After our brief stopover in Singapore, we caught a Valuair flight to Bali. The flight cost S$172 (about 4,000 baht) and took about two and a half hours. I had never been to Bali. We chose to spend about a week in Bali because it’s one of the stops on the way to Dili. The cheapest, easiest way to get from Phuket to Dili, as far as I am aware, is to fly Phuket-Singapore, Singapore-Bali and then Bali-Dili (about US$600 in all). There are other ways, of course, but this route suited my needs and gave me a chance to see a bit of Bali.

I really came into this trip blind, without much of a clue about anything related to Bali. The first big shock was the money. We changed up less than 10,000 baht and both of us ended up millionaires. I’ve been in Bali a few days now and the money is still a point of bafflement. What further confuses the matter is that a lot of the Balinese deal in US dollars as a guideline for their prices, although they don’t actually accept US dollars. So you end up converting from one currency to another and back to a third.

When you arrive at Denpasar Airport you are herded through immigration with about a hundred other foreigners. You certainly don’t feel privileged for having made the trip to this Indonesian island. They sting you at Immigration for $25 for a 30-day visa-on-arrival, or $10 for a seven-day visa. Of course, nobody arriving at Denpasar ever remembers to carry US dollars, so the fee goes up slightly to 250,000 or 100,000 rupiah (US$10.8 or US$27) for those with local currency.

It takes forever to get through Immigration and once you have your visa, there’s nothing left to do but to collect your bags and find a taxi. Outside Denpasar Airport is a lot like the outside of Phuket International Airport, with taxi drivers, and guys who might be taxi drivers but you’re not sure, touting for business. If you can carry your bags, there’s nothing to stop you walking to the road and catching a metered cab, but most people leave the international terminal, turn right and find their way to the taxi stand.

A taxi from Denpasar Airport to Legian cost us 60,000 rupiah. The journey only took about half an hour. We checked in at the Legian Village Hotel (US$28 a night) and went out to grab something to eat. By this time it was close to midnight. First thing that struck me about Bali is that in the tourist areas you are hassled non-stop by taxi drivers in their various forms. They shout and beep at you in the street, which becomes tiresome after about 20 minutes. Other than that, everyone seems to sell “ma-roo-wa-naa”. Sure, we are staying in Bali’s equivalent of Chaweng or Patong, but there is far more to Bali than the heavily touristed areas.

As a base for exploring the rest of Bali, Legian is cheap, easy and accessible. A motorbike costs about 50,000 rupiah a day, but we were lucky enough to know someone here who has leant us his bike. I’ve really enjoyed being in Bali so far and we’ve only been here for a couple of days. Much more to explore yet.

Details about Bali hotels here.

Oh boy, do I have a lot to update. I have been absent from posting here for a few days and I don’t expect updates to be more than sporadic for the time being, but I am safe and in Bali.

I decided not to dwell on long goodbyes and nostalgic moments by leaving Thailand at the earliest possible moment. I finished up work on Tuesday, spent Wednesday gathering my thoughts and possessions, and flew out of Thailand the next morning. On Thursday, my girlfriend and I had breakfast in Phuket, lunch in Singapore and dinner in Bali.

The flight from Phuket to Singapore was straightforward enough. Air Asia does a one-way ticket for about 3,000 baht. Once in Singapore, we had only a handful of hours to keep ourselves occupied before connecting to Bali. It’s possible to store luggage at Changi Airport (follow the signs for “Left baggage”) for about S$3 per (small) bag for 24 hours. We stored four bags between us, including a laptop and other electronics, and nothing went missing while we mooched around Singapore.

Changi Airport is connected to the rest of Singapore by the highly efficient LRT network. A journey between the airport and, say, somewhere such as Orchard Road can be done for less than S$3, which actually includes a refundable S$1 ticket deposit.

Orchard Road is nothing more than Singapore’s version of Thailand’s Siam. I was unimpressed with the large amount of building work going on, although on the whole, Singapore has a kind of shine that you rarely see in Thailand.

A S$6 cab ride took us to China Town with its busy markets and colorful streets. I would like to have spent more time in Singapore, but after half an hour of trundling around China Town we had to race back to Changi Airport, collect out bags and check in for our flight to Bali.

So that’s me up until a couple of days ago. Had I left Phuket on Friday, I might have had to cancel my trip entirely, judging by everything that has happened at Phuket International Airport (PIA). From what I can tell, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has continued its insane attempt to take over Thailand, this time locking down airports all over the country.

About 10,000 protesters were at PIA yesterday and all flights were grounded. It looks as if service has yet to resume, with airport officials agreeing to halt flights until the protesters demands have been met.

This is getting silly now. As a foreigner who has lived in Thailand for three years and often sympathized with the PAD, I’ve lost all patience and respect for that group and I hope the PAD leaders are brought to justice and that the government does not buckle to the demands being made.

On a lighter note, I will be in Bali until next Sunday, at which point I will begin my adventure into East Timor.

More info about Singapore hotels here.

Sad news today. Thai Rath reporter Thongtuan Sukmuang, who was also president of the Phuket Reporters’ Club, died today when the minivan he was travelling in blew a tire and overturned in Narathiwat. Four other Thai Rath reporters were also killed in the accident.

Khun Thongtuan was a familiar face all over Phuket and he will be missed.

Is this a coup?

Thoughts: What the hell are the guys from PAD trying to prove with all of this? With every update that I read, PAD increasingly comes across as a bunch of lunatics. Is this supposed to win the hearts of the people? It’s an ugly, ungraceful attempt to do something, but it’s unclear exactly what the goal is here. I think PAD is shooting itself in the foot here. The reports of NBT staff being held hostage are most disturbing.

Story: The People’s Alliance for Democracy is seizing, or attempting to seize, National Broadcasting Television stations around the country. Update: Sondhi has said they have complete control of NBT, although NBT is trying to continue its broadcast. PAD says that it is giving NBT back to the people after the government used it for themselves.

“Before commencing its mass rally, the People’s Alliance for Democracy issued a statement at 5.45 am on Wednesday vowing to shut down the government.” (The Nation)

“The Thai police prepared Monday for a major anti-government demonstration planned for Tuesday, with tens of thousands of people expected to take to the streets. There was speculation that protesters might try to occupy the prime minister’s compound.” (IHT)

“The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a motley group of royalist businessmen and academics, is hoping to draw “hundreds of thousands” of people to Tuesday’s rally outside Government House, their latest attempt to unseat the elected government. Police say they are expecting only up to 35,000.” (Reuters)

“It will be the day we change Thailand through the people. Our position today is much clearer than over the past 90 days.

“If we don’t do it, the monarchy might collapse. That’s because soldiers and civil servants haven’t earnestly protected the country, the nation and the monarchy.” (Sondhi Limthongkul speaking to the Bangkok Post)

“At 8.30 am, the People’s Alliance for Democracy renewed the raid of NBT station and disrupted the broadcasting. Protesters were seen breaking down the police barriers and rushed to the office building and the broadcasting station. They shut down electricity to disrupt the broadcast. In the pre-dawn raid earlier, police arrested 80 armed men involving in the raid.” (The Nation)

“Today is the people’s revolution day, so we want NBT to stop broadcasting,” NBT chief Surayont Hoontasan quoted one of the protesters as saying. (Reuters)

“Apart from blocking the main road to the South, the People’s Alliance for Democracy protesters also blocked the roads linking to the North and Northeast.” (The Nation)

More from AB and BP.

Is this wishful thinking spilling over onto The Nation’s website? Whoever made this blunder had the comical insight to do it next to a picture of the prime minister looking at a row of toilets. (Spotted by Denis at Bangkok Recorder.)

Also, did anyone happen to see the Bizarro cartoon in the Bangkok Post over the weekend? Very provocative.