In Bali, A Motor Scooter Could Be Your Best Friend
When Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman landed on Bali in 1597, getting around the tiny Indonesian Island was pretty difficult. How would he reach the famous Ubud Jazz Café? Or check out any of Bali's gorgeous and reasonably priced villas? Now, if he'd had a motor scooter in Bali-or better yet, roads-he would have been on his way. In Bali, the motor scooter has cars and pedestrians alike beat. Luckily for de Houtman perhaps, Bali lacked much of its modern charm in the 16th century. You, however, are afforded a fantastic opportunity for fun and adventure on this motor scooter sized province.
Motor Scooters And Bali
With a length of roughly ninety-five miles and a width of sixty-nine miles, Bali is the perfect day-tripper island. With your motor scooter in Bali, it's also easy to toss a knapsack on and make a two or three day trip around the island. Make sure you check out Mt. Agung and the still active volcano of Mt. Batur! Unlike a car, motor scooters do quite well on the twisty, sometimes poorly paved roads of Bali.
Drivers should know also that most driving rules and regulations are for guidance only. Locals in Bali use the motor scooter for just about everything. If you think you'd have trouble packing for a two day trip on your scooter, just take a look around at the traffic. There are literally hundreds of motor scooters zipping by, most of them laden down with families, furniture, livestock…you name it! Forgoing the high costs of cars, locals know that the nimble motor scooter and Bali are ideally suited.
Gassing Up
Finding a petrol station (yes, gasoline is called "petrol" there, as in many other parts of the world) can be difficult. While there are official stations with pumps and compressors, there are many street side stations that often consist of a few bottles of fuel on some shelves. No worries though. In Bali with your motor scooter, all you need is a couple of bottles to have your travel needs completely taken care of. These roadside stands are also generally cheaper than branded stations.
But you don't just cut down on fuel costs by using a motor scooter in Bali. They are also incredibly cheap to rent, and easy to operate. Daily rentals from a good Balinese motor scooter lot run only around 37,000 rupiah a day…or about $4! And you don't need a driver's license to operate them. Just make sure you test it before you commit yourself. That $4 goes a long way to other pursuits in hospitable, reasonably priced Bali.
