Business and Legal

Legal Services
There are now several, private, one-stop visa services on Bali that do the legal paperwork necessary for visa extensions and renewals: CV Jasa Bali, Jl. Legian Kaja 486 (tel./fax 62361-757.008), and Wayan’s CV Jasa Werda Dwi Karya, Biro Jasa (tel. 62361-975.599). Wayan’s office is just 100 meters from his Siti Home-stay in Peliatan (near Ubud) in Gianyar. They both can help you obtain a social/cultural/business visa as well as provide legal services and notary assistance. (See Private Bureaus for Visa and other Legal Services in Bali).

Business Services
The best business services on Bali for sending and receiving faxes, making international phone calls (IDD), for secretarial service, translations, courier service, and even real estate are: Ary’s Wisata Travel Service on Ubud’s main street; Café Krakatoa (tel. 62361-752.849) in Legian; and Ra Business and Communication Center (tel. 62361-281.253) in Sanur.

Business Hours
Business hours are flexible, depending on numerous variables. The workweek on Bali can seem convoluted because of the country’s attempt to accommodate two separate religious schemes, meshing the Islamic calendar with the Gregorian. Consequently, banks, offices, and schools close early on Friday for the Islamic Sabbath, but Sunday is also observed as a day of rest. Saturday, meanwhile, is a partial workday, so the Balinese workweek consists of four full days and two partial days. During major Islamic holidays such as the month long Muslim fast, restaurants on overwhelmingly Hindu Bali are unaffected.

Always get an early start for bureaucratic offices, before the lines get long and the day grows hot. Generally speaking, government offices open at 0800 Mon.-Sat., closing at 1500 or 1600 Mon.-Thurs., 1100 or 1130 on Friday, and 1400 on Saturday. Banks are open Mon.-Fri. 0800-1200, Saturday 0800-1100. Bank branches in hotels often remain open into the afternoon, and moneychangers in the tourist centers and the bank windows at the airport stay open until up to 2100.

Shops operate from 0900 to 1800 or later, six days a week. Shopping arcades and the new Balinese “supermarkets” frequently remain open until 2100. Expect businesses to take midday lunch breaks of an hour or more, during which time no one answers the phone, even in Denpasar.

Tourist Offices
The most convenient for Denpasar is the Denpasar Tourism Office (Jl. Surapati #7, Denpasar) on the ‘alun-alun’ (Puputan Square), which provides outstanding information in fluent English and free brochures. Office hours are Mon.-Sat. 0800-1300, except Friday, which is 0800-1030. From Monday to Thursday 0700-1530, and on Friday 0800-1030, you may telephone this office for information at 62361-234.569/-223.602, or telephone 166 only.

The Bali Government Tourist Office (Dinas Pariwisata Pemerintah Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Bali), the headquarters office for the whole island, is out of town a bit in the Renon Civic Center (Jl. S. Parman, Niti Mandala, tel. 62361-222.387/-226.313). Open Mon.-Thurs. 0730-1430, Friday 0730-1200. Chances are that this office has a wider selection of literature, though the office downtown dispenses better oral information.

There’s also a tourist information desk at Ngurah Rai Airport in the international terminal and a hotel information desk in the domestic terminal. In Ubud, Bina Wisata Ubud/Tourist Information Center is next to the village head’s office, tel. 62361-973.285. Each regency also has a tourist office (see below), but in several of them-such as in Gianyar town-the staff speaks no English.

Around Bali, the tourist offices of the other regencies are: Diparda Tingkat II Tabanan, Jl. Gunung Agung, Tabanan 82151 (tel. 62361-811.602); Diparda Tingkat II Gianyar, Jl. Ngurah Rai 21, Gianyar 80551 (tel. 62361-943.401); Diparda Tingkat II Klungkung, Jl. Surapati 3, Klungkung 80751 (tel. 62366-21.448); Diparda Tingkat II Bangli, d/a Kantor Dinas Perkebunan Tk. II Bangli, Jl. Brigjen. Ngurah Rai, Bangli 80613 (tel. 62366-91.537); Diparda Tingkat II Karangasem, Jl. Diponegoro, Amlapura 80857 (tel. 62363-21.196/002/003); Diparda Tingkat II Jembrana, Jl. Surapati 1, Negara 82251 (tel. 62365-41.060); Diparda Tingkat II Buleleng, d/a Gedung Sasana Budaya, Jl. Veteran 23, Singaraja 81117 (tel. 62362-25.141). (See Tourism Offices in Bali).

Look for the Bali Tourist Guide (free from hotels) and the Bali Path Finder (Rp10,000) and Ubud Post (Napi Orti), issued by the Ubud Tourist Office in Ubud. The pamphlet Calendar of Events lists all of Bali’s major religious holidays and annual cultural events. Indonesian embassies and consulates overseas as well as Garuda offices around the world dispense promotional literature, but publications go out of print quickly and may not see a reprint.

Immigration Office
The ‘Kantor Imigrasi’ (Immigration Office) is in the Renon Complex, Niti Mandala, Denpasar, tel. 62361-227.828; another office is near the airport on Jl. Ngurah Rai, Tuban, tel. 62361-751.038/011. Both are open Mon.-Thurs. 0700-1300, Friday 0700-1100, Saturday 0700-1200. Follow the dress code chart on the wall. If you don’t dress properly, these bureaucrats won’t even talk to you. T-shirts, halter-tops, and bathing suits don’t cut it. (See Immigration Offices in Bali).

Always apply for an extension three or four days prior to the expiration of your entry stamp or else you’ll be held up at the airport and may even miss your flight. This applies even if you’re one day over your two-month allowable period. Valid reasons for going over are a medical emergency, a missed flight, or a flight or ship you must board just a few days away. A letter or ticket confirming your departure date makes the extension easier to get.

Personal Needs

Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
Ten to 20% of the traveling public may appreciate learning that AA Meetings are held in Legian at the Dhyana Pura Hotel Coffee Shop (tel. 62361-751.442/-751.443) on Tuesday at 0800, Wednesday at 2000, and Friday at 1800. In Ubud, meetings are held at Mumbul’s Restaurant on Thursday at 2000. In Gianyar, meetings are held on Sunday at 1630 in the Waterfall Restaurant en route to Gianyar town.

Study Opportunities
The School for International Training sponsors a college semester in Bali intended for students interested in artistic and cultural traditions and in how change affects traditional societies. An important component of this 15-week-long program is independent study, as well as language instruction, classes in life and culture, and fieldwork methodology. For information, write the Admissions Office, College Semester Abroad, School for International Training, Kipling Rd., Brattleboro, VT 05302-0676 (tel. 802-257-7751).

Bali Language Training & Cultural Center, sponsored by the Mastapa Garden Hotel of Kuta Beach (Jl. Legian 139, P.O. Box 3013, Denpasar, tel. 62361-751.660, fax 755.098), offers courses in Balinese painting, carving, dancing, music, ‘batik’, and the Indonesian language. Regular classes are 72 hours per week for 12 weeks; the intensive is 40 hours per week for four weeks. Fees run US$15 for enrollment, US$700 for the regular course, US$500 for the intensive course. Price includes field trips.

The Arts of Bali is a nine-seminar course on Balinese culture, literature, painting, music, dancing, archaeology, and sculpture presented by Ki Mantle Hood, Seminar Director (2816 Deerfield Dr., Ellicott City, MD 21043, fax 410-313 8500), in collaboration with the Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia of Denpasar, Bali. Incidentally, the SSTI Press publishes a Journal of Balinese Arts called Mudra: Jurnal Seni Budaya.

Each summer, The Society of Balinese Studies (SBS, or Perhimpunan Pengajian Budaya Bali) holds an international interdisciplinary conference covering a wide range of topics on Baliology. Conference fees are Rp20,000 per day or Rp50,000 for three days for Indonesians, US$20 per day or US$50 for three days for non-Indonesians. The exchange of views is about as frank and open, as you’ll ever get in an Indonesian academic setting. Keep your eye out in the BACN newsletter (see below) for upcoming SBS conferences.

Museums
One of the first things you should do is visit the Bali Museum at Puputan Square, Denpasar, for an introduction to the archaeology, crafts, building styles, and the folk, traditional, modern, and theatrical arts of Bali. Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud houses a collection of modern Balinese paintings and some sculptures from the 1920s. The Neka Museum (also a gallery) in Campuan (near Ubud) houses a collection of some of Bali’s best contemporary paintings.

Also visit the Museum Le Mayeur in Sanur, which contains the works of the Belgian painter Le Mayeur, who arrived on Bali in 1932 and lived there for 26 years. The Pejeng Archaeological Museum, one km north of Bedulu on the road to Tampaksiring, contains megalithic and Bronze Age artifacts found on Bali.

The Agung Rai Museum of Art (tel. 62361-974.228, fax 974.229, e-mail armaubud@denpasar.wasantara.net.id) in Peliatan, near Ubud in Gianyar District, is a dynamic new enterprise consisting of a whole complex of ventures including a hotel, restaurant, conference venue, cafe/nightclub, galleries, a painting school, ‘gamelan’ orchestra, and a bookshop well-stocked with books on Balinese arts and culture. ARMA is also in the process of establishing a reference library of published works, unpublished manuscripts, and audio-video materials. It will not be a lending library but function more as a reading room.

In the Netherlands, the Royal Tropical Institute (Koninklijk Instituut Voor de Tropen) occupies a large, beautiful old building at 63 Mauritskade, Amsterdam 1092 (tel. 020-924949). Specializing in the tropical areas of the world, this institute is involved in economic-development programs in Indonesia. They often have special exhibits on Bali. The best museum in Indonesia for Baliana, besides the Bali Museum in Denpasar, is the National Museum in Jakarta.

Getting Married for Foreigners
In accordance with Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): “a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned.”

All couples who marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized. The Civil Registry Office can record marriages of persons of Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian-Protestant and Christian-Catholic faiths. Marriage partners must have the same religion; otherwise one partner must make a written declaration of change of religion.

The Religious Marriage under Islam is performed by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) in a ceremony at a mosque, the home, a restaurant, or any other place chosen by the couple and is legal immediately after the ceremony.

A Christian, Hindu or Buddhist marriage is usually performed first in a church or temple ceremony. After the religious ceremony, every non-Islamic marriage must be recorded with the Civil Registry (Kantor Catatan Sipil). Without the registration by the Civil Registry these marriages are not legal. Recording by Civil Registry officials can be performed directly at the religious ceremony for an additional fee.

Persons of non-Islamic faith are required to file with the Civil Registry Office in the Regency where they are staying first a ‘Notice of Intention to Marry’ as well as a ‘Letter of No Impediment’ obtained from their consular representatives.

Documents
For the issue of the Letter of No Impediment to Marriage by your Consular Representative you will need to present for yourself and your fiance(e) your Passport(s) valid for more than 6 months and Certified Divorce Decrees (absolute/final) and/or Death Certificates regarding the termination of all previous marriages. Please contact the Consular Representative of your country for details well before the intended date of marriage.

For the Notice of Intention to Marry you have to submit the following documents for both partners to the Civil Registry Office (show the original and present a photocopy):

• Certificate of the religious marriage;
• Passport for foreign citizens, or KTP (Identity card) for Indonesian citizens;
• Certified birth certificate;
• Certified divorce decree (absolute) or death certificates regarding the termination of all previous marriages;
• Four 4×6 cm photos, both partners side by side;
• Foreign citizens: ‘Letter of No Impediment to Marriage’ issued by your Consular Representative for Bali or Indonesia;
• Indonesian citizens: never married: letter ‘Surat Keterangan Belum Kawin’ from ‘Kepala Desa’ or ‘Lurah’ (mayor);
• Men aged 18-21 and women aged 16-21: parental letter of consent, signed across the ‘meterai’/tax stamp Rupiah 2,000.

Before the marriage, you and your fiance(e) also may wish to file with the Civil Registry a prenuptial Property Agreement (Surat Pernyataan Harta) which must be signed before a local Notary Public. This contract is necessary if you wish to hold property separately during the marriage. In the absence of such a document, Indonesian marriage law assumes joint ownership of property, and subsequent property acquisitions by the Indonesian partner will be regulated according to the laws restricting foreign property ownership.

Other Requirements
Two witnesses over the age of 18 are required. They must show the originals and present photocopies of their passports if they are foreign citizens or KTP (identity cards) if they are Indonesian citizens. Civil Registry employees can act as witnesses.

The Civil Registry office has a Mandatory Waiting Period of 10 working days from the date of filing. This waiting period may be waived for tourists presenting a guest registration form (Form A).

Islamic Marriage Certificates (Buku Nikah) issued by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) are legally valid in Indonesia and do not require registration with any other agency if you are going to live in Indonesia. However, if you might move somewhere else in the future (and who knows?), get a marriage certificate issued by the Civil Registry and an officially certified translation right away (see below).

All other Marriage Certificates will be issued by the Civil Registry usually on the same or next day. A sworn English translation of the marriage certificate should be obtained for use abroad. It is not necessary for the marriage certificate or translation to be registered by your Consular Agency. However, to have the sworn translation of the marriage certificate verified or a special translation made by the Consular Agency of your home country or the Consular Agency of your country of residence might prove useful.

Marriage Services
Some hotels in south Bali specialize in marrying Westerners for about US$1000, which includes the priest for the ceremony, blessings, witnesses, lunch and dinner for four, traditional Balinese wedding attire (‘pakaian adat’), travel to Tanah Lot for photographs, other photo ops, a photo album, and champagne. Bolare Beach Bungalows (P.O. Box 256, Denpasar 80001, tel./fax 62361-35.464) next to the Dewata Beach Resort in Petitenget is only one of many hotels offering this unique service which some have unkindly dubbed “masquerade tourism.”

Health Information

Traveling in Bali today can be medically safe – if you take precautionary steps regarding transport, food, drink, and hygiene. If you work it right, you could even return in better health than before you left. The truth is that the traveler is much more likely to get hurt or killed riding a motorcycle on Bali, which snuffs out about three tourists per month, than to contract some hideous tropical disease.

For example, a common injury is the “Bali Kiss,” a dreaded motorcycle burn on the inside of the calf. Drink lots of bottled water right away, and then apply an antiseptic cream with lidocaine or benzocaine. After two days, start applying aloe vera or papaya compresses. To prevent this injury, wear long pants. Flying bugs are another hazard-wear sunglasses to protect your eyes while riding a motorcycle at dusk.

Start out on your trip as healthy as possible. Amp up your immune system. The most common ailments afflicting travelers and tourists are diarrhea (“Bali Belly”), parasitic diseases, and gastrointestinal infections. Thank god the island is free of rabies; its population of scavenging dogs is enormous.

Take common-sense precautions but avoid paranoia (“How were these dishes washed? Was this tea boiled long enough?”) – it will spoil your trip. Even in upscale hotels, hygienic techniques aren’t always followed, so if it’s your turn to get sick, you’ll get sick. But once you have your first bout with diarrhea or prickly heat, it seldom recurs.

Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, produced by Volunteers in Asia, is packed with important information that’s basic enough for the short-term traveler, yet complete enough for someone living in Bali. It’s a very compact and well-organized little book. Your own doctor won’t be able to supply you with this hard-to-get information because he doesn’t have it. Order a copy through Moon Publications, tel. (800) 345-5473.

Prevention
If you take care with personal hygiene, use caution in what you eat and drink, and get plenty of rest, you’ll be safe from most health problems while traveling in Bali. Most illnesses travelers suffer are resistance diseases, a result of their health running down, poor eating, unrestrained self-indulgence, or overexposure to heat and sun.

Upon arrival, you owe it to yourself to become acclimated to the tropical environment: maintain adequate fluid and salt intakes, avoid fatigue, dress light. Jet lag may change your sleeping patterns and eating habits, so at first, plan extra rest. To avoid undergoing dental treatment in Indonesia, go for a complete dental checkup before your trip.

Knowing what and where the risks are and how to avoid them is your very best protection. What’s wrong with walking barefoot in the tropics? Several different types of infective that can enter the body through the skin, such as cutaneous larva migrans, thrive here. An Indonesian’s left hand is unclean because it’s used to clean himself, with water, after using the toilet. Vendors selling bottled drinks on the beach and on the streets use the straws again and again. Throw the straw away or bend it before giving the bottle back so it can’t be used again.

On Bali, scruffy cats roam everywhere. They hang around restaurants, ‘warung’, and family-style hotels. Pregnant women, or those who are planning to be so, should avoid contact with these animals and their excretions because of the risk of toxoplasmosis infection. This parasitical disease can cause abortion or early birth, or the unborn child could contract congenital toxoplasmosis, possibly resulting in death or serious central nerve system disorders.

If you’re staying in a budget hotel in the Kintamani area or down on Lake Batur, don’t leave food open in your room but seal it in solid containers-rats can even chew through backpack canvas. If you’re going to one of Bali’s monkey temples, remember monkeys are wild animals. Don’t take any food with you, and don’t hide food in your pockets because monkeys can smell it. Their eyeteeth are very sharp. When feeding them, always look out for the dominant male. He should be given food first to avoid fighting. Never show your teeth while smiling at monkeys-this is regarded as an aggressive gesture. Don’t touch their young or they may savage you.

Street lighting is generally very poor at night. Watch out for drainage ditches. You hear tales of tourists falling two meters into ditches. A flashlight must be carried at all times; you need it also to protect you against cars, motorcycles, and other pedestrians.

Another common threat to health is the treacherously slippery tiles found gracing the floors of Bali’s hotels-on bathrooms, steps, stairways, and verandas. Even when not wet they are slick and dangerous. When wet, they can be life threatening. Don’t wear hard-soled leather or plastic shoes on them; soft-soled rubber sandals or bare feet offer a little better traction.

Travel Insurance
Check whether your health insurance entitles you to reimbursement of medical and evacuation expenses incurred overseas. If not, get special health or travel insurance to cover your trip for as little as US$3 per day. Short-term insurance, covering medical emergencies, loss of possessions, flight cancellation penalties, is sold by STA Travel, other student travel organizations, and Cigna Travel Guard (tel. 800-826-1300), International SOS Assistance (tel. 800-523-8930), and Access America (tel. 800-284-8300).

Be sure to get a policy, which includes access to one of the medical evacuation services available on Bali-AEA (Asian Emergency Assistance), International SOS Assistance, and WAI (World Access International). Read very carefully the policy small print for exclusions. Evidently, insurance companies have been taken to the cleaners by people involved in accidents who obtained an easy-to-get Balinese license and drove a motorcycle for the first time on Bali.

Immunization and Serious Diseases
Get the latest World Immunization Chart of IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers, 417 Center St., Lewiston, NY 14092), which indicates the immunizations currently recommended for travel to Indonesia (double-check with the Indonesian Embassy). Another good place to check in the U.S. is the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta (tel. 404-639-3311). Get your immunizations through your doctor or local health center.

Tetanus, polio, and yellow fever are not a big threat; immunizing against them is only necessary if you’re going to the Outer Islands of Indonesia. Among travelers who stay in tourist accommodations and avoid potentially contaminated food and water, the risk of cholera is very small. Among all the foreign tourists flocking to Bali, it appears that only the Japanese appear to be coming down with cholera (150 people in 1995). Cholera vaccine is only about 40% effective anyway. Typhoid and paratyphoid vaccinations are also optional.

Malaria
The malarial season in Indonesia lasts all year and the whole country is affected below 1,200 meters altitude. Risk is low on Bali, especially if you sleep in a room with screened windows, keep well covered after dusk, and use insect repellents and electric anti-mosquito mats. Take along chloroquine or chloroquine-substitute to prevent malaria. The mainstay of state-of-the-art protection is Larium, taken once weekly. A doctor’s prescription of 20 tablets costs a devilish US$77, or US$3.85 per tablet! Don’t use Fansidar; it’s dangerous.

Hepatitis
One must exercise all the same precautions against this disease as one does in preventing dysentery and diarrhea. Unsanitary eating utensils and unwashed salads and fruits are prime suspects. Hepatitis is a debilitating liver disease which turns the skin and whites of the eyes yellow, the feces whitish, and the urine deep orange or brown. These symptoms-as well as sleepiness, chills, nausea, headaches, weakness, depression, and a dramatically diminished appetite-appear around three weeks after infection. See a doctor immediately. Don’t drink alcohol, eat fatty foods, use tobacco, or take antibiotics while under treatment. Get plenty of rest and drinks lots of fluids. Though it doesn’t prevent the disease, a gamma-globulin injection will give you about six months’ protection against the worst symptoms of hepatitis only; this shot, however, only gives protection against infectious type A hepatitis and not serum hepatitis. Consider getting it if you’re going beyond Bali.

Exhaustion and Heat Exposure
Bali can be hot, particularly from February to May, and travelers need to adjust to a climate that is extreme by temperate zone standards, possibly producing fatigue and loss of appetite for the new arrival. Even after two weeks, it doesn’t seem to get any easier. For some, acclimating to the enervating heat and humidity can take months.

First, slow down the pace. Don’t exert yourself. No one else does. Don’t go on extended walks at your normal pace between 1000 and 1600. Persuade yourself to follow the Balinese custom of ‘tidur siang’ (napping) sometime between 1200 and 1600, the hottest part of the day, or at least lie low during this time.

It’s not uncommon for a Balinese to take a ‘mandi’ up to three times a day to stay cool. Balinese women put rice powder on their faces to protect their skin from the sun and to keep their complexions from turning dark. Travel in very hot areas only at dawn or dusk. Walk slowly in the shade, fast in the sun. Prevent travel exhaustion by breaking up cross-island trips with stopovers.

Adapt yourself to exposure to the sun gradually; you’ll be able to stay out in it more and more. It’s healthy to be out in the sun’s torrid heat for a while during the day; it has a purifying, acclimatizing effect. Use sunblock, zinc oxide, or coconut oil as protection against the sun. Small children should be especially careful. Wear loose cotton clothing, light in color and weight. Wear a hat. If you carry an umbrella, you’ll always be walking in the shade.

Apply sunblock to your feet and bald spots on your head. Protect your nose and lips with zinc cream. Drink increased amounts of water with fresh lemon and limejuice, and make sure there’s salt in your diet. Restrict alcohol and smoking. Avoid rich, fatty foods and stick to a light diet of rice, vegetables, and fish. Don’t eat too much fruit as this can cause stomachaches and diarrhea.

Heatstroke Prevention
Heatstroke is caused by the breakdown of the body’s cooling mechanism. Symptoms are a marked increase in body temperature to over 40° C (105° F) accompanied by flushed red skin, extreme lethargy, reduction in perspiration, and sometimes nausea, muscle cramps, or vomiting. Avoid heatstroke by drinking plenty of fluids, taking in enough salt, wearing light clothing, and moderating your intake of alcohol. Though rare, heatstroke could be an emergency. The victim should be taken to a cool room, doused with cold water, covered with a wet sheet, the body fanned and sponged until the temperature drops to at least 39° C (102° F), at which point the sponging should stop. Keep the patient at rest.

Salt
When your body sweats under the tropical sun you lose salt, so more should be added to your diet. Initial jet lag and fatigue might simply be caused by salt deprivation. Loss of body fluids as a result of diarrhea or dysentery also calls for increased salt consumption. Salt tablets are not really necessary, but after heavy physical exercise you might add a little extra salt to your food. If trekking into the Bali Barat National Park or climbing one of Bali’s volcanoes, take along ordinary sea salt. A mixture of salt and water also serves as a mild antiseptic. If you have a sore throat, gargle with this solution.

Languages

Spoken language in Bali
Most young Balinese speak at least three languages fluently. Among themselves they speak ordinary Balinese, a difficult tongue which few Westerners ever master. To strangers and in the presence of Brahmana they converse in high Balinese. Nearly all the Balinese speak the official national language of Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesia, a language similar to Malay.

American-style English is the most widely spoken foreign language on Bali, particularly by those involved in the tourist industry. There are proportionally more English-speakers on Bali than in anywhere else in Indonesia.

You can in fact embarrass an Indonesian working in an international-class hotel by failing to address him in English, thereby implying he lacks necessary language skills. An increasing number of Balinese tourist guides, travel agents, and hotel staff also speak rudimentary French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, or German.

Although contemporary Balinese is written in Roman letters, the cleft-like characters of the traditional alphabet are related to Sanskrit-derived ‘Kawi’ of Central Java. Balinese is a very difficult language to master because of its many subtle pronunciations. Serious students of the language should obtain A Basic Balinese Vocabulary and the handy Bali Pocket Dictionary, both compiled by Rev. N. Shadeg, S.V.D. The Kamus Bahasa Bali Bali-Indonesia and Indonesia-Bali dictionary by Sri Reshi Anandakusuma is available in Bali for around Rp10,000.

Bahasa Indonesia
Such is the diversity of tongues in Indonesia (200 indigenous speech forms, each with its own regional dialect) that often the inhabitants of the same island don’t speak the same native language. On the tiny island of Alor there are some 70 dialects, on Sulawesi 62 languages have been identified, and Irian Jaya is home to an astounding 10% of the world’s languages.

One language, Bahasa Indonesia, is taught in all schools to all students from age five; it’s estimated about 70% of Indonesia’s population is literate in Bahasa Indonesia. This language is the only cultural element unifying the entire ethnically splintered population.

First used as a political tool in 1927 with the cry “One Nation, One Country, One Language,” it’s the only language used in radio and TV broadcasting, in official and popular publications, in advertisements, and on traffic signs. Taught in Balinese schools, Indonesian is widely spoken by the educated, in government offices, and in communities with mixed ethnic groups. All films shown in Indonesia are required by law to be dubbed in standardized, modern Indonesian.

Most of the country’s regional languages change forms and endings to show deference to the person addressed, but Bahasa Indonesia does not. Thus, Indonesian has been a powerful force for the democratization and unification of the myriad races and classes of Indonesia. Together with the decline of the caste system, Bahasa Indonesia language works to increasingly blur the formerly distinct levels of Balinese speech.

Characteristics of Bahasa Indonesia
Although Indonesian derives from Old Malay, a trader’s language used throughout the archipelago since at least the 12^th century, the proliferation of acronyms and infusion of foreign words makes Indonesian reading material barely comprehensible to Malaysians, though known for the economy of its vocabulary and for its simple, even child-like phrases. Bahasa Indonesia is actually an elaborate, subtle, and ambiguous speech form for expressing complex thought.

Initially, this non-tonal language is sublimely easy to learn. It’s written in the familiar Roman alphabet, words are pronounced the way they’re spelled, the morphology is simple. Nouns and verbs lack cases, genders, declensions, confusing conjugations, not even the verb “to be.” Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the language is its use of prefixes and affixes to turn roots into nouns and verbs.

Indonesian is a poetic language. ‘Matahari’ means sun, or literally “eye of the day”; ‘rumput laut’ means “sea hair” or seaweed; ‘merah muda’, for pink translates literally as “young red.” It’s also very picturesque – ‘bunga uang’ means bank interest, from ‘bunga’ for flower and ‘uang’ for money; ‘seperti cari ketiak ular’ (searching for the armpit of a snake) means looking for something that is nonexistent or impossible to find. Words you may have already run across include ‘amok’ (blind terror), sarong (the Malay skirt), and ‘bambu’ (bamboo).

Indonesian has a tremendous amount of dialectical variation, and each ethnic group speaks its own accented form. The Javanese speak it very slowly and monotonously, the Sundanese use a singsong manner, while the Irianese employ an archaic form taught by missionaries. All dialects are mutually intelligible.

Body Language
Such aggressive gestures and postures as crossing your arms over your chest or standing with your hands on your hips while talking, particularly in front of older people, are regarded as insulting. These are the traditional postures of defiance and anger in ‘wayang’ theater.

Anger is not shown openly. Loud voices are particularly offensive. In their efforts to make themselves understood, many Westerners speak with exaggerated slowness, raise their voices, or wave their arms about. To Balinese all these gestures may convey anger. The more important and vehement the subject under discussion, the quieter a Balinese is likely to become.

The feet are considered the lowliest part of the body, and it’s offensive to sit with the soles of your feet pointing at people. It’s also impolite to use your toes or the tip of your shoe for pointing, as when indicating something displayed on the ground in the ‘pasar’.

To beckon someone with a crooked index finger is rude. If you need to call to someone – e.g., a passing taxi driver-extend your right hand and make a motion using the cupped fingers turned downward. Neither should you point with your forefinger; instead use your right thumb for pointing.

Since Asians consider the left hand unclean, never use it to touch someone or to give and receive things. If you should use your left hand, say “Ma’af” (“Excuse me”). When giving or receiving something from someone older, or in a high office or elevated status, extend your right arm (but not too far), bring your left arm across the front of your body, then touch your fingers to your right elbow. When passing in front of an elder or high-born person, or person of equal rank whom you don’t know, bend your body slightly, particularly if that person is sitting. Avoid blowing your nose into a handkerchief (especially loudly). Make a point of asking a guest to eat or drink when food is served since he will wait until you verbally offer it by saying “Silahkan” (“Please”). Conversely, it’s polite to wait until you are given permission before you eat or drink.

Learning Indonesian Language
Learning Indonesian is the miracle drug that helps minimize culture shock, enabling you to settle into Bali more quickly. Using a phrasebook is all right, as long as you realize you’re not really using the language. You’re simply holding up verbal signs “Where is the toilet?” God forbid you get back an answer not in the phrasebook. In truth, the most important sentence in the phrasebook is “I don’t speak the language.” Then you can ask your questions. If you don’t profess your ignorance, you’re likely to receive an outpouring of verbiage impossible to comprehend. To really learn the language requires six months of intensive work.

On Bali many Balinese in regular contact with tourists obligingly speak an abbreviated, simplified, form of Indonesian, a sort of “Tourist Indonesian” involving much gesticulating and use of body language. Listeners sensitive to your very limited vocabulary and struggles to find the right word will begin to use the same words as you, accommodating you by adopting your method of expression.

Ten Pointers for Learning Bahasa Indonesia

1. First learn the number, time, and calendar Systems, and how to spell your name in Indonesian. Mastering these will spare you frustration and save you money. Next, learn how to greet people. The formality of welcoming people is of paramount importance to Balinese. Also master the forms of polite speech, a social skill carrying much weight in Bali.
2. Avoid Balinese who try to speak to you in English. They are your most formidable obstacles to learning Indonesian. The fastest way to learn another language is never to speak your own.
3. Concentrate at first on just listening and speaking. It takes only a few weeks to learn the sound system properly. You must hear Indonesian spoken and speak it every chance you get. Listen and constantly repeat words and phrases, impressing them on your memory. Take the word ‘menandatangani’, a bit of a stumble, meaning, “to sign something.” Have Indonesians teach you how to pronounce it. The more times you use it, the quicker you’ll learn to pronounce it correctly and the quicker it will become a part of your vocabulary. Only after you’ve learned the pronunciation should you take on written language.
4. Don’t worry about making grammatical errors or common mistakes. Self-consciousness is a big block to learning. You have to make mistakes to learn. Children are quite willing to be wrong and that’s why they’re able to learn a foreign language so quickly. They don’t care if speech comes out grammatically correct. Speaking “perfect” Indonesian is of little concern to the Balinese, who will always give you the benefit of the doubt. And you still get points for trying!
5. Although at first you may not have a substantial vocabulary, try to use the words you do know skillfully. You’ll be flabbergasted at what you can say with a vocabulary of only 200 or so words. It seems you can get along for weeks with just variations of ‘makan’, ‘tidur’, ‘mandi’, ‘terlambat’, ‘sebentar lagi’, ‘sekarang’, ‘belum’ and ‘sudah’ (eat, sleep, wash, too late, in a little while, now, already, and not yet). Infinite combinations of sentences are possible! After one month of diligent work you’ll be speaking the ‘bahasa pasaran melayu’ or market talk – all you’ll need for bargaining, getting around, and meeting and relating to people.
6. After awhile you’ll reach a point where you actually speak without having to stop and think. The plateau you want to reach is to ask questions in Indonesian and quickly integrate the answers. The most important phrases toward this end are “What is this called in Indonesian?” (“Apa namanya ini di Bahasa Indonesia?”) and “How do you say this in Indonesian?” (“Bagaimana anda menyebutnya?”)
7. ‘Warung’, bus stops, markets, kiosks, and offices are the best classrooms in the land. While waiting for a friend, a bus, a ‘wayang’ show or movie to begin, or for a shop or restaurant to open, head toward any foodstall or group of bystanders and start up a conversation. Educated Indonesians in any gathering will make themselves known, and they delight in teaching you. You’ll find them very patient, repeating and writing words out, teaching you sayings and idioms, and breaking sentences down for you. Indonesians are also very encouraging, crying “Wah, pintar sekali!” (“Wow, very smart!”) the moment you utter just a few intelligible words. These daily, regular Indonesian lessons with the people are the equal of a US$1500 Berlitz Total Immersion Course.
8. For a reference book and vocabulary builder, all you really need is a good dictionary. Never go anywhere without it and never stop asking questions. Usten to the radio and TV, translate songs, labels, posters, signs, newspapers, tickets, and handouts.
9. Force yourself to speak in complete sentences. Don’t be lazy and speak pidgin Indonesian! Start out with proper opening and always include a subject, object, predicate. Speak whole phrases, not expletives or one or two word sentences. This will result in a more polished use of the language.
10. If you are determined to learn Balinese, use Bahasa Indonesia as your learning medium. Always ask for the Indonesian-not the English-when questioning a Balinese word.

Dictionaries
The best dictionary for the truly serious Indonesianist is the brilliantly compiled An Indonesian-English Dictionary. Covering modern Indonesian in its entirety, this dictionary has become the standard work used by English speakers since the first edition was published in 1961. The companion volume is the 660-page An English-Indonesian Dictionary. Both available from Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, tel. (607) 277-2338. Another useful dictionary is Contemporary Indonesian Dictionary by A. Ed. Schmidgall-Tellings and Alan M. Stevens, specifically listing words not provided in the E & S tomes. Softcover versions of all three dictionaries are available in Indonesia for around Rp50,000.

The best available pocket dictionary is Selected Indonesian Vocabulary for the Foreign Executive by Helen and Russel Johnson, which lists the root word in alphabetical order according to prefix. A pocket-size dictionary available in North America is Van Goor’s Concise Indonesian Dictionary, English-Indonesian and Indonesian-English by A.L.N. Kramer Sr. Order from Charles E. Tuttle Co., Box 410, Rutland, VT 05701-0410, tel. (802) 773-8930; ask when the new edition is due.

Also beginning to appear in Indonesia are handheld pocket-sized electronic dictionaries; type in an Indonesian word and immediately the English translation of the word is displayed. It’s got a Japanese brand name, Wiz, and it costs around Rp190,000.

Phrasebooks
If staying for a month or less, a good phrasebook will serve you well. Allegedly designed with the traveler in mind, the handy, bilingual (though it doesn’t contain “truck”) Periplus Pocket Dictionary has 2,000 Indonesian words most commonly used in asking directions, bargaining, simple conversation, and other everyday situations. Brief spelling and pronunciation guide included.

Everyday Indonesian: A Basic Introduction to the Indonesian Language & Culture by Thomas Oey contains relatively new written and spoken words and phrases divided into the usual phrasebook categories. Very helpful and widely available on Bali.

A very competent phrasebook available only in the U.S. is Say It In Indonesian by John Wolff. Order it from Dover Publications, 31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501, tel. (516) 294-7000. Compiled by a professional linguist; very thorough. A slightly less expensive alternative is Indonesia Phrasebook by Lonely Planet Publications. Memorizing this little booklet will serve you well for a 30 days or less stay. Also try the Bahasa Indonesia section in the back of this guide.

Books and Magazines
Children’s school readers, available in bookshops all over Bali for Rp1200-2500, are well suited for foreigners. The Indonesian is idiomatic and has everyday applications; they also contain valuable information about Indonesian culture and history. Some you can almost read by following the pictures.

A cheap, endlessly reprinted, and competent study book available in bookstores and tourist kiosks all over Bali is A.M. Almatsier’s How to Master the Indonesian Language. Almatsier’s The Easy Way to Master the Indonesian Language costs Rp8000, and is just as widely available. This book provides a step-by-step method of learning Indonesian, designed especially for the long-term resident. Chapters cover everyday situations frequently encountered-Basic Colloquial Expressions, To the Supermarket, Sports, and the like.

The Indonesian language courses at U.C. Berkeley use the classic Beginning Indonesian Through Self Instruction by John U. Wolff, Dede Oetomo, and Daniel Fietkeiwicz. Indonesian: A Complete Course for Beginner by J.B. Kwee is a difficult course but one that will provide you with a sound working knowledge of formal spoken and written Indonesian.

Bahasa Indonesia: Introduction to the Indonesian Language and Culture by Yohanni Johns is a standard introductory text used in universities around the world. This excellent, in-depth, two-volume set is completely self-contained, providing clear explanations of basic grammar. Extensive notes on usage and etiquette.

The intelligently produced school reader Pelangi is an excellent resource to learn intermediate-level Indonesian. Order the magazine through USQ Press, Box 58, Darling Heights 4350, Toowoomba, tel. (076) 31-2852, fax 31-1758.

Indonesian Language Tapes and CDs
“Language/30 Indonesian” tapes provide an excellent introductory, self-taught language program which will put you in tune with the language in about six hours. Based on a U.S. Army speed learning method, this concise course stresses only conversationally useful words and phrases. Two cassettes of guided greetings, introductions, requests, and general conversation for use at hotels, restaurants, businesses, and entertainment venues, using only natives speaking flawless Indonesian. Contact Educational Services Corp., 1725 K St. NW, no. 408, Washington, D.C. 20006, tel. (202) 298-8424.

The standard tapes for audio Indonesian language training in the English-speaking world are “Indonesian Conversations” and “Beginning Indonesian Through Self-Instruction,” an extensive set of 60-minute study tapes duplicated from professionally recorded masters. This expensive course (US$441 for the complete 83-tape set) is accompanied by text supplementing the oral training. To order, call Tape Sales, Rm Gll Noyes Lodge, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, tel. (607) 255-3827.

Based on their phrasebook, Lonely Planet’s “Indonesian CD Audio Pack” records an Australian couple’s travels from Australia to Indonesia. The approach is unique because the CD program takes you through a number of real life situations.

Language Programs
A program offering individual and group instruction is located on Bali at the Center for Foreign Languages (SUA Bali) in Kemenuh, seven km from Ubud. Dra. I.A.A. Mas and other skilled instructors are fluent in German, English, and Dutch. The standard fee for a two-week intensive course, including accommodations, is US$650. Offering a variety of opportunities for foreign visitors to learn elementary or advanced Indonesian in a village setting, individual courses can also be designed for specific needs.

One of Bali’s leading language learning schools is IALF Bali Language Center, Jl. Kapten Agung 19, Denpasar, tel. 62361-221.782/-221.785/-225.243, offering accelerated learning programs five evenings a week for four weeks. Call for an appointment for an individual placement test. The Bali Language Training & Cultural Center in the Mastapa Garden Hotel, Jl. Legian 139, Kuta (tel. 62361-751.660, fax 755.098, or write P.O. Box 3013, Denpasar), presents regular 12-week or intensive four-week Indonesian language classes that cost US$515. Tea breaks with Balinese cakes, free cultural excursion, special menus for BLTC students, open-air classrooms. The school is located in one of the nicest family-run hotels in Bali, a Garden of Eden in the Fires of Hell.

Miscellaneous

Laundry
Laundry is twice as cheap as in the West. Your accommodations will almost always offer a laundry service. There are no laundromats on Bali. In a home-stay or ‘losmen’, there is often an ‘ibu’ or one of the houseboys who does the washing. The charge depends on the article. Sometimes they don’t even charge, but in those cases give a tip. Guests may also wash their clothes in the sinks or in the courtyard’s ‘mandi’. Buy laundry soap, Rp400 per packet, at any grocery. An inexpensive nylon clothesline or length of rope, plus a few clothes pegs, are smart items to take to Indonesia.

If you’re staying in an up-market hotel, try to find a laundry service outside your hotel as starred hotels could easily charge you US$15-20 to wash and press an average load of laundry. The tax alone may account for a fifth of the cost. In Kuta, Poppies Lane II has several laundries that wash your clothes at a much more reasonable rate: Rp1000 for a shirt, Rp500 for a T-shirt, Rp2000 for a pair of pants, Rp500 for a pair of socks.

Big hotels offer dry-cleaning; every room has a price list. Don’t ever put valuable garments, such as an expensive silk shirt, into the hands of any laundry service-they may ruin it. If it’s a small, budget hotel doing your laundry, you need at least one good sunny day for them to complete the job. Better allow two or three days. Bigger, more expensive hotels have laundry facilities and can even offer 12-hour express laundry service for a surcharge.

Babysitting
Though a house-girl receives a wage of about Rp35,000 per month, you have to give more for a babysitter who is trained in first aid and childcare. Informally ask her. Expect to pay around Rp85,000 per month for a full-time babysitter, and even more if she’s able to speak English.

Photography
Ever since Gregor Krause’s photos stunned Europe in 1912, Bali has been photographed by some of the world’s best professional photographers. With its lush landscapes, colorful markets, spectacular temple sites, long colorful processions, and above all its friendly people, Bali is an endlessly photogenic island with thousands of subjects popping up constantly.

Get up with the Balinese at sunrise to catch the best village scenes in clear, crisp colors-women carrying loads on their heads to market, children bathing in streams, fishermen casting their nets. Light diffusion on the equator differs from that in the temperate zones, so be aware of intense sunlight and haze from around 1000 to 1500, which causes color film to flatten and wash out. A polarizing filter will cut down on this, while a lens hood will reduce reflection or direct sunlight on the lens.

When photographing performances, even in the dim, flickering, phantasmagoric light of a ‘kecak’ dance, the latest low-lux camcorders can produce quite acceptable recordings. But with so many amateur filmmakers present at these dances, it’s difficult to get a good shooting position. Your best bet is to use a tripod from one of the elevated back rows; this way, you’ll have an unobstructed shot, and you won’t block the view of others. If you have a handheld camera, try to get a seat in the front row, where you can follow the action with a wide-angle lens.

For those sunset shots on Kuta Beach or Tanah Lot, switching to the manual sunshine setting rather than the automatic white-balance will get you deeper, richer, more exotic colors. Or take your light exposure reading off the sky rather than the bright sun, and then shoot directly into the sunset. If you use a camcorder, use the wide-angle mode and a tripod to keep the scene steady. When photographing monkeys in the shade of the forest at Ubud’s Monkey Forest or at Sangeh, you’ll need a strong flash. Remember also that the lush tropical green of ‘sawah’ or jungle usually photographs better if backlit by the sun.

Equipment
For recreational photography, leave your cumbersome changeable-lens, 35mm SLRs at home. If you’re struggling with two bags full of photo equipment, you’ll only worry about your gear. Instead, take a new generation, 35mm, fully automatic subcompact.

For camera repair, try Prima Photo on Jl. Thamrin in Denpasar. Camera Service & Repair, Pertokoan Terminal Tegal Sari #27 (no telephone), on Jl. Imam Bonjol, has a better reputation-at prices much lower than in the West. This shop is in the same complex/terminal where you catch ‘bemo’ to Kuta.

Film
Color film on Bali is cheaper than in Europe or North America and is widely available. With the suffocatingly humid climate, make sure it has been stored in an air-conditioned environment. The most popular 35mm brand is Fuji, in a full range of ASA/DIN ratings. Although a 36-exposure Kodachrome 64-slide film is for sale at a cost of around Rp15,000 for film and processing, the processing is unreliable unless it is sent to Jakarta or Australia.

By contrast, a 36-exposure roll of Fujicolor print film (100 ASA) costs around Rp7000, 200 ASA is Rp8000. Batteries are also less expensive here: a six-volt lithium battery is Rp25,000, while in the U.S.A. it’s US$17. You’ll find good selections of film at dozens of photo shops on Kuta, Legian, Sanur, and Denpasar, and at most of the high-priced hotels.

Bali Foto Center (Jl. Raya Kuta 121, tel. 62361-751.329/-751.373) in Kuta carries more than 50 film brands, kept in an air-conditioned showcase, including such leading world brands as Agfa, Polaroid, a range of black-and-white films, as well as film in larger formats (9mm), Super 8 movie film, and videotapes. Prices tend to be higher than back home.

Printing
Any one of the dozens of photo shops in Kuta, Legian, Nusa Dua, Sanur, or Denpasar can develop and print color film in just two hours or less. Slide film takes five to seven days, movie film seven. The quality is generally good. At around Rp350 per print, color print costs are lower than in most Western countries. This equals to about Rp8500 for 24 exposures, Rp12,600 for 35 exposures. Most of the hotels of south Bali offer Kodak and Fuji film development and printing service. If reception calls, someone from a photo shop comes around and picks up your film and then delivers your prints three hours later in a mini-album. Most hotels sell film too.

An alternative to printing on Bali is to just store your exposed film, which can keep up to two months before processing if kept in a cool, dark place, or send your exposed film via airmail to processing centers back home. Kodak mailers sell for around US$10-13 for both film and mailer in U.S. camera shops or through the mail-order houses of New York. By using mailers, all your processed slide film will be waiting for you when you get back home.

Etiquette for Photographers
The Balinese are polite, congenial, and usually willing to have you record them and their ceremonies on film. Although there are no religious prohibitions against taking photos of people in prayer, it’s extremely impolite to photograph people bathing in streams or bathing places.

As a courtesy before taking a photo, first ask permission with the word ‘permisi’ or an expressive hand gesture making your intention clear. Please respect refusals. Being pushy will make it not only unpleasant for you but also for photographers who follow. The discreet use of a telephoto lens obviates having to ask permission.

Be aware of the sacredness of many of the ceremonies you may witness; act accordingly when using a flash or maneuvering for shots. Although a powerful flash is sometimes the only means by which to capture the nighttime dances of Bali, it is distracting to the audience and mars the performance.

Unless there happens to be a festival-taking place inside, ask first before photographing the interiors of temples. It’s highly unlikely that permission will be refused. A modest fee may be charged for a camera and a higher one for a movie or video camera. This fee may apply to the exterior, interior, and even surrounding grounds.

Electricity
Because of the power generated by a heat conversion plant at Bondalem (near Tejakula), power is fairly reliable, with about 75% of Bali’s villages supplied with electricity. Current may be 110V, 50 cycles AC, but most areas have by now completely changed over to 220-240V, 50 cycles AC. Some residences and hotels may even have both 110 and 220. Always check to make sure which current is installed before plugging in expensive electrical appliances.

One almost pines for the days of the oil lamps, which used to blend in so well with the environment. But the amount of electricity in some village ‘kampung’ can be absolutely minimal-solitary, dim, 25-watt bulbs, which you can replace with higher-wattage bulbs. In the larger towns, humming fluorescent lamps are all too prevalent. The lack of street lighting can make for hazardous walking at night. Ubud, Kuta, and Candidasa’s back lanes may be pitch dark and run alongside treacherous open drainage ditches. Always carry a flashlight.

Time
There are three time zones in Indonesia. Bali shares the same time zone as Nusatenggara, but the neighboring island of Java is one hour behind Bali. West Indonesia standard time (Sumatra, Java) is Greenwich mean time plus seven hours; central Indonesia standard time (Kalimantan, Bali, Nusatenggara) is GMT plus eight hours; east Indonesia standard time (Maluku, Irian Jaya) is GMT plus nine hours.

What this means is (daylight saving time excluded) that at 0500 in the morning in London, it’s 1200 in Jakarta, 1300 in Denpasar and Lombok, and 1400 in Ambon and Jayapura. What time is it elsewhere when it’s 1200 on Bali? It would be 0400 in London, 1100 in Singapore, 1400 in Sydney, 2000 in San Francisco, and 2300 in New York.

Since Bali is only eight degrees south of the equator, days and nights are about the same length. On Bali, about midpoint in the archipelago, the sun rises 90 minutes before it does in West Sumatra. There is full daylight before 0630 and total nightfall at 1830 when the sun drops out of the sky like a lead balloon.

Nighttime is lively on Bali. You have to admire the Balinese ability to go without sleep, such as during an all-night ‘wayang’. Even as little children, they start to practice staying awake. Consequently, the best time of the day for people watching is after sunset.

Climate
Bali has such a mild and agreeable climate the whole year round. The sunny days within dry season between May and September is warm and pleasant, while in rainy season between October and April, tropical shower will alternate with clear sky and sunshine. But it can rain at any time of year and even during the wet season rain is likely to pass quickly. The weather is most pleasant between May to September. At that time of year the climate is likely to be cooler and the rains lightest.

Around the coast, sea breezes temper the heat and as you move inland you also move up so the altitude works to keep things cool. It can get very cool up in the highlands and a warm sweater can be a good idea in mountain villages like Kintamani or Bedugul.

The average temperature of the day in coastal areas varies from about 28° C (82° F) during May, June and July to about 30° C (86° F) in March and October. It is approximately one and half hours drive to the highland where temperature varies from 16° C to 26° C and it is known to drop to about 8° C during the night. The humidity is high (from a minimum of 70 % to maximum of 95 %).