Uluwatu: A place you do not want to get stuck without a cab.
A view from the beach club that we visited.
The only way to get around Bali if not on your own is through a local taxi service, GoJek or Grab. While I was there many backpackers speculated that the taxi service was “mafia” run. Later I would come to understand why.
In Bali, cabbies often get away with using no meters and also negotiating prices with tourists that are far more expensive then what the meter would price. GoJek and Grab are services simillar to Uber but charge users a fixed rate. This rate is a fraction of what a taxi charges. After a few days in Seminyak, I met two ladies at my hostel. Both of these women were fun, no nonsense, and stuck to their guns when making plans. I admired both of them and knew that we would adventure together.
When they asked me if I wanted to go on a day trip to Uluwatu I said yes. One of my companions like myself was terrified to go on a motorbike. Splitting a Grab there ended up being 150 000 rupiah which equates to 15 Canadian dollars. Each of us ended up paying 5 bucks for a 45 minute drive to Bali’s most south west point. We couldn’t beat that price.
After regrettably indulging in overpriced appetizers at a beach club, we made our way to the temple. Other backpackers warned us before we started our day trip that getting to Uluwatu would be a breeze. Getting back to our hostel might be another story. In certain areas of Bali particularly Uluwatu, the Balinese people have “outlawed” Grab. The Balinese believe that it takes away from local economy.
All three of us had tight budgets, meaning we couldn't overspend. After watching the dance at the temple we made our way to the parking lot. We needed to find wifi. Each of us hadn't had a chance to pick up a SIM card near where we were staying. We walked past a group of cabbies who started berating us with prices and asking where we were heading. “400 000 to Seminyak.” we replied back, “No that is way to expensive we paid half of that to get here.” This went on for about 5 minutes as we made our way to a local ice cream parlour. The owner and his family were kind enough to give us the password for the wifi upon purchase. “Getting a Grab is a risk in this area. You three should be careful” he said this as we typed in our hostel location on the Grab app.
We decided we would risk it considering the price we would have had to pay via taxi was double. As we made our way out of the ice cream parlour still being watched by the cabbies. They started to berate us again. We politely declined and continued to walk down the road to catch our Grab. As we were pulling away, the cabbies blocked our Grab. Apparently, this isn't uncommon and can often lead to violence. Our Grab driver was then asked to pull down the window while the cabbies were speaking with him in Bahasa.
“You guys need to get out. I can’t take you back to Seminyak.” Our driver told us this and we were shocked. The audacity of these cab drivers using their vehicles to block our way back had me shaken up. All three of us got out of the car and (you guessed it) the other cabbies started again with pitching prices. They really thought that through force we would be willing to take a ride with them? As if we were helpless and left with no other choice? Well they thought wrong. Three powerful women against local cabbies would not stop us from making our way home. On principle alone we started walking home. When I say walking home I mean walking 26km back to our hostel in the middle of the night. We were alone and it was dark. I was enraged, scared, and ready to punch someone in the face. We were forced out onto the street and had no idea if our previous driver’s safety was at risk. We walked down the road and during that time the same cab drivers followed us. After this ordeal, I had come to the realization after just starting my South East Asia trip, that I was no longer home. Situations like this were common in this area of Bali and I would have to become better equipped to deal with this going forward.
I was beyond happy that we were all together. I would have paid the extra rupiah to get home and potentially risked my safety had I been by myself. After 45 minutes of walking we made it to a residential area with a roadside cafe. Fortunately for us, this cafe had wifi. The women running the cafe understood our predicament. We got another Grab home and were happy that we made it through the night safely. If it weren't for the kind local women and our resilience I am not sure what would have happened. Know what local currency is worth in relation to your own and don’t get stuck in Uluwatu without a way home.