An App Launched By Bali Police

Living in Bali August 07, 2020

Bali Police launched an app to make themselves more accessible in case of a crime, traffic accident, emergency, or any other situation where you would need to get in touch with the police.

Instead of going to a police station, the users of this app can directly submit reports to police and can even track the progress of their reports through this app.

At the moment, the app, called ‘Salak Bali’ (Bali Police Service Application System), doesn’t appear to be available for Apple users in Indonesia but can be found in the Android store.

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Best Online Shopping Indonesia

Bali Shopping April 19, 2023

Exploring Top Online Marketplaces in Indonesia in 2023 for the Best Online Shopping Experience and Business Growth

Discover the best online shopping experience and business growth opportunities in Indonesia by exploring the top online marketplaces such as Tokopedia, Lazada, Shopee, Blibli, and Bukalapak.

Indonesia's e-commerce market is rapidly growing, making online shopping and conducting businesses more convenient and accessible than ever before. With a growing number of online marketplaces available in the region, it's crucial to find the ones that offer the best shopping experience and business growth opportunities. This blog post aims to guide you through the top online marketplaces in Indonesia.

Tokopedia

As one of the leading online marketplaces in Indonesia, Tokopedia provides an extensive range of products and services that cater to different categories such as electronics, fashion, groceries, and services. It has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from more than 519 thousand reviewers on Apple's App Store and 4.7/5 on the Google Play Store from 6.4 million users. In March 2023, Tokopedia scored 114 million website visits. Tokopedia's user-friendly experience enables shoppers to find what they're looking for quickly and easily. For businesses, it offers a vast customer base and seller tools, making it the ideal choice for an online marketplace in Indonesia.

Lazada

Lazada, an e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group, is a popular choice among Indonesia's online shoppers. It has a 4.6 app rating out of 5 from over 21.8 million reviews on the Google Play Store and 4.8/5 from 499 thousand reviews on the iOS store. In March 2023, Lazada had 84.3 million website visits. The platform offers free shipping with no minimum purchase and provides various payment options, including e-wallets and bank transfers. It also offers a secure platform for transactions, with a money-back guarantee for buyers. But compared to other online markets, the site looks cheaply made and has a bad user experience (UX). Instead, it's better to use its mobile app.

Shopee

Shopee has quickly gained popularity among online shoppers in Indonesia for its unique shopping experience, featuring free shipping and tons of promotions. Based on the number alone, Shopee tops the others on the list. It scores 4.6/5 on the app store from more than 997 thousand users, while Shopee has a huge 11.8 million users on the Google Play Store but only managed to get a 4.2/5 rating. In March 2023, Shopee scored 159 million website visits. Shopee offers a diverse range of products from electronics and fashion to beauty and household items. Its user-friendly interface and customer-centric approach make it a favorite among both buyers and sellers.

Blibli

Blibli, a local Indonesian e-commerce platform, is committed to being the commerce ecosystem of choice for consumers and institutions. Blibli built a leading integrated omnichannel ecosystem that is able to fulfill almost 90% of the potential spending needs of the Indonesian people.

With more than 4.8/5 rating on the app store from 64 thousand user reviews and 4.7/5 of more than 562 thousand user reviews. In March 2023, Blibli had 24.5 million website visits. The platform offers a wide range of products and services, including electronics, fashion, travel, and automotive.

Bukalapak

Bukalapak is another leading online marketplace in Indonesia, known for its user-friendly interface and dedication to helping small businesses grow. In March 2023, Bukalapak had 17.1 million website visits. 3.9/5 from 132 thousand user reviews on the iOS store and 4.6/5 from 2.1 million user reviews on Google Play Store. The platform offers various products and services, ranging from electronics and fashion to automotive and property. Bukalapak provides a range of seller tools and resources to help businesses maximize their exposure and sales on the platform.

Tips for Navigating and Utilizing Online Marketplace in Indonesia

When shopping on these platforms, it's essential to compare prices, read product reviews, and be aware of seller ratings to ensure a safe and efficient shopping experience. For sellers, it's crucial to optimize product listings with clear images and descriptions, utilize available seller tools, and maintain a high level of customer service to attract more buyers.

Online shopping in Indonesia has become increasingly popular, with many marketplaces offering a wide range of products and services. Understanding the benefits of each platform and utilizing available tools can help shoppers and businesses navigate these marketplaces effectively. Whether you're looking for electronics, fashion, or home goods, these top online marketplaces in Indonesia have something for everyone. Additionally, choosing the right app can make online shopping even more convenient and enjoyable.

5 Things Will Make Life Easier Bali

Living in Bali August 31, 2020

One of the five things that will make your life easier in Bali is definitely learning the language. Many of our clients (land or villa buyers and long-term villa renters), especially those “Bali first-timers” sometimes find difficulties in the beginning to adjust with Bali’s environment: the people, the culture, the habits, the geckos and the rainy season etc. The following bits of advice are filtered from a longer list, tested and evaluated.

Learn Bahasa

Language barrier sucks. Everyone knows that. Therefore it’s mandatory for you to learn a little bit of Bahasa. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language and is used nation wide, so even a meager skill in it will come in handy everywhere you manage to travel in Indonesia. In Bali, only those really old people born before Cpt. Cook discovered Australia that doesn’t speak Indonesian fluently. Bahasa is quite an easy thing to learn, although the correct pronunciation is quite a different matter. For example, we don’t have tenses, modals, or grammatical gender, which together form the trickiest parts of a language. All you need to do is memorize as many verbs and nouns as possible.

Try these steps to speed up your learning process:

Road to mastery: 2 weeks-1 Month

1. Buy a …..-Indonesia dictionary (fill in the dots with your native language). Read it whenever you can…use the index instead of reading it page-per-page from the front.
2. Watch as many sinetron in a week, marathon style. Sinetron is Indonesian soap opera that usually aired on prime time, so, you won’t miss it. Every TV station except the all-news channel has its own sinetron series, so don’t worry, a lot of options there. They’re probably the crappiest TV show in the whole world, but it’s a perfect tool for this purpose since they use both formal and informal Bahasa. Use that to enrich your vocabulary and practice pronunciation.
3. Find an Indonesian girlfriend or boyfriend. Survey shows that those with a native partner learn Bahasa much faster than those without. (I’m just kidding on the survey part, but deadly serious about the result)
4. Test your skills frequently by talking Bahasa everywhere you go. If you can bargain with ease using Bahasa in a traditional market, consider yourself pass, my young Padawan.

Google Map

Nowadays, this Google service app has become an integrated feature on every smartphone (and not so smart ones). You can access it anywhere. Considering that 80% of your time in Bali will be spent on the road, either for a long distance or just a short walk looking for the closest restaurant, this app is a must have.

In your spare time, use it just to familiarize yourself with an area close to you, a 3 km radius for each review. Don’t forget to memorize the name of the area. Take mental notes on where the cardinals are from your position. This will come in handy because Balinese use cardinal direction when they are giving directions (instead of “turn left”, they’ll say go north and then westward).

Google map is even handier since more and more places in Bali, be it restaurants, hotels or inns getting indexed. One of its features also allows you to know which shortest way to take to your destination.

Mosquito repellant

This simple yet handy fragrant and gooey substance could determine the success of a vacation. Mosquito bite marks aren’t sexy. If you’re allergic or simply don’t like chemical ingredients being used, you can make use of lavender (fresh or juiced). Not only will it ward off mosquitoes and other blood-sucking bugs (and the tropical disease they may carry, like dengue fever) but it also makes your skin bite marks-free.

Learn how to drive a motorbike

Motorbikes, be it an automatic scooter or those custom made muscle bikes still become the favorite way to move from Point A to Point B in Bali. Dedicate part of your time to learning how to drive it safely. By safely I mean to comply with the basic rules: not too fast, signal before turning, helmet on, and especially, never ever give a “read between the lines” finger gesture to the police.

Drink Responsibly

This one goes without saying due to its universal scope. Drinking and driving is a recipe for disaster anywhere on this Earth. I remember, I once had to pull a newlywed couple out of a dirty gutter in Batubelig at 3 am because they seemed to forget this really wise advice so epically. Thankfully they were okay. The bride was just too zonked to realize that they had an accident. Why would you do something here that you won’t do in your home country? Take a cab whenever your plan for the evening includes having a nauseating hangover the next day.

There you have it. Do them all and I guarantee life would be much easier during your stay in Bali.

What to do during the rainy season

Living in Bali August 26, 2020

Bali is located near the equator, it has a tropical climate and there are 2 seasons: Rainy Season which lasts from November to March, and the Dry Season which lasts from April to October.

Rain is an integral part of the island and many people are apprehensive about the Rainy Season. However Bali remains a must-see destination and there are many activities to realize, even on Rainy Season!

So rather than stay locked at home waiting for the rain to stop, why not go out and do one of these activities?

Attend a traditional Balinese Dance ceremony

During the Rainy Season, it’s possible to attend Traditional Balinese Dance ceremonies. These dances are part of the traditional culture of the island as well as all those around. It’s something you have to discover!

Visit art galleries

In rainy weather, you can also decide to visit art galleries and museums. The Kain Museum in Kuta will offer you the opportunity to discover traditional outfits from Bali.

Cinema XXI
A classic to do when it rains: go to the cinema. In addition, you can find the Cinema XXI in Beachwalk Mall, Mall Bali Galleria, Park 23 & Level 21. It’s in a shopping center, perfect to go even on a rainy day!

Enjoy the landscape
When you are in Bali, you have to know and accept that the rain is a part of the scenery, that’s why it’s interesting to visit some places during this season. You can go to Jatiluwih Rice Terrace in Tabanan. The Rainy Season offers a new way to see the landscape, the smell of the wet soil and all nature comes alive!

Have a cup of coffee in the cafe

Why not go warm up with good coffee, spend times with friends or make new acquaintances, it’s really worth it! Go to the Macan Cafe, this place is really nice to have a cup of coffee!

Meditation

Meditation is good way to passing time when it’s raining. Take your time and be with yourself. You can try the Bali Silent Retreat in Tabanan. (Kt)