Money:
Plenty of Banks and money changers.
Money changers on the street might rip you off. Just don't use them.

October 2003: Over a year now, seems like yesterday. No recent reports of trouble.

13-10-2002. Bomb attack in Bali. A large car bomb exploded today outside the main nighclub area in Kuta Beach. There appear to be many people, mostly tourists, killed and injured. Another explosion near the USA consulate fortunately did not harm anyone.
The USA is considering withdrawing all non-essential personnel from Jakarta, after a recent explosion near the Embassy.
Unfortunately the politics of violence have come to Paradise. So now you would have to be careful about going to Indonesia if you are a western person, especially a USA, Australian or British citizen.

March 2001. Bali seems to be its normal friendly self.
Only recent report of trouble was an ethnic clash on nearby Lombok.

Jan 2000.Due to the East Timor disaster and the presence of the Australian led INTERFET peacekeeping force, there have been a few reports of Australians being hassled in Bali and Lombok. It seems that this is not by native Balinese.
Bali remained calm in 1998 while many islands in the archipelago expressed their anger at the economic and political situation. It is wise to get very current information.

Legian Cheap beachfront accommodation is available; the lanes running parallel to the beach are the best places to start looking

Sanur Nearby to the north, an the upmarket alternative to Kuta;

Nusa Dua to the south, is another upmarket alternative.

Ulu Watu, on the southern tip of Bali, is the island's most famous surfing spot.

Denpasar The capital of Bali, 10km northeast of Kuta, has all the bustle and noise of a city, but still retains pleasant tree-lined streets and gardens
The Bali Museum: arts and crafts and everyday items. The Abiankapas arts centre has a collection of modern painting and woodcarving. Dancing groups and gamelan orchestras regularly perform here.

Ubud In the hills 20km north of Denpasar, Ubud is the serene cultural centre of Bali. Head off in any direction and you're in for an interesting walk to a secluded craft hamlet, through the rice paddies or into the dense Monkey Forest. In Ubud itself, the Puri Lukisan Museum displays fine examples of all schools of Balinese art. Ubud is a good place to see Balinese dancing and hear Balinese music, and it has some of the best restaurants.

Gunung Batur 35km north of Ubud.The volcanic cone of Gunung Batur and the lake inside, makes one of Bali's most spectacular landscapes. Climbing Batur (1717m) to see the sunrise is worthwhile, (might be damp, cold and cloudy).
There are hot springs at Tirtha on the edge Lake Batur where you can soak your sore parts.

Climate:
day temperatures between 20-33ºC (68-93ºF) year-round. From December to March, the west monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually the days are sunny and the rains come during the night and pass quickly. From June to September the humidity is low, and it is cool in the evenings. During this time of the year, you'll have hardly any rain in the coastal areas. In Ubud and the mountains expect cloudy skies and showers year-round. In the mountains, take a sweater or jacket for the cooler nights.

Geography:
The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia and is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator between Java in the West and Lombok and the rest of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba and Timor) in the East. Flying time to Jakarta is about 1.5 hours, to Singapore and Perth (Australia) 2.5 and 3 hours, and to Hong Kong about 4 hours. The island of Bali has an area of only 5,632 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) and measures 90 kilometer along the north-south axis and less than 140 kilometers from East to West.
The island is famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six volcanoes, between 1,350 meters and 3,014 meters high, stretches from west to east. There are lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers and deep ravines, rice terraces, and vegetable and fruit gardens. The beaches in the South consist of white sand, beaches in other parts of the island are covered with grey or black volcanic sand.

Bali's population is over 3 million, the majority are Hindu. The number of Muslims is increasing through people from Java, Lombok and other areas seeking work in Bali.
Most people live in the coastal areas in the South; Denpasar (pop. 300,000), Kuta (Jimbaran, Tuban, and Legian, Seminyak, Basangkasa, etc), Sanur, and Nusa Dua, all are spreading rapidly in all directions.