Daniel, Sean and I decided to stay in a part of Bali called Legian Beach. It is known for not being quite as crazy and touristy as Kuta but still a good location for a lot of activities including being a good beach for learning to surf. Daniel found a sweet hotel called All Seasons but it was a little out of our price range so we checked into a hostel a little ways away called the Sennen Beach Inn. ($5 taxi to Legian Beach)
Our hostel was pretty bare bones - outside and cold water bathrooms, no blankets or towels but it was really cheap. We figured out pretty quickly that it was basically just a place for surfers to crash when the weren't drinking or partying. We ended up only staying there for one night as it was HOT in Bali and places with air and small pools were just a little bit more money. ($9 hostel)
Even though we weren't in Kuta, Legian Beach was still very touristy with some of the most aggressive and annoying touts and hawkers that I have ever experienced. Since the majority of the tourists were Australians, many of them had great Aussie accents and had the vocabulary down pat. Sean was frequently called 'mate' but some of their other favorites were calling Sean 'boss' and me 'darling'. It got annoying really fast and they were everywhere. The hawkers were selling anything from cheap sunglasses and key chains to lurid and inappropriate t-shirts such as "I'm not a gynecologist but I'll take a look" and so on. If they didn't work at a shop they would follow you and ask if you needed transport or wanted to rent a moped etc. It got to be maddening as just walking down the street would produce an incessant stream of chatter that we finally just started ignoring. That was the main downside of Bali for me.
The cool part of Bali was the beach. We were very close to the beach and it was fun to walk along the boardwalk and watch surfers of all levels show off in the waves. We splurged and got drinks at a resort that was right on the ocean and waited out the afternoon shower. ($13 lunch, $12 drinks)
The other cool part of Bali was the culture. Everywhere there was incense, small shrines and temples and offerings. Every shop put its own offering out in the morning on the sidewalk in front of their shop. This meant that everyone had to step over and around them all the time but nobody seemed to mind. The offerings were basically small flowers, food, fruits, cookies and gifts in a small bowl made out of a banana leaf with incense burning on top. ($27 dinner, $4 more soap)
Our first day in Bali went by in a blur as I was tired, dirty and sore from spending 24 hours on a bus and basically just wanted to sleep. Like Daniel said, although you don't have to pay a lot of money for a cheap bus ride, you sure do pay for it in other ways. Total for 2 people = $70
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