Bali

Law Enforcement

The Bali Nine case, Australian trafficking cases and the bombings were fresh in people’s minds. Police were everywhere in Kuta and Legian, and searches often focused on explosives.

People said police accepted bribes and usually left tourists alone without cause. I wouldn’t count on either.

Where to Buy Marijuana

In Kuta people approached me again and again, especially around Poppies Lane, the square and nightclubs. Australian surfers sometimes knew somebody. Even with all those offers, I couldn’t get real weed.

The fakes looked like pot but smelled dusty. Some buyers would ask to try a little before paying. I heard the tsunami in Banda Aceh had cut off much of the local supply, pushing up prices and making fakes more common.

Watch for the runaround: a promised connection, a ride you have to pay for, a guy who just ran out, and suddenly you’re being pushed to buy handicrafts.

Jalan Legian was a different story for me. Lots of bars, pubs and clubs, with plenty of genuine offers and scams. I rarely went to pricier Nusa Dua, so I couldn’t say what was there. Some sellers let you test what they had if you weren’t cheeky about it.

People also talked about mushrooms sold in warungs, local cafés, and claimed they could be sold legally. That was an assumption from the scene at the time.

Marijuana Prices

Aceh weed or Nepalese hash was quoted at 500,000 rupiah for ten grams, down to 350,000 with bargaining. Australian hydro could be US$30 a gram, or as much as US$80. Australians sometimes got better prices. I wouldn’t pay the high end: once people do, those quotes stick.

Those prices sounded like a rip-off to me. Tourists speaking little Indonesian or working from a phrasebook tended to get higher quotes. If you could find good weed and negotiate, I heard 50,000–100,000 rupiah, without a clear weight.

Types of Marijuana

Australian hydro, mostly skunk and especially “red hair,” Nepalese hash, Thai sticks, Aceh weed and schwag.

More Information

After the bombings, clubs took security seriously and didn’t like people smoking. I worried about somebody reporting me to get money. There were stories of police demanding more from tourists or trying to get money from the venue. The beach was fun but windy. A hotel seemed more private if you kept it discreet.

Club 66 was practically a rave every night, right on the beach. A little pricier, but fun even sober, with a gay crowd that made the night more interesting. There were offers of harder drugs there and along Jalan Legian, whispered in broken English and slang.