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!