Bali...or the Kuta area anyway ... is a town of court yards...and narrow streets... There is little consideration of the pedestrian... Narrow high walled extremely narrow streets will go on for hundreds of meters...without any breaks or even a "cut throughs"...
So walking can be risky...and take you far far out of your way... There are often dogs to contend with...if the motor bikes are not bad enough...
Bali is best done at the large gated and gaurded beach resorts...these are luxurious and verdant...and designed to impress...even if the surrounding area is rather run down and impossible to navigate on foot...
The exception is the Kuta area between Hard Rock Cafe...and the Legian Beach area...This is all public and is the heart of the Poppies Lane Surfing ....
On the streets there are taxis and touts all over. Some are even genuinely helpful... after all this is their home...!
The Beach is "accessed" via the resorts...not through a public road or path...this may be designed to control traffic on the beach...which of course is beautiful...the exception being Kuta area...
The gangs or alleyways are full of small hotels and "losmens"...which are much cheaper than the main beach front resorts...Sorga is probably the best to check out in a pinch...but the facilities of the resorts are available on a walkin basis...so anyone can use them within limits...and photography is allowed...
The best way to see Bali is by private car...or small tour bus... Cars cost about $40 per day for all day...including gas... So perhaps a good deal...
There are convenience stores every few blocks for snacks and water...These are very western looking...and amid the other local businesses they stand out...
I saw a couple with kids trying to venture outside a big resort today...and I thought ...They just got here...! The Streets of Bali are no place for kids...there simply is no place to walk...and the traffic ( on the "wrong side" of the street ) is constant...
So that is my immediate "take" on Bali...I'll be moving around a bit...and going to the hinterland later...
