Bali tourism and coronavirus
Mar 1st 2020, 2:35 pm
#16
Asian nomad
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 0
Re: Bali tourism and coronavirus
An update, sort of. Coronavirus is now CVIR-19 - or maybe it has changed names yet again while I was writing this...
I did my usual visa run out of Malaysia and Singapore last week. KLIA1 and Changi were very quiet. Ibis in KL had 18% occupancy and a no-frills room only special on offer for A$29 plus taxes but silly me, I had prepaid mine at the usual price. Ibis Melaka had 8% on weekdays which improved to 18% on the weekend - I noted staff attitudes, room service and food there had greatly improved, which may be just by the way. Had pleasant stays at both.
Singapore city major hotel prices had not yet budged downwards when I was there (one night only) but smaller hotels in areas like Chinatown had already dropped prices, some from S$200 to S$90 but again, no-frills.
Very few Western tourists in Kuala Lumpur, a few in Melaka, many more in Singapore, or maybe expats employed there?? Locals I spoke to in both countries expressed comments ranging from anxious (Singapore) to relatively unconcerned (Malaysia) - in the latter country political events and the latest power-plays and ploys by Mahathir, Anwar etc, were attracting greater interest and considerable anger. Politics aside, it was pleasant to be in Melaka without the bother of convoys of tour buses ferrying Chinese tourists to the sights, blocking traffic and making the air nauseous with purple-blue petrol and diesel fumes. Local sellers reported almost no business but the (mostly Malaysian) tourists I saw at Stadhuys Square were buying from souvenir vendors there, so some trade is still going on. Restaurants and cafes were also full, probably with locals.
I had my temperature taken 'on the run' (by some sort of auto-system) at KLIA1, at both borders when crossing from Malaysia to Singapore by bus but thankfully, no delays at either immigration, very short foreign passport queues with mostly Asian tourists queuing. The same at Changi. Interestingly (or oddly if you prefer), when the receptionist at Ibis in KL did the obligatory thermometer check at the desk, my temperature recorded as 33C...!! Just to be safe I had it redone the next morning and it was 32C, ha! Nobody was in the least concerned. Apparently the rule was, if a guest logged in at 37C or higher, off to a nearby medical clinic they went. For what, who knows??
Returning to Indonesia via Bali, I had to complete a yellow form with many medical questions, but in Bahasa Indonesia, not English. A helpful uniformed lady translated for me and all was fine. Immigration also politely queried if I had been to either China or Korea in the past 14 days. On being told no, smiles were flashed and I was passport-stamped into the country.
Other than the above, the only inconvenience was with Air Asia, my KL-Bali flight was delayed by two hours - two Surabaya flights (also AA) at nearby gates were delayed four and three hours respectively. The usual "operational problems" excuse was trotted out and no staff were to be seen until 10 minutes before we boarded. the Surabaya lights looked to be less than half full but seemingly no-one thought of combining them into one - critical planning/thinking not a strong point with AA. Everyone I spoke to on my flight expected Air Asia to start cutting flights soon, and maybe staff.
Several Western tourists I spoke to said they were floating around (mostly in Malaysia) and hedging their bets with hotels and flights, angling for cheaper rates and fares.
I have another visa trip to do in April and have already booked my departure, Bali to Penang at a small but not impressive discount. I would have waited in hope of a better airfare, but an ongoing ticket out of Indonesia is a visa requirement, even if to date no Immigration officer has bothered to check mine, but rules are rules.
Close to home, the local Balinese continue to make offerings and prayers at their temples for tourist money to again rain down on the island. Supposedly Indonesia has no CVIR cases in Java or Bali, that is among Indonesians. Or they are hidden away somewhere out of sight and mind. As yet no CVIR cases in the Bali tourist spots, at least none in Sanur. But very few people shopping. Cafes still doing reasonable trade, but not like in January. Locals all complain of no sales, no money.
At home in Sanur we are taking more precautions. The household cats (who stay indoors) and their human servants (who get out now and then when the felines are sleeping and not demanding their usual attention) get thoroughly cooked protein with a preference for ocean fish rather than chicken, and we humanoids tend more to tofu and tempeh (also well cooked) and steamed veggies. Fresh food is marinaded in a strong citric acid bath with an added splash of Dettol, then well rinsed in boiled water. Neither of us are into kissing strangers and nowadays shaking hands even with friends is strictly rationed. Our cleaning pembantu comes two times every week to do floors, the kitchen and bathroom. I've not washed my hands this often in many years.
Small measures. We hope it will all keep us healthy and CVIR-free.
I did my usual visa run out of Malaysia and Singapore last week. KLIA1 and Changi were very quiet. Ibis in KL had 18% occupancy and a no-frills room only special on offer for A$29 plus taxes but silly me, I had prepaid mine at the usual price. Ibis Melaka had 8% on weekdays which improved to 18% on the weekend - I noted staff attitudes, room service and food there had greatly improved, which may be just by the way. Had pleasant stays at both.
Singapore city major hotel prices had not yet budged downwards when I was there (one night only) but smaller hotels in areas like Chinatown had already dropped prices, some from S$200 to S$90 but again, no-frills.
Very few Western tourists in Kuala Lumpur, a few in Melaka, many more in Singapore, or maybe expats employed there?? Locals I spoke to in both countries expressed comments ranging from anxious (Singapore) to relatively unconcerned (Malaysia) - in the latter country political events and the latest power-plays and ploys by Mahathir, Anwar etc, were attracting greater interest and considerable anger. Politics aside, it was pleasant to be in Melaka without the bother of convoys of tour buses ferrying Chinese tourists to the sights, blocking traffic and making the air nauseous with purple-blue petrol and diesel fumes. Local sellers reported almost no business but the (mostly Malaysian) tourists I saw at Stadhuys Square were buying from souvenir vendors there, so some trade is still going on. Restaurants and cafes were also full, probably with locals.
I had my temperature taken 'on the run' (by some sort of auto-system) at KLIA1, at both borders when crossing from Malaysia to Singapore by bus but thankfully, no delays at either immigration, very short foreign passport queues with mostly Asian tourists queuing. The same at Changi. Interestingly (or oddly if you prefer), when the receptionist at Ibis in KL did the obligatory thermometer check at the desk, my temperature recorded as 33C...!! Just to be safe I had it redone the next morning and it was 32C, ha! Nobody was in the least concerned. Apparently the rule was, if a guest logged in at 37C or higher, off to a nearby medical clinic they went. For what, who knows??
Returning to Indonesia via Bali, I had to complete a yellow form with many medical questions, but in Bahasa Indonesia, not English. A helpful uniformed lady translated for me and all was fine. Immigration also politely queried if I had been to either China or Korea in the past 14 days. On being told no, smiles were flashed and I was passport-stamped into the country.
Other than the above, the only inconvenience was with Air Asia, my KL-Bali flight was delayed by two hours - two Surabaya flights (also AA) at nearby gates were delayed four and three hours respectively. The usual "operational problems" excuse was trotted out and no staff were to be seen until 10 minutes before we boarded. the Surabaya lights looked to be less than half full but seemingly no-one thought of combining them into one - critical planning/thinking not a strong point with AA. Everyone I spoke to on my flight expected Air Asia to start cutting flights soon, and maybe staff.
Several Western tourists I spoke to said they were floating around (mostly in Malaysia) and hedging their bets with hotels and flights, angling for cheaper rates and fares.
I have another visa trip to do in April and have already booked my departure, Bali to Penang at a small but not impressive discount. I would have waited in hope of a better airfare, but an ongoing ticket out of Indonesia is a visa requirement, even if to date no Immigration officer has bothered to check mine, but rules are rules.
Close to home, the local Balinese continue to make offerings and prayers at their temples for tourist money to again rain down on the island. Supposedly Indonesia has no CVIR cases in Java or Bali, that is among Indonesians. Or they are hidden away somewhere out of sight and mind. As yet no CVIR cases in the Bali tourist spots, at least none in Sanur. But very few people shopping. Cafes still doing reasonable trade, but not like in January. Locals all complain of no sales, no money.
At home in Sanur we are taking more precautions. The household cats (who stay indoors) and their human servants (who get out now and then when the felines are sleeping and not demanding their usual attention) get thoroughly cooked protein with a preference for ocean fish rather than chicken, and we humanoids tend more to tofu and tempeh (also well cooked) and steamed veggies. Fresh food is marinaded in a strong citric acid bath with an added splash of Dettol, then well rinsed in boiled water. Neither of us are into kissing strangers and nowadays shaking hands even with friends is strictly rationed. Our cleaning pembantu comes two times every week to do floors, the kitchen and bathroom. I've not washed my hands this often in many years.
Small measures. We hope it will all keep us healthy and CVIR-free.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat019; Mar 1st 2020 at 2:50 pm.
Mar 4th 2020, 3:18 am
#17
Asian nomad
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 0
Re: Bali tourism and coronavirus
Name change, same... crisis.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat019; Mar 4th 2020 at 3:22 am.
Mar 4th 2020, 5:56 am
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2015
Location: Penang
Posts: 959
Re: Bali tourism and coronavirus
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2), a virus closely related to the SARS virus.
Apr 23rd 2020, 2:12 am
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 150
Re: Bali tourism and coronavirus
Hi, Just wondering what life is like for those expats living on Bali. Are any shops or restaurants open? Do you feel relatively safe or do you wish you were elsewhere? We're fortunate enough to be "trapped" in Victoria, Australia. Social distancing is working well, supermarkets are stocked and the number of cases seems to be under control. Stay safe everyone!
