Quote:
Originally Posted by Hinerange
Bosses, if go balai 1st time, possible to walk around and visit the places instead of hiring drivers?
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hi there,
1. u don't need to hire the ojeks ( guys on scooters ) or drivers from the jetty to your hotel.
2. i recommend maxi, cause it's the cleanest. the rest are really crap and a dengue risk as their housekeeping is really poor. maxi is the only hotel which has a clean environment.
u can go as low as $12 a night at those 1st storey shophouse "hotels", they are next to maxi. ( u will encounter 3 of them on the right side of maxi. meaning the right hand side of maxi. )
3. do not change your money at the money-changers just outside the jetty. i met one that shortchanged me. why they do that, i don't know but it was my 1st and last time.
near maxi, there are 2 money-changers. one is beside the police-post with a grumpy aunty. the other by a young chinese couple. both of them are reliable. generally, the money-changers inside are pretty reliable. just don't use the ones at the row of shophouse located just outside the jetty.
4. buy their pre-paid sim, it's cheap and with google maps, life is good.
5. don't give money to the street kids, they will swamp u if u do that.
6. food is nice and cheap.
7. how to go to the farm without being leeched?
take the ojek to the farm, ask them to drop u off before u reach the destination.
that way, they can't earn commission on you.
the drivers, if anyone is engaging one, they earn a commission off everything/everywhere they go with you. meaning, at the farms, hotels, restaurants. balai is v solo-friendly. i went there on my own on my 1st trip and never needed any drivers at all. just be friendly and most people would share info with you. i don't speak bahasa, so if i can do it... so can you!
everyone is a standby-ojek, just wave and someone will pick u up and bring u back to your hotel.
make sure u discuss the price beforehand, remember the pre-paid sim with mobile internet? u need google translate to do this. so make sure that u buy that after u change the monies in balai.
my rule of thumb is to change monies first and then buy pre-paid sim-card. after that, check into the hotel then go to farm / go and eat.
the chinese seafood are a great option at night, it's way cheaper compared to sg prices naturally.
if u like ramlee burgers, it rocks here. but i am pretty sure, it's not beef patties for the price of err.... sg$1.20? probably rat meat... but it tastes great with all the condiments.
balai's satay sucks, it's hard and dry. only chicken satay is available from a makeshift stall opposite maxi. i am not adventurous on the malays' food as i am handicapped in speaking bahasa. i bet there are nice ones, but i haven't found any. i been to some really local ones, it's really food for subsistence to say the least. if not, the roadside stall foods have a stench and i stay away from that. remember not to consume any liquids that's not boiling hot. i accidentally ate their chendol and had diarrhoea later. remember to drink bottled water / canned drinks / beer only and u would be fine.
if smokes and beers are your thing, balai is heaven too on this aspect.
hope it helps.
in one of my community-service warnings to the bros here that the syt are in cahoots with the okts where the girls will be friendly to the point until they enter your room and become problematic and want to go back... thus, your longtime booking money is essentially burnt, hope the info above shows while my post-count is low.... i am not new to balai.
balai was nice in the past, it no longer is.
if u don't mind going to a 1960s SG where everything is relatively cheap and slow without xxx, it's all good. if u are looking for a xxx buffet, i would totally avoid balai unless u are ok with cougars/milfs.
if u find the above info helpful and genuine, pls pump my points....