This trip was planned a year back, so we didn't know what kind of work schedule we might be facing. There was a lot to plan, backup and find coverage because I had so much leftover work that was half done and critical milestone so coincidently pushed till my vacation time. Bali will be our final vacation before we rest for quite sometime until we can go for next one.
We had a 6 days 5 nights Bali vacation. Though 6 days sounds like very long, the real time we spent touring and visiting was only 4 days. The first and last day were merely for departure and arrival only. We reached Bali at around 9pm on first day and met our driver Made. He was supposed to be Wayan! and they just exchanged the driver like that without telling us upfront. Anyway Made didn't talk much and we like him that way. To say the truth I prefer to rest and not talk much if we are travelling in car because I have car sickness most of the time. In Bali, everyone of Hindu descendent was born and given a standard name. If you are a boy and the first child, your name is Wayan. Second boy, Made. Third boy, Nyoman and the fourth boy, Ketut. Just shout Wayan on the street, there might 100 people respond to your call. We like Made because he helped us buy domestic entrance fee for GWK park which was only half the price for foreigner and told us to tell the restaurant in Jimbaran to give us 10% discount. So we gave him quite a sum of tips when we left Bali on the last day.
We stayed in Ubud for the first 3 nights because most of the attraction that we planned to sightseeing is around this area at the east-north of Bali.
We started out next day by visiting Tegalalang rice terrace in Ubud. It was a short sightseeing with just a couple of photos because there are nothing else there. I bought a sarong for quite expensive price RP40k because I didn't know the price yet. Later when we visited the market, I realised I can probably got it at RP10k :) Anyway, it's fine since RP40k translated to RM is around RM15. Just for your information, anything in Bali , bargain the price down to 30% of the original price they quote you! If the opening price is RP100k, buy only if it's reduced to RP30k.
After this we went to Kintamani and had lunch in one of the restaurant facing Mt Batur, the volcanic mountain in Bali. The lunch buffet priced at RP60k per pax excluding drinks. Bear in mind that all the restaurant in Bali will charge 15% tax on top of your total bill. At the hill road, there are guards that will stop you and ask you to pay some kind of entrance fee. They charged us RP25k which I think is kind of expensive because when I read in internet about this, some people mentioned that the guard charged them for RP3.5k per pax. Anyway, I don't trust the price in the internet anymore because all the entrace fee is increased now. Those are price for 2 years back.
The weather is cooling in Ubud, compared to Kuta and Nusa Dua feel something like in Cameron Highland. I like. After lunch we visited temples! Yes temples, Bali has so many temples and every Hindu home has a temple as well.
We went to Tirta Empul, this is the place where you can bath in the pool of holy water. Entrace fee is RP15k per pax. I think it's a waste for ladies to visit Bali if they are having period because they cannot enter all the temples.
They have this kind of door everywhere in Ubud.
After that we visited Gunung Kawi, entrance fee RP15k per pax. I don't like this place because we have to walk so much of stairs and it was the most tiring places I ever been to Bali before we can see this. Luckily I brought along my pink umbrella I got from Taiwan to Bali, the sun was pretty strong in the afternoon. I think I will get sun stroke and bad sun burn without umbrella and sun lotion.
The next place was Goa Gajah, the worst place and need to pay entrance fee RP15k. There was basically nothing in the this Goa Gajah , just a wall of some statues. We didn't even take picture with the wall. :p I feel that Bali is over rated because it is swarmed by all westerners.
Before dinner time we didn't have anything to do so we requested Made to stop at paddy field for us to take some photos. There are so many paddy fields in Ubud, they are everywhere.
Dinner time! We were back near the place where we stayed. The famous Bebek Begil Dirty Duck Diner is just 5 minutes walk from our hotel so we told Made to just drop us there and we will walk back hotel by ourselves afterward.
Some night photo taken by Weeliem when we were walking back hotel after dinner.
The next morning, around 6.30am we woke up and walked back to the same restaurant because it was facing paddy fields as well and took some sunrise photos. Sun rises around 6.30am to 7am in Bali. By 8am, the sun is already too strong for nice photos.
Around 11am, Made picked us up and we went to do some shopping in the market opposite Ubud Palace. I like this market because things that are sold here are more customized in everyshop, like a shop which only sells painting, a shop which only sells woven product etc. It is not like one shop which sells all sort of product from all kind of suppliers. We bought some souvenirs from here and luckily we got something because in the last 2 days Weeliem had food poisoning and we didn't go out much anymore.
We had the famous Ibu Oka babi guling for lunch just opposite the other side of Ubud palace.
Then we went to visit Pura Taman Ayun at Mengwi. Pura means temple.
We negotiated with Made to bring us to GitGit Twin Waterfall because he insisted of charging us extra RP100k if we want to go there. Entrance fee RP5k per pax Almost all westerners took off their clothes and threw themselves with bikini into the waterfall because the water is so cooling. Too bad, we didn't plan for dipping.
The last place we went before ending the day trip was Ulu Danu at Lake Beratan in Bedugul. Entrance fee RP10k per pax. It is a very picturesque place for photography. Weeliem didn't waste the time when sunlight peep ofrom the cloud and took some beautiful photos.
We asked Made to stop again on the way back to Ubud and took some nice paddy field photos during sunset, around 6pm.
We had pork rib dinner at Nuri's Warung.
The next morning we went to Sukawati for another round of shopping but as I said prefer the market opposite Ubud Palace. Sukawati is just a place where they have 100+ of stalls seling the same thing every stall and the people keep pulling you although you are not interested to see anything. I only bought a simple dress from here.
The best hotel we stayed in Bali in Courtyard by Marriott at Nusa Dua. We checked in after had Jawa food for lunch in Kuta. Too bad we only can stay here for one night. Weeliem redeemed this from his Marriott points, just like how I redeemed my 3 days in Marriott hotel in Singapore last year.
The security is very tight in Nusa Dua because there are so many foreigners staying there and the hotel rate is expensive. There are dogs to sniff our car and we have to scan all our bags and body before entering the hotel. After some wow and wows in the hotel, we proceed with our sightseeing activity. We went to Dreamland the new Kuta beach which is popular for surfing.
Later we visited Uluwatu, the temple on the cliff. Entrance fee at RP3k per pax.
I really hate this place because there are so many monkeys around trying to steal things. I think they are trained by the local to steal tourist's belonging and help them to get back by paying RP5k. Weeliem's glasses was stolen when he was busy snapping photos. We didn't know where the monkey ran to so we cannot get the glasses back. Pity him that he cannot see well after that. I gave my glasses to him so he can wear the next day until we are back to Malaysia. I hold a stick on my hand but one of the monkey came and tried to pull my flipflop from my right foot when I was standing! I used all my strength to pull back my flipflop and I took my stick and scared the monkey away. My scream alerted many tourists there but they didn't know what made me scream because my things are all intact :P
We watched the Kecak dance in Uluwatu as well priced at RP70k per pax.
We asked Made to drove us to Jimbaran for grilled seafood dinner on the beach. The food was good and we got our 10% discount. Everything was great until we were back to hotel. Weeliem had diarrhea and bad abdomen cramping and he even had fever. We gave him paracetamol, drank a glass of eno and chinese traditional diarrhea medicine that we brought along to our vacation. Luckily we have the practice to always bring medicine when we go for holiday. His fever wasn't subdue the next day so we asked Made to stop at pharmacy and we got some real diarrhea medicines and hydration salt.
So the last trip day we only managed to visit 2 places, which is the Garuda Wisnu Kencana park after we checked in to another hotel in Kuta which is basically has nothing in there except for a garuda and wishnu statue. Fee needed RP50k.
Later on we visited Tanah Lot and that concluded our Bali vacation!
Forgot to mention that I threw up the spot we stop in front of Tanah Lot entrance because the ride to there was so tough. The road, the sudden stop, the traffic... horrible.
The next day we were so relieved that we are flying home. I miss home so much and my home cooked food.
