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Bali (Crete)

Bali (Greek: Μπαλί) is in Rethymno Prefecture on the island of Crete in Greece. It has several beaches of varying size and countless hotels and apartment complexes.

Understand
Balí is not named after the Indonesian island. An educated local said that it is from the word "Vali" that means "Prince" This contradicts the Lonely Planet's guide book that says it is from the old Turkish word for "Honey" (honey was produced there during the period of Turkish rule).

Wearing black is a local custom and you'll see both men and women do it. Cretans are mainly orthodox Christians, so most shops outside of pure tourists villages like Balí close on Sundays, though restaurants are open also on Sundays.

Get in
Heraklion and Rethemnon both have ports and Heraklion has an airport. You can get from these towns to Balí by bus or taxi from there. If you want to leave or arrive by bus, try fitting the schedule in with the little tour-bus/train that runs around Balí, so you don't have to walk all the way to or from the main road which is 2 kilometres from the village centre. If it's really hot just wait in the shade until the little train comes, so you don't have to walk in the sun into town. There are no benches, and the concrete slab where the train stops is hard, so a soft seat pad will come in handy if there's a long wait.

Some tour operators like Ving.no do not include nor offer bus transfer to and from the Heraklion airport, so keep the taxi fare of €50 or more in mind. You can order a taxi in advance on-line, but the price seems to be higher than when you get a taxi ups arrival.

Get around
Using a taxi isn't very practical for short trips, since they must be ordered from Rethemnon or Irakleo. Use the little train if possible if you want to avoid walking when the sun is too bright. The little train is not just a tour - it is a practical way of getting around Balí. Wait at one of the signs or hail it anywhere and get in when it stops, the conductor will look you up on one of the next stops and sell you a ticket.

There are several companies that offer rental cars (and scooters) in Balí, so you should be able to compare prices. Remember to bring an international driver's licence if you come from a non-EU/Schengen-agreement country. Wearing a helmet while driving a motorcycle is mandatory, but not too strictly enforced, but remember that your health-insurance may be void if you have an accident while not wearing a helmet.

Do

 * Diving: Go on an arranged dive, or get your International Padi divers licence at Hippocampus diving centre. Go to the port and follow the sign next to the cruise booking office. There are also day long excursions by boat to other beaches and towns. Some include lunch. Book at the harbour or in one of the booths close to the more remotely situated hotels.

Buy
There are lots of "tourist shops" all over the village that sell souvenirs, food and beach-stuff. Go to the bigger towns Heraklion and Rethemnon for all other shopping.

Don't go to Heraklion or Rethemnon on Sunday for shopping as everything is closed.

Eat
Don't expect all bars/restaurants to accept credit cards. There is an ATM on the road up from town (Between the doctor's office and Mythos restaurant), so withdraw before you dine.

Drink
Don't come to Balí for the wild parties that last all night long as they don't seem to exist. There are other destinations (and other Greek islands) that have a more happening party scene.

There are two nightclubs: Crazy town on the main road close to town and the Highway club (outdoors) closer to the main road. These open at 22:30. Crazy town is a western-themed disco is supposed to be oriented towards a younger clientèle than the Highway Club. Drinks cost €5.

Raki is the local grape-derived spirit, which is somewhat similar to grappa. The local wine is Retsina, a dry white wine.

Sleep
Athina apartments (+30 2834094230) has relatively large apartments. They are simple, but new and spotlessly clean and all rooms has a patio or veranda with chairs and a table and clock radio in the room. Aircondition is available. Has a house restaurant (also spotlessly clean) for the hotel guests that serves breakfast and dinner, and a few drinks. A nice, small, well kept pool with deck-chairs and a bar open a few hours from around 16:00. Friendly staff that speaks many languages. Bar and restaurant opening hours seems to be loosely followed guide.

Some of the hotels are very remotely situated and a long way from the beach (like “The Stone Village”), while others are beach front. Look them up before you decide on a hotel.

People camp in caravans close to the beach as well. Uncertain if these campers are tourists or guest workers (many of these are from eastern Europe).

Stay safe
The local police seem to have a very low profile, probably since there seems to be very little crime in the area -unless you count traffic offences.

Drive safely, especially at night. There are big light poles for the pedestrians so they won't get lost or injured at night.

Hotel doors should be locked the whole time you are in your room.

Cope
If you don't like air-conditioning, bringing or buying a fan if you stay in the middle of summer is recommended. You can get a small desk-fan in Rethemnon for as little as €13. Otherwise, most hotels offer air-conditioning.

Water is heated mainly by solar power, so don't expect warm water for showering when there is no sunlight.

Don't flush down the paper, use the bin.

Don't come to Balí if you are mobility disabled and don't have assistance - the entire island of Crete seems to be ridden with wheelchair obstacles. Balí hotels are often situated on the steep hills around the village, and I haven't seen any lifts nor escalators anywhere.

Cretans seem to smoke a lot and smoking is allowed/tolerated almost everywhere including at the McDonald's restaurant in Heraklion. Don't expect smoking bans to be enforced 100%.

Go next
Go to the bigger towns Heraklion and Rethemnon for shopping — though beware that everything there will be closed on Sunday. Use the little train up to the main road and remember to buy a rerun ticket from the attendant in the booth before entering the bus. Both Heraklion and Rethemnon bus-stations are fairly well organized and has some of its most important information written in English and German on signs/monitors. The buses are modern, well maintained and have air-conditioning on a comfortable level that shouldn't give you a cold. Heraklion can be a good starting point for island hopping by boat, since it has an active port next to the bus station.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bali (Crete)


text:
Bali (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Bali:

Greece

 * Bali (Crete) - a small town on the island of Crete

Indonesia

 * Bali - the famous island east of Java and west of Lombok

Taiwan

 * Bali District - in Taipei County, Taiwan.

title: Bali (disambiguation)


text:
Bali District

Bali is a district in New Taipei, Taiwan. This is the newest tourist place in Taipei.

By bus
One easy way to get to Bali is via bus. From MRT Guandu station, take bus R13 or R22 (For Bali Ferry Pier and Formosa Fun Coast only), the bus ride takes about 20~30 minutes.

By boat
This is very popular among local people. The ferry comes from Tamsui, on the other side of the Danshui river, and arrives at Bali's Ferry Pier, as well as several piers along Bali Left Bank Park. Note that on weekends and holidays, you may have to wait for as more as an hour before being able to get aboard, while the ride only lasts for a few minutes.

CSF operates fast ferries (about 3 hours) from Pingtan in mainland China to Bali District and back. As of February 2019, it runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (full schedule). Adult fares for non-Taiwan citizens start at NT$3,000 one-way, $5,300 round-trip if purchased in advance (fare table), a couple hundred more if purchased at the pier (fare table). Fares are cheaper for Taiwan/ROC citizens (advance/pier.

By bicycle
The best method to move in Bali is renting a bicycle. There are several places to get one near the pier where boats from Danshui arrive, and rental is inexpensive. Many of local attractions are located within a couple of kilometers from the boat pier and bike makes them all quickly accessible.

By foot
A walking trail is built along Danshui river. It is possible to walk to most attractions in Bali area while enjoying the view of waterfront. But of course it takes some time and energy.

Eat
Fancy cafe and restaurants can be found near Bali Left Bank Park. There are also food stands available at Bali Ferry Pier for fans of Taiwanese snacks. However, many of them are closed on weekdays, as most visitors come on weekends.

Go next
Bali is often visited along with the nearby district of Tamsui.

title: Bali District


text:
Baliem Valley

The Baliem Valley is a region in central Papua. Surrounded by mountains as high as 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) and practically isolated from much of the island, this valley hosts some of the traditional cultures of Papua.

Cities
Wamena is the main city in the Baliem Valley of West Papua that serves as the gateway to exploring further into the valley. The city is the starting point for most tours and treks into the Lani, Dani, and Yali tribal lands, and you can actually go to Asmat lands from here too. These tours and treks range from local half-day walks to 30-day expeditions deep into tribal lands.

It is a pretty functional town with basic facilities and amenities provided, though it may be considerably more expensive than Jayapura as everything is basically shipped by freight.

Other destinations
The Baliem Valley and surrounding areas offer a glimpse into what were stone-age villages. The mountains to the south provide superb scenery, but are accessible only by air and/or walking.

Some of the walks up to two days can be done without a guide, but it is highly recommended to employ a guide for anything longer than that. Trails are marginal in places, there are no signs, and almost no English is spoken in the villages.

Guided treks range from backpacking with a guide, to backpacking with a guide and a couple of porters, up to a full expedition with guide, cooks and enough porters so you only need to carry your camera.

Backcountry trails range from a road (well, almost a road), to a well-used footpath with some steep places, to game trails, to more or less a route that requires a guide. Landslides that take out section of trails are not unusual, especially during the wet season, so detours and/or bushwacking around the slide can be expected. Trails typically involve a lot of up and down as you cross rivers at the bottom or a valley and later in the day go over a mountain pass into the neighboring valley. Starting altitude (Wamena) is about 1,800 meters above sea level (5,200 ft) and many trails go over 3,000 meters (10,000 ft).

By plane
There is no road from Jayapura to Wamena. The most reliable way to get to Baliem Valley is flying from Jayapura, about a 40-minute flight.

Get around
There is a road from Wamena to the south, but due to flooding and the lack of bridges, where there are rivers only the roads are not as complete as they appear on the map. Therefore, walking and flying remain the only ways to commute outside of the proximity of Wamena.

Public transportation in Wamena consists of airport taxis, minivan taxi (called Bemos) that run set routes, and bicycle rickshaws. Prices are reasonable, even the premium rates charged to tourists. Make sure to confirm the costs with the driver before boarding.

Private-hire vehicles (with driver) are typically a small SUV or a mid-size 4X4 pickup truck.

See
Due to the limited information, a majority of tourists who come to the valley will most likely explore with a tour guide. These are some of the sights you are expected to see:

Hiking
Visit any or all of the three major markets in Wamena. Walk to them or take the bicycle rickshaw. Roaming through the markets is fascinating and completely safe. These markets are not limited to fresh produce and fruits but are more like open air shopping malls - clothing, canned goods, electronics, car parts, farming implements, etc. - truly an amazing selection of products. Please ask permission before taking photos.

The bridge across the Baliem River (near the main market) is a great place to watch locals - washing clothes, swimming, fishing, digging out gravel - as well as seeing many Dani & Yali people from remote villages coming into town to buy or sell in the market.

If you feel adventurous and are used to find your way with a GPS, you can visit without a guide, provided you do your research about the area and let some one know about your trip.

Trek from Wamena to Ungurruk through Papuan villages, jungles, deep valleys, and steep mountains. There are several routes, taking from 3 to 4 days for the routes used by the locals, including the one through Mt Elit which requires doing down makeshift wooden ladders for 4 hours - highly challenging, especially in rainy and wet conditions. One of the route south of the Baliem Valley takes about 8 to 10 days through villages but also through jungle and high muddy plateaux. You need a guide to explore these parts as they are no map, sometimes no trail to follow, and definitely not many people to help.

Buy
Be aware that everything is expensive in Wamena compared to the rest of Indonesia as virtually every single thing (including gasoline) is transported by air, though the enforcement of fuel prices that are now subsidized and the same as Java, may help to lower the prices of all things somewhat.

Souvenirs
Kopi Wamena. Wamena's coffee.

Drink
Water upstream is cool and appears to be safe to drink (but this does not constitute authoritative advice, so drink at your own risk). While this is true for natural springs that dot the countryside, anyone venturing into the backcountry should bring a backpacker's water filter and/or be prepared to boil water.

Wamena city water is not safe to drink unless boiled and filtered. Hotels and restaurants typically provide boiled and filtered water, and offer bottled water at a reasonable price. There are a number of local purification facilities that produce bottled water, generally available in 1/2-liter to 20-liter sizes.

Note that alcohol (in any form) is illegal and unavailable in the Baliem Valley.

Sleep
Do not expect a lot of options for luxurious accommodations.

Stay safe
There is little light at night and it might feel overwhelming to walk but it felt safe overall to walk even in the dark. As for any city, stay vigilant and avoid flashing expensive items (money, camera, bag, jewelry).

Go next

 * Jayapura - the largest city in Papua province.

title: Baliem Valley


text:
Balıkesir

Balıkesir is a city in the Southern Marmara Region of Turkey, which in 2020 had a population of 662,199. It's mostly modern but has several old mosques.

Understand
The town is on the main trade route from Istanbul to Izmir, so it's been settled from antiquity. In Roman times circa 124 AD there was a hunting lodge and small town somewhere around the present football stadium. It became known as "Old Castle", in Greek "Palaeokastron" and in Turkish "Balukiser", and grew into the provincial capital. Very little remains of these times, as in 1898 there was a devastating earthquake, so what you see now is mostly modern.

The area is hilly but fertile, so Balıkesir has industries based on dairy, wheat, olives, sunflower oil and other agriculture. It quarries limestone and borax (sodium borate), which has a remarkable range of uses such as cleaning. Balıkesir has a university and as one of the "Anatolian Tiger" towns continues to develop new industries.

By plane
International visitors will find it most convenient to fly into either of the Istanbul airports and take overland transport or a ferry.

Edremit Airport has been re-named Balıkesir Koca Seyit Airport but you might wonder if "Koca Seyit" is Turkish for "nowhere near". (Actually it's "Corporal Seyit", the gunner hero of Gallipoli.) It's 100 km west of town, with daily flights from Istanbul and once a week from Ankara. The airports at Bursa and Çanakkale are just as inconvenient and sparsely served.

Balıkesir Merkez Airport is 5 km southeast of town but even less convenient, as it has a military airbase but no commercial flights and is regarded as an expensive joke.

By train
Balıkesir is at the junction of two railways. All your patience will be needed to use them, and there are no plans to extend the YHT high speed trains to town.

From Ankara the İzmir Mavi Treni (Blue Train) runs nightly, taking nine hours via Eskişehir and Kütahya. From Balıkesir it takes another four hours via Manisa and Soma to Izmir. Ege Ekspresi is a daytime train on the section between Izmir and Eskişehir, which has YHT trains from Istanbul, Ankara and Konya.

Also from Izmir, 6 Eylül Ekspresi (6th of September) runs daily via Manisa and Soma, continuing north from Balıkesir to Bandırma on the coast (another two hours). When it returns south from Bandırma it's called 17 Eylül Ekpresi (17th of September) but even TCDD can't dawdle for ten days: it departs at 16:00, so you can connect with the ferry from Istanbul.

See Turkish State Railways TCDD for timetables, fares and online tickets.

The is on Cumhuriyet Meydanı at the east edge of downtown. Across the highway from the station is the old bus terminal, Eski Garaj, focus of local transport.

By bus
Balıkesir is on the main route between Istanbul and Izmir, so it has a service every 30 min with competing companies. These buses take six hours via Gebze and Bursa for a fare of 200 TL, and continue south via Akhisar and Manisa to Izmir (another 3 hours, 70 TL). Bus lines include Metro Turizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus.

The is 5 km northeast of town along Bandirma Cd D220. Buses ply frequently to Eski Garaj the old bus terminal north side of the railway station.

By car
Balıkesir is near motorway O5 from Gebze (for Istanbul and Ankara via O7) via Bursa, continuing south to Izmir.

Get around
Walk: most places of tourist interest are within 500 m of the railway station and clock tower.

Local bus and dolmuş lines radiate from Eski Garaj by the railway station.

See

 * (Saat Kulesi) is the focal point of the city, on Anafartalar Cd. It's described as a copy of Istanbul's Galata Tower, which is cylindrical and doesn't remotely resemble this Italianate tower which ought to grace a railway terminus. The original of 1827 was destroyed by the earthquake of 1898 but it was rebuilt to the same design.
 * Ömer Ali Bey Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi is a reference library of early Ottoman books and manuscripts, for serious scholars only by prior arrangement. It's by the clock tower.
 * Photography Museum 100 m north of the clock tower remains closed in 2022.
 * Umurbey Mosque is fairly simple. It was built in 1413 and repaired in 1635 and 1925. It's 200 m west of the railway station.
 * Old houses: town centre is modern. A few higgledy-piggledy streets with traditional houses survive in the Aygoren and Karaoglan neighbourhoods east of Atatürk Park.
 * Kuş Lake: see Bandırma for this birdlife reserve on the road north to the coast.
 * is a town 50 km northwest on the scenic mountain road to Çanakkale (D555/210). Today, it's a struggling community of 2,000 people, but back in its heyday, it was home to about 20-30,000 thanks to the lucrative business created by its lead and zinc mines. In the 19th century, a French company got a concession to exploit the ore, but in the 1930s, the economically extractable portion of it by the technology of that time was running out so the company left and the town has never recovered since. When the mines were active, Balya had the earliest public electricity supply anywhere in Turkey, and it also saw the earliest use of cyanide processing in the world, so there are still patches of ground any grass barely grows and some of the local streams still run acidic, even almost a century after the end of the practice. The main mining heritage is to the north of the town, around the road to Gönen. Follow the brown signpost at the turn-off 1 km north of the town to arrive at the atmospheric shell of a stone building overgrown by pine forest. The signboard on site doesn't mention what purpose it served, but it's safe to assume that it was some kind of administrative building. The ruins of the actual extraction and processing units are just behind the corner and are far more extensive: shells of much larger buildings cascading down the hillside and those of what seems to be furnaces on the level ground beneath. As of Jan 2023, this area is messy as it's once more developed for further mining. Back on the main road, about 350 m north of the turn-off is a pair of derelict villas, one on each side of the road, known locally as Fransız evleri ("French houses") — perhaps residential quarters for the white collar.
 * Old houses: town centre is modern. A few higgledy-piggledy streets with traditional houses survive in the Aygoren and Karaoglan neighbourhoods east of Atatürk Park.
 * Kuş Lake: see Bandırma for this birdlife reserve on the road north to the coast.
 * is a town 50 km northwest on the scenic mountain road to Çanakkale (D555/210). Today, it's a struggling community of 2,000 people, but back in its heyday, it was home to about 20-30,000 thanks to the lucrative business created by its lead and zinc mines. In the 19th century, a French company got a concession to exploit the ore, but in the 1930s, the economically extractable portion of it by the technology of that time was running out so the company left and the town has never recovered since. When the mines were active, Balya had the earliest public electricity supply anywhere in Turkey, and it also saw the earliest use of cyanide processing in the world, so there are still patches of ground any grass barely grows and some of the local streams still run acidic, even almost a century after the end of the practice. The main mining heritage is to the north of the town, around the road to Gönen. Follow the brown signpost at the turn-off 1 km north of the town to arrive at the atmospheric shell of a stone building overgrown by pine forest. The signboard on site doesn't mention what purpose it served, but it's safe to assume that it was some kind of administrative building. The ruins of the actual extraction and processing units are just behind the corner and are far more extensive: shells of much larger buildings cascading down the hillside and those of what seems to be furnaces on the level ground beneath. As of Jan 2023, this area is messy as it's once more developed for further mining. Back on the main road, about 350 m north of the turn-off is a pair of derelict villas, one on each side of the road, known locally as Fransız evleri ("French houses") — perhaps residential quarters for the white collar.
 * Kuş Lake: see Bandırma for this birdlife reserve on the road north to the coast.
 * is a town 50 km northwest on the scenic mountain road to Çanakkale (D555/210). Today, it's a struggling community of 2,000 people, but back in its heyday, it was home to about 20-30,000 thanks to the lucrative business created by its lead and zinc mines. In the 19th century, a French company got a concession to exploit the ore, but in the 1930s, the economically extractable portion of it by the technology of that time was running out so the company left and the town has never recovered since. When the mines were active, Balya had the earliest public electricity supply anywhere in Turkey, and it also saw the earliest use of cyanide processing in the world, so there are still patches of ground any grass barely grows and some of the local streams still run acidic, even almost a century after the end of the practice. The main mining heritage is to the north of the town, around the road to Gönen. Follow the brown signpost at the turn-off 1 km north of the town to arrive at the atmospheric shell of a stone building overgrown by pine forest. The signboard on site doesn't mention what purpose it served, but it's safe to assume that it was some kind of administrative building. The ruins of the actual extraction and processing units are just behind the corner and are far more extensive: shells of much larger buildings cascading down the hillside and those of what seems to be furnaces on the level ground beneath. As of Jan 2023, this area is messy as it's once more developed for further mining. Back on the main road, about 350 m north of the turn-off is a pair of derelict villas, one on each side of the road, known locally as Fransız evleri ("French houses") — perhaps residential quarters for the white collar.

Do

 * Atatürk Park is a bosky green space 200 m south of the railway station.
 * Football: Balıkesirspor were relegated in 2022 and now play soccer in TFF Second League, Turkey's third tier. Their home ground Atatürk Stadium (capacity 15,800, all-seater) is at the south end of Atatürk Park.
 * Thermal springs emerge in the hills around town, with spa hotels. North is Ilica; south is Pamukçu and see also Sındırgı.

Buy

 * Migros is the main supermarket chain, with several outlets open daily 08:30-22:00.
 * Shopping centres are Avlu and Yaylada both east of the railway station.

Eat

 * Town centre eating strip is east of the railway station in the triangle bounded by Milli Kuvvetler Cd and Vasıf Çınar Cd. Lots here: Sirin Lokantasi, Nese Sucuk Evi, Köfteci Şaban, Köfteci Sedat, Buhara Aile Lokantası and more.
 * Hisler Kahvesi Avlu hasn't quite decided whether it's a cafe or live music venue. It's within the shopping centre off Kepsut Cd 500 m east of the railway station, and open daily 08:30-00:00.
 * Local specialties include keskek (meat and barley stew), tirit (leftover bread, meat and offal), fringed ravioli, and eggplant with cheese. Desserts are höşmerim (cream cheese halva, topped with ice-cream, honey or nuts) and zerde (saffron rice pudding, but with water not milk).
 * Local specialties include keskek (meat and barley stew), tirit (leftover bread, meat and offal), fringed ravioli, and eggplant with cheese. Desserts are höşmerim (cream cheese halva, topped with ice-cream, honey or nuts) and zerde (saffron rice pudding, but with water not milk).

Drink

 * Rakı is Turkey's national drink, the aniseed-flavoured twice-distilled spirit similar to anise, ouzo, sambuca and arak. The first distillation produces a fiery spirit called suma, and in Balıkesir there's a tradition of drinking this. Visitors who wish to avoid concussion should await the second distillation, the standard commercial rakı at 40% abv strength - Manisa near Izmir is where most of it is made.
 * Ayran is a cold savoury yoghurt drink found throughout the Turkic regions and the local brand is called Hisar ("fortress") Ayran. It's often drunk to accompany rice and meat. Under no circumstances display any signs of sleepiness after quaffing it. In 2015 the President in his wisdom declared this to be a national insult, when an advert for tea dissed ayran in that way.

Sleep

 * Otel İnanöz is a creaky old place 100 m north of the railway station, but clean and inexpensive.
 * Özdemir and Tekinler hotels are next to Saray, similar price and quality.
 * Otel Mola is 100 m south of these, cheaper but cleanliness varies.
 * Elit Asya at Pamir Cd 22 turns its back on Hotel Asya.
 * Elit Asya at Pamir Cd 22 turns its back on Hotel Asya.
 * Elit Asya at Pamir Cd 22 turns its back on Hotel Asya.

Connect
Balıkesir has 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of April 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Bandırma on the Marmara coast has a museum but is basically just the place you get the ferry to Istanbul. Erdek on the peninsula northwest is a beach resort.
 * Bursa is modern, but as the Ottoman's first city it's full of historic sites.
 * Edremit is a small resort on the Aegean coast. Turn south for Pergamon and Izmir, or west to reach ancient Troy.

title: Balıkesir


text:
Balıkesir Province

Balıkesir Province is in northwestern Turkey.

It’s divided between two regions and coasts:
 * Northern Aegean - Edremit Gulf and a string of small resorts including Altınoluk, Akçay, Güre and Burhaniye, plus the larger Ayvalık.
 * Southern Marmara - Balıkesir (the provincial capital), Bandırma, Erdek, Gönen, Marmara Islands and Sındırgı.

title: Balıkesir Province


text:
Balikpapan

Balikpapan is a city of 850,000 people (2019) in East Kalimantan. It serves as headquarters for international oil companies, mining companies and related support industries operating in (and out of) eastern Kalimantan. It is a relatively clean city, with clear blue skies, but not much by way of nightlife. The population is a mix, with lots of Javanese due to transmigration, lots of people from Sulawesi, and of course, the locals. The people are quiet and polite, and the pace is slow and relaxed.

Understand
The city is the financial centre of Kalimantan and one of three gateways to the new capital of Indonesia that is being built.

Balikpapan began as a fishing village built by Buginese people in the 19th century. The first oil drilling began in Balikpapan in 1897. Many multi-national companies came to Balikpapan to invest in the oil industry. This resulted in the economic boom of Balikpapan and attracted many migrants and expatriates.

Balikpapan oil refinery is on the shore of Balikpapan Bay and covers an area of.

Climate
Balikpapan has a tropical rainforest climate as there is no real dry season in Balikpapan. The city sees an average of 2,400 mm (94 in) of rain per year. Balikpapan generally shows little variation in weather throughout the course of the year. The city does not have significantly wetter and drier periods of the year and average temperatures are nearly identical throughout the course of the year, averaging about 26 to 27 °C throughout the year.

Get in
Most people arrive by air.

By plane

Despite the numerous signs which you'll see after leaving the baggage claim area, as of March 2016 there's no airport bus service to Balikpapan; the buses mentioned on these signs are going to Samarinda (Rp 30,000, every 30 min at Jun 2024).

The angkot route 7 is passing in front of the airport to Terminal Damai (also named Bus Terminal Permai), Rp 8,000, about a 20-min drive.

By car
Balikpapan can be reached from Samarinda, Bontang and Banjarmasin by land through 2 bus terminals. From Samarinda and Bontang by Terminal Batu Ampar, and from Banjarmasin at the other terminal in the Batu Ampar District.

By ferry
Semayang's seaport that serves cruises from Makassar, Pare Pare, Tarakan, Surabaya, and other eastern parts of Indonesia. This port is the second busiest port in East Kalimantan, serving passenger Pelni ferries.

Get to the terminal with minibus #6 (dark blue) which plies the coastal road. The No 3 (light Blue) will also take you to and from. Cost Rp 5000 (September 2019).

Get around
Traffic does not yet inhibit travel within the city but is increasing by the day as relatively high living standards help to support a sea of small motorcycles.

By taxi
Some taxi companies operates in Balikpapan. It is advisable to call for their call centre, tell your location and wait the call centre arrange their unit to pick you up. It is uncommon to wait for empty taxis on the street because they usually stop and wait for orders from their call centre.

List of taxi companies and their call centre number:

 * City Taxi ( or )
 * Mawar
 * Kalung Mas
 * Globalindo Taxi

Public transport
Public transportation in Balikpapan consists of small minibus named angkutan kota or angkot for short. Locals often call angkot as taxi and metered taxi as taxi argo. There's no public bus inside the city. Minibuses serves public transport between points. Although there are dedicated routes, they often deroute due to passenger's request. They also sometimes don't serve the whole route.

The color of the minibuses determines their routes. Common routes are as follows:
 * White top/Orange bottom (Route 1): between Kampung Baru Ujung and Terminal Batu Ampar
 * White top/Light Green bottom (Route 2A): between Terminal Damai and Terminal Batu Ampar through Ring Road (possible deroute to Balikpapan Baru housing and or Damai III area)
 * White top/Gray bottom (Route 2B): between Balikpapan Baru and Jalan A Yani through Jalan AMD
 * White top/Light Blue bottom (Route 3): between Terminal Batu Ampar and Pelabuhan Semayang through Klandasan. This No 3 bus will take you to and from the Pelabuhan Semayang Ferry Terminal (from outside the terminal) to Balikpapan Plaza via Jalan Jenderal Sudirman Road (along the waterfront). This same No 3 Bus will also go from the Balikpapan Plaza to the Bus Terminal Angkutan Kota Batu Ampar along Jalan (Jenderal) Almad Yani and Jalan Soekarno Hatta going pass the Rapak Plaza and the Bus Terminal Palau Indah Jaya. Cost 5000 Rp (September 2019).
 * White top/Yellow bottom (Route 5): between Kampung Baru Ujung and Terminal Damai through A. Yani. It will take you from Balikpapan Plaza to Baru Tengah (Maps me, the village on the water) at Jalan Letjan Suprapto. Cost is Rp 5000 (September 2019). Route Kp.Baru - Kb.Sayur - Kr.Anyar - Rapak - Gn.Sari - Ps.Baru - Ter.Damai - P.P.
 * White top/Dark Blue bottom (Route 6): between Kampung Baru Ujung and Terminal Damai through Pelabuhan Semayang. Route Kp.Baru - Kr.Anyar - Pelabuhan - Klandasan - Ps.Baru - Ter.Damai - P.P. Rp 7,000 (Jul 2024).
 * White top/Green bottom (Route 7): between Terminal Damai and Gunung Tembak via sepinggan (airport), batakan, manggar. Rp 8,000 (Jul 2024).
 * White top/Light Yellow bottom (Route 9): between Terminal Batu Ampar and KM 24 to Samarinda

Do

 * On Merdeka (Independence) Square you can play soccer and other sports.
 * Local tour operators arrange river safaris on the Mahakam River and orangutan tours.
 * There are beautiful beaches, such as Manggar and Lamaru located just outside the city, and Kemala Beach further off Klandasan with nice views of the sunset.
 * There are beautiful beaches, such as Manggar and Lamaru located just outside the city, and Kemala Beach further off Klandasan with nice views of the sunset.
 * There are beautiful beaches, such as Manggar and Lamaru located just outside the city, and Kemala Beach further off Klandasan with nice views of the sunset.

Food souvenirs
Balikpapan is famous for its kepiting (crab)-based food.
 * Abon kepiting, crab meat floss.
 * Amplang kepiting, crab cracker.
 * Rempeyek kepiting, crab cracker.

Eat
A local delicacy is Amplang/Kuku Macan, a kind of chips made from fish. Pacifica Food Court in Balikpapan Plaza Mall has good food and a lot of choice. Also, a crab dish is very common in Balikpapan and you must try it.

There are food stalls right on the waterfront, on the beach side of Pasar Klandasan, about 200 m west of the Masjid At Taqwa and 800 m east of Plaza Balikpapan. There are also a couple of simple food stalls on the old wooden jetty, with a good vibe feel about them.

Drink

 * Color Beat Pub (Blue Sky Hotel)
 * Borneo Bar (Le Grandeur Hotel)
 * Borneo Sports Fishing Club (prev. Sid's Bar) at Jl Sudirman 24, Gunung Bahagia. Bar with sea views.
 * Rende Vu (Novotel Hotel)
 * Red Square (Sagita Hotel)
 * Lamaru Pub (Hotel Grand Senyiur)
 * SQ (Adhika Bahtera Hotel)
 * Nakhoda (Adikha Bahtera Hotel)
 * Suzannas Liquor Store- you can buy alcohol by the case to drink at home.

Sleep
There are a number of star-rated hotels poised on the hills and at the beach that are perfectly adequate.

Budget

Consulates

 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines

Go next

 * Banjarmasin – The river city, become the centre of Banjarese also famous for its floating market. An hour away by plane.
 * Samarinda – "East Kalimantan's capital city", a great example of Kalimantan and Indonesian cultures. It is the second most popular East Kalimantan tourist destination after Kutai Kartanegara, with a travel time of around an hour by car.

title: Balikpapan


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Balinese phrasebook

Balinese or simply Bali (known natively as Basa Bali) is a language spoken predominantly by the Balinese people, native to the Indonesian island of Bali and its adjacent islands.

It is a very tough language for non-Balinese to master, and while related to Javanese, is not mutually intelligible with it. You are unlikely to need to learn Balinese, as virtually every Balinese speaker is also able to speak Indonesian, and many can even manage some English. That being said, attempting to communicate in Balinese would almost certainly please the locals.

The language has three main registers depending on the status of those speaking:

 * low (basa ketah)
 * middle (basa madia)
 * high (basa singgih)

This phrasebook will cover the low register only as that is the language spoken by the vast majority of Balinese, and the only one likely to be encountered by visitors.

Vowels
The official spelling denotes both and  by a. However, a is usually pronounced when it ends a word, and  occurs also in prefixes ma-, pa- and da-.

Basics

 * Hello. : . ( )

 * Hello. (informal) : . ( )

 * How are you? : (Engken kabare?) (Sapunapi gatra?) (ken ken kabare?)

 * Fine, thank you. : . (Iyang becik-becik kewanten.)

 * What is your name? :   (Sira pesengen ragane?)

 * My name is ______ :  (Tiang_____ .)

 * Nice to meet you. : . ( )

 * Please. : . ( )

 * Thank you. : . (Matur suksma.)

 * You're welcome. : . (suksma mewali )

 * Yes. : . (Inggih. Patut.)

 * No. : . (Tan. Nente)

 * Excuse me. (getting attention) : . ( )

 * Excuse me. (begging pardon) : . ( )

 * I'm sorry. : . ( )

 * Goodbye : . ( )

 * Goodbye (informal) : . ( )

 * I can't speak Balinese [well]. : [ ]. ( Titiang nenten [ ])

 * Do you speak English? :  (Bapa bisa basa Angrit??)

 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : ? ( ?)

 * Help! : ! (Tulung !)

 * Look out! : ! ( !)

 * Good morning. : . (Rahajeng semeng.)

 * Good afternoon. : . (Rahajeng sanja.)

 * Good evening. : . (Rahajeng peteng.)

 * Good night. : . (Rahajeng Wengi.)

 * Good night (to sleep) : . ( )

 * I don't understand. : . ( Titiang nenten nawang)

 * Where is the toilet? : ? ( Ring dija toiletne?)

 * Where is... ...: (Ring dija?)

 * What is that?: (Napi punika?)

 * Are you already married?: (Bapa suba makurenan?)

 * I just came from Ubud: (Tiang mara teka uli Ubud.)

Numbers

 * 0 = -
 * 1 = satunggal
 * 2 = kalih
 * 3 = telu
 * 4 = papat
 * 5 = lima
 * 6 = nenem
 * 7 = pitu
 * 8 = kutus
 * 9 = sia
 * 10 = dasa
 * 11 = solas
 * 12 = rolas
 * 13 = telulas
 * 14 = pat belas
 * 15 = limo las
 * 20 = duang dasa
 * 21 = duu phulahu set
 * 30 = tigi phulah
 * 40 = empaat phulah
 * 50 = lina phulah
 * 100 = raatus
 * 200 = duu rahatus
 * 1000 = riba
 * 2000 = duu rhiba
 * 10000 = pulah rhiba
 * 10000 = pulah rhiba

Days
Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday:

Transportation

 * I want to go to airport. (Tiang lakar ka airport.)

Eating

 * Restaurant  ( )
 * Have you eaten (polite) :Sampun ngajeng?
 * Which dishes are they? :Ajengan napi sane wenten?
 * Do you have native Balinese dishes? :Ada ajengan Bali ane tulen?
 * Do you have pineapple? :Wenten manas?
 * Delicious :Jaen

Bars
Digek - pretty

Shopping

 * How much is this/that ? (Ajikuda niki/nika?)

title: Balinese phrasebook


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Baliwag

Baliwag is a city and the largest settlement in northern Bulacan. It has a population of about 150,000 in 2015.

Understand
Baliwag was carved out of the municipality of Quingua (present-day Plaridel) in 1733, which used to cover a large area along the Angat River. The town's heritage church is also built in that year. In 1899, Baliwag was the site of the first democratic elections in the Philippines, and in Asia as well.

The town is home to Mariano Ponce, also one of the members of the Propaganda Movement led by Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena.

Baliwag is the economic and educational center for northern Bulacan, and it has that status since it the Spanish and American colonial periods.

Buy
One of Baliwag's main products are the buntal hats, which is made from woven buri palm fibers.

There is one mall, and numerous supermarkets, mostly located at the highway outside downtown:

title: Baliwag


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Balkanabat

Balkanabat is a city in Balkan Province, Turkmenistan.

Understand
Balkanabat may serve as a stopover on the trip from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi and as starting point for excursions to Dehistan and the Yangykala Canyon.

By plane
Turkmenistan Airlines offers flights from Ashgabat to Balkanabat on Tu, Th and Sa (US $11). Balkanabat airport is 2 km east of the city.

By train
Turkmenistan Railways operate two trains per day from Turkmenbashi and two trains from Ashgabat. The railway station is 1 km west of the central Niyaziv Square.

By bus
The trip from Ashgabat takes about 6 hours. Marshrutkas and shared taxis cost US$2-3, taxis approx. US$15. They arrive in front of the train station.

By plane
Turkmenistan Airlines offers flight from Balkanabat to Ashgabat on Tu Th and Sa (US $11). Balkanabat airport is 2 km east of the city.

By train
Turkmenistan Railways operate two trains per day to Turkmenbashi and two trains to Ashgabat. The railway station is 1 km west of the central Niyaziv Square.

By bus
The trip to Ashgabat takes about 6 hours. Marshrutkas and shared taxis cost US$2-3, taxis approx. US-$15. They leave in front of the train station.

title: Balkanabat


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Balkan Province

Balkan Province is the western region of Turkmenistan, spanning the western Karakum and much of the Caspian Basin.

Cities

 * — an oil and gas center at the foot of the Balkan Daglary mountains.
 * — (formerly Gazandzhyk) a railway town.
 * — a small remote at the southwest of the region on the Caspian Sea.
 * — a town at the narrow strait separating the gigantic Garabogaz Lagoon from the Caspian Sea.
 * — a small border town on a rarely traveled road to Gorgan, Iran.
 * — small railway town.
 * — a medium-sized city northwest of Ashgabat.
 * — Turkmenistan's port on the Caspian, with a few beach hotels.

Other destinations

 * — the ruins of an impossibly remote Silk Road city, home to Shir-Kabir mausoleum.

Understand
The province, which occupies the westernmost third of Turkmenistan adjacent to the Caspian Sea, was converted from an oblast following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its population of roughly half a million includes both settled and nomadic populations. Although only isolated pockets of the province's land are arable, it contributes to the country's economy due to its petroleum reserves, with over 90% of the country's production coming from the Balkan Province.

The island of Ogurja Ada, a former leper colony and sand spit in the Caspian Sea off the west coast of the mainland, is also a part of Balkan Province.

Get in
The M37 highway is a highway connecting the Turkmenbashi International Seaport from Ashgabat, Mary, Türkmenabat and the Uzbek border. The P-15, P-16, P-17, P-18, and P-20 highways also connect major population centres.

The Trans-Caspian Railway also connects Turkmenbashi and from Ashgabat, Mary, Turkmenabat and Uzbekistan.

There is a passenger and car ferry service from Baku to Turkmenbashi.

The main airport is Turkmenbashi International Airport, which has flights from Ashgabat and Daşoguz within Turkmenistan. It also receives international flights from Minsk, Moscow and Istanbul.

title: Balkan Province


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Balkans

The Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe is located between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. The region has a mixed scenery with many tall mountain ranges, as well as deep forests, plains and rivers. The Balkans have many historical ruins, including those of some of the oldest cities in Europe. It is also home to some of the few Muslim-majority countries in generally Christian-majority Europe.

Countries
Some geographical definitions define the Balkan peninsula strictly as the lands south of the rivers Sava and Danube from the city of Belgrade, but geographical conventions don't always match cultural and political divisions, which in turn don't always match Wikivoyage's classification of convenience. Even in geopolitical definitions, Romania's inclusion in the Balkans is a borderline case, and the inclusion of Moldova here piggybacks on Romania. Slovenia considers itself a country in Central Europe, after the break up of Yugoslavia. Greece clearly occupies the tip of the Balkan Peninsula; however, most of Greece's major travel destinations (apart from Athens) lie upon its islands, leading to its separate categorization here. Rarely, Hungary is also incorporated in definitions of the Balkans, owing to its time spent under Ottoman rule and its geographical proximity to the region. The very southeast of the Balkan Peninsula is Eastern Thrace, the European part of Turkey.

Cities

 * – known as the White City, the capital of Serbia
 * – nicknamed the Little Paris, Romania's capital is famous for monumental architecture.
 * – a modern city with over half a million inhabitants
 * – the locals ski in winter, and head for the beaches in summer
 * – the heart of the Balkans and the trigger for World War One
 * – Peculiar city with a lot to offer, near the Matka Canyon in North Macedonia
 * – Bulgaria's lively capital in the mountains
 * – Albania's economic hub and a former Ottoman city, renowned for the beauty outside the city's limits
 * – the capital of Croatia gets plenty of visitors each year

Other destinations

 * — an old Wallachian fortress.
 * — a medieval walled city nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic"
 * — the ancient gateway into the endless ocean, in southern Croatia
 * — a small town on the sea coast, filled with medieval churches
 * — many old churches and the Tsar Samoil's fortress
 * — a large Croatian national park with plenty of waterfalls
 * — a mountain resort in the heart of Serbia
 * — the Balkans' last remaining wilderness, situated on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Understand
The Balkans contain charming multicultural towns, impressive monasteries and citadels dotting the hillsides, mighty mountains sprinkled with a liberal dose of beautiful forests and pleasant lakes, and last but not least a great folk music tradition—coming off both as much joyful and melancholic as it could be—all survived various wars, if sometimes suffered a bit from the atrocities. With hundreds of kilometres of coastline on both the Adriatic and Black Seas, beachgoers won't be disappointed in this region, either.

The Balkans have been the borderland of many great powers; the Roman Empire (surviving as the Byzantine Empire until the 15th century), the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. From the end of World War I the Western Balkans were unified in Yugoslavia, until the country fell apart in the 1990s, with a series of wars in and between the new states. These wars were largely fought between ethnic groups, who had until then lived side by side, mingling amicably. The ethnicities are to a degree coupled with religion (Muslims and Orthodox and Catholic Christians). In the 2000s, the Balkan nations have either joined the European Union or applied for membership.

Talk
In this patchwork of countries and peoples, language learning is as complicated as one wishes to make it. At the simplest level, there are four main languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Serbo-Croatian. A bit of Russian also goes a long way, especially in Moldova and Transnistria.

Looking deeper you have:

 * Albanian, spoken mainly in Albania, Kosovo, and parts of North Macedonia;
 * Bulgarian, spoken in Bulgaria, very closely related to Macedonian;
 * Macedonian, the main language of North Macedonia;
 * Romanian, spoken in Romania and Moldova;

Nationalists and some linguists will assert that a unified Serbo-Croatian language does not exist. However, the traveller with even a fairly strong grasp of things linguistic will find them very similar. The distinct branches of Serbo-Croatian are:

 * Bosnian, which is spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
 * Croatian, which is spoken in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina;
 * Montenegrin, which is spoken mainly in Montenegro;
 * Serbian, which is spoken mainly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and portions of Kosovo. Serbian can be written in either Cyrillic or Latin letters.

Together with Slovene, Bulgarian and Macedonian, the Serbo-Croatian languages are members of the closely knit South Slavic language group.

Some other useful languages might be Turkish, which many people in Greece, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Kosovo speak, and Romani may be useful in all of the Balkan states. Most of the people, especially in cities and tourist areas speak English, and sometimes German, Italian and French.

German used to be common in the area during the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and some time afterwards but has been largely supplanted by English as a lingua franca. However, areas frequently visited by German and Austrian tourists still have many people speaking German. Russian was a compulsory second language during the communist era and may be spoken by some older people, but has declined in importance, and with the exception of Moldova has largely been supplanted by English as the foreign language of choice among younger people.

By plane
There are numerous international airports in the Balkans. The major airports in the region are (by country):
 * Albania: Tirana
 * Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka
 * Bulgaria: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas
 * Croatia: Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Zadar, Dubrovnik
 * Kosovo: Pristina
 * North Macedonia: Skopje, Ohrid
 * Moldova: Chișinău
 * Romania: Bucharest, Timisoara
 * Serbia: Belgrade, Nis, Vrsac

Only the capital city airports have many regular flights throughout the year. Croatia's coastal airports are well served by low-cost airlines during the summer, while in winter there are only a few flights from Zagreb and Germany. Ohrid is served primarily by seasonal flights, and Serbia's airports other than Belgrade and Niš had no commercial flights as of 2018, even though they have international status.

By boat

 * See Ferries in the Mediterranean

Get around
Though three of the Balkan countries (Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania) have joined the European Union with others on the way, none in the Balkans except Croatia have implemented the Schengen Treaty so far. This means, unlike most of the rest of Europe, border controls are still a reality in the region — rather inconvenient but a joy for the ones who want all those entry and exit stamps on their passports.

By train
Croatia and Romania have well developed rail networks and getting around by train is fairly convenient. Train travel in Bulgaria is a little more rough and ready. Elsewhere, the once decent networks have been neglected. While there are services and there are some stunning journeys to be had, train travel in the other countries cannot be done on a whim and requires a little forward planning but the effort is worth making.

Fares on trains within each country are very cheap. International fares are also very reasonably priced.

The Balkan Flexipass rail pass is valid in Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. However given the low price of normal tickets, it may represent false economy.

By bus
The bus networks are extensive throughout the Balkans, and is often the fastest way to move around. More info at the Bus travel in the former Yugoslavia page.

Itineraries

 * Brotherhood and Unity Highway — the main highway of former Yugoslavia
 * Transylvania triangle train tour

Events

 * Ohrid Summer Festival, Ohrid, North Macedonia - An international culture festival held annually from July through August.
 * Ohrid Summer Festival, Ohrid, North Macedonia - An international culture festival held annually from July through August.
 * Ohrid Summer Festival, Ohrid, North Macedonia - An international culture festival held annually from July through August.

Hiking

 * Via Dinarica (Ohrid Macedonia to Postojna Slovenia)
 * Mount Trebevic in Sarajevo is a great place for hiking

Winter sports

 * Bosnia and Herzegovina was the host for the 1984 Winter Olympics, and after the 1990s, the alpine facilities are well restored. Around Sarajevo and Travnik are Olympic-grade mountains.
 * In Serbia, you can ski in Kopaonik and Zlatibor.

LGBT
Whereas it is generally not safe to openly display gay behaviour in the Balkans (See "stay safe" section below) there are many underground alternatives which are supportive of the LGBT community.

Eat
The Balkan cuisines have similarities with German, Italian, Greek, Russian and Middle Eastern cuisines.

The Balkans have been divided between different nation-states, languages and religions, but many dishes and ingredients are similar across the borders. The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have left their mark in the cuisines of the Balkans.

While Balkan cooking has not been internationalised in the same way as the Italian or Greek cuisines, the South Slavic and Albanian diaspora have brought their cuisine to other parts of Europe.

Dishes
Bread, meat, potatoes and cheese are ubiquitous around the Balkans. Pork is the most common meat, except among Muslims and Jews, who substitute it with beef, lamb, and poultry.

Seafood is common in Croatia, Montenegro and Albania.

A full meal on the Balkans can consist of soup and bread, followed by a meat dish (grilled meat, meat pies, etc) and cakes or confectionaries as dessert.

A meze is a buffet of small savoury dishes, of Turkish origin. Many of the dishes have analogues in the Middle East.

Ajvar is a sauce made of bell peppers and oil, which can be mild or very spicy. It is usually eaten with bread.

Ćevapi or ćevapčići is grilled ground meat, and the national dish of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Drink
The Balkans have a great range of beer, wine and distilled beverages. Muslim communities usually substitute alcohol with tea and fruit juices. Coffee is common, in Turkish and Italian styles.

The regional firewater of choice is rakija (spelling varies from country to country; despite the similarity in the name it has little resemblance in taste to Turkish raki), a sweetened hard liquor (around 40%, and can be higher if home-made) common to all countries in the Balkans. Rakija is distilled out of just about any fruit grown in the region, with the most popular varieties being plum, apricot, mulberry, and grape, and is usually consumed as an aperitif.

There are excellent local beers to be had in each country in the region. Wine is also common, the peninsula being dotted by vineyards from one end to another. Serbia and Bulgaria have particularly longstanding traditions of wine-making, dating to ancient times.

Yoghurt is eaten plain, and as a condiment. Ayran (locally sometimes jogurt) is a light drink made from yoghurt and salt.

Another local drink is boza, a thick and sweet ale made of millet, maze, or wheat with a very low (less than 1%) alcohol content and traditionally drunk in winters.

Low taxes on alcohol coupled with a laid-back lifestyle and a liberal attitude towards alcohol consumption mean even smaller towns in the region has a considerable nightlife scene. Belgrade in particular is noted as the region's party hotspot.

Stay safe
While the horror stories of the 1990s are long gone and the likelihood of an armed conflict in the foreseeable future is next to none, unexploded land mines as a legacy of Yugoslav Wars continue to be a safety risk, especially in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia. What is worse about them is that they are where you don't expect them to be at all—they tend to be moved away from their original positions by the abundant rainfall in the region, and therefore riverbanks close to former hotbeds of conflict are especially dangerous. Don't stray too far into wilderness unless you are absolutely sure where you are heading is free of mines.

In many Balkan countries, it is not a good idea to openly display gay behavior.

The draft (propuh, promaja) is considered dangerous in the Balkans. Locals will nag you to keep doors and windows closed except during hot weather.

Go next
The Balkan countries are surrounded by Greece and Turkey to the south, Eastern Europe to the northeast, Central Europe to the northwest, and Italy to the west across the Adriatic, all of which have greatly influenced the regional culture.

title: Balkans


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Balkh

Balkh is a town in Afghanistan.

Understand
Balkh has been inhabited since before 1000 BCE, and is mentioned in the Hindu Vedas. It was the capital of the historic region of Bactria, even before the arrival of Alexander the Great, and of a Greco-Bactrian kingdom ruled by some of Alexander's successors. It was sacked twice by the Mongols, first by Ghengis Khan and later by Tamerlane. Both of the great medieval travellers, Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, visited it.

The city was the regional capital until the 19th century when it was mostly abandoned during an epidemic and Mazar-e Sharif took over. Today Mazar is the largest and most important city of the region.

Talk
Both of Afghanistan's main languages, Dari and Pashto, are spoken here, but Dari is more common in this region. Other languages such as Tajik and Uzbek are also heard. Because it is a border region, some people will speak Russian.

Compared to the rest of the country, many citizens of Balkh can speak English. There are English schools/lessons and computer courses are also taught (such as Microsoft Office programs). A traveller will be hard pressed not to run into one of the teachers and be invited into their home. The young students are shy about using their English.

Get in
Balkh is easily reachable from Mazar-e Sharif by shared taxi for about 20 afghani. Look for the passengers sitting in the open boot of some cars. The road passes through a fort with destroyed tanks and APCs; the fort was probably a road block during the Warlord and Taliban period. The landscape before and around the town is fields. South of the town at the turnoff is a large mound that was probably a watchtower.

See
The town is completely enclosed by its ancient fortifications; brick and mud walls at least 30 feet high and in good condition. They can be climbed, giving views of the countryside and the town. At the north end is another larger mound that was the fortress. The walls slope on the outside and are vertical on the inside, giving an impression from the inside of being very tall. Turrets along the walls are in varying states of decay, providing glimpses of building techniques.

The town has a central park, where children play soccer or volleyball. At one end are the ruins of a tiled mosque; at the other, the gate of a madrassa. Again the construction technique of the madrassa can be seen. As the park is full of trees and small shops surround the park, it is difficult to take photos of the madrassa. Full shots of the mosque are easy.

title: Balkh


text:
Balkhash

Balkhash is a small city located on a lake of the same name and in the Central Highlands of Kazakhstan.

Understand
The city of Balkash is small by most standards with a population of just under 70,000. The city principally exists to support the activity of local copper mines and a large copper smelting plant just outside of town. Other industries in the town include fishing and a modest tourism industry that is primarily focused on the lake. This makes Balkhash a pleasant enough city with many cafes and some minor attractions for both residents and travelers.

Get around

 * City Bus : The bus service in town costs 30 tenge per ride regardless of distance but only really takes you up and down Lenin St. When riding the bus you pay an attendant who will come around to collect your fare.
 * Taxi : Taxis in Balkhash are generally marked and charge a fare of 200 tenge if flagged on the road or 150 tenge if called. Drivers are unlikely to speak English so be prepared to practice your Russian.

Do

 * Go to the beach : The beach isn't impeccably clean but is a pleasant enough place to sit and read a book, join the locals for a swim, or sit in a beachside cafe. The best beaches are found outside of town though.

title: Balkhash


text:
Ballarat

Ballarat is a city about north-west of Melbourne in the Goldfields region of Victoria. Ballarat is most noted as a former goldmining town with excellent examples of Australian colonial architecture, and as the site of the famous miners' revolt at the Eureka Stockade in 1854. With a population of approximately 117,000 it is the third largest city in Victoria.

History
The traditional owners of the land are the Wadawurrung people. Ballarat was named in 1837 by the Scottish settler Archibald Yuille who established the first settlement, a sheep run called Ballaarat, with the name derived from local Wathaurong Aboriginal words for the area, balla arat, thought to mean "resting place". The present spelling was officially adopted by the City of Ballarat in 1996.

It is one of the most significant Victorian-era boomtowns in Australia. Just months after Victoria was granted separation from New South Wales, the Victorian gold rush transformed Ballarat from a small sheep station to a major settlement. Gold was discovered at Poverty Point on 18 August 1851 and news quickly spread of rich alluvial fields where gold could easily be extracted. Within months, approximately 20,000 migrants had rushed the district. Several Australian mining innovations were made at the Ballarat diggings including the first use of a Chilean mill in 1851 and the first use of a mine cage in 1861. Unlike many other gold rush boom towns, the Ballarat fields experienced sustained high gold yields for decades.

The Eureka Rebellion began in Ballarat, and the only armed rebellion in Australian history, the Battle of Eureka Stockade, took place on 3 December 1854. In response to the event the first male suffrage in Australia was instituted and as such Eureka is interpreted by some as the origin of democracy in Australia. The gold rush and boom gave birth in many other significant cultural legacies. The rebellion's symbol, the Eureka Flag has become a national symbol and is held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka in Ballarat. Other nationally significant heritage structures include the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, established 1857, the best example of a regional botanic gardens in Australia with the greatest concentration of public statuary including the official Prime Ministers Avenue; the longest running lyric theatre building, Her Majesty's, established 1875; the first municipal observatory, established 1886; and the earliest and longest memorial avenue, the Avenue of Honour, established between 1917 and 1919.

Proclaimed a city in 1871, its prosperity continued until late in the 19th century, after which its importance relative to both Melbourne and Geelong rapidly faded with the slowing of gold extraction. It has endured as a major regional centre hosting the rowing and kayaking events from the 1956 Summer Olympics. It is the commercial capital of the Central Highlands and the largest city in the Goldfields region of Victoria—a significant tourist destination. Ballarat is known for its history, culture and its well preserved Victorian era heritage.

By car
Ballarat is an easy 90-minute drive from Melbourne on the Western Freeway (M8). Alternatively, from Geelong take the southern section of the A300; from Bendigo and Castlemaine take the northern section of the same highway.

By train

The train station is in Lydiard Street in the centre of the city. Take a look around as Lydiard Street has one of the best examples of Victorian-era streetscapes in Australia.

By plane
Ballarat is not served directly by commercial passenger flights. You therefore need to fly to Melbourne. There is an Airport Shuttle Bus between Ballarat and Melbourne's main domestic and international airport, Melbourne airport, also known as Tullamarine on some booking sites. The shuttle bus costs $30 for adults, $76 for families, $16 for children 3 to 16, and children under 3 are free. For more information on Tullamarine see Melbourne airport.

There is no direct connection between Melbourne's secondary Avalon airport  and Ballarat, and the options are to either hire a car, or get the SkyBus into Melbourne's Southern Cross train station and then the train to Ballarat, which will take 3-4 hours in total.

By car
Most visitors will rent a car from Melbourne to travel in and around Ballarat. Car rental is also available in Ballarat through Budget & Thrifty.

By bicycle
You can get around Ballarat by bicycle. There are two options for bicycle hire.

See

Buy
Ballarat has several markets held throughout the week which offer great shopping for antiques, bric-à-brac and various local products such as plants and confectionery.

Drink
There are numerous pubs and nightclubs in Ballarat including:

 * The best place for live music in Ballarat, with many popular Melbourne bands making the trip to perform there. Cover charge can vary depending on the band.
 * The best place for live music in Ballarat, with many popular Melbourne bands making the trip to perform there. Cover charge can vary depending on the band.

Sleep
There are many options for all budgets throughout Ballarat. Book ahead especially when there is a major event planned.

Go next
Hire a bike, and cycle the 53 km off-road Ballarat to Skipton Rail Trail. Download the free Bike. Walk. Ride. App from http://www.goldenplains.vic.gov.au

title: Ballarat


text:
Ballestas Islands

The Ballestas Islands are located roughly 15 km off the coast of southern Peru. These islands are home to various fauna like the guanay guano bird, the blue-footed booby, the tendril, the Humboldt penguin and two varieties of marine mammals (fur seals and sea lions). They can be reached by the small sea side town of Paracas. Paracas is also the name of a nature reserve further south on the coast.

Get in
The Ballestas Islands are located off the coast close to Paracas. The best way to get there is to take a speed boat tour of the islands from Paracas.

Get around
Barring scientific research, the only access is by boat tours, which do not land.

See
Depending on the season, the islands are teeming with seals, terns, penguins, and other seabirds. Tours will take you quite close, perhaps too close.

Do
Las Islas Ballestas are protected, which means you can't swim with the animals or walk on the islands by yourself, but you can get very close to them on a boat tour. Tours depart from the port of Paracas at about 08:30 but with a great deal of variability. Most shops in Paracas sell tickets, but it's best to arrive early for the boats; Paracas businesses tend to tell you that they will sell you services and then vanish on you (but don't take your money; they're not scammers) and you have to go through lines to buy tickets, pay taxes, and pay an additional fee before joining the line to get on a boat. Tours operate in English and Spanish, but the latter have more availability.

title: Ballestas Islands


text:
Ballia

Ballia is in Uttar Pradesh province of India. Ballia is an ancient city. Many great saints and sages of India had their ashrams in Ballia, including 'Valmiki', 'Bhrigu', 'Durvasa', 'Parashara muni' and 'Jamadagni.' Ballia was a part of the Kosala Kingdom in ancient times. It also came under Buddhist influence for some time. Earlier the district was a part of Ghazipur district, but later it was created as an independent district.

Sahatwar, Sheikhpur and Sikanderpur are also very old towns of Ballia, populated during the reign of Feroze Shah Tughlaq where famous Muslim saints came and inhabited the area and served Muslims and non-Muslim alike.

The origin of the name Ballia, has long been a matter of dispute. It is locally said to have been derived from the name of the sage Valmiki, the celebrated Hindu poet and the author of Ramayana, whose having resided here was commemorated by a shrine, which has long been washed away. Another belief about the origin of the name is that it has been derived from the sandy nature of the land of the place, locally known as "Ballua" (balu meaning sand). It was initially named as 'balian', later transformed to Ballia.

Ballia is also known as Baghi Ballia (Rebel Ballia) for its significant contribution in India's freedom struggle. During the first Independence War of India in 1857, Ballia came in picture in front of the world and Shree Mangal Pandey was that first freedom fighter of that war who was born in village Nagwa Ballia district of India.[1] During the Quit India Movement of 1942 Ballia gained independence from British rule for a short period of time when the district overthrew the government and installed an independent administration under Chittu Pandey. There are a few nice places to visit

By train
Ballia has a railway station that is served by numerous trains include two daily Rajdhani Express trains that connect the city with Delhi and Varanasi (2-3 hours).

By road
Roads from Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Patna are very good, although it is worth checking whether a train will get you there faster as, for example, a drive from Varanasi would take about 4 hours. The road to Ballia passes through small towns such as Nagra and Sikanderpur before it reaches Ballia.

See
Bhrigu Mandir, Surha taal, Van Vihar, Khakhi Baba Ashram, Hanuman Mandir, Veer Lorik Stadium,

Van Vihar is a nice picnic spot with family or friends and there are ostriches,puppies and ducks, but trash is thrown everywhere and no dustbins are there. Requests are to not throw litter all around and store them in your bag and throw in your dustbins at home : ) Have a good day

Eat
While in Ballia, you can try out some of the local favorites (Baati-Chokha would be the best), quite different from your normal naan and curry. Sattu are famous as turant bhojan, kind of fast food. Ballia is famous for its very big puris (Baghi Puri) which almost has an area of 1000cm² and are mostly served in parties

Sleep
Accommodations are fairly reasonable, you just need to look around.

title: Ballia


text:
Ballina

There is more than one destination known as Ballina. You might be looking for one listed below:

Australia

 * The town of Ballina in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales

Ireland

 * The town of Ballina in County Mayo

title: Ballina


text:
Ballina (County Mayo)

Ballina is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, on the banks of the River Moy near its estuary. Known in Irish as Béal an Átha, "mouth of the ford", it's a small market town, with a population in 2022 of 10,500. There's not much to see here but it has a good range of accommodation and other amenities. So Ballina is the main base for sights in the north end of Mayo, around the villages of Killala, Ballycastle, Foxford and Crossmolina.

The tourist information centre is within the Chamber of Commerce on Pearse St, open M-Sa 10AM-5PM.

Understand
In 1798 the United Irishmen sought to reform and free Ireland along the lines of revolutionary America and France. Rebellion broke out in May, with the promise of French military backing, but promptly flopped. It only took hold in County Wexford, but the rebels could never break out of this enclave, and after six weeks they were crushed. So it was already too little, too late when a French expeditionary force landed at Killala in August - but they took the British completely off guard, captured Ballina and Castlebar, and marched on across Mayo for eleven days before being encircled. The French surrendered while the Irish were hacked down where they stood. So although this was just a brief coda to the main rebellion, 1798 has passed into legend as "The Year of the French".

There was a final landing attempt in Donegal in November, but the Royal Navy captured them, including the rebel leader Wolfe Tone. A rattled London government sought a tighter grip and in 1801 created the United Kingdom, henceforth ruling Ireland and Scotland as simply a collection of counties with no pretensions to be nations. So this unlikely corner of Ireland was the starting place of the UK.

Many thousands of Irish emigrated in the aftermath, even before the famine. Among them were the Blewitt family, ancestors of US President Joe Biden, who visited Ballina in 2023.

Get in
Knock Airport is 60 km southwest. It has limited flights and you might prefer to fly into Dublin and hire a car.

Trains run to Ballina along a branch line. There are three services a day from Dublin Heuston, taking 3 hr 30 min with changes at Athlone and Manulla Junction. There are also three connections per day from Westport and Castlebar, change at Manulla Junction. A walk-up single from Dublin is €23, see Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.

Ballina is on N26 500 m south of town centre. The ticket office is open M-F 07:30-17:00 and there are ticket machines and toilets.

Expressway 22 runs six times a day from Dublin Busáras via Dublin Airport, Lucan, Maynooth, Mullingar, Longford, Tulsk, Charlestown and Foxford, taking almost 5 hours to Ballina.

Expressway 52 runs six times daily from Galway via Tuam, Claremorris, Balla, Castlebar and Foxford to Ballina.

Bus Éireann 458 runs every couple of hours daily from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh across the border to Sligo, then west along the coast to Enniscrone and Ballina. Sligo to Ballina takes 80 min.

Bus 420 runs three times daily from Castlebar, taking 50 min via Pontoon to Ballina. There's only one direct bus per day from Westport, via Castlebar and Pontoon.

The bus station is north side of the railway station.

Get around
You need your own wheels, the sights of most interest are out in the countryside with a sparse bus service.

Bus 445 runs three times M-F from Ballina along the coast to Killala, Carrowmore and Ballycastle.

Bus 446 runs from Ballina to Bangor Erris and Belmullet on the peninsula. The morning bus turns around there, but three others M-F (two Sa Su) continue to Blacksod lighthouse.

McGrath's Coach R1 runs once M-Sa in from Glenamoy via Ballycastle and Killala to Ballina, heading back in the afternoon. R2 is an extra afternoon run M-F between Ballycastle, Killala and Ballina.

In town

 * Town centre has many Georgian and Victorian buildings. The monument along Circular Road is to General Humbert, who led the French invasion of 1798. The two river bridges were built 1835-36; traffic flows clockwise round town and over them, and is often backed up. A little way upstream, Salmon Weir footbridge resembles a fishing rod bent by a catch; Ridge Pool behind the weir is a famous fishing spot.
 * The Jackie Clarke Collection is a small museum and gallery open Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, enter from Walsh St.
 * St Muredach's Cathedral (RC) on the east river bank was built from 1827.
 * Dolmen of the Four Maols is on the lane up Primrose Hill, just west of the railway tracks into Ballina station. It's a burial cist from 2000 BC but in legend the four maols (meaning "tonsured ones", ie monks) slew the rightful king of Connacht; they were chopped into quarters and buried here, all 16 bits.

Further north

 * is the substantial ruin of a Franciscan Friary established in the 1440s. It's open 24 hours, the access lane is paved but narrow.
 * is an even more substantial ruin. It too was Franciscan, completed in 1462 in Irish Gothic style. Open 24 hours.
 * is a fishing village north along the coast. It was an ecclesiastic centre, as shown by its nearby monasteries, and has a Round Tower. St Patrick's Cathedral (Church of Ireland) is from the 1670s and in its graveyard is a 9th century souterrain. But Killala is best known for the French invasion of 1798 - they landed at Kilcummin a few km north then swiftly captured Killala and Ballina. They came too late to support the rebellion of United Irishmen, already crushed in its stronghold of County Wexford; nevertheless they caught the British off-guard, brushed aside opposition at Castlebar, and marched on for 11 days before being encircled. The French surrendered, while their Irish supporters were hacked down where they stood
 * or "Priory of the Holy Cross" was Dominican, founded 1274. It's open 24 hours.
 * Rathfranpark Wedge Tomb is on the lane west of the Friary, just south of the turn-off. Built circa 2500-2000 BC, it's a 3-m grave passage oriented to the rising sun. Until the 1950s there was a stone circle nearby, but it was uprooted and the stones dumped onto the tomb.
 * Breastagh Ogham Stone is just north of that turn-off. It's probably of similar age to the tomb, with the inscription added much later, say 550-900 AD. This is very faint but reads: : ᚛ᚂᚓᚌᚌ[--]ᚄᚇ[--]ᚂᚓᚌᚓᚄᚉᚐᚇ᚜ / ᚛ᚋᚐᚊ ᚉᚑᚏᚏᚁᚏᚔ ᚋᚐᚊ ᚐᚋᚋᚂᚂᚑᚌᚔᚈᚈ᚜ which (to save searching for an online Ogham translator) means "Legescad, son of Corrbrias, son of Ammllogitt" — he was probably the grandson of a king of Connacht.
 * Kilcummin north of the Friary was where the French came ashore: there's a sculpture but that's all. Sheltered in the bay round the headland, Carrowmore Beach and Lacken Strand have fine beaches. On a hilltop west of the bay, Lacken Gazebo is probably a late 18th century folly.
 * is the rugged headland further north, with Dun Briste the chunky offshore sea-stack. There's also a church founded by St Patrick, and Pul Na Sean Tinne a collapsed sea cavern which in rough weather becomes a large blowhole. To aircrew the headland is better known as "Eire 64" for the aviation marker - one of 83 etched around the Republic's coast, this one has been preserved.
 * is a small village which has been described as "on the periphery of the periphery". There's an arts centre but the castle is gone. It lacks accommodation, but see Sleep for Stella Maris on the coast nearby. The main thing to do here is avoid confusing this village with Ballycastle in County Antrim.
 * A wild coast stretches west: follow R314 then the winding lane through Geeveraune, eventually to Benwee Head and the Stags of Broadhaven.
 * A wild coast stretches west: follow R314 then the winding lane through Geeveraune, eventually to Benwee Head and the Stags of Broadhaven.

Further south

 * is the ruin of two buildings. The original tower house is from the 16th century; in the 18th century a new wing was added and a country house "Castle Gore" built alongside. This was burned down by the IRA in 1922 while the old castle subsided into natural ruin. It's fenced off, but you see enough from the farm lane.
 * is the ruin of two buildings. The original tower house is from the 16th century; in the 18th century a new wing was added and a country house "Castle Gore" built alongside. This was burned down by the IRA in 1922 while the old castle subsided into natural ruin. It's fenced off, but you see enough from the farm lane.
 * was Augustinian, founded in the 6th century but rebuilt in 1413. It was probably a priory outpost of Crossmolina not an independent abbey. The ruin is on a peninsula in Lough Conn, and just north is Templenagalliaghdoois, a medieval oratory or nunnery.
 * on R315 has a memorial to the 14 villagers who emigrated aboard Titanic: eleven were lost in the sinking. See also the commemorative stained glass window in the village church just south.
 * is best-known for its woollen mills, and for salmon-fishing on the River Moy. The Foxford Way is an 86 km hiking circuit.
 * is the isolated peak rising west of Lough Conn. See Castlebar for walking trails.
 * See Newport for points further west, including Ballycroy National Park and Belmullet Peninsula. They're easily reached by car from Ballina.

Do

 * Belleek Woods are a good area for strolling, on the riverbank 2 km north of town.
 * Ballina Arts Centre puts on theatre, music, films and exhibitions. It's on Barrett St, open M-Sa 10:00-18:00.
 * IMC Cinema is on Mercy Rd in Ballina at the corner of McDermott St.
 * Ballina Golf Club is 1 km east of town on R294; it's 6175 yards, par 71, visitor round €30.
 * Ballina Sports Centre has a sports hall and gym. The swimming pool is next door.
 * Surf at Enniscrone 15 km north; the waves are bigger further along the Sligo coast at Strandhill.
 * Foxford Goat Fair is in mid-May, dates for 2022 are tbc.
 * The Wild Atlantic Way is a coastal itinerary from Donegal all the way to Kinsale near Cork. The local section is self-evident, from Enniscrone to Ballina, Killala, and along the north coast to Mullet Peninsula.

Buy

 * Tesco in town centre is open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-8PM.
 * Farmers Market is in Ballina Market Square, Sa 9AM-2PM.
 * Foxford Woollen Mills have a shop in Foxford open M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM, but they're mostly an online business nowadays.

Eat

 * Lots of cheap and cheerful places in town centre for Italian, Chinese or Indian.
 * in Crossmolina has rooms but it's Mulhern's Restaurant that draws the admiring reviews.
 * in Crossmolina has rooms but it's Mulhern's Restaurant that draws the admiring reviews.
 * in Crossmolina has rooms but it's Mulhern's Restaurant that draws the admiring reviews.

Drink

 * Bridge St is the pub strip, with Doherty's (above), An Bolg Buí, Howard's, Corcoran's, Peacock's, Broken Jug, Rouse's, O'Dowds, Hughes, Harrison's, Paddy Mac's, Bar Square and Tarbh47. Just east of the bridge are The Auld Shebeen (aka Betty's) and Breathnach's.
 * Distillery: Connacht Whiskey is north side of town on the riverbank. They produce a range of whiskey plus vodka, gin and poitin. No tours.
 * Coca Cola have a big site north of town in Beleek. They manufacture concentrates, transported elsewhere to make products such as Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite.
 * Coca Cola have a big site north of town in Beleek. They manufacture concentrates, transported elsewhere to make products such as Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite.

Sleep

 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.
 * See Enniscrone for accommodation across the boundary in County Sligo.

Connect
As of Feb 2021, Ballina has 5G with Three and 4G with Eir and Vodafone. There's a good signal on the roads to the south but it's patchy in other directions.

Go next

 * Sligo to the east is surrounded by the limestone scarps, prehistoric sites and mountain lakes that inspired WB Yeats.
 * Newport is a possible base for the bleak northwest of Mayo, though you can easily day-trip from Ballina.
 * Westport is on Clew Bay, and close to the pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick.
 * Boyle away east is where you re-enter the lush lowlands, at the head of the Shannon navigation network.

title: Ballina (County Mayo)


text:
Ballina (New South Wales)

Ballina is a coastal town, just south of Byron Bay and Lennox Head in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

By plane

Avis, Hertz, Thrify, Budget and Europcar all operate from the terminal building.

Blanches Bus Company operate a scheduled service to the airport, travelling as far as Byron Bay for $3.60 to Ballina downtown, $9.40 to Byron.

Airport shuttles to nearby Lennox Head and Byron Bay are readily available.

Taxis operate from outside the terminal building, but a taxi to Byron Bay is expensive.

By car
Ballina is on the Pacific Highway, around 9 hours drive north of Sydney or just over 2 hours south from Brisbane.

Get around
There is a local public bus service in Ballina, that operates every day of the week. Services can be infrequent, most useful is probably the weekday shuttle that runs between Tamar St and Ballina Fair about every hour or so.

Taxis are available, as are hire cars from the major operators.

There is a shared path running along the waterfront connecting the two sides of town, suitable for walking and cycling.

See

Do

 * Swim at local beaches and in the inland waterways:

Buy
Ballina has two shopping areas. One is the main street, called River Street and the side streets around it, such as Tamar Street, which runs parallel to River Street. The other location is at the end of Kerr Street, where there is Ballina Fair on one side of the road and Ballina Central on the other. There is a fairly good cross section of shops between the two shopping centers, as well as Coles, Woolworths, K Mart and Big W. There are also Red Rooster, KFC and Hungry Jacks fast food outlets in the area.

There are also smaller shopping centres at East and West Ballina however these are only of interest to anybody who would be staying nearby, being mainly groceries and other services.

Sleep
There are several cheap but comfortable motels on the Pacific Highway at West Ballina starting from $60 a night through to just over $100. There are also some located on Cherry Street in the middle of town-these are slightly, but not that much more upmarket.

Go next
Byron Bay is the most well known beachside destination in the region, but the Gold Coast and theme parks are also a possible day trip from here. Lennox Head, between Byron Bay and Ballina is also close by.

title: Ballina (New South Wales)


text:
Ballito

Ballito is a coastal town of 19,000 people (2011) on the North Coast (KwaZulu-Natal) of South Africa. Dolphins are common on this stretch of the North Coast shoreline, hence the nickname Dolphin Coast.

Understand
It is a holiday destination with hotels and self-catering accommodation, swimming (Willard) and surfing beaches (Boulder).

By car
From Durban, take the N2 north and follow the signs.

Get around
As there is no public transport available you need a car to get around. But as most of the hotels are close to the beach you can walk there. Ballito is a quiet safe area (compared to other areas in South Africa); even a walk at night is possible without a warrant of concern.

Do

 * Crocodile farm
 * Microlight flights and tours
 * A promenade about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long along the beach front is great for walking and jogging.
 * The Gunston 500 surfing contest, renamed Ballito Pro and sponsored by Billabong, is held annually in July.
 * The Gunston 500 surfing contest, renamed Ballito Pro and sponsored by Billabong, is held annually in July.

Go next

 * Travel south to Durban
 * Go further south along the Hisbiscus Coast through Port Shepstone, visit the Oribi gorge and blue flag beaches.
 * Go up the North Coast and visit St Lucia, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park or drive further on to Eswatini (Swaziland).

title: Ballito


text:
Balloch

Balloch is a town on Clydeside in central Scotland, on the southern shore of Loch Lomond. It expanded from 1850 when the railway arrived, bringing trippers from Glasgow to the pier, whence boats and charabancs conveyed them around the loch. Balloch is still easy to reach by public transport, but this part of the loch is lowland and urban, and few boats now sail so you need your own transport to reach the more attractive areas of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Balloch in 2021 had a population of 6030. The short River Leven drains the loch, flowing south from Balloch through Jamestown, Alexandria (the largest town), Bonhill and Renton. This Vale of Leven conurbation, population 20,000, is industrial and residential, with little to interest the visitor. The river flows into the Clyde estuary at Dumbarton.

Get in
Balloch is nowadays bypassed to the west by A82, the main road from Glasgow to the Highlands, and to the south by A811 towards Stirling. Bicycles may use A82 but it's always pounding with traffic, consider using the old road B857.

By train
Two trains per hour run M-Sa from Glasgow Queen Street, taking 50 min to Balloch via Dumbarton East and Central, and Alexandria. These trains start from Airdrie and Coatbridge. On Sundays the trains run instead from Motherwell via Glasgow Central.

is on the west bank of the river next to Balloch Road bridge, 100 yards from the ferry jetty. There's a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets and a waiting area. There is step-free access to the sole terminus platform.

By bus
First Glasgow Buses 1 / 1A run from Glasgow Osborne Street (stop 2) via Clydebank, Old Kilpatrick, Dumbarton and Alexandria, taking 1 hr 45 min to Balloch. They run every 15 min M-Sa and every 30 min on Sunday.

Citylink coaches from Glasgow to the Highlands run along A82 a mile west of Balloch: the bus stop is by the roundabout junction with A811. It's seldom convenient to use them to get here from Glasgow, but they take you from Balloch direct to Inveraray, Oban, Campbeltown, Fort William and Skye without doubling back via Glasgow. One bus a day (for Campbeltown) runs via the airport stand 9, northbound at 2:30PM and southbound from Balloch at noon.

First Bus 206 runs from Dumbarton via Alexandria to Balloch, taking 50 min. It's every 30 min M-Sa and hourly on Sunday.

McColls Bus 306 runs 3-5 times a day from Helensburgh via Arden on the west loch shore and the A82 / A811 roundabout near Balloch to Alexandria. It's usually simpler to take the 1 / 1A and change in Dumbarton.

Get around
Walk: it's easy enough to walk between Balloch village, the Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre, and Balloch Castle and Park.

By bus: Garelochhead Bus 207 runs hourly M-Sa from Bonhill to Alexandria, Balloch and the Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre. Their bus 305 runs daily every couple of hours from Alexandria to Balloch, Arden and Luss on the west loch shore. Their bus 309 runs daily every hour or two from Alexandria to Balloch, Drymen and Balmaha on the east loch shore.

By bike: a cycle path runs from Balloch along bypassed loops of road and purpose-built track along the west bank of the loch via Arden, Luss and Inverbeg to Tarbet, 17 miles in all. It's level going and suitable also for hikers, wheelchairs and horses.

By boat: Sweeney's Cruises sail May-Sept 2-3 times a day from Balloch to Luss, where the schedule allows you three hours ashore.

Taxi: Wright Taxis serve Balloch, Alexandria and Dumbarton,.

Do

 * Cruise the loch: Sweeney's Cruises operate a variety of boat trips year round, the shortest being the "Experience Cruise" (adult £12), a one-hour potter around the southern basin. They also operate the water buses, see "Get around". They sail from the village landing next to the railway station and Balloch Road bridge.
 * Water sports such as canoeing, kayaking and paddle-boarding: with your own kit you can start here. There are no public hire or instruction facilities in Balloch, see Loch Lomond for other options. There's a £20 fee to launch a motorboat from the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway (foot of Pier Rd just beyond Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre) and you must register it - and any kind of powered craft such as jetski - in advance with the Park.
 * Golf: Cameron House Golf Club is by that hotel. Vale of Leven GC is south in Alexandria, white tees 5278, par 67, visitor round £27.
 * John Muir Way is a 130-mile (215-km) walking trail from Helensburgh to Dunbar on the east coast. It's named for the naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) and used to stretch from Dunbar his birthplace to Edinburgh, but in 2014 was extended to Helensburgh. Hiking east to have the weather at your back, Stage One is out of Helensburgh over Bannacra to Balloch. Stage Two is east across the hills to Strathblane near Milngavie, with an alternative route for bikes via Gartness and Dumgoyne. Stage Three is through Lennoxtown to join the Forth-Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, thence along the towpath towards Edinburgh.
 * Loch Lomond Highland Games are held at Moss o Balloch Park, west bank of the river. They're on the second Saturday in July, with the next on Sa 13 July 2024. Luss Highland Games are held on the first Saturday in July.
 * Loch Lomond Food & Drink Festival: the main event is in early September, in Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre. There's also a smaller Springfest.
 * Loch Lomond Highland Games are held at Moss o Balloch Park, west bank of the river. They're on the second Saturday in July, with the next on Sa 13 July 2024. Luss Highland Games are held on the first Saturday in July.
 * Loch Lomond Food & Drink Festival: the main event is in early September, in Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre. There's also a smaller Springfest.

Budget

 * Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre has Café Zest, Queen of the Loch Hotel & Restaurant for pub food and Café at the Shores for cakes and sandwiches.
 * Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre has Café Zest, Queen of the Loch Hotel & Restaurant for pub food and Café at the Shores for cakes and sandwiches.

Mid-range

 * Balloch House within Innkeeper's Lodge (see Sleep) is a gastropub open Tu-Sa 07:00-23:00, Su M 08:00-22:30

Splurge

 * Cameron House has two restaurants, see below.
 * Inishmurrin Island has an upscale restaurant open Apr-Oct. You'd better book or they won't send the boat for you. Their self-catering accommodation is mostly let by the week but Friday-Monday short breaks are available.

Drink

 * Along Balloch / Drymen Rd are Tullie Inn and Balloch House (see Eat) and The Dog House, open Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1AM.
 * Scotch whisky is distilled and blended all along the Vale of Leven but there are no distilleries open to visit.
 * Loch Lomond Brewery is also in the Vale, no tours.

Sleep

 * The main accommodation strip is along the historic high street, Balloch Rd becoming Drymen Rd as it crosses the river. Plus there's a couple along the modern road A811 just south.

Connect
As of July 2023 Balloch, Alexandria and their approach roads have 4G from O2 and 5G from EE, Three and Vodafone.

Go next

 * East through Drymen to access the east shore of Loch Lomond. Stay on the main road to reach historic Stirling.
 * North along A82 to Luss and Tarbet then various routes lead to the Highlands and Islands.
 * South via Dumbarton to Glasgow for big city attractions.

title: Balloch


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Ballston Spa

Ballston Spa is a town of 5,300 people (2018) in New York. The town is well-known for it's walkable village with hometown restaurants, shops and museums.

Understand
European settlement of Ballston Spa began in 1771. It was incorporated as a village in 1807. It was served for four major railroads and was at that time the 11th most populated region located in the modern United States. The town is well-known for the natural mineral water used for healing, hence the name.

In 1803, the Sans Souchi Hotel located in downtown Ballston Spa was the largest hotel of it's time in the modern United States. All kinds of people from presidents, governors, wealthy citizens and senators stayed there.

It is the county seat of Saratoga County.

By car

 * Take Interstate 87 (I-87) to exit 12 and follow Route 67 West. Ballston Spa would be preferable to drive through, because the public transportation system is limited and many attractions are a far distance from each other.

By bus
MegaBus offers an affordable trip from several destinations in New York City for usually around $5. The pickup destination in New York City is usually at a random street corner, though. You will be dropped off at Rensselaer Station in Albany, the capital of New York. To get to Ballston Spa from there, go to the East St. & Herrick St. bus station. Take the 114 West bus for about 10 minutes to the Broadway & Hudson Ave. stop. Walk for about a minute to the SUNY Plaza Broadway station and get on the 905 West bus for an hour to the State St. & Washington Ave. station. Wait there for the 450 North bus. It will take about 30 minutes on the 450 to get to downtown Ballston Spa. The heart of the village can be accessed from the ''Rt. 50 & Malta Ave.'' station.

By plane
Albany International Airport is the closest airport, and connections on CDTA can be found to get to the village by bus. Most US northeast airlines have service there.

By bus
The CDTA (Capital District Transport Authority) has multiple buses running through Ballston Spa. Bus number 451 runs down the main road, Route 50, at frequent stops, so for tourists without a car, it is an ideal service. A 3-day visitor pass ticket can be purchased from CDTA for a low cost of $10, which includes unlimited travel on all CDTA branded buses.

See

 * Birthplace of Abner Doubleday – The supposed founder of baseball, Abner Doubleday, was born in Ballston Spa. The house he was born in is now an antique shop, called

Go next

 * Nearby Saratoga Springs is a logical place to go next. It's about a 15-minute drive up New York State Route 50 (Milton Ave., Doubleday Ave., and Ballston Ave.).
 * Schenectady is also close, about 30 minutes' drive.
 * Troy and Albany are just a bit farther away.

title: Ballston Spa