if you can, you definitely should. i live in bali and its awesome. especially for biking and running. you will love it. absolutely. it will likely, be rather life-changing or at very least unforgettable. you will not regret.

and if you can, bring your friends or family and come stay in my villa ! hahaha :D

cheers and enjoy

jon

it's sorta on the pretty side.....
for me, " it's an absolutely beautiful tropical paradise"
People are on a whole new level of friendly, the place is gorgeous with really interesting geography, tropical ( read humid ) climate...

just do it, and you'll have an adventure and stories to tell for the rest of your days...
can the rest of us come & join y'all

Don't ride anywhere near the main centres as the traffic is chaos. When I was there for a surf trip in 2011 or so, there was no road markings etc and everyone just follows their own place on the road with cars driving next to each other etc. Lots of tourists ride scooters around the place and from what I hear there are deaths every year. The traffic is the craziest I have ever seen. I am guessing you won't be riding near Kuta though...

Triaya also lives there IIRC and echo the last comment - do not ride in traffic.

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I wouldnt ride there. Bad road quality, terrible drivers, dogs.
the running is great though. People look at you like you are crazy. Plenty of little shops to buy drinks. Swimming can be hit and miss. Some areas are nice but many beaches are like swimming in a toilet

In Sanur there is s great jogging path along the beach. It gets crowded by about 8am so get out early to beat the crowds and heat. I think it's about 3 miles but you can extend via quiet roads in both directions.

Biking will be very tough unless you get far out of the cities up north.

There are plenty of hot and smallish hotel pools but the ocean swimming by sanur is very good if you get out at high tide.

Amazing place

you haven't heard of bali?

umm, you're joking, right?

Thanks for all the responses. We would mostly be running, doing yoga, and reading, but I figured I'd ask about biking because there was a time I was pretty good at it and would probably enjoy it again if the environment was suitable. Maybe my CX bike would be best. For me it would essentially be a long spiritual retreat, it's just that working out is when I feel closest to God/Universe/Baby-Jesus/etc. so wanted to make sure it'd be the right environment for that.

And no, I really had never heard of Bali before, or more likely, had probably heard the word, but it was just white noise that didn't register.

Of course, when I said it was sorta pretty according to google images I realize it was quite the understatement. I actually got a little choked up when I saw the pictures and realized that I'm in a position to legitimately do this.

will agree with others re traffic near the centres....
get a basic mountain bike for your time there as there are lots of minor roads & walking trails.

Have done this based in Seminyak.
Riding is ok but get out early, avoid Kuta it's a shit hole,
Be very aware of traffic and dogs... DO NOT expect courtesy from other road users.. The roads are slick when wet..
Get medical insurance, always ride with a phone, always inform others of tour route and return time...
Use 25mm tyres (gp4000s coped just fine)
OK that's the negatives covered....
It is beautiful, u will meet random awesome people out in the country who marvel at you and why u are riding a bike without trying to go anywhere... And take the time to stop when you see something cool rather than ploughing on cos u are training...
Running is fine anytime, just tropics conditions so normal rules apply...

For me whilst it was nice, the quality of the training wasn't stellar cos it was ridiculously hot and humid, ironically back home is a better spot...
I have done the same from on Koh Samui and it's very similar..

Have fun.

Who are all these people who replied? Why do I not know them? ;) Heh.

There is a large and active triathlon/fitness/yoga/BabyJesus ;) community in Bali. There's even (our first! our very own!) Indonesian pro triathlete who runs a great swim squad and triathlon training team (really easy to go to workouts even if you're not a member). Whether you just want to hang out with your friend or you want to do tri-type stuff, we have it, for all abilities. Check out Bali Triathlon Club on Facebook as well as Team Hope. (That's not even counting all the other runny bikey swimmy stuff). Serious pool training is limited by shitty pools (warm, shallow, no gutters or lane lines, no black lines on bottom/walls, but they are standard distances. More or less.) If it's not rainy season there's plenty of good open water swimming as well.

What area of Bali will you be in?

I have mixed feelings about Bali, but it's very different being a resident than a visitor. There are indeed still so many places and experiences (and most of the people) that will indeed choke you up with their deep beauty. I'd strongly encourage you to come. Drop me a PM with your email if you're interested in more info or even meeting up when you're there. (I only live there about a third to half of the time, though). Cheers!

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Copy that. Been there a year ago and it was great.
The running on the Sanur side could easily be extended. To me as middle European it got crazy hot after 8am. Good swim alongside of the beach.
Went to Kuta once to find swimming prohibited along the whole beach.
Beautiful island and lots of nice people. Enjoy.

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-shoki

I'm actually flying out there tomorrow for a bit over a week. Have been there plenty of times before for a week or so.

Most have summed it up:

• Biking is not really cricket as roads are too busy, but I'm sure there are good spots (that's beyond my knowledge)
• Sanur (where I'm having the 1st half) is the best for swimming. Kuta/Legian/Seminyak beach, unless you go out quite deep is more surfing/boogie boarding type stuff that swimming k's.
• Running is great, go anywhere - best go as early as possible before it gets busy. I've stayed in Seminyak and running is good when you go north into the greens of Canngu and further north again. Along the beach down to Kuta isn't that nice as the beach has a nasty camber. Running is good anywhere, but traffic can be a pain along with the noise/smoke.

Agree with the Koh Samui comment as have travelled plenty there. More beaches to swim, biking is possible and better running.

Been here in Ubud for a month now. Shoot me a PM if you'd like. Doesnt seem most posters understand Bali is an island, a rather large island for training purposes....... NOT a city. Kuta IS NOT BALI!!

I'd offer a meet up over beer, but I'm flying over to the Philippines for a couple weeks early tomorrow.

If we don't speak & I have only this piece of advice to offer ...... rent a moto & head North. Don't stop till your front tire's in the sea! Most unbelievable scenery ever! Old Walt Disney couldn't have come up with this! Saying is ..... you could plant a broomstick in the ground on Bali, come back tomorrow & it'd have blooms!!

CC

To follow up (as I am also going to Bali after Christmas), is there any wild life I should be concerned about while swimming or running on trails?

We saw a water snake once underneath while swimming. Watch your fingers cause it's still shallow even if it's high water at sanur beach as far as I remember.
Like others stated....watch out for dogs when running. Usually they are more protective/aggressive when it's gettin dark.

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-shoki