The main point of the Governor of Bali's statement is actually not to ban foreign tourists from renting scooters, but to deter foreign tourists who behave badly not only in terms of driving but also in other things because there are so many cases of foreign tourists' behavior that make the locals feel uneasy.
I’ve recently seen some mind blowing viral videos of tourists screaming at police and locals who have done nothing wrong. The lack of respect is incredible- they should be kicked straight out of the country.
@@FreddieDobbs They have a systemic problem: Roads not big enough, entitled tourists and resentful locals. Not unlike Cornwall strangely enough, except the tourists here drive Audis, Volvos and BMWs.
After watching this and other videos, I don’t think Bali is for me. I don’t have a driving licence for a car. I always rent a scooter or motorcycle. If I can’t do this then I’d be relying on taxis or other public transport. Not ideal. I realise that foreign tourists can be a nuisance, but banning them from riding scooters isn’t the way forward. Maybe limiting the numbers allowed in could be an option.. It’s sad that this sort of thing happens. Ultimately everyone loses out. 😕
I loved going to Tenerife because of everything you showed us in your videos with Monika in the 8 months you both were there, all the experiences, places and calm lifestyle. But honestly I wouldn't pay a cent to go and bury myself in that chaos of Bali, it's not for me, not at all! I wish you guys a (continued) good stay over there… around here we continue looking forward to watch your videos, not for the place in question but for yourselves of course ahaha Cheers mate ;)
I totally get it🙂 I could relocate and live in Tenerife forever, but at the end of my time in Bali, I’ll be very happy to be home (and probably need a month to recover)😆
I am too old and cranky to put up with that kind of traffic . And add the heat i would kill someone . Still love all your videos can't say I have loved all the locations
Poor Bali 😮 … that’s so crazy, guess they need some regulation like in Singapore. Firstly kick out all those unnecessary tourists with their unnecessarily rented bikes & cars ✌🏻😜🎈
All types of motorbikes or motorcycles popular in the world: 1. Big bike 150-1500cc 2. Scooter 100-1000cc 3. Underbone 100-150cc 4. Small cub motorbike 100-150cc 5. Moped
Seriously, as an Aussie, I couldn’t think of anywhere I would less like to visit than the main Tourist Areas of Bali. A shuttle straight from the Airport to a “remote” decent Resort, set up to support local villages with work and real cultural experiences for guests would be my choice. From other people’s reports, Kuta and the like are less “enjoyable” and “classy” than Sydney’s King’s Cross or Brisbane’s The Valley after 12.00pm on a Saturday night. I know (I have Balinese friends now living in Australia) that the locals rely very heavily on Tourist dollars and banning tourists hiring scooters would devastate that economy and seriously grid-lock roads with car traffic (small electric 3-wheelers might be the answer, like in Bermuda I believe ?)
Fantastic insight, thank you for sharing this. Electric bikes is an idea a few have mentioned- this could potentially work, as distances travelled are usually very short
Having just come back from Bali I can tell you the traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as many other Asian countries. Most of the built up traffic he showed was in the busy tourist areas and even then only on certain roads. But where he stopped for coffee was a good choice, had coffee there every day of my holiday.
When i was on Bali in 1997, Kuta was the spot to be at. Much less traffic, it seemed way more relaxed! Thank You for the clips, they bring back good memories about Bali. Nevertheless I would not want to come back, it changed so much. Best regards from Germany, stay cool & take care.
Hi Stefter. I also visited Bali , 3 weeks in september 1997. I stayed in a small hotel called Bruna Beach in Kuta. Best holiday of my life. Today Bali is nothing but a shithole. Pollution, trash, disgusting noisy beach clubs and so many narcissistic tourists taking selfies or staring at their phones all the time. Greed destroyed Bali and paradise is never coming back.
This idea of banning tourists using motorbikes seems absurd. Why not just enforce existing laws which is what they should be doing anyway? For example they could check that people actually hold a licence for a start.
If all tourists cancelled trips to Bali in protest then within a few months they would need a rethink because of economic implications. Sure I understand there will always be an element of unacceptable behaviour . But how many criminals use cars and there is no talk of banning them because the narrow minded politicians also use them and have the limited intelligence to work out not every one on a car is a criminal. Well it’s the same on two wheels. The sensible alternative would be massive fines which would finance extra traffic police. Similarly why have tax on bikes but not on cars ?
Thanks for the video guys. I love the videos of Tenerife far better than Bali. At my age I wouldn't have the patience for this kind of traffic. I wouldn't waste my time or money on this place. But to each their own!! Have a beautiful day & trip!!! Illinois, USA
Hi Freddie and Monika, now I know I may be in the minority, but what is the attraction of Bali? Traffic chaos, ridiculous taxes, towns which look like shanty towns, too hot and humid, and now they want to kill their tourist trade. I have seen some of the beautiful beaches you’ve shown us etc but of all the places you guys have shared with us, this is the first I think, no not for me. I love your channel and you guys, but Bali just doesn’t look that attractive.
It’s very hard to explain why I like it so much, because everything you say is spot on, Stephen. The food is superb, people lovely and it has a real adventurous feeling. Away from the built up areas it’s beautiful. But I understand that these all sounds like generic compliments I’m giving😆 In Tenerife, for example, I could very easily relocate there. Bali though, I could not. The traffic is insane, there’s no real government investment I’ve seen in terms of quality open spaces to be enjoyed by all (I don’t think I’ve seen one children’s play area, for example)
@@FreddieDobbs I do understand, the people seem lovely and the food looks superb and great value especially as a veggie myself, I suppose it just seems a shame that it could be paradise but economics and probably inept government spoil it. It in no way takes away the fun watching you guys explore and share your experiences even including Bali belly! It’s raining here in Blighty so enjoy the sunshine.
Wow cannot believe how built up and commercialised Bali has become since I was there in the very early 1990s. It truly was an island paradise back then and I dare say people who visited before this would say it was spoilt even then, but now, crikey!!! OMG. I dread to think what Ubud is like now. It literally was like a large village when I was there with dirt roads and all traditional houses. You could travel around by bicycle. I fly with my Brompton which goes as part of checked in luggage and taking a bicycle on long haul flights is actually free anyway. Well it is with MAS and Cathay Pacific as I have cycle toured in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, taking my bike cost nothing. Try and get to the more rural areas of Bali there must be some left that haven't been built on. I remember fantastic temples and gardens and rice paddies around Ubud.
What an insight! Yep, we were at Ubud last week and the traffic’s pretty insane there, too😆 Your Brompton way of travel makes a lot of sense- eye opening👌🏻
I went in 1995, you can't expect it not to advance and develop, the locals are poor by out western standards and want a better life. Tourists are so entitled , these people have to live here year round , with very little.
Banning tourists from renting bikes is discriminatory. Have them take a license. The notion that only tourists are bad is non sensible. Look at the entire traffic of Indonesia where there aren’t any tourists.
Apparently, on one local road the cops caught several hundred foreign tourists deliberately riding without helmets and not having an international licence. Fair enough. I don't have to scrape tourists off the road or add to someone else's misery.
@@edstraker8451 I agree there are lots of shit tourists giving others a bad name but to punish all of them shouldn't happen. Whilst Bali remains popular the government will do whatever they want.
My goodness - Bali has changed. First went 35 years ago and last time must be 20 years ago. The traffic is hideous. Phuket is much the same nowadays. Apart from all the congestion and noise - the Balinese look less elegant and chic and more scruffy or covered from head to toe orthodox Muslim which is depressing to see (I know one is not supposed to say this - but it’s true). The western tourists all look like they came off their rental scooters with blue scratchy scars all over their bodies. Glad I was young when I was and I think I’ll stick to Namibia and Mongolia
They're tourists hahahahaa. The difference between now and when you went is cheap domestic flights, most tourists there are Indonesian domestic tourists
4:24 A good example of bad motorbike riding but not tourists, by the look of it. 7:35 It looks awful. I remember the 2002 bomb well. Have you been to Padangbai? I went in 2001. It would have been great if not for the awkward French girlfriend. It was stunning then. Maybe spoiled now like a lot of places. Thailand gets so many Russians, too. I much prefer Thailand to Bali.
I haven’t come across Padangbai before- I’ve just spent the past two minutes googling it. Thank you for this tip👌🏻👌🏻 I’ve heard Thailand have invested heavily in infrastructure projects recently- I must go back as I love the country🇹🇭
Great Video work from the back of the bike. Bali with all that’s wrong with it is still a favourite of mine. Just love the Kuta beach and the holiday atmosphere. Road Rules?…What Road Rules. Locals don’t abide or even know what they are. Tourists just fall in line with what they see. Anyway, the future direction of Bali is up the Balinese I guess and good luck to them. Lovely Island and lovely people.
bali banning bike hire they introduced got to be married to stay in hotel together? the tourists will up and leave go to thailand or philippines their loss i guess
Depending on how they write the law I'm sure they'll figure out a workaround. Like letting tourists "buy" a bike, then when you're done you "sell it back" for the same price you bought it for, minus whatever the rental cost would have been. Or if it's still legal to let people borrow a bike for free, hotels and hostels could have free bikes for their guests. Or people will simply use electric bicycles or whatever vehicles aren't covered by the ban.
Probably more to do with getting rid of the type of tourist they no longer wish to encourage. Many places in Europe have gone down a similar route, either by moving night clubs out of town, stricter licensing laws, development restrictions, tourist taxes, etc, etc. In effect, move from stack 'em high sell 'em cheap to sell less with better quality and charge more. However, that will cause quite a turmoil to the economy during the shift.
What an eye opener guys...thank you both. Your honest and up front reviews of Bali so far have been the best we have seen. Not paid vlogger BS. Travel and ride safe and love from NZ as always.
I cannot understand this at all. The governor said "as tourists, you should act as tourist blabla bla and should use helmets and ride with a license" - how about Bali finally starts doing what every single other country in the world does and checks documentation prior to renting AND have police officers out and about making sure rules are followed instead of completely banning us from renting motorbikes and instead use cars? Has the governor actually seen the car traffic in Ubud? Motorbikes are not the problem, the current Balinese govement and laws are the problem...
Completely put me off Bali. Thanks for the insight. The govt have the powers to deal with morons. It’s easy way out. All unruly tourists should have endorsements on their passports and run the risk of not being let into their joyful holiday destinations. Works for football hooligans.
Hi freddie nice vid. Anyway if you have time please drop by to jakarta. On sunday morning around 8 tp 11 am we have this thing called sunmori (sunday morning ride) come to senayan city central jakarta and youll see all the >500cc bikes like harleys, ducatis, triumphs, honda cbr, kawasaki z1000 etc. Its completely dif culture than bali but its worth to check out.
In the 1980,s and early 90,s you didn't need a scooter in Bali and there wasn't hire scooters everywhere just local semi auto Honda 110cc step throughs, Bemo,s were very popular and transport was super cheap! Kuta was full of hotel organised Pub Crawls but still not busy, We went to the Sari club when it first opened and was there for my 40th a few months before the bombing. You wouldn't catch us dead in Kuta Legion Seminak or Ubud these days, North East is the place to be in Bali. Bali tourist areas would be much better minus the hire scooters even though I have rented one every trip since late 90,s! Russians started flooding Nusa Dua at least 10 years ago.
I can't watch any more traffic videos . I enjoy the honesty of your videos but maybe after a disclaimer at the start you might show the peaceful side of life where you go...I believe everyone knows the world is a mess everywhere we are all looking for an escape..That one lady Monica filmed parking her scooter then crossing the road dressed in white seemed unreal out of place..people and traffic are crushing souls everywhere...Los Angeles traffic from the desert town of Barstow to Las Vegas for 150 miles in the desert most times in bumper to bumper traffic turns a 3 hour drive to 6 and more...
Slightly crude, but most tourists in Bali are pale and white. Many locals refer to going to work as "going to the limestone quarry" - as in, "going to earn/quarry some money off the whites". A bit naughty, but a bit funny :D
No rentals = no tourists = no tourist dollars. Simple solution - police need to enforce regulations on anyone who violates the laws whether they are tourists or locals. After a while everyone smartens up and follows the law and those that don't end up paying big fines.
I imagine the number of Russians in Bali has been pushed up since they aren't allowed into the West on holiday at the moment. I can't imagine you'd go to Bali for a biking holiday. I wonder if pushing up the prices for rentals would help, I've seen it as low as £8-16 a day on a website. Someone who's never used a bike is far less likely to rent one if it were double the price.
very informative Freddie and Monica . we are now in our 70s and dont want to travel abroad now , but we always hired a scooter once our son was doing his own thing . we hired in Spain .majorca , the Greek islands etc. great fun and never had a problem. we have always been into bikes but now still ride scooters . best wishes both stay safe.
Well, as an Indian, I would instantly feel right at home with that traffic. But seriously, I loved how you showed us in and around Bali. It is intriguing enough for me to save some cash and visit the beautiful place! Putting it on my bucket list now! ❤
Always due to those who spoil things for the majority. Funny in a way because if Indonesians rode scooters in many western cities like they do in their own country they would be getting a lot of fines.
It won't go that way mate..but it will be regulated with bikes..or cars..also locals are getting caught out too..for so long the locals were getting away with it the tourist thought riding without helmets or clothes or without even a licence was normal behaviour..tourist can act and think like potatoes sometimes honestly..
l like the way @ 11:00 you can see an bar on the scaffolding which is coloured Orange sticking out into the road and just missing the heads of people on their scooters by inches !! No sense of safety or any safety rules in these contry's are there ?
They are not banning all tourists from renting scooters. They are banning anyone without a licence. At the moment anyone can throw $20 at them and take a scooter. No helmet no licence etc etc.
I’m astounded by how many scooters are on the road over there….the air quality must be appalling. Maybe it would make more sense to insist that foreigners are restricted to electric mopeds only - that might help cut pollution, reduce noise levels and (from increased rental costs) help to reduce congestion a little. Have you tried electric mopeds in the past ? would be good to know if you rate them.
I’d be interested to know what the air quality’s like because 90% of vehicles seem to be under 125cc scooters of 10 years old or newer, so as economical as you can possibly get. But the old trucks here all seem to be the filthiest smoking diesels and they cover your face in smog😳 Electric (removable batteries) could be a good solution here as the distances are rarely big. Public transport doesn’t exist here, so there’s nothing to help take the strain
@@FreddieDobbs great point, i was thinking they’d be old two stroke, but youre absolutely right, new models are so much better. And such a shame to hear the public transport is so poor…youd think the president would prioritise that rather than a blanket ban of tourists on mopeds.
Just my humble opinion... My wife and I have traveled to Bali yearly for the past 10 years, but couldn't during the pandemic. We finally went back last December to Seminyak and were amazed to see so many rental scooters lined up on the road and on the streets. We knew there were always a lot, but their numbers seemed to have quadrupled. First of all, the air was bad, really bad. Not what you'd want in a tropical vacation paradise. Balinese gasoline isn't the best, but the locals have an underground market of uncustomed petrol for motorbikes which is so low quality it isn't much far removed from cheap kerosene. Now imagine literally thousands of single cylinder 50cc engines spewing god awful amounts of toxic exhaust from black market gasoline into the hot, humid, 35 degree air all along the resort town streets. Another issue was that the streets were literally taken over by rows and rows of motorbikes and scooters for hire. They practically took up entire lanes in the busiest parts of Seminyak. What were once 2 lane streets were now pretty much single lane one way traffic until one frustrated motorist led the charge the other way. So long story short, I for one think cutting back on the scooter rental trade is a good idea. The air will be cleaner, and more cars on the roads will be offset by more available space due to the absence of thousands of scooters for hire taking up entire lanes of the busiest streets in town. Again, just my humble opinion. Thanks to Freddie and Monika for another great video!
Typical implementation of reactionary policies that are not based on the slightest long-term thinking that will affect the province and the people of Bali as a whole. Coupled with poor road infrastructure, relying heavily on private vehicles, and the available public transportation are mostly motorbike taxis (ojek), taxis and car rental. Will gonna exacerbate the traffic congestion and gives a bad tourist experience while on the major tourist destinations. About the tire that the custom chopper use, it's a motorcycle specific tyre, the Shinko (brand from South Korea) are favorite by local builders and users here, it comes alot of options of knobby thread or classic look thread.
Faisal I think you hit every point spot on. I’d understand this potential ban if there was some public transport or some way to move away from scooters, but there’s nothing. If every rider was fined who broke the law, everyone would soon understand that they can’t break the rules of the road. Shinko- thank you!🙌🏻🙌🏻
Can the governor afford the loss of tourist income? Surely no other way to travel there? Local industry? Bike sales, service, soare parts etc etc.. Economic reality must prevail. Safe, happy 2 wheels travel.
Completely agreed- I really don’t think they could afford the loss of income. Unless the government invest 100s of millions in infrastructure and public transport, then scooters will always be the only way to travel
Bali just doesn’t seem like a fun place to vacation. Crazy traffic and heat. It looks affordable, but at what cost to your sanity. I thought the traffic in Italy on the Amalfi coast was nuts, but that was a Sunday drive compared to Bali, and honestly Freddie, there’s no way I would enjoy riding a scooter.
Great video as always. It gets worse with the government, in addition to the proposed scooter ban, they want a ban on unmarried couples staying together. Surely it'll kill their tourist industry?
And this marriage law has been passed in the courts, so it will be put into place (I think within the next two years)😳 It’ll be very interesting if they exempt tourists from this, but this’d be a further blow for tourism.
@@FreddieDobbs it's only if locals dob people in, and only if they're related or know them. There is absolutely zero chance of this being used to get tourists or any foreigners in trouble. Zero.
Locals might do bike taxis, to maintain a better flow of traffic. Taxis could require a business licence & need to be taxed as well, makes money for the government & promotes local economy in another way. Alternatively find out what you need to become a citizen of Bali & enjoy the privilege of a Balinese.
There are a lot of scooter taxis (they’re the guys dressed all in green whizzing about). The taxi system in Bali is actually very well regulated (there’s one official taxi company that are always blue cars)
Not just Bali, many other places in Indonesia is trying to find was to reduce tourist footprint and increase income per capita of tourists. For e.g. the Komodo National Park is planning to increase entry fees from $13 to $250. Over-tourism is a menace in many parts of the world. Bhutan has been doing it for a long time now. Indians were exempt till pre-Covid but now they also have to spend more money to get into Bhutan. Iceland opened up in a big way after 2008 financial crisis and they needed foreign currency to tide over the crunch, but now it's over, they will also start squeezing the choke points, letting less people in.
Definitely not for me Bali bad enough in Turkey and Greece the constant hassle from stall and shop owners plus the restaurant's. As soon as I start looking at items in a shop I get approached I'm off.
I fitted tyres of that style called Shinko E270's to my Mutt Mastiff 125cc, they apparently use the old firestone moulds Any joy with Indian visa? You need to get over there and get on a Royal Enfield 😄
Ahh for this Andy, so they are bike tyres. I love the look of them👌🏻 No luck with the Indian visa so we’ll have to physically go ti the Indian embassy in London in order to visit (very possibly next year)
The Philippines was on our shortlist (including Cebu), but we juuuuust decided to explore Lombok and maybe one other Indonesian island instead. I’m very keen to visit Philippines soon
I've bought some vintage car tires for one of my ebikes bikes from I bike shop in Germany, and if they band tourists from renting bikes, what would happen to all bike shops and bikes over there I can't see that happening
I didn’t realise putting vintage car tyres on bikes was a thing until I came to Bali😳 I love the look. Surely the ban will soften before it’s enacted (I hope!)
Freddie !! your filming is so good, please tell me how you manage to film so well while rideing on a scooter...? Well done mate..and girl freind. Fantastic filming and editing. Buy yourselfs a large drink, and chill mate. 😊😎🍻🥂🍾🥃
I really love you guys and find all this captivating but I recall in my youth going to party spots in Malta, Beirut 60s , Madrid , Barcelona, Bangalore and several others and it felt safe, but Bali for me is best visited via your vlog. It is great you went by the 2002 memorial I was wondering about that. You two are daring and young and I probably would enjoy any video from you and Monika's perspective. What is the material used in those statues?. Your bike navigation skill is funtastic. Keep cool and enjoy that's what exploration is about and videos are your journal.
It sounds like you had a wild youth partying in those spots- amazing!!😃🕺 I’m not sure what the material was, but it looked like a pretty high end statue and they keep it spotlessly clean👌🏻
The tourist bike ban sounds very poorly thought out from what I can tell from your videos; it looks like it would almost entirely kill off the tourism industry overnight, and the problem with aiming for so-called 'premium' tourists is that they have the freedom to go to other destinations too. Who wants to spend your whole holiday stuck in traffic when you could go elsewhere in the world? Also as you point out and show, there seems to be a pretty universal and flagrant disregard for what we'd call traffic laws in general over there so it's not like the tourists are the issue. Strange decisions, be interesting to see how it plays out. It'll be all the small businesses that suffer the most if it does happen though.
Agreed on every point you make. I’d understand the proposal more if the Balinese government were investing in roads and public transport, but they’re not. The built up local areas have traffic that’s very often worse than the tourist areas😳
It’s similar to the UK. The road rage would be insane if people rode like this in the UK. But here in Bali, I’ve seen no road rage at all (apart from possibly a couple of Europeans coming close to losing their cool)
I learnt to ride on the manic streets of the A11 and A12 into Central London, but that looks far worse crazy drivers and riders. As always a great video thanks Freddie and Monica
The main point of the Governor of Bali's statement is actually not to ban foreign tourists from renting scooters, but to deter foreign tourists who behave badly not only in terms of driving but also in other things because there are so many cases of foreign tourists' behavior that make the locals feel uneasy.
I’ve recently seen some mind blowing viral videos of tourists screaming at police and locals who have done nothing wrong. The lack of respect is incredible- they should be kicked straight out of the country.
@@FreddieDobbs They have a systemic problem: Roads not big enough, entitled tourists and resentful locals. Not unlike Cornwall strangely enough, except the tourists here drive Audis, Volvos and BMWs.
@@FreddieDobbs Indonesians yell at cops too. Nut jobs are everywhere but just like the west often foreigners are scapegoated
Go island hopping in Greece🇬🇷 a lot better and safer. Plus plenty of history. I it will take u a year to see it all and become a Spartan😅
After watching this and other videos, I don’t think Bali is for me. I don’t have a driving licence for a car. I always rent a scooter or motorcycle. If I can’t do this then I’d be relying on taxis or other public transport. Not ideal. I realise that foreign tourists can be a nuisance, but banning them from riding scooters isn’t the way forward. Maybe limiting the numbers allowed in could be an option.. It’s sad that this sort of thing happens. Ultimately everyone loses out. 😕
I loved going to Tenerife because of everything you showed us in your videos with Monika in the 8 months you both were there, all the experiences, places and calm lifestyle. But honestly I wouldn't pay a cent to go and bury myself in that chaos of Bali, it's not for me, not at all!
I wish you guys a (continued) good stay over there… around here we continue looking forward to watch your videos, not for the place in question but for yourselves of course ahaha
Cheers mate ;)
I totally get it🙂 I could relocate and live in Tenerife forever, but at the end of my time in Bali, I’ll be very happy to be home (and probably need a month to recover)😆
I am too old and cranky to put up with that kind of traffic . And add the heat i would kill someone . Still love all your videos can't say I have loved all the locations
I can’t blame you Frederick- it is quite maddening😆
Poor Bali 😮 … that’s so crazy, guess they need some regulation like in Singapore. Firstly kick out all those unnecessary tourists with their unnecessarily rented bikes & cars ✌🏻😜🎈
All types of motorbikes or motorcycles popular in the world:
1. Big bike 150-1500cc
2. Scooter 100-1000cc
3. Underbone 100-150cc
4. Small cub motorbike 100-150cc
5. Moped
Just watching gives me claustrophobia 😂
Seriously, as an Aussie, I couldn’t think of anywhere I would less like to visit than the main Tourist Areas of Bali. A shuttle straight from the Airport to a “remote” decent Resort, set up to support local villages with work and real cultural experiences for guests would be my choice. From other people’s reports, Kuta and the like are less “enjoyable” and “classy” than Sydney’s King’s Cross or Brisbane’s The Valley after 12.00pm on a Saturday night. I know (I have Balinese friends now living in Australia) that the locals rely very heavily on Tourist dollars and banning tourists hiring scooters would devastate that economy and seriously grid-lock roads with car traffic (small electric 3-wheelers might be the answer, like in Bermuda I believe ?)
Fantastic insight, thank you for sharing this. Electric bikes is an idea a few have mentioned- this could potentially work, as distances travelled are usually very short
Monica's filming 👏👏👏👏she needs signing up for the Tour de France! 👏👏👏
I’ve just shown this to Monika, thanks Nick!🙋🏻♀️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
This road congestion situation has put me right off Bali
Just get out of the city
Having just come back from Bali I can tell you the traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as many other Asian countries. Most of the built up traffic he showed was in the busy tourist areas and even then only on certain roads. But where he stopped for coffee was a good choice, had coffee there every day of my holiday.
Yes, but only in certain pockets of Bali.
When i was on Bali in 1997, Kuta was the spot to be at. Much less traffic, it seemed way more relaxed! Thank You for the clips, they bring back good memories about Bali. Nevertheless I would not want to come back, it changed so much. Best regards from Germany, stay cool & take care.
Same here, it is just so different and crowded
So interesting to hear what it was like 25 years ago! Thank you for sharing this🙂🇩🇪
Hi Stefter. I also visited Bali , 3 weeks in september 1997. I stayed in a small hotel called Bruna Beach in Kuta. Best holiday of my life. Today Bali is nothing but a shithole. Pollution, trash, disgusting noisy beach clubs and so many narcissistic tourists taking selfies or staring at their phones all the time. Greed destroyed Bali and paradise is never coming back.
This idea of banning tourists using motorbikes seems absurd. Why not just enforce existing laws which is what they should be doing anyway? For example they could check that people actually hold a licence for a start.
If all tourists cancelled trips to Bali in protest then within a few months they would need a rethink because of economic implications. Sure I understand there will always be an element of unacceptable behaviour . But how many criminals use cars and there is no talk of banning them because the narrow minded politicians also use them and have the limited intelligence to work out not every one on a car is a criminal. Well it’s the same on two wheels. The sensible alternative would be massive fines which would finance extra traffic police. Similarly why have tax on bikes but not on cars ?
No Freddie they are vintage motorcycle tires probably a brand called Coker
I definitely wouldn't go there it's too noisy and overcrowded 😢
Thanks for the video guys. I love the videos of Tenerife far better than Bali. At my age I wouldn't have the patience for this kind of traffic. I wouldn't waste my time or money on this place. But to each their own!! Have a beautiful day & trip!!! Illinois, USA
You should just move on from there, it's ridiculous, their silly rules and laws.
Hi Freddie and Monika, now I know I may be in the minority, but what is the attraction of Bali?
Traffic chaos, ridiculous taxes, towns which look like shanty towns, too hot and humid, and now they want to kill their tourist trade.
I have seen some of the beautiful beaches you’ve shown us etc but of all the places you guys have shared with us, this is the first I think, no not for me.
I love your channel and you guys, but Bali just doesn’t look that attractive.
My thoughts too. It's fun to 'enjoy' Bali vicariously, but I doubt I'd want to get physical with the place.
I thought Dubai looked a lot worse but I'll stick to my holidays in Europe.
It’s very hard to explain why I like it so much, because everything you say is spot on, Stephen.
The food is superb, people lovely and it has a real adventurous feeling. Away from the built up areas it’s beautiful. But I understand that these all sounds like generic compliments I’m giving😆
In Tenerife, for example, I could very easily relocate there. Bali though, I could not. The traffic is insane, there’s no real government investment I’ve seen in terms of quality open spaces to be enjoyed by all (I don’t think I’ve seen one children’s play area, for example)
@@FreddieDobbs I do understand, the people seem lovely and the food looks superb and great value especially as a veggie myself, I suppose it just seems a shame that it could be paradise but economics and probably inept government spoil it. It in no way takes away the fun watching you guys explore and share your experiences even including Bali belly! It’s raining here in Blighty so enjoy the sunshine.
Wow cannot believe how built up and commercialised Bali has become since I was there in the very early 1990s. It truly was an island paradise back then and I dare say people who visited before this would say it was spoilt even then, but now, crikey!!! OMG. I dread to think what Ubud is like now. It literally was like a large village when I was there with dirt roads and all traditional houses.
You could travel around by bicycle. I fly with my Brompton which goes as part of checked in luggage and taking a bicycle on long haul flights is actually free anyway. Well it is with MAS and Cathay Pacific as I have cycle toured in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, taking my bike cost nothing.
Try and get to the more rural areas of Bali there must be some left that haven't been built on. I remember fantastic temples and gardens and rice paddies around Ubud.
What an insight! Yep, we were at Ubud last week and the traffic’s pretty insane there, too😆
Your Brompton way of travel makes a lot of sense- eye opening👌🏻
I went in 1995, you can't expect it not to advance and develop, the locals are poor by out western standards and want a better life. Tourists are so entitled , these people have to live here year round , with very little.
Banning tourists from renting bikes is discriminatory. Have them take a license. The notion that only tourists are bad is non sensible. Look at the entire traffic of Indonesia where there aren’t any tourists.
Apparently, on one local road the cops caught several hundred foreign tourists deliberately riding without helmets and not having an international licence. Fair enough. I don't have to scrape tourists off the road or add to someone else's misery.
@@edstraker8451 I agree there are lots of shit tourists giving others a bad name but to punish all of them shouldn't happen. Whilst Bali remains popular the government will do whatever they want.
That is frankly disturbing! Watching the complete lack of any road craft or lane discipline is scary 😬
You wanna go to India, where things are at another level again.
@@CornishMotorcycleDiaries yeah I've seen plenty of videos of India and Pakistan and I'm of the same opinion 😬
@Cornish Motorcycle Diaries if a cow 🐄 lies down on the road in India it becomes a roundabout
My goodness - Bali has changed. First went 35 years ago and last time must be 20 years ago. The traffic is hideous. Phuket is much the same nowadays.
Apart from all the congestion and noise - the Balinese look less elegant and chic and more scruffy or covered from head to toe orthodox Muslim which is depressing to see (I know one is not supposed to say this - but it’s true).
The western tourists all look like they came off their rental scooters with blue scratchy scars all over their bodies.
Glad I was young when I was and I think I’ll stick to Namibia and Mongolia
They're tourists hahahahaa.
The difference between now and when you went is cheap domestic flights, most tourists there are Indonesian domestic tourists
4:24 A good example of bad motorbike riding but not tourists, by the look of it. 7:35 It looks awful. I remember the 2002 bomb well. Have you been to Padangbai? I went in 2001. It would have been great if not for the awkward French girlfriend. It was stunning then. Maybe spoiled now like a lot of places. Thailand gets so many Russians, too.
I much prefer Thailand to Bali.
I haven’t come across Padangbai before- I’ve just spent the past two minutes googling it. Thank you for this tip👌🏻👌🏻
I’ve heard Thailand have invested heavily in infrastructure projects recently- I must go back as I love the country🇹🇭
Kuta, Bali in 1992 was best place for honeymoon - Bagus....
It must’ve looked totally different back then!😳
Great Video work from the back of the bike. Bali with all that’s wrong with it is still a favourite of mine. Just love the Kuta beach and the holiday atmosphere. Road Rules?…What Road Rules. Locals don’t abide or even know what they are. Tourists just fall in line with what they see. Anyway, the future direction of Bali is up the Balinese I guess and good luck to them. Lovely Island and lovely people.
Well, it's Aug-2024, and we're in Bali as I type. Scooter hire wasn't a problem.
bali banning bike hire they introduced got to be married to stay in hotel together? the tourists will up and leave go to thailand or philippines their loss i guess
Very good points- I agree
Crazy driving. Makes Thailand look take 🙈😁
Depending on how they write the law I'm sure they'll figure out a workaround. Like letting tourists "buy" a bike, then when you're done you "sell it back" for the same price you bought it for, minus whatever the rental cost would have been. Or if it's still legal to let people borrow a bike for free, hotels and hostels could have free bikes for their guests. Or people will simply use electric bicycles or whatever vehicles aren't covered by the ban.
I think you’re spot on, Joel
A dumb and damaging thing to do again it will be the locals and poor who will suffer
Probably more to do with getting rid of the type of tourist they no longer wish to encourage. Many places in Europe have gone down a similar route, either by moving night clubs out of town, stricter licensing laws, development restrictions, tourist taxes, etc, etc.
In effect, move from stack 'em high sell 'em cheap to sell less with better quality and charge more. However, that will cause quite a turmoil to the economy during the shift.
Best voice on UA-cam.
That’s very kind of you to say so, thank you David🙂
@@FreddieDobbs You got it.
They are not car tires
What an eye opener guys...thank you both. Your honest and up front reviews of Bali so far have been the best we have seen. Not paid vlogger BS. Travel and ride safe and love from NZ as always.
I cannot understand this at all. The governor said "as tourists, you should act as tourist blabla bla and should use helmets and ride with a license" - how about Bali finally starts doing what every single other country in the world does and checks documentation prior to renting AND have police officers out and about making sure rules are followed instead of completely banning us from renting motorbikes and instead use cars? Has the governor actually seen the car traffic in Ubud? Motorbikes are not the problem, the current Balinese govement and laws are the problem...
Oh my days! 😲 a 125 scooter makes a lot more sense than a Honda Goldwing 😂😂
I don’t even want to think about navigating a Goldwing here, Andrew😆😳
Completely put me off Bali. Thanks for the insight. The govt have the powers to deal with morons. It’s easy way out. All unruly tourists should have endorsements on their passports and run the risk of not being let into their joyful holiday destinations. Works for football hooligans.
That looks like a less aggressive Small Heath, Birmingham tbf! 🤷🏻♂️
Hi freddie nice vid. Anyway if you have time please drop by to jakarta. On sunday morning around 8 tp 11 am we have this thing called sunmori (sunday morning ride) come to senayan city central jakarta and youll see all the >500cc bikes like harleys, ducatis, triumphs, honda cbr, kawasaki z1000 etc.
Its completely dif culture than bali but its worth to check out.
In the 1980,s and early 90,s you didn't need a scooter in Bali and there wasn't hire scooters everywhere just local semi auto Honda 110cc step throughs, Bemo,s were very popular and transport was super cheap! Kuta was full of hotel organised Pub Crawls but still not busy, We went to the Sari club when it first opened and was there for my 40th a few months before the bombing. You wouldn't catch us dead in Kuta Legion Seminak or Ubud these days, North East is the place to be in Bali. Bali tourist areas would be much better minus the hire scooters even though I have rented one every trip since late 90,s! Russians started flooding Nusa Dua at least 10 years ago.
Great exhibition of old cars... were you the one person visiting it 😮? Will be Monika's exhibition somewhere in England❤
I can't watch any more traffic videos . I enjoy the honesty of your videos but maybe after a disclaimer at the start you might show the peaceful side of life where you go...I believe everyone knows the world is a mess everywhere we are all looking for an escape..That one lady Monica filmed parking her scooter then crossing the road dressed in white seemed unreal out of place..people and traffic are crushing souls everywhere...Los Angeles traffic from the desert town of Barstow to Las Vegas for 150 miles in the desert most times in bumper to bumper traffic turns a 3 hour drive to 6 and more...
Slightly crude, but most tourists in Bali are pale and white. Many locals refer to going to work as "going to the limestone quarry" - as in, "going to earn/quarry some money off the whites". A bit naughty, but a bit funny :D
No rentals = no tourists = no tourist dollars. Simple solution - police need to enforce regulations on anyone who violates the laws whether they are tourists or locals. After a while everyone smartens up and follows the law and those that don't end up paying big fines.
Spot on!
I don't understand why don't you mention about the great alternative like hiring bike from grab/gojek?
I imagine the number of Russians in Bali has been pushed up since they aren't allowed into the West on holiday at the moment. I can't imagine you'd go to Bali for a biking holiday. I wonder if pushing up the prices for rentals would help, I've seen it as low as £8-16 a day on a website. Someone who's never used a bike is far less likely to rent one if it were double the price.
Won’t be going to Bali anytime soon…or ever. Too much traffic, too much tat…etc
Saw some of the videos and must say Bali would not be my cup of tea, same for the missus. Lombok on the other hand looked beautiful and peacefully.
very informative Freddie and Monica . we are now in our 70s and dont want to travel abroad now , but we always hired a scooter once our son was doing his own thing . we hired in Spain .majorca , the Greek islands etc. great fun and never had a problem. we have always been into bikes but now still ride scooters . best wishes both stay safe.
Really glad you enjoyed the video, John. Delighted you’re still enjoying scooters- they’re such an excellent mode of transport🙂👌🏻👌🏻
I think the tyres are reminiscent of the old Avon Speedmasters
Ah a place full of traffic, Australians, Russians and vegans… don’t put that on the tourism advert or it really will be the nail in the coffin 😂
Well, as an Indian, I would instantly feel right at home with that traffic. But seriously, I loved how you showed us in and around Bali. It is intriguing enough for me to save some cash and visit the beautiful place! Putting it on my bucket list now! ❤
Always due to those who spoil things for the majority.
Funny in a way because if Indonesians rode scooters in many western cities like they do in their own country they would be getting a lot of fines.
It won't go that way mate..but it will be regulated with bikes..or cars..also locals are getting caught out too..for so long the locals were getting away with it the tourist thought riding without helmets or clothes or without even a licence was normal behaviour..tourist can act and think like potatoes sometimes honestly..
First time I have seen your channel,very good info,tank you,
The custom bobber you saw looks like it is built off of the same bike mine is built off. Which is a Ceveland Heist. It may not be, but its dn close.
No they are bike tires . If you look up Avon classic tyres they are the same . Look at a lot of older British bikes they have same tyres.
l like the way @ 11:00 you can see an bar on the scaffolding which is coloured Orange sticking out into the road and just missing the heads of people on their scooters by inches !! No sense of safety or any safety rules in these contry's are there ?
Tourists won't necessarily hire cars if they can't hire bikes.
They are not banning all tourists from renting scooters. They are banning anyone without a licence. At the moment anyone can throw $20 at them and take a scooter. No helmet no licence etc etc.
That traffics nothing compared to Bozeman, Montana!
I’m astounded by how many scooters are on the road over there….the air quality must be appalling. Maybe it would make more sense to insist that foreigners are restricted to electric mopeds only - that might help cut pollution, reduce noise levels and (from increased rental costs) help to reduce congestion a little. Have you tried electric mopeds in the past ? would be good to know if you rate them.
I’d be interested to know what the air quality’s like because 90% of vehicles seem to be under 125cc scooters of 10 years old or newer, so as economical as you can possibly get.
But the old trucks here all seem to be the filthiest smoking diesels and they cover your face in smog😳
Electric (removable batteries) could be a good solution here as the distances are rarely big. Public transport doesn’t exist here, so there’s nothing to help take the strain
@@FreddieDobbs great point, i was thinking they’d be old two stroke, but youre absolutely right, new models are so much better.
And such a shame to hear the public transport is so poor…youd think the president would prioritise that rather than a blanket ban of tourists on mopeds.
I didn’t see any mopeds….saw lots of scooters and motorbikes. Mopeds are motorised pedal vehicles as the name implies!
Already back in 1998, when I was in Bali, local news had it that authorities think about banning tourists from renting motorcycles.
Fascinating!😳
Without a motorcycle- life is hell in Bali- kills off wanting to go there
Looking at the state of some of those bikes I’d want to be banned from renting them purely from a H&S standpoint 😂
Well, that will put a lot of small business out of work! What about all the investments in the Bikes?
Just my humble opinion...
My wife and I have traveled to Bali yearly for the past 10 years, but couldn't during the pandemic.
We finally went back last December to Seminyak and were amazed to see so many rental scooters lined up on the road and on the streets. We knew there were always a lot, but their numbers seemed to have quadrupled.
First of all, the air was bad, really bad. Not what you'd want in a tropical vacation paradise.
Balinese gasoline isn't the best, but the locals have an underground market of uncustomed petrol for motorbikes which is so low quality it isn't much far removed from cheap kerosene. Now imagine literally thousands of single cylinder 50cc engines spewing god awful amounts of toxic exhaust from black market gasoline into the hot, humid, 35 degree air all along the resort town streets.
Another issue was that the streets were literally taken over by rows and rows of motorbikes and scooters for hire.
They practically took up entire lanes in the busiest parts of Seminyak.
What were once 2 lane streets were now pretty much single lane one way traffic until one frustrated motorist led the charge the other way.
So long story short, I for one think cutting back on the scooter rental trade is a good idea.
The air will be cleaner, and more cars on the roads will be offset by more available space due to the absence of thousands of scooters for hire taking up entire lanes of the busiest streets in town.
Again, just my humble opinion.
Thanks to Freddie and Monika for another great video!
Pay a local to go and hire a motorcycle for you ? No ? They would be happy for the money !
That helmet went on far too easily it's clearly not the right size for you.
Freddie how tall are you? And how tall is monika?
I’m 185cm and Monika’s 165
Where's the bit about the fake parking attendants then ?
This is an excellent video showing the faithful Bali. The music is perfect
Those statues could give the Somerset Carnival Floats a run for their money !
Typical implementation of reactionary policies that are not based on the slightest long-term thinking that will affect the province and the people of Bali as a whole.
Coupled with poor road infrastructure, relying heavily on private vehicles, and the available public transportation are mostly motorbike taxis (ojek), taxis and car rental. Will gonna exacerbate the traffic congestion and gives a bad tourist experience while on the major tourist destinations.
About the tire that the custom chopper use, it's a motorcycle specific tyre, the Shinko (brand from South Korea) are favorite by local builders and users here, it comes alot of options of knobby thread or classic look thread.
Faisal I think you hit every point spot on. I’d understand this potential ban if there was some public transport or some way to move away from scooters, but there’s nothing. If every rider was fined who broke the law, everyone would soon understand that they can’t break the rules of the road.
Shinko- thank you!🙌🏻🙌🏻
Can the governor afford the loss of tourist income?
Surely no other way to travel there?
Local industry? Bike sales, service, soare parts etc etc..
Economic reality must prevail.
Safe, happy 2 wheels travel.
Completely agreed- I really don’t think they could afford the loss of income.
Unless the government invest 100s of millions in infrastructure and public transport, then scooters will always be the only way to travel
Bali just doesn’t seem like a fun place to vacation. Crazy traffic and heat. It looks affordable, but at what cost to your sanity. I thought the traffic in Italy on the Amalfi coast was nuts, but that was a Sunday drive compared to Bali, and honestly Freddie, there’s no way I would enjoy riding a scooter.
The Italians have nothing on Bali! The roads are insanity here, Steve- constant madness where you can’t switch off even for one second😳
Great video as always. It gets worse with the government, in addition to the proposed scooter ban, they want a ban on unmarried couples staying together. Surely it'll kill their tourist industry?
And this marriage law has been passed in the courts, so it will be put into place (I think within the next two years)😳 It’ll be very interesting if they exempt tourists from this, but this’d be a further blow for tourism.
@@FreddieDobbs it's only if locals dob people in, and only if they're related or know them.
There is absolutely zero chance of this being used to get tourists or any foreigners in trouble. Zero.
Locals might do bike taxis, to maintain a better flow of traffic. Taxis could require a business licence & need to be taxed as well, makes money for the government & promotes local economy in another way. Alternatively find out what you need to become a citizen of Bali & enjoy the privilege of a Balinese.
There are a lot of scooter taxis (they’re the guys dressed all in green whizzing about). The taxi system in Bali is actually very well regulated (there’s one official taxi company that are always blue cars)
Not just Bali, many other places in Indonesia is trying to find was to reduce tourist footprint and increase income per capita of tourists.
For e.g. the Komodo National Park is planning to increase entry fees from $13 to $250. Over-tourism is a menace in many parts of the world. Bhutan has been doing it for a long time now. Indians were exempt till pre-Covid but now they also have to spend more money to get into Bhutan. Iceland opened up in a big way after 2008 financial crisis and they needed foreign currency to tide over the crunch, but now it's over, they will also start squeezing the choke points, letting less people in.
Fascinating insight, thank you so much for sharing this!😳
Tidak, terima kasih tidak mau Bali. 🙏 cukup sudah
Definitely not for me Bali bad enough in Turkey and Greece the constant hassle from stall and shop owners plus the restaurant's. As soon as I start looking at items in a shop I get approached I'm off.
Ahhhh I know, I’m the same
I noticed no little e-scooters or any room to use them if they do the ban eeeeek
Net zero crap will not be welcomed there .
I fitted tyres of that style called Shinko E270's to my Mutt Mastiff 125cc, they apparently use the old firestone moulds
Any joy with Indian visa? You need to get over there and get on a Royal Enfield 😄
Ahh for this Andy, so they are bike tyres. I love the look of them👌🏻
No luck with the Indian visa so we’ll have to physically go ti the Indian embassy in London in order to visit (very possibly next year)
do you plan to go to Philippines too? try cebu, palawan, siargao. you can also do north luzon loop for 1200+ kms :)
The Philippines was on our shortlist (including Cebu), but we juuuuust decided to explore Lombok and maybe one other Indonesian island instead. I’m very keen to visit Philippines soon
I've bought some vintage car tires for one of my ebikes bikes from I bike shop in Germany, and if they band tourists from renting bikes, what would happen to all bike shops and bikes over there I can't see that happening
I didn’t realise putting vintage car tyres on bikes was a thing until I came to Bali😳 I love the look. Surely the ban will soften before it’s enacted (I hope!)
What camera kit are you using there ?
Freddie !! your filming is so good, please tell me how you manage to film so well while rideing on a scooter...? Well done mate..and girl freind. Fantastic filming and editing. Buy yourselfs a large drink, and chill mate. 😊😎🍻🥂🍾🥃
Hugely appreciated Andrew. It’s all Monika with her iPhone 14 Pro
Great video man there going to loose a lot of money. Rat
I really love you guys and find all this captivating but I recall in my youth going to party spots in Malta, Beirut 60s , Madrid , Barcelona, Bangalore and several others and it felt safe, but Bali for me is best visited via your vlog. It is great you went by the 2002 memorial I was wondering about that. You two are daring and young and I probably would enjoy any video from you and Monika's perspective. What is the material used in those statues?. Your bike navigation skill is funtastic. Keep cool and enjoy that's what exploration is about and videos are your journal.
It sounds like you had a wild youth partying in those spots- amazing!!😃🕺
I’m not sure what the material was, but it looked like a pretty high end statue and they keep it spotlessly clean👌🏻
Great video again guy's, but it just looks like moped dodgems out there, crazy!
It is very close to this description, mj! A mix between dodgems and wacky races
Great vlog be very sad and chaos if they stop scooter hire 😢
The tourist bike ban sounds very poorly thought out from what I can tell from your videos; it looks like it would almost entirely kill off the tourism industry overnight, and the problem with aiming for so-called 'premium' tourists is that they have the freedom to go to other destinations too. Who wants to spend your whole holiday stuck in traffic when you could go elsewhere in the world?
Also as you point out and show, there seems to be a pretty universal and flagrant disregard for what we'd call traffic laws in general over there so it's not like the tourists are the issue. Strange decisions, be interesting to see how it plays out. It'll be all the small businesses that suffer the most if it does happen though.
Agreed on every point you make. I’d understand the proposal more if the Balinese government were investing in roads and public transport, but they’re not. The built up local areas have traffic that’s very often worse than the tourist areas😳
Would never think about going to that place lol
people will travel somewhere else, and good.
Yeah looks like paradise 😂
He's buzzing around the city. It's kind of awful. When you get out into the hills it's really nice
Riding a bike in Bali is much safer than on the roads Of Melbourne! At least they are not out to kill you at every opportunity.
It’s similar to the UK. The road rage would be insane if people rode like this in the UK. But here in Bali, I’ve seen no road rage at all (apart from possibly a couple of Europeans coming close to losing their cool)
Yeah! Anathor day on the beautiful Bali!
So you can’t rent a bike. Wonder if you can buy one for the duration of stay then sell back at an agreed price?
Funnily enough someone else mentioned exactly this- I think this’d be a very good work around👌🏻
I learnt to ride on the manic streets of the A11 and A12 into Central London, but that looks far worse crazy drivers and riders. As always a great video thanks Freddie and Monica
Honestly it is worse than London, Dave (I can’t believe I’m saying it!)😳
Busy body Bali bureaucratic bike ban baffling….. you could say ☺️
Nicely put😆