In Bali the post office is called ‘kantor pos‘ and is recognized by an orange sign. In the Kuta area the 2 largest post offices are located close to the airport on Jl. Airport Ngurah Rai and in Tuban on Jl. Raya Tuban. When picking up a package from overseas you will most likely receive a note directing you to one of these two places.
Post offices are open Mon-Thurs 8am-2pm, Fri 8am-11am, Sat 8am-1pm. There are also many small postal agencies such the one in Seminyak at Bintang supermarket. These places can mail letters and packages and also sell pre-paid phone cards (kartu telpon) which offer the best rates for overseas calls.
When posting a letter in Bali for an overseas destination expect a delivery time of 5 to 15 days. For important documents use registered mail or a company such as FedEx (Bypass Ngurah Rai in Jimbaran 0361 701727) or DHL (Jl. Legian in Legian 0361 762138).
Local phone offices are called ‘wartels’ (warung telekomunikasi) and offer basic phone services (local, domestic and international). In order to dial an overseas number use 001 or 008. For example a California local number (805)945-6789 would be 001-1-(805)9456789 and so forth. Be sure to ask the rate before calling. FAX services are sometimes available also.
It is possible to use your GSM phone in Bali. Anyone calling you in Bali will have to pay international rate though. Its not a bad idea to pick up a cheap cell phone (500,000rp outside Bintang supermarket), a new SIM card (20,000rp) and have a new local phone. Before leaving your home country contact your phone provider to find out what restrictions apply.
Bali has a selection of area codes, 0361 covering south Bali including Kuta, Tabanan and Ginayar. Area code 0362 covers north Bali, 0365 covers west Bali, 0363 & 0366 cover east Bali. Area codes are not need when you call a local number. Cell phone use the prefix 081. If you are calling a cell phone from overseas add 62 (Indonesia country code and then 81, followed by the rest of the number. For land lines add +62 then 361 (in the case of a Kuta number) followed by the rest of the number.
Local GSM operators include XL, Telkomsel and Satelindo.
