River
Travel
Some
of the TOP Hotels in Bali
Bali's
most famous and crowded resort is Kuta beach, a six-kilometre
sweep of golden sand, with plenty of accommodation,
shops and nightlife. Nearby Sanur is much quieter, but
most backpackers prefer the beaches of peaceful east-coast
Candi Dasa and traveller-oriented Lovina on the north
coast. The island's other major destination is the cultural
centre of Ubud , a still charming but undeniably commercialized
overgrown village, where traditional dances are staged
every night of the week and the streets are full of
arts-and-crafts galleries.
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa : The Nusa Dua
Beach Hotel & Spa is a luxury property strategically
located only 15 kilometers away from the... Nusa Dua
Aston Bali Resort & Spa : The Aston
Bali Resort and Spa is a luxury hotel located on the
waterfront facing golden sandy beaches... Tanjung Benoa
Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel : Sanur
Paradise Plaza Hotel is situated in the coastal village
of Sanur, an ideal location from which to explore...
Sanur
Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites : The Sanur
Paradise Plaza Suites is located in Sanur Village just
two kilometers from the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel....Grand
Bali Beach Hotel also is a nice hotel in Sanur.
Swiss Belhotel Bali Aga : The Swiss
Belhotel Bali Aga is a deluxe property strategically
located only 20 kilometers northeast from the Ngurah
Rai... Nusa Dua
Grand Hyatt Bali Hotels located in
Nusa Dua and The Oberoi Bali located
in Seminyak, Maya Ubud located in Ubud,
The Alilia Ubud, Chedi, Hard
Rock Hotel Bali located in Kuta beach, Melia
Bali located in Nusa Dua and Padma
Bali located in Kuta
The big rivers of Kalimantan are so long and wide that
even amphibious aircraft can land on them. Travel into
the interior is cheapest by boats up winding rivers
such as the Mahakam, Barito and the Kapuas, three of
the largest and most traveled. Or take coasters which
ply between river mouths along the coasts. For river
travel you could get anything from a trading ship (haven't
changed much since Joseph Conrad), a small canoe, or
else specially designed rivercraft such as a klotok
or stempel. These boats might have no roof which makes
it maddening in the sun's heat and they are dangerous
to travel on at night when you see shadows of logs bigger
than the boat, floating grass islands and uprooted palm
trees pass you by. Most rivers are closed to larger
craft because their courses twist so violently through
swamps, their currents are very uneven, they are liable
to seasonal flooding. During the rains the river could
be twice its normal size. Often long thin motorized
canoes are used, their screws churning up mud from under
the boat to get started. Many boats are decorated with
painted bloodshot eyes to guide them along the river
safely. The skipper steers by using mangrove trees as
markers, and he knows what places to avoid when he sees
crocodiles in the water because they mean sandbars or
mudbanks. Frequently the boat goes so close to shore
that branches scrape the pilot house. Whether you're
going to reach anywhere that night or not will be summed
up in the boatman's terse answer, barangkali (perhaps).
Kampungs upriver are usually 2-3 days apart. To travel
inland by river is quite dear if you're in a hurry,
but if you take local boats it's as cheap as you can
get, and as slow as you can get. The further inland,
the less expensive it is to live: Barebai is cheaper
than Banjarmasin, Tenggarong is cheaper than Samarinda,
upriver Tanjung Selor is is cheaper than Tarakan, and
so on. by air: Bouraq offers the cheapest fares and
the most extensive flight network of all commercial
airlines operating within Kalimantan. Try to hitch a
ride on an aircraft leaving Balikpapan's airport, one
of the busiest in all of Indonesia. There are missionaries
and tinmining aircraft, timber and oil company cargo
carriers, Bell and Sikorsky choppers, Skyvans, Learjets,
DC 3's and DC 4's, Garuda jet carriers, plus many private
air companies. Could get anything to virtually anywhere
in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
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