Day 0? - Touchdown in Bali: Bumpy Flights, Customs Surprises, and a Fast & Furious Pickup
✈️ A Long Day of Traveling
Almost a full day of traveling by plane… and I barely slept. Altogether, I might have managed one hour of rest - which is a lot for me on an airplane. Denise didn’t sleep much either, though she did manage to catch a few hours more.
We flew on an A380-800, a massive plane, but let’s be honest: the economy seats on Singapore Airlines are not the most comfortable.
🍴 In-Flight Dining Adventures
We pre-ordered vegetarian and vegan meals for Denise, while I went for beef and chicken options - both served with pasta. I expected something more breakfast-like at some point, but nope… fried noodles it was! Surprisingly tasty, except for the vegan scrambled eggs I stole from Denise. They came loaded with dill. I like dill, don´t get me wrong, but that combo was a little odd.
The flights were bumpy. Pilots had to dodge storms, and while we didn’t hit any air pockets luckily, we were tossed around like a car on a cobblestone road - with someone shaking it from side to side. 2 rows further up, puke came flying out of two German kids.
🛂 Entering Bali: The Unexpected Steps
As a German, entering Bali used to be simple in 2018 - a visa on arrival and you’re done. But now, there’s an extra step: an online customs declaration. I only learned about it during our Singapore-Bali flight. So, I bought Wi-Fi for $4 and filled out the forms for both of us… only to realize the cost was $92 each!
Pro tip: Do the customs declaration before you fly - it’s way cheaper.
We landed, paid €28 each for the visa on arrival, hit the bathrooms, and went through passport control via electronic gates. But… no passport stamp! That’s a scandal in my book - I wanted that stamp as a souvenir…damn future ;).
The small lights are fishing boats just north of Bali.
🎒 Luggage and First Impressions
It took about 20 minutes for our luggage to appear - felt like they were playing poker down there before sending the bags out.
Cash withdrawal was next. Exchange rates always make you feel like a millionaire here - 1,500,000 IDR equals just €80. The ATM only allowed 1.5M IDR max withdrawal at a time, but I´ll grab more in Ubud later.
Singapore airport - transfer from terminal 3 to terminal 1
🚗 Reunion with Lopi: Bali’s Fast & Furious
Lopi, my trusted driver from 2018, was still around! I had arranged via WhatsApp weeks ago for him to pick us up. Took me a second to recognize him, but we found each other.
And his driving? Straight out of Fast & Furious. He pushed every gear to max revs, never touched fourth gear, and hit 70 km/h in third at 4,000–5,000 RPM. The engine screamed like a coffee grinder chewing on stones.
Fuel prices? Around €0.66 per liter for scooters - cheap for us, pricey for him. I suspect better fuel economy is possible with early shifts, but with these hills, maybe the gear ratios are just different.
🌙 Finally, Rest
We collapsed into bed around 1 AM the next day. And just like that, the zombie is back.