Alleys of Bali

It was my first time out of Europe, when I started my journey to South East Asia at the end of octobre 2019. The first destination was Bangkok, Thailand. Sure, I used Google Maps very often there. It helped my to find my hostel, to take the right way through the city and even to check which Busline or which Khlong Boat (the boats which drive on the Bangkok Canal System) I needed to take. This is the first very helpful advice I want to share with anybody who will visit Bangkok. Driving by Bus can be very cool and is a authentic way to travel the city. But it means you need to plan long time for short distances. Traffic in Bangkok is awful. Depending on your destination, better take the Khlong Boat. It is even more authentic, it is fast and it offers you a view on Bangkok you only get from the Khlong Boats. You can not only use it on Bangkoks Canals, you even can use it on the Chao Praya, Bangkoks big River. It only costs you 25 Baht which is less than 1€ and I really advise you to try it. I was just amazed by all the Diversity the city offers. From old traditional quarters to the modern Skyscrapers, Bangkok is famous for. Driving on the Chao Praya with a boat shows you the whole spectrum and it only takes seconds to switch between the modern, the traditional and the ugly site of South East Asia (big rubbish Problem).

Many of the things I discovered I found out on google and google maps brought me there.

But now I tell you something, what impressed me even more.

Traffic in Bali is by far the most chaotic thing I’ve ever seen (despite the changing room of our Football club after a locker room party ). I was in Bangkok, south Italy and in Hanoi, Vietnam. Traffic is amazing everywhere, but Bali was more. Far more. I needed to go from Canggu to Kuta, which is only a few kilometers with my scooter but it hadn’t something where I could put in my phone to see where to drive, so I used Google Maps only by having a earbud in one ear. And - it worked.

I’m a big fan of google maps and I use it very often. In germany it works very well, sure. But I was really suprised that it worked in the south of Bali. There are so many little alleys, it is completely impossible to keep an overview. And it’s not only the streets, which are often burdened with bumps and whole holes in the middle of the street. It’s the amount of vehicles on Balis streets and it’s the way they drive. On Balis streets there are almost no rules. Scooter drivers use the Sidewalk, and every tiny space the street offers. There is no limitation between the track of pedestrians, scooters, cars or bycicles. But: google maps worked. It told me early enough which turn I need to take and which track to use.

And all this in a country left-hand traffic. A little bit confusing for a German who only knows right-handed traffic. It confirmed me to be a Google local guide, to help others and give something of the beautiful experience I’ve made back to the community.

After the first day, which was very hard for me, I started to enjoy riding in this Anarchy Traffic. After a few days I loved it.

“How can you recognize a German abroad? - He is standing in front of a red light in the night, when no body is on the street”

This little exaggeration of German rule compliance did not fit anymore to me after a few days in Bali. Google Maps helped me to discover the Island in a safe way.

After all I wrote down in this post, the Taxi driver who brought me to the airport on my last day in Bali told me: It is low season now.

My Face was like:

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