J.u.L.y. B.a.L.i. T.r.I.p

We have bought the air tickets last year around August if not mistaken. I thought it’s hard for a year to pass… But it wasn’t!! Now, we have been there and back from Bali and move on with life… =( But the memories we had in Bali stay in mind forever!!

I have to say I love that place!!! It’s peaceful and relaxing… I just felt 3 days there weren’t enough and I wish to go there again soon… Besides, the trip was memorable because of the companions as well. We had so much fun together even though our planning was quite last-minute. But it did turn out smooth… After all, it was meant to be a free-and-easy trip… And I have to mention as well that the air fare was super cheap! We got it at RM 169 with sky bus fare and insurance. Not bad huh?

So let’s start with our experience in Bali!!!!

From top left corner (Clockwise): Derrick, Jinny(me), Aaron, Sze-Lyn, Jeremy(middle)

Above is the photo of the “Legendary Five” in this Bali Trip…. Hahaha…. It was supposed to be “Legendary Seven”… T.T

Below, on the left was where we had our first meal in Bali. Probably I was too hungry, I thought the food was quite good! The chicken and the quill eggs were yummy… And the price ain’t that expensive. That piece of chicken was a whole chicken thigh! Not bad I guess?

Left: The place we had dinner --> Nasi Pecel Bu Tinuk

Middle: Layout of the Family Suite in Jati Homestay

Right: Some photos taken with Dewa who is the owner of the homestay

That is Jati Homestay in the middle. The place we stayed while we were in Ubud, Bali for 2 nights. We arrived at Denpasar Airport around 9.30pm. So Dewa(owner of the homestay who picked us up from airport) suggested us to have dinner nearby before going to Ubud. By the time we reached Ubud, it was about 11.30pm. The town was dead quiet! All the shops were closed except convenient stores and there was one just right outside our homestay. From the main road, we will need to walk down a dark (because the lights were off already) alley and take few turnings before we could reach the destination. I was thinking, “Oh man, what kind of place we are staying…” But when we finally reached the destination, we found the place was surprisingly good! It was simple but very comfy! We took the family suites which consist of one single bed and one double bed with attached bathroom in each suite. Outside each room, there is a small area with sofa and coffee table where we can hang out. The rooms are all facing paddy field which make us feel so close to nature. There is also a small dining area where everyone has breakfast before going out to explore Bali. We can also hang out there at night when all the shops are closed. WiFi is available at the dining area. Oh, it's only about RM20 per person per night!!! Cheap right?

FIRST DAY

Left: Goa Gajah

Middle: Tirta Empul

Right: Coffee Plantation

Our first stop was Goa Gajah (left)which you won’t get to see “gajah” (elephant). The reason why it is called “Goa Gajah” is the entrance of the cave where the believers do their meditation looks a little like elephant. Bali made up of mostly Hindu which explains why there are so many temples around. When we visited the temples, we had to wear “sarung” if our bottoms are shorter than the knees, be it guys or girls. This is to show respect to the Gods. Then we went to Tirta Empul Temple (or Holy Spring Water Temple), shown in the middle. Believers would come here to take a dip in the holy spring water pool for good luck or to wash away the bad luck. But burnt offerings have to be made first before entering the pool. After that, we went to a coffee plantation (right) where “Luwak or Luak coffee” is produced. Sadly, that little fella (Mr. Luwak) was sleeping while we were there, so we couldn’t take a clear photo of it. We also got to taste Bali coffee, cocoa drinks, lemon grass tea, ginger tea and honey lemon tea for free. For Luwak Coffee, you will then need to pay to taste it. It’s Rp 30,000 which is about RM 10 per cup. It tastes different from the normal coffee. It’s more aromatic and not really bitter without any sugar. I prefer it without sugar. =) You can see from the photo how indulged I was… Hehe… They should ask me to act in their ads if they have. =P

Left: Lunch @ Volcano Kintamani (left three) & Paddy Tegallalang (right three)

Right: Spa & Massage @ Verona Spa

Then we went to Kintamani Volcano to have our buffet lunch. The food was just ok and quite expensive. The main attraction is that you get to look at the volcano as you take your lunch. BUT, it was raining and cloudy and foggy when we were there… =( Potong steam!!! But the weather was very chilling, so we had to wear jacket. Me and Jeremy only, to be exact. Then we took a long ride to see paddy field! Tegallalang Paddy!!! Initially, we were thinking, “Paddy fields in Malaysia tak cukup banyak ke? Especially for me who come from Kedah! Haha…. But I must say that was different!! And you must go there to see the difference. That’s why I didn’t put a clear photo of it. =P Then we took long ride again back to Ubud town where we went for massage and spa at Verona Spa (right). According to our tour guide, Mr. Wayan, that was actually Javanese Massage, not Balinese Massage. But I believe we all had quite an experience. The atmosphere was good, just that their massage is not “kuat” enough. For an one-and-a-half-hour massage and spa, it's only about RM 45 if I still remember correctly.

Left: Dinner @ Bebek Bengil (Highly recommended!)

Right: Birthday celebration for Babe!

After the massage, we decided to walk around town and head to the famous, strongly recommended by many and legendary restaurant by ourselves. It is none other than Restaurant Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner). This restaurant is of course famous of its duck. We got to try Crispy Duck which really tasted AWESOME!!!! The duck is so crispy that you can also eat the bone!! We ordered three different sets to share among five. The other two were Deep Fried Chicken rice and Balinese Nasi Campus. All were tasty!!! Must try~~ I like the atmosphere of the restaurant as well. Too bad all the Tatami type of tables were all reserved. Besides, we didn’t get to try the Smoked Whole Duck because that requires one day reservation in advance. =( After dinner, we decided to buy some cakes for supper from the bakery opposite the restaurant. But the main reason we were buying cakes was to CELEBRATE BABE’s BIRTHDAY!!! Surprise!!! Haha… I hope he was surprised because his birthday was supposed to be 3 days later. Hah! We had a simple celebration at the homestay for him. And I surprised him AGAIN by dropping his DSLR onto the floor!! =P (Sorry sayang…) After the celebration, we continued with our favorite game of the trip – Chor Dai Dee and also transferring photos from all three cameras to laptop!! Also, thanks to the convenient store located not far from our homestay, we managed to get some supplies like supper and drinks to help us get through the night! =)

SECOND DAY

Top Left: Lunch @ Babi Guling Andi Jaya

Top Right: Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

Bottom Left & Right: Tanah Lot Temple

First stop of the day was Ubud market which I did not have much photos for this place because I was too busy shopping. =P It was our first experience shopping in Bali and we have not learnt the art of bargaining yet. I think I was “slaughtered”. Well, then I learned the lesson. But I have to say that it can be quite scary shopping in Bali. Some of the shop owners can be quite scary. Besides, my friends are correct. You MUST bargain to reduce the price to at least 50 to 70% of the price they offered! After the shopping spree, we left Ubud to continue exploring Bali. We spent a lot of time in the van for the second day because all the places were quite far apart. Photo on top left was the Babi Guling which everyone also said must try even though not very nice because it is the famous delicacy in Bali. The restaurant that they recommended was Ibu Oka which was located in the Ubud town. However, our tour guide a.k.a drive suggested that we can go to the not so famous shop but they serve more authentic Babi Guling. With the many comments saying it’s not that tasty, hence we went with pretty low expectations I guess. And it turned out to be quite nice I would say!! We had one place each and ordered another two extra plates to share. It even transformed Miss Nichole Tan Sze-Lyn who doesn’t take pork! She actually ate more than I did. According to Wayan, every Balinese family rare pigs at home because they need to make whole Babi Guling during big occasion as offering to their gods. On the top right, it’s Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, a water temple. The weather there is quite chilling and windy even though the sun was shining brightly. We actually took many SS photos there. (SS = syiok sendiri) For bottom left and right, it’s the Tanah Lot temple which is famous for watching sunset. We were there for about 2 hours to wait for the sunset. So imagine how much SS photos we took again. =P But the cloud has blocked the view of a nice sunset… =( After dinner, we checked in to Tunes Hotel in Kuta and went to walk around the Kuta Town. It was more happening at Kuta. Even though most of the shops selling souvenirs and local stuff were closed, there were many outlets like Quiksilver, Hurley, Roxy, etc which opened until midnight.

LAST DAY

Left: Nusa Dua Beach & Turtle Island

Middle: Padang-Padang Beach

Right: Uluwatu Cliff Temple and Dinner @ Jimbaran Bay

We all became beach boys and girls because we spent a lot of time at the beach. We had our breakfast in KFC and then headed to Nusa Dua Beach. This beach has more sea activities like diving, snorkeling, parasailing, jetskiing, etc. We chose to go to the TURTLE ISLAND where we got to play with the turtles. There’s nothing much there actually but just to feel more like tourists maybe? Hahaha… Derrick and babe tried out the Flying Fish after much bargaining with the locals. It’s all about bargaining… Haha! I was pretty tempted to try parasailing but it was stop due to low tide. =( After that, we went to the other end of Nusa Dua Beach to watch the Water Blow. Too bad I couldn’t find photos of this place to combine and upload. Will try. Then it was the Padang Padang Beach which was famous for surfing. I guess we were there at the wrong time of the day. It was very hot and the tide wasn’t suitable for surfing. Of course we were not there for surfing. We were there to check out the surfers… Hahaha!!! Then we went to Uluwatu Cliff Temple. Astonising!!! Awesome!!! Breath-taking… The scenery was so nice!!!! Of course I won’t show that much photos so you can go there and check out by yourself… But I do wish I have my own DSLR to take photos… =P The thing with this place is there were many monkeys who will snatch your personal belongings like spectacles, necklace, etc. You will need to pay the locals to buy fruits from them in order to exchange with the monkeys. But Wayan tried his best to protect us and keep reminding us to keep our spectacles first until we got to a “safe” place. Haha! Last stop of the day was dinner at Jimbaran Bay. Haha! We were so embarrassed I think! We were so stressed when we saw the menu because it was so expensive especially for the couple sets. Then the other menu is whereby the seafood will be chosen by us and weighed. It’s much cheaper that way but obviously all of us seldom go to the wet market. So we had no idea roughly how heavy a fish would be. So we thought it’s still going to cost us a lot. Wayan was stressed to see us stressed as well. But after choosing and weighing, we were relieved… Haha! The food was just ok but the environment was quite good. They all have a band that will go from table to table to sing songs according to the country you are from. But they came to our table and sang us a song none of us know. Haha!! We got back to hotel after that to shower before heading out for more shopping again… This time we did better in bargaining… We managed to buy a dress at about RM10… =P Then Aaron, Derrick and I went for massage and reflexology. While Sze-Lyn and babe decided to go back and rest awhile. But babe joined us later for shoulder massage too. After all that, we went back to hotel to play Chor Dai Dee again because we have decided to stay up for the night until our flight. We managed to wake Sze-Lyn up but I went to sleep after awhile. =P

After countless rounds of Chor Dai Dee, we were finally off to airport… Bon voyage, Bali!!! We will be come back here again!!!

It was indeed a great trip… And I am looking forward for the next one. =)

Oh…. It was babe’s birthday on 14^th July. The day we flew back. Hope he did enjoy himself as much as I did in Bali….

Cheers…. (Opppssss…. Sound like Mangoyan!!)

Next up -----> Haven't thought of it yet... =P

S.e.P.t.E.m.B.e.R.

It's September now and there were many memorable events that happened for the past few months and I shall post about them separately... Because each of them are special!!! =)

But I cannot do all at the same time... But will try to keep up with the time.... So I shall start with Bali Trip in the next post!!!