Bali 2019 - Day 4

Overview of Day 4. Destinations are far apart and travelling time was the longest compared to 2 previous days. Sigh...

To add on to the woes, JAMMMM !! It's a Sunday so I can see why it turned out this way. The 2 hour journey took us 2 hours and 45 minutes.

    Stop no 1 : Tasik Bratan - Pura Ulun Danu. The temple on the shores of the lake
    Entrance: 50k per person

Tasik Bratan is unique with regards to its high altitude. Bedegul hills in the background. Weather was great and the 2 hour plus long journey is defnitely worth it !

Another view of the temple

Water sports available for a certain price

Canoes and boats for rent

Mr Crab waving us goodbye at the exit

Stop no. 2 : Wanagiri hidden hillls
Entrance: 100k per person. Yes, 100k !

The most instagrammable spot in Bali ! Entrance fees is 100k per person though. 

Overseeing the twin lakes - tasik buyan and tamblingan 

Non functional swing for photo taking only

We tried to stop by the Handara gates but Alas ! one whole bus of tourists. It would be a nice substitute for the lempuyang gates which is far east and takes a whopping 3 hours to get there. Handara gate is the entrance to the golf club and resort. It rose to fame a few years back and now they charge fees just to take photo with the gates only.

Traffic traffic all the way down!

    Stop no. 3 : Tanah Lot temple
    Entrance: 60k per person

    No one comes to Bali without visiting this place! The best place to view the sunset in Bali. However the sky was cloudy and we were only able to view traces of the sunset. Sad =( 

    Stop no. 4 : Dinner
    Fees: 85k for 2 meals + 1 rice

The best Babi Guling in Bali, or that's what they said. I give it a 8/10 la. 东坡肉 or 叉烧 would win hands down though haha....Along Jalan Raya Kuta, 5-10 minutes walk from my hotel

It's actually called nasi campur. But you can order it as an ala carte too

How the shop looks like from the outside

It's directly opposite this BCA - bank central asia, Jalan Raya Kuta. Google Warung Babi Guling Bu Dayu Kencani and there you have it

    Stop no. 5 : Roti Bakar Jalan Raya Kuta
    Fees: 37k

Slightly further up the street was this roti bakar stall which caught my attention. Wondering how roti bakar will taste compared to that back in Malaysia

We got a kalap + kalem, and roti bakar gurih for 37k IDR

  

Kalap + kalem (peanut + kaya)

Roti bakar gurih. Cheese is cheap in Indonesia i guess

          With that ended my 3 days trip with Fatah. We head to Ubud for the coming 2 more days, with Nusa Penida one of the attractions coming up ! It was a tiring 3 days, but Fatah was very helpful and drove the long distances while we perpetually dozed off at the back seat. There are no highways in Bali so we had to travel through the trunk roads. 

Bali 2019 - Day 3

Day 2 is about beaches! Be excited people! Bali boasts the best beaches in Asia, if not the world. Their beaches are mostly over the northern part of the island. It also saves a lot of travelling time (70km in total, compared to the 150km yesterday)

Our driver took us to the souvenir shop as the gates towards the sea will only open at 10pm. So i got myself a singlet and a fridge magnet. Nothing great about the shop as their choices of magnets were sadly so limited. 

   Stop no. 1: Waterblow, Nusa Dua
   Entrance: Free at time of writing, but they are going to impose a charge pretty soon

Nusa dua was the first stop. This area houses the Waterblow! Nusa means 'island', while Dua means 'two" . It is named such simply because there are 2 islands over the bay of the Bali Tourism Development Corporation area. Waterblow got its name as the strong waves of the Indian Ocean come crashing against the jagged limestone cliffs, deflecting upwards which you can see from the above picture. Of course, you'll need some patience to witness this phenomenon. We waited for around 30 minutes under the sun, just for this moment of brilliance. The sun is burning, but surprisingly the breeze is so cooling. At the tip of this rocky pathway, the Indian Ocean catches your sight of view. The stunning cobalt blue waters of the Indian Ocean is just breathtaking

    Stop no. 2 : Geger beach
    Entrance: 3k per person

  Next to waterblow, around 10 minutes drive is the Geger beach. Pantai Geger's sand is yellow, and clean water with small ripples, unlike the tumultuous waves of waterblow. Many people come to sunbath and take a swim as the sea is pretty calm. On the far right of the photo is Pura Gegar stone temple, which is quite instagrammable but we didn't have time for that

   Stop no. 3 : Lunch at Pak Dobeil
   Fee: 100k for 2 meals + 2 extra rice

How can you not try Babi Guling (unless restrictions by religion) if you come to Bali? Pak Dobeil Babi Guling is quite famous if you google for Babi Guling in Nusa Dua. However, it's still a far cry from the best one we had back in Kuta the next day. The pork is cooked and rosted for a few hours, and comes with a portion of white rice, beans, satay and some toppings. Accompanying the dish is a bowl of flavory soup cooked with blend of Indoesian spices. It tastes pretty similar to local Malay food but westerners might find the taste a little disturbing

   Stop no. 4 : Puja Mandala
   Entrance: FREE

We headed to Puja Mandala which is a unique place in Bali. 5 places of worship are located in one row, in a similar street. You can see how harmonized Bali is, with its blend of a multicultural society with different believes. Masjid, from the far left, to Catholic church, Chinese temple, Protestant church and the Hindu temple. Nothing much to see or take photos but more to just passing by to witness the structures

    Stop no. 5 : Pandawa Beach
    Entrance: 30k per person

Pandawa beach can be proclaimed as one of the nicest beaches in Bali

It is a partially hidden beach, in between the steep cliffs!

The best view is from the top. Various activities can be found below, including canoeing, and some water sports. 

    Stop no. 6 : Uluwatu beach/ temple
    Entrance: 60k per person

Uluwatu temple is very popular and it is almost impossible to get a shot without any people inside. The beach is not open for public as it is difficult to descend, and the ferocious waves are no joke. Public are allowed into the temple which already well overseas the beach. Some people come here to enjoy the sunset but we had other ideas.

The other side of the temple which you could also witness the astonishing cliff and sea view

    Stop no. 7 : Dinner at Jimbaran Beach
    Entrance: free. Meals depends on your order

Pak Yanto knows the owner well and he helped us secure a good spot facing the sea for the romantic candle light dinner. It's a seafood restaurant to satisfy all your seafood cravings. Afterall it's a honeymoon trip =D

However, be prepared to spend some real money! The couple set starts from IDR 800k (~RM 234, not inclusive yet of the 16% tax)

The best spot, right in front of the sea

Tada ! And this is what we got for 800k IDR. Mussels, shrimp, ikan bakar and calamary rings.

Dinner on the sand, literally by the sea. How about that? 

Complimentary cake by Pak Yanto. Er....wait....Did you mean Honenmoon??

          It took us another gruelling 1 hour to get back to the hotel. But it was a worthy day with all the sun, sweat and tan. Please remember to apply LOTS of sunscreen as the beaches provide you with next to no shade. Be prepared to be roasted by the Balinese sun....geee

Bali 2019 - Day 2

       

The route plan for day 1 was around ubud and kintamani area

          We took breakfast in the hotel as we were still unfamiliar with the surroundings. It cost us 75k IDR per person. The food was OK, but we thought it was rather expensive. Breakfast stalls were not aplenty like how we have it back in Malaysia. 

          We prebooked our driver which made our trip much easier. I looked for Pak Yanto who has 15 drivers under his wing. It costs us only 380k per day x 3 days, with flexible adjustments to the destinations. Our driver reached early at 830am to pick us up from the hotel. His name is Fatah. I stroke some conversations with him throughout the journey. He is only 29, but already has vast experience working as a driver (Supir, in Bahasa Indonesia). He is very friendly and helps with taking pictures

Stop no. 1 : Tegenungan waterfalls

Entrance: 20k IDR per pax

          Tegenungan waterfalls in Ubud. This is the mini waterfall as we didn't opt for the larger one that requires us to descend for a short walk.  The waterfalls are located in the jungle. The air is definitely refreshening after an hour in the car

Stop no. 2 : Oka coffee plantation
Entrance is free but luwak coffee tasting: 60k IDR . Comes with complimentary balinese pancake

          Next stop is Oka coffee plantations. Bali is also famous for its Luwak Coffee - which is civet coffee. Coffee berries are consumed by the Asian palm civet, which after fermentation and numerous processes, are made into coffee powder. They even demonstrate how the coffee is made, starting from the beans to the roasting and sieving process.

          16 types of coffee for visitors to taste. The aroma is definitely awesome but i guess they have added in lots of sugar that the coffee taste so sweet. You need to pay extra 60k to test the luwak coffee which we happily did

Complimentary Balinese pancake for those who tried the Luwak coffee

          One of the photo taking spots in their mini plantation. This area is more of an exhibition and sales centre. Their real plantation which their civets are kept is much more further north. 

Plant tress...plant hope !!

Stop no. 3 : Kintamani restaurant
Kintamani buffet lunch: 100k + 21% tax

Lunch was buffet style at Kintamani restaurant. Fried noodles, rice, and some dishes were too mediocre to deserve a photo. Anyway, we paid 121k per pax for it.

Kintamani is a small village situated on the western edge of the larger caldera wall of Gunung Batur. Gunung Batur is still an active volcano and can be seen over the backdrop. The air is freezing cold here due to its high altitude. There is nothing much you can do here besides enjoying the scene and the cool fresh air

Only the diners of Kintamani restaurant are allowed to hike up the 4 floors to take this picture

Stop no. 4 : Terrace river pool swing
Entrance: 50k per person if didn't buy tickets for the swing. Couple swing = 300k/ couple

Next up was the rice terraces. This is not the main rice terrace as harvesting was ongoing. Which means that all that is left was only the brownish remains of the stalk. Instead, we went to the swings which oversees some rice terraces as well. You definitely need to try out the swing. It sounds kinda scary but its once of a lifetime experience !

What to do at the peak of the swing? Kiss of course XD

The swing was around 30 meters from the ground so be prepared to get a little dizzy!

  Stop no. 5 : Puta titra empul temple

  Entrance: 50k per person

Pura titra empul - the Hindu Balinese temple located in the town of tampaksiring. Many people love to take a bath in the pool. Everyone is required to be clad on sarung which they rent for free at the entrance. Do ask the locals regarding their belief before entering the waters. Otherwise it's a real nice temple with many spots for photo taking

         The trip to titra empul temple marked the last stop for the day as heading back to the hotel took us another 1 hour. 

Bali 2019 - Day 1

          A long waited trip, finally. It has been 2 years since I last travelled overseas. Hong Kong 2017 being the last destination i went. 2018 was filled with many events so travelling was out of the list

          We decided to go to Bali, as it was cheap and is deemed to be nice place for honeymoon.

          Indonesia is not strange to us as we went to Bandung in 2016. Bali is known for its scenic beaches, lush mountains/ rice terraces and for its volcanos. We planned the trip a month ahead and had everything booked before hand. And in no time, we are in Bali!

Check in is only allowed 48 hours before the flight

          We took Malindo airlines to Bali as the flight duration from KL is 3 hours and 5 minutes. Definitely not wanting to squeeze myself into the confines of the cramped air asia seat.  The plane landed at Denpasar, which is the city of Bali. The airport , Ngurah Rai Airport, is named after their national hero who fought against the Dutch.

          We touched down at 930pm local time, which is similar to Malaysian time. Took at Grab car which cost 79k IDR. Apparently Grab drivers are not very welcomed in Bali. So we headed to the pick up spot that the driver suggested through the Grab chat. Hotel Rhadana was our choice, amongst the thousands (The Grab driver said 15,000!) of hotels in Bali. We chose it due to its relatively cheap price, location, and reviews from Agoda.com

Hotel Rhadana, Jalan Raya Kuta

RM100 per night which is relatively cheap for such a nice hotel. 

      Each hotel room had a different theme. And we were greeted by the lush greens of the rice terraces of Tengalalang. It was already 1030pm when we checked in so there was literally no more energy left to explore the surroundings

Sockets in Bali are 2 pinned, so you might want to prepare your own universal adapter. Otherwise you can rent it from the Hotel for 50k IDR deposit, to be refunded upon check out

Some quick facts before you step foot in Bali

• Bali has the same climate as Malaysia does, but it is much cooler. The breeze is cool even under the scorching midday sun
• Bahasa Indonesia had some similarities as Bahasa Malaysia does. Malaysians can usually understand their language but not vice versa. Some Indonesian words that i find intriguing: Dorong (tolak), Jendela (tingkap), Kamar (bilik), Bisa (boleh), Sore (petang)
• RM1 = 3424 IDR (June 2019)
• Staying in Bali, you can choose from Kuta, Legian, Semiyak (beach, night club)/ Ubud (rice terraces, western shops) , Nusa Dua area (beach). These are the most popular ones.
• Food in Bali is, not that great, compared to Malaysian standards XD
• Neither is the food cheap. Be prepared to spend the same amount of money for food, if not more, compared to Malaysian prices
• Tourism if the major income for most of the Bali folks. It is not difficult to hire a driver.
• You definitely do not want to get around on your own in Bali. Each location is pretty far, that can take up to 2 hours drive. Get the driver to do it for you
• Crime rate is extremely low
• Although a cultural melting pot, the main religion is Hinduism. Traces of the religion can be seen over the architecture especially.

请问，你贵名

我不认识你
可是缘分让我们海外擦肩
然后一起相遇，相爱

记得那一晚
我问你
首尔的星星
会不会和曼谷的是一样
你只是笑而不答
可是你的那一笑
却拴住了我的心

你说过
你不想知道我的名字
因为如果你知道了我的名字
你就要开始关心我

那年
我去了韩国旅行
然后在那里遇到了一位女孩
我们在一起旅行只不过几天而已
我还不知道她叫什么名字
但是我觉得
我爱上了她
但是她对我说
那或许是一时的错觉
我也不知道
但如果那是一时的错觉
那么那错觉真的持续了很长的时间
已经一年了
为什么我还在想着他
我每一天都想再见到她

若能重逢
请给我一次机会
问你，
你叫什么名字 ?