Just returned from fiasco trip----Bali was supposed to be restful five-six day interval between Japan and Hong Kong, for first class vacation for happily married couple. Booked at best places--Four Seasons Sayan and St Regis, both amazing properties with the most wonderful staff. HOWEVER, I am advising future travellers that this is not Hawaii in the South Pacific----this country lacks real infrastructure: the roads are a traffic nightmare, the water is non-potable even for teeth brushing, the airport is chaos. There is serious rabies epidemic (local newaper reported over 70 deaths in last 6 months, god knows how many are ill, there are countless collarless dogs roaming the streets) and very real threat of dengue fever (at St Regis, guests advised to stay inside twice a week from 5-7pm while they defog property, this may kill mosqitos, but it also kills enthusiasm for this resort). But the real problem is that my husband fell into the rice paddy while mountain biking with a guide from the Four Seasons, got a minor scrape, and ended up with a raging infection that the hotel doctors could not really help--they were prescribing meds that they did nto realize contained elements he had advised them he was allergic to (motrin!) and moreover did not realize extent of this fast-growing infection. Moreover, from my IPAD- rushed research on the spot as I investigated hospitals to see where we should go for simple IV antibiotics, I quickly surmised that the best plalce is to leave and hightail it for Singapore, which we did. Thankfully. We have been home for a week now, it is 12 days post incident, and my husband is still in pain and fighting this infection. So, take caution if hiking biking rafting, etc in or near open waters---apparantly, what looks beautiful or scenic may well be sewage. I suggest you wear full body covering, and pack antiobiotics with you, and wish for the best. Not a fun vacation at all.

Sorry to hear you did not have the holiday you had expected. The things you describe are fairly typical for South East Asia... bad traffic, mosquitos (dengue/malaria in some countries), non-drinkable water, rabies. The solutions are fairly simple: take plenty of time when getting anywhere so you don't get stressed out, use anti-malarials in danger areas, apply DEET and cover up especially at danger times (dawn/dusk), buy bottled water (dirt cheap), get a rabies shot before heading out and avoid stray animals.

Whilst local doctors/hospitals can indeed be of poor quality - I had some terrible experiences in Laos - I am surprised that you could not locate a 5-star medical facility in Bali. For those in the know - do they exist? Given the number of expats there, surely there must be a wealth of facilities. I know for a fact there are a number of world-class hospitals in Thailand (particularly in Bangkok).

I hope your husband gets well soon and that your experiences have not completely soured your opinions of Bali and the rest of South East Asia, which has so much to offer.

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My latest travels: Shikoku Pilgrimage

Unfortunately we had to cross Bali off our travel list some time ago for a number of reasons, including poor hygiene by the majority of locals who work in the tourist industry, lack of refrigeration and the real risk of contracting hepatitis, denque fever, malaria, rabies etc. Unfortunately in some places the sewerage and the water table have come in contact with each other so great care is needed- don't drink the water or even wash your mouth out in the shower with the tap water, don't clean your teeth with tap water. Be careful of buying bottled water off the street some vendors just refill old empty bottles with tap water and sell it as clean, purified water so make sure the seal has not been broken.

A trip to the Denpasar food market is a good wake up call to what you will be eating at a restaurant the following day -Fish, chicken and meat all chopped up together in some areas and with little of no refrigeration. We mentioned it to an Aussie who owned a local restaurant where were staying- She indicated it took her 3 months to train the locals she employed to ensure hygiene standards were adequate.

I am not advocating you don't go- just be careful and mindful its very different to home.

om swastiastu..
greetings from bali..

as indonesian citizen and lived in bali, i'm very sorry for your family..
i admitted there's so much trouble in here that need urgent attention from our government..

e.g for the traffic trouble..
it's seriously to say..that motorcycle driver is living god in here..only he and real God know when and where he would stop or turn..
maybe it's kind funny to say..that i'm as local people very hate it..so it's okay for me if you hate it too..:D

for dogs..
many people have dogs in bali..they called "cicing/asu"..in some Pura, may be you noticed there's dog statue with some scroll in their mouth..
government only can tell to locals to try recognize if their dogs has shown any sign of rabies..
they can't reach everyone people dogs to analyze..because there are soooooo many dogs in here..

about 5 stars medical helps..there's so many 5 stars medical helps in Bali..rather use the local government hospitals..they located in kuta,denpasar and ubud..it's very sad, that 5 stars accommodation did not provide you with that information..

for water issues..
it's true..because in kuta and denpasar..it's really hard to find clean water..because of the location..many people would like to drill the ground to make well..neither they used big giant tank to catch rain drops..
mineral water that you can find really trust-able is aqua and you need to buy it in trust-able convenient store such circleK or alfa mart..

i hope this can explain to you..
and i believe that locals people and government are tryin' to get trustworthy from all travellers..

suksma..


bali seeker