driving in Bali

A scooter with one adult and four children on the way to school. Bali, 2015.

Before we went to Bali, my husband and I decided that we would not rent a car and would instead hire drivers. We had read enough about traffic there to understand that driving would be stressful, even for my husband, who will boldly drive where many people wouldn’t. He’s driven in several major American cities, various European cities, and in the worst car in Iceland. Still, he was wise enough to understand that Bali would likely be way more stressful than even New York City during rush hour.

Once we arrived in Bali, we knew that we had made the correct choice. Traffic looked chaotic to our exhausted, jet-lagged eyes as we left the airport. There was no obvious order. No one used directional signals. I don’t recall seeing any posted speed limits. Painted lines on roads — if they even existed — were merely suggestions.

Cars and motor scooters — oh so many scooters — zoomed and swerved and zipped around each other in their constant quest to move forward. Scooters in particular wedged themselves into every possible space and bravely zipped between cars. If cars had stayed in their own lanes, perhaps this would have been less dangerous, however, cars too were zipping in and out and creating entirely new lanes as necessary.

Scooters were the preferred mode of transportation and would have anywhere from one to five riders. Some configurations we saw:

• Male driver, a female behind him riding side-saddle with a large basket balanced on top of her head.

• Male driver, a female behind him with a baby on her back, and a toddler sitting between the two adults. Frequently there was a small child or even a dog between the driver’s legs.

• Male drivers (none of my photos show any female drivers) with a massive load behind them, such as crates of chickens.

It was mayhem.

That said, we did not see a single wreck during our visit, so obviously this traffic system works for them.

Toward the end of our trip, my husband summed up driving in Bali like this:

“I wouldn’t touch driving in Bali with a 10-foot pole. Specifically, the 10-foot bamboo pole held by the third passenger on the motor scooter that just passed our van uphill on the wrong side of the road.”

Where’s the wildest place you’ve driven (or not)?