The Bali Belly

If you get sick, your absolute priority is hydration. Diarrhea and vomiting cause you to lose large amounts of water and essential minerals quickly.

• Drink ORS: Go to any local pharmacy (look for the sign “Apotek”) or minimart and buy “Oralit” (Oral Rehydration Salts) or a sports drink like Pocari Sweat. Drink slowly in small sips.
• Activated charcoal: Ask the pharmacy for “Norit” – activated carbon pills. A standard local remedy that helps absorb toxins in your stomach naturally.
• Eat plain food: Stick to the BRAT diet – Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast – or sip plain coconut water. Avoid dairy, alcohol, and spicy food until your stomach settles.

Use with caution. Medicines like Imodium stop your bowel movements – which is useful if you absolutely need to get on a flight or a long boat ride. However, if your Bali Belly is caused by a bacterial infection, diarrhea is your body’s natural way of flushing the bad bacteria out. Taking Imodium traps the bacteria inside your gut, which can make the infection worse and last longer. Do not use it if you have a high fever or see blood in your stool.

Most cases pass within 24 to 48 hours. Contact a local medical clinic if:

• You cannot keep any water down for more than 12 hours.
• Symptoms show no sign of improving after 48 to 72 hours.
• You have a high fever.
• You have extreme or unbearable stomach pain.
• You see blood or mucus in your stool.

Many tourist clinics in Bali offer 24/7 house calls. A nurse can come to your hotel or villa and administer an IV drip, which can rehydrate you and dramatically improve how you feel within an hour.

A few simple habits will reduce your chances considerably:

• Never drink tap water. Only bottled or properly filtered water.
• Brush your teeth with bottled water. A few drops of tap water on your toothbrush are enough to cause an infection.
• Wash your hands constantly. Use soap or alcohol-based hand sanitiser before every meal. You will be touching cash and scooter handles all day.
• Be smart about street food. Eating at local warungs is one of the best parts of being in Bali – just pick places that are busy with locals, where food turnover is fast and fresh. Make sure meat is cooked piping hot.
• Be careful with raw salads. If a restaurant washes their lettuce in tap water, the bacteria stays on the leaves. If you have a sensitive stomach, stick to cooked or peeled vegetables.

Generally yes. Commercial ice in Bali is produced under Indonesian government regulation and is made from sterilised, purified water. The ice you get in almost all cafes, restaurants, and bars is safe. The exception is if you are deep in a remote village or buying a drink from a small street cart with a dirty cooler – in that case, ask for no ice.

No. Do not self-prescribe antibiotics. If your Bali Belly is caused by a virus or a food intolerance, antibiotics will do nothing – and will destroy the good bacteria in your gut, making your stomach weaker. See a doctor first. They can run a quick stool test to make sure they prescribe exactly the right medicine for what you actually have.

The term stuck from decades ago when Bali’s tourism infrastructure was less developed and travellers on tight budgets frequently had stomach troubles. Almost every major tourist destination has its own nickname for traveler’s diarrhea:

• Montezuma’s Revenge (Mexico)
• Delhi Belly (India)
• Pharaoh’s Revenge (Egypt)
• The Turkey Trots (Turkey)

Bonus local knowledge: a “Bali Kiss” or “Bali Tattoo” is the painful burn you get on your calf from accidentally touching a hot motorbike exhaust. Be careful getting off your scooter.