A Bali Affair - Part 3 (Balinese Music Experience)

For London, it's the West End.
For New York, it's the Broadway.

For Bali, it's the Kecak Dance.

Read about its history and significance here.
Go here for a good writeup on it.  

Or better yet, hop on the plane and go visit Bali to catch this live.

You can either opt for the day package that includes this live show or just pay IDR 70k (approx RM23 / USD7) for a ticket. 

Definitely a must-not-miss music experience.

A Bali Affair - Part 2 (Where & Where)

When one arrives at The Land of the Gods, one is spoilt for choices in terms of where to visit and where to rest for the night. 

So here are some tips for some of the popular areas:

• Kuta
• This is to Bali what Batu Feringghi is to Penang.

Welcome to Kuta Beach

• It is the most popular spot for alot of surfers from Down Under. Mainly because it's just a stone's throw from the famous Kuta Beach.

Sunset @ Kuta Beach.
Sunset is gorgeous everywhere in Bali

• There are many hotels/villas, pubs, clubs, souvenir shops and restaurants in this area. All way higher-priced than its worth. I guess that's the price to pay for all tourist-popular places. 
• Hard Rock Hotel and Hard Rock Cafe are located here. Go for the Hard Rock experience but don't expect much from the live band at the Cafe. We were sorely disappointed. 

Front entrance of HRH, Bali

• Prior to our trip, many friends have warned us not to book into any hotel/villa in this area and we are grateful that we took the advice. Mainly because it's very busy and definitely not a place to relax on a vacation.
• Prices for spa treatments/massages/reflexology/etc are rather inexpensive here. Whilst in Kuta, look for this place called 'Inner Glow' and pamper yourself with a Chocolate Therapy. I promise you, it'll be the best 2.5 hours spent loving yourself.
• Generally, Kuta is over-crowded. The quality of the products sold in the stores are sub-standard, the prices in the restaurants are ridiculously hiked up, there is perpetual 'machet' (refer my earlier post what this means) on the single lane road and the crowd here is very rowdy. 
• Visit this place for souvenir shopping, sure. Visit this place for some pubbing/clubbing, sure. But to lay our heads to rest for the night, nah.

• Legian
• This is adjacent to Kuta.
• Most of the spillover from Kuta will end up here.
• Just as many souvenir stores here to cater to tourists.
• Nothing spectacular in this area. Even Wikitravel has nothing much on it.

• Seminyak
• IMHO, this is the most 'balanced' place to stay in Bali. There are many shops and restaurants but they are not as commercialized as the ones in Kuta. Villas and hotels are aplenty here. One that I'd recommend is Mutiara Bali. Ping me if you want more details of our stay there. 
• There are many boutiques and shops in this area too. And it's a biiiigggg area. You can opt to stay nearer to central where it's livelier or stay nearer to the beach where it's more quiet.
• Two of Bali's must-visit night spots are located here:
• KuDeTa..You can dine at this place but be prepared to pay through your nose. To quote our guide, "KuDeTa is 2000% for tourists!" Alternatively, you can just order drinks and enjoy the sunset from here. 
• Suggested drink to order:
  The Monk (guava juice, lime juice, lychee liquor, lychee fruit, vodka)

Soaking in the sun during the day @ KuDeTa

Catching the last rays of sunset @ KuDeTa

• Potato Head. This place boasts of 3 restaurants and a beach club. You can choose to dine here or just order drinks to enjoy the view and the ambiance. For a minimum order of IDR 500k (which is equivalent to USD 55 / RM 165), you can get yourselves a lounge-bed facing the infinity pool and the beach. 
• Suggested drinks to order:
  Kookaburra (lemongrass gin & vanilla sugar muddled with mint leaves and layered with passion fruit & vanilla foam)
  Millionaire Martini (tropical fruit martini served with champagne chaser and passion fruit)

Day view @ Potato Head Beach Club

The gorgeous Infinity Pool @ Potato Head Beach Club

•  Roads are narrow in this area, so be mindful when you walk around.

• Nusa Dua
• This is a very popular place for honeymooners as it's away from the crowd and overlooks the ocean at the southern tip of the island.
• There are many luxury hotels in this area and most of them offer great sea-view. Amongst them are Westin, Marriot & Grand Hyatt.  
• This place would be what Singaporeans consider 'atas' and Malaysians consider 'high kala'. Ask your Malaysian or Singaporean friends to translate if you have no idea what I'm writing about. :)
• Also, many golfers flock to this area due to the many golf courses available at the luxury hotels. 
• Nothing much happens in this area except for R&R. 
• Go here to read more about this place.

• Jimbaran
• This is the spot for one of the popular must-visit places in Bali : Uluwatu. The view is gorgeous from the top. One feels like one is at the edge of the world. 
• Ok, I will be completely honest here. We are not temple enthusiasts. Thus, we were not keen to go temple-hopping on this Island of the Gods. However, if you want to at least visit one temple while in Bali, this is it. Read about the history of the Uluwatu Temple here.

Breathtaking view from the tip of Uluwatu

• Caution (DO NOT take this lightly): Leave all your sunglasses/glasses, earrings, accessories, and hold on tight to your cameras/camera phones. There are well-trained monkeys in this cliff-hanging temple that will grab your stuff and scamper off. And they are neither shy nor cute. .

Beware of these little thieves!

• Most, if not all, day trip packages to Uluwatu will end up at Jimbaran for the seafood dinner. DO NOT opt for the seafood dinner at Jimbaran. The menu is set which means every tourists who gets there are served the same kind of dishes. Imagine mass production. 'Nuff said.
• Just for reference, imagine mass production of the same kind of seafood at Tambun in Penang's mainland. But tastes much worse. Go figure. 
• If you want to visit Uluwatu, tell the guide specifically that you DO NOT want to have your Uluwatu package include dinner at Jimbaran and ask for a cheaper rate. Anything is possible in Bali. If your guide says no, ask for another guide who'd say yes.   
• Ubud 
• This place is perfect for those seeking zen and total relaxation for your holiday. It's about 3 hours drive from the airport and from the other more 'happening' areas like Kuta and Seminyak. If you pick a hotel/villa in Ubud, you'd wake up to paddy fields and mountains.
• There is a small town where one can go for some souvenir shopping at a very congested building which reminds me of Chowrasta Market in Penang. Only on a much bigger and messier scale. Come to think of it, it's very similar to the many souvenir plazas in Haatyai.
• Some said spa retreats here are heavenly. I have yet to explore that. Definitely on my to-do list for my next visit.
• Strangely, tourism is not the biggest economy booster for this place. Import of art and crafts is. Art lovers will feel like they died and went to Balinese artsy, crafty heaven. 
• Everything goes to sleep at sundown. So don't expect much of a night-life here.
• Foodies, take head. There are 2 local dishes that *must* be savored here. Lookout for my tham-ciak post shortly. 

Local Titbit:

• DO NOT go for the package that includes dinner or lunch at all the must-visit spots. i.e. Dinner at Jimbaran, Lunch at Kintamani, Dinner at Tanah Lot. They are all crappy tasting set meals charged into tour packages to suck off the tourists. We may be tourists but let's be smart ones :D
• To avoid the horrible traffic jam (which seems to be existent day and night) at Kuta, get off your taxi and walk the direction of the traffic till you see the road sign 'Poppies Lane' or ask for directions from folks around. There are 2 'Poppies Lane' that connect Kuta and Legian. Lots of folks, locals & tourists alike, take the lane to avoid the Kuta-Legian traffic jam. As you walk along, enjoy the interesting scene around. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe even late at night. 
• Unless you are up for some really rustic, back-to-basics living, I wouldn't recommend booking any hotel on Poppies Lane. It's very, erm, raw.
• Another interesting thing to lookout for in Kuta is 'Magic Mushrooms'. In many different variations. Now we know why young Aussies flock to Kuta all-year-round, eh ;) My advice, stay away from this. Unless you wanna go for a ride through hell.

Magic Mushroom are offered in many forms in Kuta.

Stay tuned for more updates in this space.

*Note*
This sharing is based on my first Bali experience which is not extensive. There is still so much more of Bali that I have yet to explore and discover. Needless to say, there are already dreams of future trips which will definitely be shared as and when they are realized. Happy reading.

A Bali Affair : Part 1 (moving around)

Bali turned out to be much, much better than I anticipated. I expected good, but I got great. So yeah, it was a mighty awesome experience. So awesome that I knew I just have to share my discoveries with you.


For ease of reading, I will share them over a few posts.


This first part will be about transportation around the island.

• From airport to hotel/villa:
• It is advisable to make prior arrangements with your hotel/villa for airport pickup. Most hotels/villas will offer this service for free with your accommodation booking. Otherwise, just walk up to the taxi counter and purchase taxi coupon to your destination. 
• DO NOT take heed of the folks swarming around the airport promising you good prices to your destination. You will most probably end up paying more.
• From hotel/villa to airport.
• Most hotels provide free airport transfer. Best to request for this when you confirm your hotel/villa reservation. They want your business, they gotta keep you happy :)
• If your hotel/villa refuses to provide free airport transfer, choose another hotel. Competition is very stiff in Bali. Very.
• To move around (short distances)
• You can safely walk around the area nearby to your hotel. Most roads are narrow and full of potholes though. So watch where you're going.  
• Be prepared to get honked at all the time. That's the taxi drivers trying to get your attention. Just ignore them if you are not interested. 
• Needless to say, you can't cover much area if you walk. 2 most popular options are:
1. Motorbikes / Scooters
• This is more for the adventurous few (if you have ridden scooters in Malaysia, this is a piece of cake).
• Rental is around IDR 50k-100k per day. The more days you rent, the lower the daily rate. 
• Make sure you check that all the lights, the horn, the brake etc are all in good working condition before you accept the motorbike/scooter (we made the mistake of not checking the lights and ended up having a scary experience riding in the dark at night)
  
2. Taxis (local term: Taksi)
   
• As with all touristy places, this can be a rather tricky affair. 
• General rule is to lookout for "BlueBird" taxis but you can safely get into any taxis that agree to use the meter. 
• Make sure you INSIST on the driver using the meter. Some rather unscrupulous drivers have asked for 3 to 4 times more than the usual meter price. It may be cheap but it always feels crappy to be suckered.
  
• For more taxi details, go here to read up.  
• To move around (long distances)
• At the Ngurah Rai International Airport, there are many pamphlets and brochures offering day trips, packages, etc. These pamphlets and brochures are free for all tourists. Take a few copies back to your hotel to read through. Take your time reading through all the packages before deciding on which ones to go for. Better still, get friends who have been there or planning trips before you to bring home some brochures. You can then digest them at home ground. That way, you can hit Bali running ;)
  
• There are many packages offering driver and guide services. You can either call the number on the pamphlets or get your hotel reception to call on your behalf.
• For a minimum of 2 persons, you can book an entire MPV plus the driver for the day. The charge is per head.
• Prices range from USD30 - USD 100 depending on the activities/places that interest you. 
  
• Take heed my fellow Penang and Singaporean friends, Bali is a biiiiiigggggg island. Traveling from one place of interest to another can easily take 3 hours or more. Prepare good reading material. Or good company. 

Local Titbit:

• 'Macet' (pronounced 'maa-chet') = Traffic Jam
• Read about Bluebird's interesting history here.
• Watch out for the bikes with huge hooks by the side. Then try to guess what those hooks are for. We had a fun time guessing that one out! (it was off-peak season)
  

Stay tuned for more updates in this space.

*Note*
This sharing is based on my first Bali experience which is not extensive. There is still so much more of Bali that I have yet to explore and discover. Needless to say, there are already dreams of future trips which will definitely be shared as and when they are realized. Happy reading.

Stamping Us

In one more week, it will be 7 years.

-------

Nobody warned us how Time will creep up on us like that!

 

Guess we were just having too much fun

:D

A blessed journey

It came.
And it went.

You asked me if I was happy.
I said I am. I know I am.
I just sometimes forget how much I should be.
Can you blame me? The world gets testy sometimes.

I know I've travelled a long way.
Am I tired? You asked.
You betcha.
Will you stop to rest awhile? You asked again.
To smell the roses, sure.
To give in to Life's excuses, hell no!

Regrets? Nope.
Surely if you could turn back Time, you'd do certain things differently? You insisted.
Seriously, I wouldn't have it any other way. Any other time.
It has just been too deliciously good.

Every single day, I count my blessings.
For everything and everyone.
And yes, that includes you.