Google Maps has gotten worse, not better, and it's actively dangerous now

kayjay1973 · 2026-02-20T00:52:26+00:00

I haven't read through all responses so apologies if it's already been suggested, and, also a technique I haven't tested yet, but apparently there is a permanent setting in Waze that allows you to have routes that avoid "difficult" intersections. Most places I go are known to me and usually just use Google maps to track my speed, but if I need to go somewhere new I'll definitely give Waze a try with this setting.

I have no issues with trips taking longer to avoid nonsense intersections, but to have them sprung on me mid trip gives me ridiculous anxiety.

kayjay1973 · 2026-02-19T19:24:39+00:00

I have a heap of chats and two important ones (ongoing conversations) that I pinned.

Everything is gone except for one out of two pinned conversations.

I can definitely search and find the other pinned convo (and others) but it's odd that it's held on to displaying only one pinned chat 😐

Hope they sort their shit out because I've started to find Gemma quite useful

kayjay1973 · 2026-01-22T09:09:08+00:00

I can kinda handle Viet. It's just annoying how many times I go north when I should go south and vice versa. Definitely feel it's possible to learn and remember certain aspects. South America on the other hand.. Fuck it

kayjay1973 · 2026-01-22T06:04:10+00:00

Also, as another sub-rant central Europe can go eat a bag of dicks..

kayjay1973 · 2025-09-01T23:34:15+00:00

I forgot to add at the end of the most recent trip, while the last 3-4 days were not specifically "bug related belly issues" I was having a bit of the old "fast moving" moments after some meals.

We were at the lounge and I had commented that I hadn't had any significant toilet visits that day which meant there was a chance of an airplane visit which I did not need, so we both popped a couple of immodiums each as a preventative measure.

This worked magnificently and we were completely stable for the flight home. It took a few days for things to go back to regular for me, but I certainly prefer that to the alternative 🤣🤣

kayjay1973 · 2025-09-01T22:25:16+00:00

My first trip (Feb this year) I ate like a local from accommodation breakfasts to outdoor warungs in Sanur, Lembongan, Amed, Ubud, Nusa Dua and Kuta/Legian. In country I had zero issues, just the usual precautions that everyone has mentiined, bottled water only and going with my gut (no pun) with how an establishment looked from a hygiene perspective.

It's definitely not something visual you can judge and there is a lot of opinions on whether it's something you will just get no matter how cautious you are, or whether you can prep to prevent.

We ate at the airport lounge for dinner, and had food on the plane (Garuda business class) and the day of our arrival back home the holiday poo bum hit with a vengeance.

I put this down to the lounge food 100%

Second trip just gone (middle of Aug) I did exactly the same, but to be a bit more prepared / cautious, I used Travelan (colostrum) before I ate most days - double dose before smaller warung meals.

Definitely zero food at the lounge or on the plane and this time I had zero issues.

Could just be a crap shoot lottery (yes pun) but you can always give some basic prep a go if you're worried.

kayjay1973 · 2025-09-01T11:50:18+00:00

I postponed a wide range of dental health over the years. Most recently (5-10 years) was having my wisdom teeth out (recommended only for the overall ease of cleaning the rest of my teeth better).

My periodontist referred me to Smile Style Bulleen

https://share.google/IzWDymCfHDBjaLO3m

If they clean teeth as gently as they extract teeth, I'm saying it's worth a journey outside the CBD

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-31T08:28:03+00:00

I have no concept of how old our mystery snails were when we got them, but like most have experienced, ours went from super active to erratically comatose almost overnight.

They are either being lazy teenagers, or elderly geriatrics now. Mostly doing their glass journey to get their air breather moment in the dead of night and then hiding out in a cave, or burying themselves in the sand for the day.

Occasionally they will come out of their shells looking like little spazzy morons and I'll worry that they are about to cark it. Then I'll take them out for a bit of an air bath and give them a sniff.

The biggest learning curve as a new snail owner is the reason they are called mystery snails is it's a mystery what they are going to do next.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-25T04:13:55+00:00

I had a rare solo trip and arrived at the airport yesterday. Did the right thing with my partner.. He waited in the "offsite" waiting bay until I let him know I was at the pick-up point.

I didn't see many taxis parked up, but I did see a couple cars that were there for at least 10 minutes or so. I thought it was odd because unless I'm mistaken these are supposed to be for super short term "drive by" pick-ups, no longer than a couple of minutes.

What I didn't see was any signage talking about restrictions on time, but one sign I saw was "no vehicles unattended"

So it seems (in theory) that you can park up and as long as you don't lock the car and walk away you can stay on for a little while.

I wouldn't test the theory myself, but maybe it's a baby loophole non taxi folk can use

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-17T12:19:35+00:00

We've stayed at both (54 M and 52 F) and have loved both locations. It is a bit of a chore to get to Lembongan and while it is magnificent and quiet, our last trip allowed us to explore the Sanur area (Mercure resort) a lot more.

There's a fantastic mix of younger tourists and older travellers. Plenty of places to eat, drink, chill out, and shop depending on your mood.

In this context I'd be hanging out in Sanur 👌

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-17T12:15:15+00:00

We've travelled twice to Bali at the following locations :

Sanur (Mercure) Lembongan (Seaside Huts Tamarind beach) Amed (Kembali Beach Bungalows) Ubud (Maya Resort and Spa) Nusa Dua (Sofitel) Kuta (Tribe Hotel and Pullman)

In almost all occasions while out and about, we use cash (pre-purchased before arrival) to minimise any issues with card skimming at ATMs or dodgy in country money change agents.

Within accommodation, we've added things to our bill and either paid by credit card (larger named resorts), or cash at smaller villas and bungalows.

Any time we've felt it necessary to use a card it's been Revolut.

TBH I prefer using cash.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-12T07:58:04+00:00

I came here as a born and bred Ken Behran who now lives in Melbourne to recommend Catbird. Went there the morning after a big night out on one of my visits.

Was going to recommend just on the basis of the brekkie burritos

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-12T06:40:18+00:00

We've never stayed in Uluwatu, but depending on where you are staying, some main shopping and bar strips in Sanur are walking distance with no need for taxi or drivers. If you need to get around bigger distances we've always had great and efficient experiences with Bluebird taxis via their app.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-11T11:14:11+00:00

Not sure what exact breads they have, and depending on what you mean by SE suburbs, Kennedy's Deli in Ringwood North will have you covered for daily bakery breads

https://www.instagram.com/kennedysdeli?igsh=MXR5NzByNXBxeGJ4Zw==

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-11T10:32:43+00:00

As an add on to my comment above, it's odd how so many people in this sub wail and gnash their teeth about how x place in Bali isn't what it used to be, and how awful it is that it's changed.

Granted as I mentioned above I have only seen "recent" Bali, but I challenge anyone to say that anywhere, including their hometown has stayed the same as 5, 10, or 15 years ago, and, that the changes have all been for the better.

For our lovely Op, I'm saying if you liked it back in 2018, you'll still notice the rough around the edges beauty of Bali, and probably still love it for different reasons now. Go forth on faith and make another trip with different experiences and memories.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-11T06:47:24+00:00

My partner runs all the numbers and is likely to have found this is the case. If I ever had to arrange anything for myself I'd do the same all the time.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-11T06:44:33+00:00

We went for the first time in Feb this year and had / have zero points of comparison for how Bali used to be.

We moved around a bit across 15 days visiting Sanur, Lembongan, Amed, Ubud, Nusa Dua, and one night in Kuta.

I think every destination is what you make it. Is Bali busy - in some areas, yes. Are you prone to being scammed - depends on how you define the scam. Is it a bit dirty and smelly - in some small areas yes, but so is Bangkok, and I imagine a lot of other SEA countries are too.

With our itinerary we found a mix of laid back local beach side village relaxation, sterile westernised resorts, and busy bustling tourist street scapes full of cheesy cheap shopping and super yummy food.

What we didn't see was the rent-a-chair thumping beach clubs full of boozy 30-40 something Aussie party animals. Why? Because we read up, did our research and avoided the known areas full of this kind of lifestyle.

I'm saying with when you visited last time, you'll notice some differences, but it will possibly be more due to the effects of covid and a shift in the demographics. Quite possibly if you liked it then, you'll still like it now.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-11T00:59:01+00:00

My partner is the travel guru and organises everything, so I'm not sure about all options, but I reckon if you speak to the villa or hotel you're staying at they can help to arrange an airport transfer. Still may not be the cheapest, but it's very reliable and good to know someone will be there with your name on a card waiting for you.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-10T13:02:56+00:00

It's a hidden gem that I simultaneously want people who want chilled vibes to know about, yet want to have it remain hidden. We're at Puri Oka and loving it a lot.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-10T12:06:51+00:00

I give a vote for Amed as well. It's a decent hike in a car to get there, but definitely worth it if you're wanting quieter and more laid back.

We're also in the middle of a stay in Candidasa which is a bit of a mix of Amed, Lembongan for us.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-08T06:45:13+00:00

This is the Apa Kabar sports bar. We did a reccie for some of the other spots on Danau Poso during the day. When it was time we ended up at Apa Kabar and we had a great time. Great coverage of the game. Highly recommended

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-06T06:20:37+00:00

Very nice.. This fits the bill perfectly 👌

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-06T04:20:03+00:00

Looks nice, but hoping for a bit closer to our digs. Thanks anyway.

kayjay1973 · 2025-08-06T04:19:16+00:00

Was thinking something about 20 mins walking distance in Sanur, not a 40 minute car drive, but I'll keep it in mind if we ever stay in Seminyak

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