Day 558-560: April 11-13, 2026 – Port Benoa, Bali, Indonesia

I know that Bali is a popular tourist destination and many of my shipmates are loving it here. But I’m having trouble bonding with Bali. My usual plan when we get to a port is to grab my camera and spend the day walking and exploring. But Bali is not walkable. It’s one of the least pedestrian-friendly places I’ve been to. Miles of roads without any sidewalks. No public transport of any kind. I am pretty much at the mercy of taxis or Grabs (the Uber equivalent). Traffic is horrendous — no public transport means there are a million scooters on the roads, and they stop for no one.

Whenever I try to get walking directions, GPS directs me to get on a ferry to a neighboring island, then return to Bali via a different ferry to a different location. So to get to a beach that is only 5 miles away, would be a 23 hour “walk.”

Another disappointment: I was all excited because Mr. Google told me Bali has multiple Dunkin’ locations. Michelle joined me on a run to one of them, only to find it’s no longer a Dunkin’; it’s been rebranded as D2 Donuts (and therefore no longer part of the DD franchise). I gave the knockoff donuts a try, but they didn’t have any of my favorites and it just wasn’t the same. Scouting out two other potential locations confirmed that Dunkin’ no longer exists here. Boo hoo. 😢

They do have these intricate stone carvings throughout the city that are pretty impressive. Seems like every roundabout had one. So that’s something to like.

And they did a nice water cannon salute for us when we pulled into port. A water cannon salute is a ceremonial welcome for a ship entering a port for the first time. Fireboats spray arcs of water as a mark of respect and appreciation. That’s always pretty cool to see.

We’re scheduled to be back in Bali in a couple weeks. Maybe I’ll warm up to it then.