9 Days to Bali, Indonesia
19 - 27 Apr 2010
Our preparation for the trip started in 13 May 2009 when we managed to book Air Asia zero airfare for an all in price of RM242 for 2 persons. Our fare includes:
Supersize Regular (Up to 15kg)
GoInsure Premium
Advance Seat Request Fee
Skybus
For the kind of price really anyone can fly!
We booked a 5 days 4 nights tour from a Confidence Travel & Tour S/B in KL for RM765 per pax. It comes with 3 nights stay in Best Western Hotel in Kuta, Bali and one night stay in Melka Hotel in Lovina, where we have our dolphin watching. After the tour we extended our stay at Goodway Hotels & Resort in Nusa Dua using the Revelation Rewards voucher that we bought for RM180. All in we had a 9 days 8 nights holiday in Bali
Day 1 (19th April 2010) Kuala Lumpur (LCCT Terminal) to Ngurah Rai International Airport
Our Air Asia flight AK364 departed at 15:50 from LCCT Terminal and arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport at 18:50. We were the only two persons in the tour group travelling at that time. Upon arrival we were picked by the local tour guide at the airport and sent to a restaurant for our dinner.
Our first dinner in Bali. Menu was simple and consisted of rice, fried chicken, Indonesian ulam (raw vegetables) and local tea
After dinner we were checked into the 4 Star Best Western hotel, which is located in the most famous tourist destination in the world Kuta, Bali. We were given a spacious room that comes with a large wall mounted LCD TV.
Day 2 (20th April 2010)
We had breakfast in the hotel before we begin our 1st day tour in Bali
The garden outside our room
Though we spent three nights here we did not have time to swim in the hotel's pool
Our first stop is a batik shop which has an area to demonstrate hand painted batik
We were then taken to a handicraft shop that sells all kinds of traditional Balinese handicrafts
We then visisted the Kerta Gosa,, also known as Hall of Justice in Klungkung. Built in the 18th century, this highly popular location is home to an extensive collection of priceless ceiling and wall murals.
The ceilings of Hall of Justice and the Floating Pavilion are each decorated with very interesting paintings done in the Kamasan style. Kamasan is the name of a small village a little southeast of Semarapura. It was in Kamasan where this very early and distinctive style of painting, which was adopted by the royal court, originated.
The paintings on the ceiling of the Kertha Gosa depict several different themes and they are laid out and organized by panels. Much of the ceiling is devoted to the life of Bima, and of particular note are his visits to the after-life where he witnessed the gruesome torture and torments of evil persons...a sort of hell if you will, and the consequence of evil-going, thus very appropriate for the Hall of Justice.
The Hall of Justice: In ancient days, the Kertha Gosa, with its painted ceiling and wooden chairs, was used as a gathering place for Balinese kings and a law court.
Along gthe way we had our buffet lunch at this restaurant. A restaurant with a superb view of rice terrace. The restaurant has buffet menu, mainly satay and nasi goreng(fried rice). You can enjoy beautiful scenery while having buffet lunch. With “Back to Nature” concept, all dishes are made of locally grown fresh ingredients, ensuring the healthiness of the food without any compromise on the taste.
The view from Restaurant Puri Boga. Notice the rice fields at the background. We then continue our journey to Bukit Jambul through picturesque terraced fields to the Besakih temple, known as the mother temple.
We were told by the tour guide that we have to cover ourselves with a sarong before we can enter the temple complex. So we bought a sarong each (costing RM10) from one of the many stalls at the foothill of the temple. Later we found out that other tourists did not wear the sarong. The walk on the steep hill was exhausting at best. The locals came taunting to rent out their motorcycles but we choose to walk. But we took the bikes when we came down to save time.
Besakih Temple is located in the plateau area which is covered by the cool atmosphere and Mount Agung as a back drop. From the top of temple building, we can see the beautiful panorama of nature from the temple area to the ocean.
Besakih Temple is the biggest Hindu temple in Bali which the local people call Pura Besakih. It has beautiful view from the top of temple area where we can see the wide nature panorama until to the ocean
View from the top of the temple
After the visit to Besakih Temple we continued our journey to Lovina and checked into Melka Hotel for our boat trip to the sea to watch dolphins. After dinner at a nearby Indonesian restaurant we retired early as we have to wake up at 5am to travel to the jetty to board our boat.
We went out to sea before the sun rises. Weather was good and we could feel the cool breeze against our face
We had our life jacket on throughout the entire journey for safety purpose. We journeyed for about an hour to the spot where our boatman thought the dolphins would surface
The traditional boat has a long bamboo pole on each side to stabilize it and prevent it from rocking
Along the way we passed a small fishing boat out fishing
We spent at least half an hour moving from place to place before we saw some dolphins surfacing. They quickly disappeared when our boat tried to go nearer to them. Most of the boats have gone back when no dolphins were spotted. But our boatman was very patient and we were rewarded with the sight of dolphins a few times though they surface briefly each time.
We had the chance to touch the smooth skin of the dolphin
One of the art pieces that adorned the wall of our chalet
Stone art in our bathroom
Outside our chalet.
Another view of the chalet that we stayed
Hotel garden
After breakfast we checked out and proceed to visit Bedugul cold mountain resort with its very beautiful Lake Bratan and the picturesque water temple, Ulun Danu. Along the way we stopped to feed the monkeys.
Ulun Danun Temple
Ulun Danu Temple is a Balinese Hindu Temple located at Candi Kuning countryside. It is set at the lakeside of Beratan with its beautiful lake view and hills. It is situated in the plateau area with cool atmosphere surrounding it and hills as a backdrop.
The name Ulun Danu, literally means " the beginning of the lake" But this might not to claim that the site is the beginning of a lake. It tends to indicate that everything that exists around the lake will have the orientation to the temple site
The Ulun Danu compound is huge with many animal sculptors and trees
We had our lunch at Pacung Restaurant. The restaurant is constructed at the side of the hill where we can have a scenic view while we have our lunch.
View from Pacung Restaurant
After lunch we continueed our visit to the Tanah Lot Temple on the huge rock facing the Indian Ocean with its amazing sunset.
Tanah Lot Temple during high tide. During low tide we can walk across to the temple. The temple as a whole is dedicated to the god of the sea. Fishermen pray to get fish and prosperity.
View of the Tanah Lot Temple from another section of the beach front
Another cape at Tanah Lot area
The beach around Tanah Lot area is surrounded by steep cliff
Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple
Souvenir shop at Tanah Lot
Shops along both sides of the road in Tanah Lot area selling art pieces, local handicraft and clothes.
Tonight we have our seafood dinner in Jimbaran seaside. Being welcomed by the restaurant staff
The seafood is just so so only but the atmosphere of having our dinner at the beach was good
Dancers entertaining us while we enjoyed our dinner
Day 4 (22nd April 2010)
After breakfast we travel to Ubud, a town famous for its Art Market, which sells a wide range of clothing, fabrics, masks and souvenirs. For more than a century, it has been the island's preeminent centre for fine arts, dance and music.On the way we stop by an art gallery which has a vast variety of hand painted art pieces for sales.
We then journeyed to Tampak Siring and visited Pura Tirta Empul, a holy spring water temple located in Tampak Siring Village, The temple and the two bathing places have been used by the Balinese for over 1000 years for good health and prosperity.
The pool of holy springs at Tirta Empul. You can see the soil at the bottom moving all the time.
Holy spring water flows into pools at Tirta Empul.
On the way our from the Tampak Siring Temple we passed by many shops selling various kinds of souvenirs.
Located just 10 minutes outside of Ubud in Bali, Goa Gajah is a significant Hindu archaeological site. Goa Gajah is locally known as the Elephant Cave because of its close proximity to the Elephant River. A mysterious cave, relics, and ancient bathing pools set amid green rice paddies and a garden lure tourists from nearby Ubud.
The menacing entrance to Goa Gajah looks like a demonic mouth, suggesting that people are entering an underworld as they venture inside through the darkness.
Inside the Goa Gajah is a short and dark tunnel like cave. For such a busy tourist attraction, the Elephant Cave itself is actually quite small. As you enter through the dark, narrow passage, the cave abruptly ends in an intersection. The left passage contains a small niche with a statue of Ganesh, the Hindu deity reminiscent of an elephant. The right passage holds a small worship area with several stone lingam and yoni in honor of Shiva.
For lunch today we were taken to a restaurant that served the famous Babi Guling (Roast Pig)
The roast pig doesn't taste as good as our Malaysia roast pig ("Siew Yoke")
Shop front of the Ibu Oka restarant that serve the Babi Guling
After lunch we visited the home made coffee factory that serves the famous Coffee Luwak
Kopi luwak or civet coffee, is one of the world's most expensive and low-production varieties of coffee. It is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness.This coffee is widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.
Our next stop is the Ulu Watu temple, the mysterious holy ancient temple. Ulu Watu is a small town at the very southwest corner of Bali, atop the high cliffs overlooking the western coast of the Bukit Badung. The town's primary attraction is the Pura ("temple") Luhur Ulu Watu, perched at the very edge of the high cliffs. The Pura is accompanied by a 'monkey forest', a natural reserve of Indonesian macaque monkeys living in the wild among the Hindu monks living on the ground.
As with many of the temples on Bali, the Pura Luhur Ulu Watu occupies the most prized patch of turf, in this case the very edge of a cliff jutted well out to the ocean. The Pura is clearly seen in this photograph -- a Christmas tree-shaped structure at the right most point of the cliff.
The view from here is incredible, as you can see. The cliffs are about 50 meters high, I figured, and the water below is a brilliant blue. There is a walkway that follows the cliff's edge
The monkeys are an attraction in of themselves. Macaques are playful, active, and friendly. Although comfortable around humans, they are not 'domestic', in fact they can be quite dangerous if mistreated. Further, they move very fast and are prone to stealing loose objects from unwary visitors. The temple has warning signs posted in six languages outside the entrance that warn visitors to secure all loose items -- spectacles, jewelry, etc. We witnessed one of them stole one of the tourists spectacles during our visit
From Ulu Watu we traveled to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, a one-stop tourist spot with beautiful panoramic view & one of the best Kecak Dance performance in Bali The Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue or GWK and its pedestal building is standing 150 meters tall with its wings span 64 meters across.
Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda.
Right behind the Plaza Wisnu is the Plaza Garuda where the 18 meters tall statue of Garuda is placed.
Balinese lion dance
The lion body and head is so different from the traditional Chinese lion
A religious procession taking place
One of the young dancers taking a rest
The lion taking a rest until the next performance
View of Garuda Wisnu Kencana from Jendela Bali
Jendela Bali is a favorite venue for weddings and corporate events; the function rooms and dining areas are very tastefully done in Balinese modern, replete with fountains and statuary
Located at GWK Amphitheater, everyday at 18:00, you should not miss the special Kecak Dance performance. This one-hour show combine the dynamic fire dance, the enchanting chants, and the serenity of traditional Balinese culture.
Today we checked out from Best Western Hotel and checked into Goodway Hotels & Resort in Nusa Dua. While waiting for the taxi to take us there we spent the morning taking some pictures of the hotel surrounding.
Courtyard of Best Western Bali
Our trip to Goodway Hotel and Resort is about an hour drive from Kuta town. The resort is overlooking Tanjong Benoa Harbor. Nusa Dua Beach is a 5-minute drive away. Goodway Hotel and Resort is a 15-minute drive from Bali International Airport. All the rooms here are suites. Each suite features a living and dining area and a kitchenette. A free shuttle service is provided to Kuta and Nusa Dua shopping areas. Upon checking in and some rest we took the 4pm shuttle bus to Kuta. It stops at Discovery Shopping Mall, the newest and biggest shopping mall in Kuta
One section of the mall sells all kinds of handicrafts and sourvenirs. Prices here are higher than those other smaller shops in town.
This shopping mall is a great place to hang out apart from shopping.It is located beside the sea and has a beautiful beach front.
You can find all kinds of musical instruments here
We stayed at the mall until evening to wait for the 8pm shuttle back to the resort. This is the main entrance of Bali Discovery Mall
Day 6 (24th April 2010)
After breakfast we spent the morning walking around the vast compound of the resort. The resort has a couple of fruits trees
Some of the tress are fruit bearing trees in the resort
Lili made friend with the resident frog
In the afternoon we took the free shuttle and hang around Kuta beach
Kuta beach is quite clean and long and was not crowded
There are many stalls that sell clothing in one of the alleys at Kuta beach
We had our lunch at Discovery Shopping Mall
Day 7 (25th April 2010)
Today we decided to explore the Nusa Dua area. We took the free shuttle which dropped us off at Bali Collection, a shopping area in Nusa Dua
The Bali Collection is an open mall, very american style and has everything you need to explore. Fantastic food: indonesian, japanese and western. There is a super market where you can get all the products you are looking for, including international newpspapers, many department stores and an authentic balinese handycrafts and art markets (balinese jewelry, Bali batik, sarongs, Bali masks, Bali lamps, etc.)
One of many outlets in Bali Collection
The Art Market is the biggest outlet in Bali Collection. You can ifnd most of the Balinese stuff here
The beach in Nusa Dua is a bit quiet during week days. At the far end of the beach we saw two topless female sun bathers.
We ventured into one of the 5 star beach resort in Nusa Dua and be their guests for a short while
Waiting for the shuttle to take us back to our hotel. Earlier we met someone who is able arrange a car rental for us tomorrow for a day tour of Bali on our own. We managed to bargain for the rental of the Suzuki MPV that comes with a driver for about RM130 for a 10 hours usage.
Back to the living room of our suite in Goodway Resort for a short rest before we took the free shuttle to Kuta to continue our exploration again
We had our dinner at a different restaurant at Bali Discovery Centre
Lili's grill fish
My nasi goreng (fried rice) that comes with fired egg, two satay sticks and keropok (fish crackers)
After dinner we waited here for the 8pm shuttle to take us back to the resort
Day 8 (26th April 2010)
We begin our one day tour with a visit to the Goa Lawah temple or Bat Cave. We missed this destination during our Bali tour due to heavy rain. The fruit bats that live in the cave at Goa Lawah temple are an amazing sight, sound and smell. As you approach the cave all your senses are assaulted. The walls and ceiling of the cave are covered with bats, almost obscuring the rock beneath. According to legend, a giant dragon-like snake called Basuki also makes the cave its home.The legends also say the cave extends all the way to Besakih temple, more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) away. Apparently, fear of the giant snake has kept anyone from checking this legend out.
We brought along our sarong as we knew we have to wear it before we are allowed into the temple compound.
You can see the bats clinging on to the rock surface. Apparently they will be our looking for food at night.
The side entrance to the Bat Cave
Our next stop is the wood carving shop and see first hand how the carving is done by the artisans
Wood carving of the "last supper" that Christ had with His disciples
For our lunch we wanted to try the famous Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) in Bali. So we asked the driver to take us to the well-known restaurant that serves the Bebek Bengil.
Lili's Ayam Penyet (fried chicken)
My Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck). This is one dish that you must try when you are in Bali
Behind the restaurant is a padi field
The padi is almost ripened during our visit
After lunch we went shopping at the Ubud Market
This is the memorial set up after the Bali bombing in 2002. The names of people who died are listed on the black marble.
202 people died on 12 Oct 2002, in the worst incident ever to occur in the peaceful land of Bali. The bomb set off in front of popular local clubs of Sari Club and Pady's, killing both foreign tourists and locals, destroying cars, buildings and houses in the vicinity. The incident also made a major impact to the lives of the people of Bali. Just a few weeks after the incident, the amount of tourists travelling to Bali, which is the life for the people of Bali, decreased rapidly, forcing many local businesses to shut down, simply because there are no customers.
This site is dedicated to the loving memories of those who passed away because of the incident, and to Bali, which memories of the incident will live throughout the years among the people of Bali and those who love it.
Day 9 (27th April 2010)
Our last relax breakfast in the resort before we depart
When the sun came up we moved to another spot to continue our breakfast and check the news at home and access emails. This resort only provide free wi-fi at the restaurant near the swimming pool
Waiting for our taxi to go to the airport. Our flight was at 7:15pm. We had asked the taxi driver yesterday to pick us up at about 4:30pm. We waited until 5pm and there was no sign of him. When we managed to get him on the phone he told us he was here at 4:30am. He thought we asked him to pick us up at 4:30am! Thank God he managed to rush to the resort and sent us to the airport on time. Fortunately the airport is only about 20 minutes away from the resort.
No comments:
Post a Comment