asia, Europe and the US, most of the internet connections here are slow. Highway in Ubud seems the fastest, but you pay for it.
Figuring out what tasks you have might help you choose what type of place you go to. If you need to send a FAX, make an international phone call, burn a CD, scan a document and attach it to an email, then Internet Outpost in Kuta can handle all your needs. Its not the cheapest though, and if you just want to fire off an email, or read the news, you might be better off at another place. Many of the internet cafes in Kuta / Seminyak charge around 12,000-18,000rp per hour. Global charges 7,000rp.
Many of the ‘mom & pop’ places have no AC, old hardware, no USB ports, which effectively makes them pretty useless to 90% of tourists. Before you waste your time getting online, check they have USB ports and make sure its not dial-up access, otherwise Yahoo’s homepage will take 2 minutes to load.
There are many new places in the Kuta / Legian area which have okay hardware, AC, toilet etc. They almost all use the exact same management program, where you sign your name and get online, with the ability to check your bill at anytime on your monitor. That’s the situation you want, but there are places where you just get online and the staff will tell you what you owe, simply by looking at the clock on the wall.
In my experience here’s some of the things I would do in an internet cafe.
1. Check the price per minute / hour
2. Check the room temperature. Do they have AC? Some internet cafes are like a sauna, others feel like a wind-tunnel with the AC roaring. In the evenings I bring a sweater.
3. Check the hardware. Do they have USB ports?
4. Check the connection. Avoid dial-up.
5. If the sunlight is strong, sit away from the window so you can see what you’re doing.
6. If you are doing bank stuff, sit away from the staff. In my experience, I have not had any occassion where someone has tried to get into my online banking, or other stuff. I have however, had the staff stand right behind me, and watch what I’m doing. They can see what I’m doing on their control monitor, but I just prefer to be away from other people’s constant view.
7. After using iPods / cameras / cell phones etc. put them straight back in your bag and take it with you when you go to the toilet.
8. If you want to write a long email, write it in Word, or Notepad, saving every few minutes. On many occassions, I have witnessed tourists writing an essay, in Hotmail, trying to send it and the system locking up.
9. When you finish with your email, remember to sign out, not just click to ESPN or the news. I have on many occasions started on a machine to find a person’s mail open in front of me (I never read it).
10. After signing out of your mail and other protected areas, go to Tools, Internet Options and clear the Cookies and History. It helps stop other people getting into the stuff you’re into.
11. When you finally Sign Out, using the cafe’s software, remember the actual price, as staff often round up / add onto the price. When they do this to me I say “Are you sure about that?” If they persist I say “Want to try that again?” I sometimes have to show them on their monitor that it’s 19,500rp, not 20,000rp, but that’s okay, I like paying the real price.
12. If you want to scan documents / make international phones calls / send FAX’s, ask the price beforehand. I have seen westerners get bent out of shape, over the cost of their 20 minute chat to mommy, as they thought it would be cheap.
Happy surfing
source : www.baliblog.com
September 13th, 2006
Here is a run down of the nightlife in Bali from this wednesday onward. Nightlife information is provided courtesy of
The Beat Magazine, Bali’s #1 nightlife guide.
•Wednesday Sept 13th
Bacio
Babes & Bubbles
Ladies, get a whopping 50% off champagne, wine and cocktails. Beats by DJ Fadi (SWE)
F Lounge
Femme Fatale
Teased with ease till you drop to your knees w/ DJ Riz, and 2 for 1 on all Roskas till midnight for the ladies.
MBarGo
BKK Style Dancers
Hip Hop dance show with sexy go-go dancers and live DJ. From 11pm
Paparazzi
DJ Tommy
Double Six
Prettylicious
DJ Nolly.
Nusa Dua
Wismilak International 2006
See Main Stage for details
•Thursday Sept 14th
Bacio
DJ Jonny keeps it sleek and funky.
F Lounge
Bam Bam
Me say me bun it and me pass it on de right…Seen? Wayne Wonder and Maka serve up potent roots. From 11pm.
Kudos
Drama Queen
With a Chicago theme (the musical, not the House genre) with tunes by DJ U-you. From 11pm
MBarGo
Rowdy Girls Reloaded
X-rated sexy dancers on the bar shakin’ it Coyote Ugly stylee. From 11pm.
Paparazzi
Red Hot
DJ Alfan and Fashion Show
Double Six
Evolution
DJ Emon.
Nusa Dua
Wismilak International 2006
See Main Stage for details
•Friday Sept 15th
Bacio
Flavours
DJ Broyz.
F Lounge
Fetish
Kinky electro delights by Taro. From 11pm.
Kudos
Showtime
The glam and glitz of Vegas is on, with hot dancers and tunes by DJ U-you. From 11pm.
MBarGo
Virtual Enema
Virtual What? DJs Leon and Eka drop some bowel looseners…we guess. From 11pm.
MBarGo
Funktology
DJ Billy the Kid (AUS).
Nusa Dua
Wismilak International 2006
See Main Stage for details
Double Six
The Vibe
DJs Wilson & Georgia.
•Saturday Sept 16th
Bacio
Fever
DJ Billy the Kid (AUS).
F Lounge
Felicious
Toasted to perfection by Kevin Jackson as he drops the soulhouse and progressive. From 11pm.
MBarGo
Made In Heaven
Weekend fun with DJs Lanang & Anastacia. From 11pm.
Kudos
Kudos & Callego Beach Party
Keeping summer alive, with spectacular shows on this famous stretch of beach. Tickets and info contact 081-835-7509.
Kuta Karnival
Opening Day
Kuta Karnival is a yearly event that unites the local community, Balinese and expat, in 10 days of fun in the spirit of “Unity in Diversity” including surf events, skate madness, cultural and artistic activities and the cosmopolitan food fest and musical mayhem. A celebration of Life (see programme page 46).
MBarGo
Dark Instincts
DJs Leon and Kent tag teamin’ it. From 11pm.
Paparazzi
Hottish Saturday
DJs Roman (Switzerland).
Double Six
Insomniac
DJs Emon, Niina (SWE).
Nusa Dua
Wismilak International 2006
See Main Stage for details
Blue Night Club
The Early Bird
Gr8 entertainment and free cocktails for girls till 10pm. From 9pm.
•Sunday Sept 17th
Hard Rock Hotel
Rock ‘N Run
Time to pull those smelly kicks from your closet and run round Kuta for Cleft Palate charity. Call 761-869 for more info. Registration from 6.30am, start 7.30am.
MBarGo
My Crib
DJ Kent, guests and live performers keep your Sunday rollin’. From 11pm.
Double Six
Rainbow Night
Harris Resort
Live @ Harris with Saharadja
Bali’s golden band of world music take the stage. FDC 50k and additional buffet for 48k. From 7pm.
Nusa Dua
Wismilak International 2006
See Main Stage for details
Kuta Karnival
Save Mother Ocean Concert
See Main Stage for details
•Monday Sept 18th
Bacio
DJs Chandra, Andre
F Lounge
Flow
Start your week with classic acid jazz and soulhouse grooves by Riz. From 11pm.
MBarGo
Reggaeton Summer Riddim
Latino R’n’B with DJs Lazy Bones (JPN) and Leon. From 11pm.
Paparazzi
DJ Tommy
Double Six
Pure Volume
DJ Dede.
•Tuesday Sept 19th
F Lounge
F Live Session
Live blues band on the stage by The Fonz, open mic for guest talent and pool table to sweeten the deal. from 11pm.
Bacio
Aficionado
20% off selected cigars, backing track by DJs Chandra and Andre.
MBarGo
Asphalt Jungle
Percussionist Javaica and DJ P-Pen collaboratin’ and perpetratin’. From 11pm.
Ku De Ta
Film Nights 2006
See Main Stage for details
•Wednesday Sept 20th
Bacio
Babes & Bubbles
50% off champagne, wine and cocktails for the ladies; beats by DJ Fadi (SWE).
F Lounge
Femme Fatale
Teased with ease till you drop to your knees by DJ Riz and 2 for 1 on all Roskas for the ladies till midnight.
Kudos
2QT2BSTR8
Night with contemporary dance show by Monica, Patricia, hot dancers and DJ U-you. From 11pm.
Kuta Karnival
Billabong Detour
See Main Stage for details
Kama Sutra
Ungu Live on Stage
See Main Stage for details
•Thursday Sept 21st
F Lounge
Hip Shaker
Supasoul controllers Wayne Wonder & Lazy Bones shake a fonky payback from wayback. From 10pm.
Kuta Karnival
Oakley O’Rkr Surf Time Challenge
See Main Stage for details
MBarGo
Bikini Show
Ladies in sexy bikinis by Mooks with RnB backing track. From 11pm.
Coming Events
•Friday Sept 22nd
Bahiana
Capoeira Dance
Bahiana showcase this exciting Brazilian hybrid of martial arts and dance Expect some high kicking, somersaulting, backflipping action all to the sound of the berimbau. From 11pm
Hu’u
DJ B Crosses Over
DJ B’s versatility knows no bounds; he’s renowned for pushing the more soulful side of House, following his yearlong stint at Velvet Underground (Zouk). His foray into a more robust big room sound has met with massive success as his “We Luv House” weekly Friday nights graced the decks alongside DJ luminaries such as Louie Vega, David Morales in Zouk’s main room will bear the testimony to where he now incorporates Brazillian, Latin & Afrocentric beats & rhythms. the main room resident for two years running, DJ B has also played alongside Derrick May, Carl Craig, Roger Sanchez, Martin Solveig, Bob Sinclair, and DJ Gregory to name a few and has since started his travels worldwide to propel his dynamic musical landscape. From 11pm. FDC 200k
Kudos
Dance Competition Grand Final
Six groups of dancers work it hard to impress the judges with their skills, with 10 million rupiah up for grabs. From 11pm
Kuta Karnival
Surfer Girl Big Day Out
Fun in the sun, delight in the night, Starts with girls only surf competition, surf lesson, cheerleaders competition, and music performed by Soul ID, The Buntu, Violet and more. From 8pm
•Saturday Sept 23rd
Double Six
Doublelicious
Double decks, double stage, double the sound means double the excitement. Headlining the indoor arena will be Turkish DJ icon Murat Uncuoglu, one of the guys who was instrumental in putting Istanbul on the dance music world map with his deep sets and quality productions which find themselves in the boxes of some of the world’s premier DJs
Hu’u
Paradise Garage
Move to the groove as DJ Yudi drop his collection from yesteryear, a trip to boogie land. FDC 100k. From 11pm
Kuta Karnival
Food Festival
Two days of great value feasting with almost all the restaurant in Kuta setting up their food stalls in front of Legian beach. There’ll be between 40-60 outlets to choose from, with food from around the globe. From 4pm. Continues tomorrow
Kuta Karnival
The Beat Rock Fest
It’s back, it’s bigger than ever and it will rock your stockings off! No less than 10 bands from Bali, Bandung and Jakarta including The Upstairs, Death By Butterfly, Kaimsasikun, Alone at Last and Navicula. With a wider range of genres than ever before, prepare for a sound barrage of dance rock, 80’s synthesizer pop, raging punk and emo harmonies from some of Indonesia’s finest. Once and for all…Rock ON! From 4pm
The Beat is available from Circle K in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogya for Rp. 10.000, free at Circlle K in Bali.
send name/address to:
subscribe@beatmag.com and we’ll send you payment details. Want to be on the beatlist and get uptodate info via email. Send an email to beatupdate@beatmag.com
source : www.baliblog.com
September 13th, 2006
Tuesday afternoon I met up with
Steve from Perth and Scotty Col also from Perth via Scotland.
Sometimes I don’t get any visitors and other times its rains. Today I got a call from both Steve and Scotty, who I has already met last year, and agreed to meet them both at Warung 96 in Kuta. An hour before we were due to meet, I was in an interent cafe on Jl. Benesari, and remembered to contact Asya, the lady from Russia who posted the other day, inviting her. After I finished I was about to type a post when thr guy next to me says “Are you Nick from Baliblog, I recognize the face?” Benny was a firefighter on a surfing holiday to Bali and Sumatra. I invited him to join us also, but he was meeting his dad at the airport.
Benny was a super nice guy, I hope to meet him again and he showed me the basic of reading a surf chart (wind, wave size etc.). By the way, Ulu’s should be good this Thursday / Friday, with a max wave height of 9.5ft, wave interval 14-15 seconds.
Asya was on her way to north Bali (still haven’t met her), but hope to soon. Scotty dropepd me off a bottle of wine (good on ya mate! though not necessary). Would of been nice if we all could of gotten together at once, but it was great great to meet Scotty again before his plane back to Perth. Scotty told me he was out in Padangbai for a while and loves the small beach to the right of the main beach, the one you really only see when you take the ferry to Lombok. I agree, its the best beach there.
Will be good to meet other Bali visitors if I get the chance.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 13th, 2006
This morning while I was in the shower, I was thinking about Cafe Moka. Quite what made me think of it, I don’t know, but anyhow, Cafe Moka has opened a new branch on Jl. Raya Ubud.
One intersting thing is Cafe Moka, now has 3 outlets, one on Jl. Seminyak, one in Umalas, past Banjar Semer and now this new, large Ubud branch. It occured to me that maybe Cafe Moka was trying to become the Starbucks of Bali (there are Starbucks on Jl. Pantai Kuta, Jl. Kartika Plaza at the Discovery Shopping Mall, Jl. Legian, just down from Poppies II and Nusa Dua at Bali Collection, Nusa Dua.
Both Cafe Moka and Starbucks are handy places, if you ask me. In Bali I sometime need a spacious place, out of the dust, heat and humidity, to take a seat and organize myself. Both places sell coffee, but that’s really where the similarity ends. Starbucks wants to be the ‘3rd place’ in your life, after your house and your office. They create a ‘living room’ atmosphere, and it works. Cafe Moka is a combo of bread shop, cake shop, cafe and restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Starbucks has better coffee, but is more expensive. The new Ubud Cafe Moka has exactly the same menu as the Seminyak branch and is open 8am-11pm, as well. My recipe for a hangover cure is a Thon sandwich (footlong tuna, egg, lettuce, tomato, mayo) with a banana lassi. That gets me back to normal pretty quick, assuming I have the energy to drag myslef down there.
Cafe Moka and Starbucks are handy stop off places for busy tourists and expats.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 13th, 2006