hey all, well im thinking of going over to bali/indo for a few months. i will probably leave Brisbane mid June, and return end of august.
i am only a youngin, so i would be doing this on a total budget of $2000!!! ($900 krudd money + all my savings). can this be done on this sort of money...????
has anyone done a long trip on not much $$$ over there before. how much money could i live off for a day???
i will probably do the trip solo for most of it (friends might go for a week or two), so is it easy to meet up with other people doing a similar thing???
what is the go for finding really cheap accom, just rocking up and asking around???
what boards should i take. i was thinking my 6", and a 5"10' fish. i weigh 66 odd kgs and i am a confident surfer.
and what is the best way to book the flights, using a travel agent or just online.
ok, so alot of questions, however if you can answer any of them please do. also, if you have done something similar, please add your experiences.
thanks.
PS. Not taking kites, wind is crappy over there. so its a complete surfing trip.
SurfingGirlo
Seems to be a case of Spanking the Monkey & got some in ya eyes 
go to the surf forum & toss one to them
or try Get A Life .com 
Surfingboye, Is the 2K your spending money or will you be using that to get a plane ticket as well? Either way after a dozen or so Indo trips I can tell you that if you want to live on a smell of an oily rag Indo is the place to do it. You can live on about $25 a day easy but you must stay away from the many evil temptation of Kuta where your money will quickly disappear in a hazy vision of sexy european backpackers, arak cocktails and bintang!
Hire a motorbike in Bali, you can do it real cheap if you tell em its going to be for at least 2 weeks and try asking some locals around if you can stay at their place or if they know anyone, some families will let you stay with em and even give you meals, for a small price, you used to be able to stay at some or the warungs at bingin for free as long as you bought food of em but I dont know if that is still the case. And dont worry you can do it solo easy, you'll meet more new friends that way.
Board wise dont take the fish!!!! are you going there to **** around in the beachbreaks or surf solid reef bazaz? if so take your 6" and a couple of bigger guns or semiguns, you will snap something!
With your tickets just shop around all the travel agents and the net.
Mate if you over there and you run out of money you can always do what some of the locals do, hook up with an older or a somewhat larger lady and get her to look after you!!
By the way wind is not crap over there so take your kites or at least a kite
if you want to kite then go to mui ne or whatever its called....perfect flatwater and waves are close aswell....its $800 RETURN. and $6 a night and u stay right on the beach in a nice hut and the people setup and packdown all your gear etc etc..
hey marty, thanks for your info. the $2000 will have to include the airfare. i have spoken to some people who have done a similar thing, and they reckon you could live on like 15 aus a day. amazing.
dont take the fish you reckon??? i love that board, it gets me in soo early.
i dont think i should take a kite, because a) i would have to get it on the plane + have to cart it around (risk of being stolen), and b) i have heard the wind is useless (you need big kites 13m+). my biggest is an 11m.
any other help or tips on planing a trip.
PS. *reply to STW* = i already have, i posted it here because the Surf forum has not activity.
SB
Your biggest issue will be airfares. I just bought some for roughly June 27 till July 10 or so. Best I found was $1100. In saying that, I'm hoping to do the whole trip for $1500. Find yourself cheap flights ASAP. Note: mine are from Melbourne return with std luggage allowance. PacificBlue.
My trip is primarily a Surf trip however I'm hoping to get a few kites in though. In either Sanur or preferably Nusa Dua. On that, does anyone know if anyone is renting kites in Nusa Dua this year? I cbf travelling with my kites for similar reasons as you, however lack of wind is BS. Prevailing wind tends to be and Easterly that time of year (I believe).
I'm probably a handful of KG heavier than you, I'm only taking my 6'10". Last year I found it was perfect except for when it got over 9' or 10'. Wasn't quite fast enough to paddle in. Mind you I probably shouldn't be in anything bigger than 8'.
I'm yet to make arrangements but I'm going to look for accom in Binging, a few of the nicer places I visited last year were about 20,000 Rp, so i'm hoping I'll get a reasonable place for $15 a night or so. I'll surf mainly between Balanging and Uluwatu. My folks are rocking up a few days before I leave so will probably stay with them at Ulu's.
Last year I paid about $4 a day for a scooter. Breakfast was included in my accom. I paid about $10 for dinner (entre/main) and a longneck. Lunches in the Warungs were just a few dollars.
As others have said if you chat to some Balinese you should find accom with a family for just a few bucks a night.
Cheers
Dane
ps. will ya have a phone, maybe we should try and meet up for a kite.
I paid $800 return on jetstar about a month ago. leaving 6/7/09 returning 29/7/09. I am taking a kite and a few surf boards. I have taken a 6'10" gun the last few trips but never used it, I think i will leave it out this time. You will definitely be able to get by with that sort of money. just head to bingin or dreamland and stay out of Kuta.
mate offer this guy $1500 in a month's time
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50093
you might get a bargain
use the net to try high traffic asian routes...
for example, fly into malaysia the grab an internal asian airline flight to bali,
or jakata then to bali,
or singapore then to bali
might be able to save a bit of cash
JUST DON'T FORGET TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!
SB. With one mate for the first week and a bit, then my folks. Although I think another mate will be there similar time.
guidz and i are hitting bali from the 30th. im bringing a 12 and lots of surf boards. any one else keen for a kite - hopefully or a surf ?
Flights booked.
I have heard there is consistent wind in West Java, can anyone confirm?
And whats the go with getting a International Drivers Licence, i am planing on riding motorbike, and unless i have an IDL insurance will not cover me. Where do you apply for one?
Thanks.
nrma or racv or whatever
though if you don't have an aussie bike licence, you won't have an international one
and therefore won't be covered if you stack
just don't stack.
west java is a nitemare to travel with gear, by yourself on a budget.
been there several times and is always an adventure
'97 i was there when the riots from the finacial collapse were happening, surfed with an american dude out cimija one day, next day he's no where to be seen... had his arm hacked off by a machete and had to evacuate back to jakata.. not an easy commute when you have two arms and all your senses...
west java can be wild... imagine being a soft loaded obnoxious tourist in a whole town of westie inbred ice freaks on edge.. it can really feel like everyone, given an opporunity is gunna do you over.
but saying that..... there's heaps better uncrowded waves there than bali or sumbawa
(can be hard to find cheap accomodation in west java near the coast when the people smuggling boats are running)
Hey Docter,
Is West Java actually dangerous; does **** go down.
or
Does it just feel like that???
Thanks Saffie,
i reserved every copy (11) on the sunshine coast. the first came in today. so i cancelled all others. sorry to everyone who wanted that book on the Sunshine Coast.
