You can't transit properly at Bali airport
I got really mad at Ngurah Rai International Airport airport in Bali when I was on my way to Bangkok. I was only slated to be the airport for a couple of hours as I had a connecting flight to Singapore, but you can't transit at Bali airport without entering and then leaving the country.
It's ridiculous. There's even a sign on arrival that points to the transit desk. There are doors that could have let me into the international departures lounge, but they were locked, and nobody was manning the desk. Would it be that hard to put someone on the desk?
The reason I complain is because you have to spend $25 to enter the country and then $15 to leave it. You essentially spend $40 for the privilege of waiting in a queue for ages and then walking around.
I hate Bali airport. It's the worst. The queues at immigration are usually horrendous. One time I bought a visa in advance and actually had to queue for longer than if I'd got a visa on arrival. Indonesia has also stopped doing the $10, one-week visas, which is fair enough, I suppose, but come on, at least let people transit at Bali.
Yogya airport is the same.. I arrived there from singas and had to stand in line for 40 minutes as opposed to the other westerners who got VOA and were through immigration in 5 minutes
I know a system whereby you pay 20US and bypass all the lines.
That figures. Bali is a rubbish dump full of annoying people constantly annoying you and trying to rip you off… even purposely attempting to short changing you in convenience stores.
I got charged $25 and $20 US, was asked for a tip on the way out and watched as an airport employee scammed people by asking for souvenir coins and later converted them for notes on other tourists.
Just arrived home to OZ after a horrendous 4 hours transitting through Bali airport. Queued for almost 1 hour to get a visa. My son witnessed a short sighted elderly woman having her purse taken by the security guards at the bag xray and pocketing her cash. Our luggage was left lying around where anyone could have handled it. Our cases were taken by porters who ran off with them, of course we followed and they did push there way through the next crowded line only to demand we have money changed to pay them. You need to go outside the airport to come back in. outside it is seedy with locals harrassing you. My son was kicked when we would not accept a lift from a taxi driver. Got into the airport through baggage control again and then we had to pay cash to get through to the gate. (only cash was accepted which we had none after paying the visa, being ripped off by a shop keeper for a bottle of water and the dodgy porters.) We then had to go back outside to find a cash machine and again be harrassed by locals. My son and I felt very intimidated and afraid. The airport security were a joke. We will never travel through Bali again and will certainly never visit.