Bali Trip, Again. But This time, semi-solo. (15-19 Mar 2016)

Yes, I have answered the calling. The calling to go to BALI!!!

But this time I didn't go with my family. I went there with a friend - Sammy-o.

No, that's not her real name.

No, we didn't go everywhere together.

Hence the 'semi-solo' in the title.

Day 1: 15 Mar - ARRIVAL/ CHECK-IN

On the first day, I arrived at Ngurah Rai Airport by myself because my friend will only be coming on the second day. So, there I was, all alone, with my luggage, in a foreign land - HAPPY AS HELL - excitedly talking to the Javanese driver who drove me to the hotel.

Upon reaching my hotel which was The Haven, I found out that my room wasn't ready yet. So I had to chill in the guests' lounge first. I must have been forgotten by the staff there because I stayed there for 2 hours (I slept, played video games, slept again a couple of times) and no one came to get me. So, after being fairly certain that the staffs' memory had been obliviated (sorry, HP geek-out moment), I finally went down to one of the many front desks and asked them if I could have my room ready. It was. They had the room ready for quite a while.

My reaction exactly.

Chilling-billing at the guests' lounge. There was a time I was almost convinced that the lounge was my room.

Day 2: 16 Mar - Mt Batur

I had planned to go hike Mt Batur to catch the sunrise from the summit on this particular morning. 

This is one of those moments when you, my dear reader(s), can witness my impulsive nature. Just so you know, I am not what you would perceive to be a healthy person, neither do I like to move  around much. I'm not talking about exercising, I really mean moving in general - I have a serious problem with that. And now, all of a sudden, I decided to hike a legit mountain. It obviously didn't seem like a big deal to me at the moment - but, my God, was I in for a surprise.

So at about 1am I called the front desk to get a staff to fetch me from my room. The reason why I needed someone to fetch me is not because I am physically disabled nor am I some stuck-up princess who needs a bloody chaperone. I am, plainly and simply put, a coward. The hotel is super dark at night, and I will not risk my soul by walking down the dark maze-like corridors by myself. Hell no.

See the hotel's corridors? Dark isn't it? Now imagine it thrice as worse because I stay on some other corner of the hotel. 

About 5 mins of waiting in the lobby, one of the staff from the Mt Batur trekking tour came to fetch me. After fetching 3 other tourists, off we all went to the base of Mt Batur.

At about 3am (or was it 4?), everyone started to climb. This was supposedly a shorter route - which involved us all to go through a flat plain where a couple of houses were located, after which we walked through a small and slippery path, and finally we started the proper ascend of Mt Batur.

It was fine at first for me, I walked pretty quick, had stable footing, and I started out somewhere in the front section of the group. I gradually became slower and walked in the middle section of the group. I think it was only half an hour into the hike when I started to stop because I was exhausted. Real exhausted. The crazy sweating, giddy, need to vomit - you know, the whole package. I asked one of the guides if we were reaching. He laughed and said that it hasn't even been an hour, so we all still had a long way to go. Whuuutttttttttt. 

When we reached the first pit stop, I was dying. The guides politely offered me drinks, but I had to refuse because I really felt like puking. So when we started off again - this time I was holding on to some guide's hands - I immediately felt tired again. Halfway through the second leg, I paused and told them (one of the guides and one of the drink-sellers were with me) that I didn't want to continue. I think they thought I was just playing around and they coaxed me to just continue. After 10 minutes, the drink-seller went ahead with the rest of the group. I told the guide to please let me go back to the first pit-stop. He wouldn't let me. So, I vomited.

No, I didn't vomit on purpose and as an act of defiance. I was just really exhausted. I think the guide  finally started to take me seriously because he really walked slower  this time around and told me to just walk a little further to a spot where I could catch a glimpse of the sunrise. And boy was the sunrise beautiful (although it was pretty cloudy then). So yeah, despite my struggle, I still managed to catch the sunrise! But I didn't reach the summit. :(

The gradual rising of the sun at Mt Batur

How did I climb back down? Honey, I was happily skipping down the mountain, taking pictures of the trees. Did I feel tired? Not at all. Strange, no?

Day 3: 17 Mar - Tirtagangga, Bali Aga Vilage, Pura ???, Kopi Luwak, Prana Spa

Yes, my friend has already arrived, but I still get to go around Bali on my own as she too had her own plans for the day. 

My first stop was Tirtagangga, which was a water palace. Honestly, I was quite disappointed when I got there. The trip took more than 2 hours and yet, when I arrived there.. the place was just less than what I expected. It was quite small and not as grand as I pictured. It really took less than 15 min to cover the whole area. 

At Tirtagangga

After that I told my supir that I wanted to go to the Tenganan Bali Aga Village. The supir is apparently not a local there, so he wasn't sure how to get to the village (I don't even know why the company provided non-locals who have only stayed in the country for a couple of years to be guides, seriously.) He asked around, we got lost a couple of times and thankfully, as luck would have it, we somehow managed to get to the village! Yippee! 

Th reason why I wanted to go to the Bali Aga Village is because I wanted to see how the original Balinese live in these modern times. It is said that these people are the original settlers of Bali, the 'purebloods'. They strictly stick to their traditional ways, allowing very little modernisation of any form to take place within their village. The only form of modernisation I saw in the village was a TV which was placed in one of the main halls (or bale) shared by the community. This village is famed for its expertise in making the ikat fabric (aka geringsing). I wanted to see for myself how they weave a geringsing, but the ladies were all apparently having a break. A pretty long break. Did I purchase any one of the geringsing? No. I couldn't afford it. I could only afford the rejected ones.

Tenganan Bali Aga Village

This is one of the main bale where the men were watching TV (the TV is on the extreme right)

The pretty Bali Aga ladies outside a shop. They totally dismissed my presence there.

There's a little stall that sells handmade maps of Bali there. They'd inscribe your name in Balinese script for you.

One of the machines used to weave geringsing

Some of the finished ikat fabric/ geringsing

After going around the Bali Aga Village where nobody actually paid attention to me (which means that I was free to explore anywhere and everywhere), I told the supir that I wanted to go to the temple at Gunung Kawi. He brought me to another temple in Ubud instead. Seriously, dude? Did you think that I wouldn't do my research beforehand? I was really too tired to argue, so I just told him it's the wrong temple, but never mind, I will just take some pictures here and let's just move on to where ever the hell you want to take me to.

 This is the temple that I went to (sorry, I can't remember the name)

There were some really ancient idols placed behind the temple

The supir then brought me to a place where they sell kopi luwak. The moment the supir parked the car, one of the staff of the kopi luwak place came out to greet me. I thought to myself  'How nice! Excellent hospitality!' Then the person who greeted me handed me over to another staff. Okay, I'm cool with that.. But.. the thing is this other guy was legit intimidating. The kind of intimidating whereby you would do anything he says just so that he would spare your soul or something. Before I entered the main entrance, which was quite a narrow doorway, he suddenly put his hand out, preventing me from entering the place. I turned to him, confused. He looked so serious and really made sure I did not step foot into the place. Was there a specific way to enter the place? Was I suppose to say a mantra or something? Am I suppose to walk in with the right feet first or left feet? 

After making sure that I wasn't going to enter the place, he suddenly plucked some leaf from a potted plant near the entrance. He carefully and methodically folded the leaf and then he proceeded to shove it into my face. I was even more confused. He did this same action repeatedly. And I was repeatedly confused. I was quite frustrated by now because I didn't get what he was trying to do, so I just took the leaf from his hand. Only then did he say 'Shmare, shmare'. If you still don't understand, then my dear reader(s), you are far more thick than I was. He was telling me to smell the leaf. So the both us were standing there right outside the entrance for quite a while - I only managed to go in after I had smelled the very scent off the leaf and convinced him through exaggerated facial expressions that I liked the smell very much. 

So we took a small tour around the place, all the time I barely understood what he was saying (Btw I'm Malay so I can understand Bahasa Indonesia fairly well. But the problem is, this guy either has a very thick Balinese accent or he had a speech impediment, so I couldn't make out what he was trying to say.). So I just nodded my head in agreement. Then he led me to this little hut where I was given a tray of various cups of teas. When I asked them which one was the kopi luwak, they said that to test the kopi luwak I will be charged for it. It's a small price to pay for a new experience so I agreed.

 The menu that was provided

Kopi luwak & the teas (sounds like a band name)

The kopi luwak tasted more 'berlemak' (I can't think of the proper English adjective for it at the moment) than most other coffees. I'm not a coffee lover, so I am not the best person to ask about such things. However, I did buy one for my dad (a coffee connoisseur), and he said that its nicer than most coffee. Okie, I will take his word for it. The teas (ah, my expertise) were pretty good. My favourite was the Mangosteen Peel Tea. It was heavenly - sweet, fragrant and strong. 

After filling my belly with good, strong drinks (of coffees & teas), I headed to - my ultimate go-to in Bali - PRANA SPA!

I know I have said this before but I will say it again - I LOVE IT THERE! This time I took the Slimming Package (not that I got any slimmer, and not that I care) which consists of coffee scrub, seaweed mask (very cooling!) and a steam session. It was my first time in a steam room and I really couldn't bear the heat so I had to ask the staff to leave the door half opened - I really couldn't care less if someone saw me naked. 

The Prana Spa (a must go!)

This is definitely a great way to end your day in Bali!

Alrighty, I am going to stop here for now because I am busy trying to book drivers and hotels for my upcoming trip to Indonesia. Next post I will share my experience during my 4th day in Bali - I did ATV Ride at Ubud, went to Waterbom and ate at Jimbaran Bay.

So, toodley-doo!

Bali Trip (20-25 Dec 2015)

I know a holiday trip to Bali is sooo over rated but, in all honesty, that place is paradise! It feels somewhat liberating the moment you step into their world; letting go of the strenuous city bull for a relaxed and simpler lifestyle.

Day 1: 20 December 2015

Well, to begin with, we landed at Ngurah Rai Airport and got into our hotel's airport transfer car (200 000Rp/ way). The driver, or supir, was really friendly. He even offered to be our guide for the trip but, we have already booked our own driver/ guide wayyyy beforehand.

The view of the Ngurah Rai airport right after exiting the Arrival Hall.

Upon arrival at our hotel - Kuta Ardenia Residence - we managed to get an early check-in (Hurrah!) and got our well-deserved rest. (*I mentioned "well-deserved" because that day we were all awake since 2am as our flight was at 5am..*) The apartment was really spacious, 3 levels in total and was located right behind WaterBom Park. Fortunately, the sound of WaterBom visitors could barely be heard despite the close proximity. :) ...and unfortunately, we could hear the odd sounds of itik on the second and third nights (*cue images of leyak/ pontianak in mind*)... 

Our unit at Kuta Ardenia Residence

WaterBom Park right outside our unit (#nozoom)

On the first day (21 Dec), we only managed to go to the nearby mini marts and the Discovery Mall. The traffic jam there (locals call it macet) was ridiculous. At about 5 plus in the afternoon, my family went to a nearby halal warung (Warung Nikmat) for dinner  on foot. By 6pm the roads were getting dark and busy. We asked the vendor of Warung Nikmat if they could help us call a taxi but they initially insisted that there was no need for a taxi as our hotel was really nearby and we could just walk. (*The locals' idea of "nearby" and our idea of "nearby" are EXTREMELY DIFFERENT*) 

In our Singaporean minds we were already considering the option: To walk back would mean to go through the creepy darkness while facing stray dogs, toads and the too-huge-to-be-called rats as well as being risked getting run over by the countless motorcycles. So, we stubbornly decided to take a taxi back while stopping over at Discovery Mall. As is with all shopping malls anywhere in the world, Discovery Mall was not that fascinating really. So we returned to our hotel after 30 min of strolling around the mall.

Day 2: 21 December 2015

We were all ready by 8am as we were excited for the places that we were going to visit. Our supir fetched us at 10am and after 3 hours of being stuck in a car (while listening to my sisters bickering most of the time) we finally reached our first place of interest - BEDUGUL! 

Selfie in the car!

The beautiful view from inside the car

The place was breathtakingly beautiful with the terraced padi fields on all sides, the cool mist blowing about you, and the looming mountains (of Batur and Agung I suspect). Our first stop was Bedugul Traditional Market; it was chilly there and the souvenirs to buy there are worth buying (as in of better quality but cheaper prices).

Went crazy at Bedugul Traditional Market

Once we were done with our morning shopping, we went on to Lake Beratan and the temple situated there called Pura Ulu Danu Beratan. After several wefies, we got in the car and asked our supir to take us to a nearby place there where we can pick strawberries. He helped us ask around and we got to a small strawberry farm, but.... it was closed. So we had to make do with buying strawberries from some vendors there. They claimed the strawberries were sweet, but in actual fact they were very small and sour. :(

Wefie at Pura Ulu Danu Beratan

Low tide at Pura Ulu Danu Beratan

Afterwards, we headed southwards towards Tanah Lot, another very famous temple. We were hoping to take pictures there with the sunset but mother nature was not on our side and it was too cloudy to see the sunset. But hey the market at Tanah Lot was worth it! 

Tanah Lot

From 10am to 6 plus in the afternoon, we all had not eaten any proper meals (there were no halal eateries at Tanah Lot; there was one at Beratan but we weren't hungry then). To make things worse, the macet from Tanah Lot back to Kuta was worse than before; and we only managed to reach our hotel at 8.45pm. Our supir explained that macet at this time was worse because it was the holidays for Indonesians as well (not sure if he meant it was the public or school holidays) so people from Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia were also holiday-ing in Bali alongside other tourists. Madness.

...come to think of it, our supir lives in Kintamani which was about 3 hours from Kuta. Which means he had to be ready by 7am to drive all the way to Kuta to fetch us at 10am, and then send us back at almost 9pm, then go back all the way to the South. Which means, that he arrived back home earliest at 12am.. 

Maafkan kami mas.

Day 3: 22 December 2015

It was a late day for us!!! This time around our supir fetched us at 1pm. Today was supposedly our rest day after the tiring day before. So after a hearty breakfast at our hotel, our driver took us to Prana Spa at Seminyak, Despite us getting a bit lost, the building of Prana Spa was actually quite easy to spot - the brown faux castle building is really hard to miss. Once we stepped into the building, my God were we impressed. The main area was resplendant with Indian palace inspired decor - plush red seats, with gold displays and large mirrors. ~heaven~

Prana Spa building

Photo opp inside the grand lobby

After experiencing the most pampering massage ever, we all headed to Beachwalk mall near Kuta Beach. I am not quite sure how this managed to happen.. but, yes, we had a family fight at Beachwalk. But everything worked out by night time. :)

Anyhoo, this day was supposed to be the last day we hired this supir. But due to some miscommunication, we somehow managed to hire him for the next day as well. The thing is on the fourth day was supposed to be just water sports at Nusa Dua beach, but because of what transpired between the family members, I was considering canceling the water sports activities. So, when we were all walking back to the car from Beachwalk, the supir asked where we were going to the next day. I initially thought it was a casual question, so I told him. I don't know whether it was what I said or the tone I used, he assumed that I still needed his driving services the next day. He was getting all excited stating that he had customers the next day in the morning and that he had to call the company leader to discuss the matter. At first he said he couldn't, so I was honestly a bit relieved. But later on in the car, he got a call from the boss and was told that his customers "cancelled" and that he can drive us around the next day. So with no confirmed plans for the next day, I grudgingly agreed to hire him for a third day. 

Day 4: 23 December 2015

 In all honesty, I find this day the best out of all the other days. hehehehe..

My father did not want to come along as he was unwell, so off went my mother, my two lovely sisters and I to Nusa Dua beach. Nusa Dua beach is a more upscale sort of place and the security there is really tight. So for families with young children, Nusa Dua beach is the place to go.

Chilling by the beach

Yana's candid shot of everyone else at Nusa Dua

Since everyone was already amiable with one another (because of a scary encounter the night before, everyone became close again), I decided that we can continue with the water sports activities. We were walking along the stretch of Nusa Dua beach and there were no signs of water sports anywhere. So we decided to ask someone there... and luckily for us, the person we asked was in charge of water sports activities! The thing is, when he was telling us the costs of the water sports activities, they were much cheaper as compared to the ones we booked (and afterwards cancelled) online. So thank God for that.

Apparently, all the water sport activities were on another side of the beach. We had to take a boat there.

Taking a boat towards where the water sport activities were held

Once we reached that other beach, we all decided the water sports that we were going to try out (for the first time):

• Yana: Parasail (200 000Rp/ 1 round), Jetski (250 000Rp/ 15 min)
• Aida: Parasail (200 000Rp/ 1 round), Flyfish (200 000Rp/ 2 x)
• Me: Flyfish (200 000Rp/ 2 x), Jetski (250 000Rp/ 15 min)

Yana and Aida getting ready for parasailing

Aida and Yana went parasailing first. It looked hard as they had to manouvre their landing using the ropes. Aida and Yana said the view from the top was beautiful as you can see the corals (they weren't sure if corals were what they saw) in the clear sea. 

Yana about to take off

Aida trying hard to manouevre her parasail

For the flying fish, Aida and I were supposed to get lifted in the air twice.. but the person driving the speed boat asked us if we wanted to be lifted into the air for a third time for the price of 75 000Rp per person. It was cheaper and it was fun so, heck, we agreed.

Finally, Yana and I tried jetskiing. In my personal opinion, I think it was the most thrilling thing I have ever done to date. The speed was pure bliss for me and the pemandu who sat behind me was seriously holding on for dear life. Yana, on the other hand, was not quite so brave and many times her pemandu had to clutch the handles. 

I am a natural at this

Yana coolly handling her jetski

Once we were done with the water sport activities, our mother scolded us as we made our supir wait for a very long time on the other side of the Nusa Dua beach. So back we went to the car and we were on our way to Uluwatu.

Let me backtrack a bit. As I mentioned before, we had a family disagreement the day before and on this day, I supposedly made no real plans. So since it was a last minute decision to fill up today's schedule, I added Uluwatu temple after Nusa Dua. I asked the others if they were okay with it and they replied in the affirmative. As we were on the way to Uluwatu, which was not that far from Nusa Dua, I decided to do some research on Uluwatu.

The first thing I read about Uluwatu was the warning about the monkeys there, Thinking that I must have read up on the wrong temple, I did some more research and true enough, many websites warned visitors of the monkeys at Uluwatu temple. I was too afraid to tell my mother and my sisters about it, so I decided to keep mum about it and let them discover the truth for themselves. heehee

Once we reached Uluwatu, I told my mother and sisters to zip up their bags and try not to hold on to cameras, maps etc. I still did not want to tell them but! the supir turned around and told them to take care of their belongings especially hats and sunglasses due to the mischievous monkeys who may steal and snatch them away. By now, you can imagine the panic and fear on my mother's and sisters' faces; and the contrasting boisterous laughter from me that ensued. Don't get me wrong, I laughed not because I was not scared, I laughed because now they knew the truth and I was going to be endlessly reprimanded by them. I laughed also because I was scared. Very. Scared.

To enter the temple, we all had to wear sashes, and those with exposed legs had to wear a sarong as well. The temple is situated at the top of a cliff and from there you can look out into the Indian Ocean as its waves crash into the cliffs. While we were there, there were quite a lot of monkeys near the main entrance, so my family was pretty much keeping a close distance with our supir who just went on walking as per normal (wtheck). However, once we reached the temple, there were no monkeys in sight, so we could take pictures in peace.

Uluwatu Temple!

View of the Indian Ocean from Uluwatu temple

We did not really walk around the temple as the atmosphere there was really hot and we were all tired and scared. The supir wanted to lead us to another area of the temple to take pictures but we told him that we wanted to go back. To go back to the carpark was hell. We had to take a long flight of stairs back out. I swear to God I lost weight there and then.

The naughty girl was already clearly tired

On our back we ate at MacDonald's before we head to Krisna souvenir shop. 

KRISNA SOUVENIR SHOP. The magic phrase that everyone needs to remember when one goes to Bali. It is the perfect place to do last minute souvenir shopping. It is a saviour. Seriously.

Day 5: 24 December 2015

 Ah, the most relaxing day! We did not have any plans for the morning of that day. We went out at 2pm and had to take 2 taxis since we no longer hired our supir. We arrived at Bale Udang Mang Enking way earlier then expected. We left early as we were afraid we would be caught in a terrible macet (It was Christmas Eve and there were news of terrible macet all over Indonesian news). Since we were early, we decided to walk to the nearest Krisna. To walk from Bale Udang to Krisna, we had to walk for quite a distance through a lonely path with overgrowth on both sides. Once we arrived at Krisna, we shopped again and drank at a cafe there.

Our little get-together at the cafe was disrupted by the presence of a lizard on our table. So we started to make our way to Bale Udang. We did not want to walk back so we took a taxi that promised to send us there and then back to our hotel for 200 000Rp (yes, I know he overcharged but I couldn't be bothered). He did send us to Bale but.. he did not come back for us. So we lost 100 000Rp for a very short distance car trip. #luwatchoutbapak

We arrived back at Bale Udang Mang Enking an hour before the appointed time, but the people there were kind enough to let us into our bale early. Our bale is actually a small hut built on water to give the appearance as if it is floating on water. There is a platform on the bale that allows the guests to sit on it and feed the fish there. It was a nice way for the family to get together and end off our trip in Bali.

Final dinner in Bali!

View from our bale

Day 6: 25 December 2015

The last day at Bali! Took our airport car transfer to Ngurah Rai Airport and spent our left over money there. I bought a book entitled 'Island of Bali' and it is an eye-opener. It explains the history and culture of the Balinese in great detail and even provides bits of mantra on how to turn into a leyak. heeheehee.

Thanks to that book and my experiences in Bali so far, I am planning to revisit Bali next year!!! 

Sampai jumpa lagi Bali!