Bali...
Move over Lonely Planet travel guide. This is my pama version of ‘Bali : Lovely Planet travel guide’.
Pama went for a 4D3N holiday trip to Bali last April 2007 ( financed by prize money forfeited from my blog Contest! Contest! which was suspended by the Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Ministry ).
For those geographically-challenged, Bali is a small island ( twice the size of Singapore? ) just off the eastern tip of Java island in Indonesia. Latitude 8.30S Longitude 115.05E. It is about 2000 km and 3 hours flight time from Kuala Lumpur.
The story below is from excerpts of my mama travel diary ( mama always keep a record of all her adventures, I will try to peep and write more about her other adventures in Mount Kinabalu, Mount Bujang Melaka, Taman Negara, Beijing, Taman Pertanian Malaysia, and Bukit Tinggi ).
Mama has always wanted to visit Bali since graduation 7 years ago, but there was a bit of safety concern in view of the two terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2004 ( even the Balinese refused to speak much about these incidences which I guess have really hurt Bali financially through declined tourism and emotionally through lost of love ones ).
Finally mama decided to have a short holiday in Bali through AirAsia DIY goholiday package. Reasons :
1. It has been 2 years since she had her last vacation ( ‘real vacation’ ) in Tropicale Colmar Bukit Tinggi, just before I was conceived.
2. I am ‘quite grown up’ now, can be taken care by grandma popo and grandpa kongkong.
3. P&C – I heard mama is planning for a lil’ brother ( or sister ) soon. If not now, her next vacation would have to wait for another 2 years!
AirAsia DIY goholiday package to Bali 4D3N in a 3 Star Hotel for 2 pax costs about RM1,300 ( firm advance booking 1 month ahead ). Package includes flight, hotel and breakfast but excludes return flight airport tax ( so don’t spend all your rupiah and ringgit ). You could ask for complimentary airport-hotel-airport transfers in some hotels.
Pama took a cab from Ipoh to Sepang LCCT at 6.00AM to catch the flight scheduled at 10.55AM. Ipoh to LCCT is almost 3 hours by road and costs RM190 one way cab. LCCT ( Low Cost Carrier Terminal ) is for budget no frills airlines such as AirAsia, and mama felt ‘second-classed’ as compared to KLIA ( KL International Airport ) which is for serviced airlines such as MAS, because the LCCT building is very basic and not well maintained. Still, vacation beckons for mama!
Flight departed sharp at 11.00AM. It was a boring 3 hour flight and mama started to miss me. To kill time, mama indulged in buy-your-own in-flight snack of sandwich, roasted peanuts ( must try, oil-free stuff ) and orange juice, all for RM13. Of course, mama did some in-flight shopping too, mama bought me an AirAsia aeroplane soft toy which costs RM19, which looks a bit more like a squashed bird ( haha, papa was getting jealous that the first souvenir is for me and not for him or mama herself! ).
Pama touched down at Ngurah Rai airport at 1.45PM.
Ngurah Rai is a beautiful airport with the landing strip just by the sea. You could watch airplanes landing or taking off, while enjoying sunset dinner at Jimbaran ( quite scary thinking about these landings and take-offs ). Read more about wonderful Jimbaran later.
Weather was gloomy, and sure enough the moment pama stepped out of the airport, it started to pour ( and the travel pamphlet was saying dry season April to September! ). Lucky, papa has arranged for the hotel representative to pick them up. Out of the two dozen hotels offered by the package, pama picked Febris Hotel & Spa located in southern Kuta, also know as Tuban ( very near 5km or 5 minutes cab from airport ) – the idea was to have a minimalist hotel as you know my pama are such active fellas roaming Bali and only come back to shower and sleep. Still, Febris sprung many pleasant surprises ( check http://www.greenbali.com/ ).
Mama stayed at 2nd floor Febris Hotel & Spa. Below is the swimming pool lined by shady Frangipani trees ( Kemboja ). Febris uses Frangipani flowers as natural freshener. Frangipani flowers are so widely used in Bali for so many things. The pool is a co-joint between a 20 meter swim-able pool and a toddler pool with elephants sprouting water.
Since pama were greeted by the monsoon rain, the initial plan to visit Tanah Lot temple for the sunset view was cancelled. Instead they went for a stroll along Kuta ( top tourist spot in Bali ). In Discovery shopping mall ( a high end mall ), mama bought the second and third souvenirs – a blouse and skirt for me, again. Haha. Papa also bought some yummy buns from Breadtalk ( the secret/special ingredient is the flour, which came from Japan ).
There is a lot of ‘scratch card scam’ on the streets of Kuta. Many of these touts claim to be from the government tourism agency. Just ignore them.
There is also a lot of horsecarts offering ride in Kuta ( Yes, in harmony with the blue taxis plying the narrow street! ). The horsecart clinking shoes sound is quite spooky at night…
Dusk is early in Bali, around 6.30PM. At this time, the streets seemed deserted and pama wondered where have all the people gone to ( for dinner and rest before the night life of Kuta starts at 10.00PM? ).
Pama walked all the way to HardRock Café in Kuta which is about 2 km from the hotel. Good things here :
1. Delicious and giant portion food.
2. Polite and friendly service.
3. Happening crowd.
4. Dine and you enter HardRock Disco without cover charge.
Mama’s seafood fritter dinner at Rp80,000 or RM32. Papa had some stuffed potatoes. ( Rp2,500 equals RM1. From now on you do all the conversion ).
After dinner, pama took a relaxing stroll back to Febris, stopping at Matahari shopping centre ( reasonably priced stuff ) for some aromatherapy souvenirs costing Rp10,000 each. Pama carried more than Rp3 millions with them – sounds so rich. They bumped into a taximan and bargained for a one day drive-around tomorrow for Rp250,000 ( meals and entrance charges on your own ). Reached Febris at 10.00PM, and mama was all worked out and had a small blister on her little toe. To bed, but not without a Frangipani scented shower gel bath.
On day 2, mama woke up early at 6.15AM to the chirping of birds, warm sunlight and lovely papa beside her. Breakfast at 7.30AM and being a Sunday the street was still very quiet at this time. The restaurant had Balinese music accompaniment radiating a peaceful atmosphere. Papa favourite choices were local delicacy bubur sumsum which is a kind of coconut milk broth taken with gula Melaka and Marmite on toast.
The Balinese is very religious ( they are mostly Hindus ). They pray and give sajian three times a day to the god(s) at shrines ( pura ). *Sajian is an offering of flowers ( yes, Frangipani too ), young coconut shoots and incense in a square box made from folded leaves. The taximan, a 33 years old man named Panji had a dried sajian in his car. He bought 4 at the price of Rp1,000.
Pama’s first destination was the Barong dance at Batubulan. Barong is a mythological animal representing the good spirit. The dance is actually a play, but pama couldn’t really enjoy the play as they didn’t understand the language despite being given synopsis handout. Papa got bored just barely 15 minutes into the show. He thought it was a Rp50,000 per ticket ripped off, and the Barong according to him is like a grossly sedated Chinese Lion dance.
Mama and the Barong after the show ended.
The show lasted 1 hour, and pama were off immediately to visit the batik factory. Nothing impressive here too.
Next stop was Celuk, to look at gold and silver smiths. Mama bought a pendant and a ring at Rp90,000. The silver was not shiny but the workmanship was excellent and very detailed.Then it was to the painter’s paradise at Mas. Pama went to a gallery with 70 resident painters. The gallery was huge with many halls and full of paintings. All the paintings were so beautiful and expensive too. A small one ( post card size ) costs around Rp80,000 while a 2x3 feet framed artwork would cost Rp1,000,000. The paintings mainly depict Balinese landscapes and lifestyles, birds and flowers ( yes, Frangipani again ).
At the entrance to the gallery ( the entrance looks like a mirror right? ). No photography allowed inside the gallery, but you still can see sample paintings on the right and the left of the entrance.
From Mas, pama proceeded to Kintamani, a hill village. On the way, they passed by scenic stretches of rice terrace. The view was superb, reminding mama of the train ride from Beaufort to Sg. Padas in Sabah for water rafting.
Rice terrace landscape.
At 1.30PM, pama arrived at Kintamani. They had lunch in a restaurant facing the magnificent view of Mount Batur ( 1717 meter ) and Lake ( danau ) Batur. Mount Batur is a volcano. Papa loves the mountain and its surrounding volcano-scaped area so much. The buffet lunch at the Batur Seri Restaurant was delicious and it costs Rp85,000 per pax. Mama especially liked the danau smoked fish – the flesh is tender and salty. Papa liked the fish-satay.
They were many street peddlers in Kintamani. Remember to bargain for at least 50% off, and mama got 3 bangles and 2 packet of pencils for Rp25,000 and 6 T-Shirts for Rp50,000.
The majestic Mount Batur. Note the black fertile lava soil.
Mount Batur and Lake Batur ( top right corner ). Note the white dots of houses.
Batur Seri Restaurant outdoor seating. Hot seats among tourists – hot for the scenic view, hot from the scorching sun.
Mama, lunch and Mount-Lake Batur.
After lunch, pama headed downhill from Kintamani to Tanah Lot temple which is famous for its sunset view, and is almost iconic with Bali ( Tanah Lot temple appears in so many Bali postcards ). The journey took 3 hours and it was nearly 6.00PM when they reached Tanah Lot ( remember dusk in Bali is 6.30PM, just nice for sunset ). Entrance is Rp10,000 per person. Alas, the sky was cloudy though it didn’t rain this afternoon, so they didn’t get to watch the sunset. Still, mama liked the thundering splashing of wave hitting on the cliff wall…so musical and relaxing.
It is low tide now. During high tide the sea water will actually cover two-third of the rock boulder and thus giving the illusive image of a temple on a rock in the sea.
Tanah Lot was pama last destination for the day. They returned to Febris at 8.00PM. Spent and satisfied, they took a dip in the empty pool with the crescent moon and twinkling stars above. Papa started to reminisce about Poring Hotspings after Mount Kinabalu hike.
Pama had dinner at WarongWarong, a small eatery 50 meter to the right of Febris. Mama had chicken wings and papa had his nasi campur eaten with hand. Rp53,000 for a simple and delicious dinner.
Day 3 plan : Free and easy morning. Book taximan for sunset viewing ( plus Kecak dance ) in Uluwatu temple and then followed by seafood dinner in Jimbaran in the evening.
So after breakfast ( buffet menu changes everyday ), pama went for a stroll along the beach. The beach is just 100 meter from Febris and you can cut straight into it from Santika Hotel across the street. The sun was blazing hot and yet they enjoyed walking under it. The wave was roaring and no wonder it is a surfer’s paradise ( got Australia’s Gold Coast feel ). They strolled along the beach, passing hotels and resorts, all the way to Kuta Square which is about 2 km away. There were many beach boys offering surf boarding and street peddlers pushing ‘almost everything’. Pama had themselves temporary tattoos! 4 credits cards sized tattoos for Rp50,000. Hair plaiting is also a craze but mama didn’t want any as it would be difficult to wash her hair later and I am going to pick and eat the beads once she returned home. Manicure and pedicure were extremely cheap in Bali too, you can get it done for Rp20,000 with nail painting thrown in. Mama bought more souvenirs ( including some wooden kitten figurines and a lime-green Bintang Beer T-Shirt for me ). Lunch was A&W, and mama has missed A&W rootbeer and fries for the past few years ( In our tiny city of Ipoh, the one and only A&W outlet closed shop some time back )
Mama in Kuta beach.
These tattoos will only last for 2 weeks. Mama has three – a butterfly on her back, a flower-chain on her wrist and a flower-cluster on her ankle.
The taximan picked pama sharp at 4.00PM ( half day charges Rp100,000 – special discounted ). He drove pama to Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park ( nearby Bali University ) which has natural blocks of rock eroded like the Grand Canyon. Mama was amazed by the natural beauty. There were also a huge Garuda head sculpture made of brass and a Lord Vishnu half body stone carving. The place seems to be still under construction and with an entrance fee of Rp15,000, some visitors might grumble.
The Uluwatu temple is simply a breath-taking place! The scenery was stunning with vertical-drop cliff. Pama would love to spend one whole afternoon here but too bad, they arrived late at 5.30PM.
Uluwatu 500 meter(?) vertical-drop cliff. There is pavement leading to the edge of the cliff for the brave hearted.
Uluwatu : The little hut and its surrounding amphitheatre is actually the venue for the Kecak dance. Note that mama is wearing a purple sarung – shorts are not allowed in the temple and thus one has to drap a sarung on loan.
There were a lot of monkeys and real fierce, naughty ones. These monkeys even snatched tourists’ spectacles, hairpin and even camera ( camera cover ) and then ran up the trees. Avoid direct eye contact to avoid confrontational challenge, but keep an eye for attack from the back. Just can’t imagine if it is the tour leader/driver spectacles…who is going to drive the bus back?
Two spectacular views : mama on the left and cliff on the right. For papa, the choice is clear. If he needs to choose, it will be mama, for life. Note the two white men and the rascal monkeys…they are going to regret soon!
Pama watched the highly recommended Kecak dance ( fire dance ) at an open amphitheatre facing the sea and sunset. The dance is also a play ( Ramayana? ). When the sun set the dance began. This dance was more interesting compared to Barong dance and papa seemed to enjoy this more. There is no musical instrument. The ‘music’ is actually from human singing and chanting ( 70 people ) just like acapella. The play lasted 1 hour and ticket is priced at Rp 50,000.
Note : Pama were unable to witness Bali sunset for the second time. It was cloudy too in Uluwatu just like yesterday in Tanah Lot.
After Uluwatu, pama moved to Jimbaran for seafood dinner. There were a dozen or so restaurants facing the open sea in Jimbaran, and they went to one called BOS – Blue Ocean Seafood. The seafood was fresh and some stuff was real expensive too ( 1 kg of lobster Rp270,000, 1 lobster almost 2 kg )! However the real attraction was dining on the beach, under the starry sky, facing the open sea listening to the roaring waves, while watching airplanes taking off or landing, with life music serenading table to table. The dim candle light made the food even more delicious. Tips : go for cheaper fares such as barracuda, squids and mussels – they are cooked the same styles as the expensive stuff, yet you enjoy the same dining experience but at a smaller bill. Pama’s dinner was just over Rp200,000.
Hmm…after the delicious seafood dinner, pama went back to Febris and straight into the pool. It was cool. It was cold!
Day 4 : No plan. Return flight at 2.25PM. Need to be at airport by 12.30PM to check in. Pama thought that some massage after 3 days of walk about would be great and so decided to go for the Febris in-house Balinese spa in the morning. Papa loved the 90 minutes Balinese massage. He said Balinese massage uses long strokes which is different from Siamese massage that focuses on rubbing and thumping. Mama did the 120 minutes Balinese massage too, plus body scrub and mask. The massage was great and calming with Balinese background music and aromatherapy. But having scrub and mask in an air-conditioned room was no joke, freezing cold. They share a common room but partitioned from other guests ( only 1 “ar-ar-ar” guest in pain anyway ). The massages cost a little over Rp308,000 for the two of them.
Note : Febris in-house spa also offers foot reflexology. The foot reflexology room is semi-partitioned and has a soothing aquarium view.
With a massaged, relaxed and refreshed body, pama went to pack up for home with a heavy heart. Although the trip has been very enjoyable and wonderful, mama can’t wait to be home…for her little cute daughter QiQi ( me ) is waiting for her.
Pama went for a 4D3N holiday trip to Bali last April 2007 ( financed by prize money forfeited from my blog Contest! Contest! which was suspended by the Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Ministry ).
For those geographically-challenged, Bali is a small island ( twice the size of Singapore? ) just off the eastern tip of Java island in Indonesia. Latitude 8.30S Longitude 115.05E. It is about 2000 km and 3 hours flight time from Kuala Lumpur.
The story below is from excerpts of my mama travel diary ( mama always keep a record of all her adventures, I will try to peep and write more about her other adventures in Mount Kinabalu, Mount Bujang Melaka, Taman Negara, Beijing, Taman Pertanian Malaysia, and Bukit Tinggi ).
Mama has always wanted to visit Bali since graduation 7 years ago, but there was a bit of safety concern in view of the two terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2004 ( even the Balinese refused to speak much about these incidences which I guess have really hurt Bali financially through declined tourism and emotionally through lost of love ones ).
Finally mama decided to have a short holiday in Bali through AirAsia DIY goholiday package. Reasons :
1. It has been 2 years since she had her last vacation ( ‘real vacation’ ) in Tropicale Colmar Bukit Tinggi, just before I was conceived.
2. I am ‘quite grown up’ now, can be taken care by grandma popo and grandpa kongkong.
3. P&C – I heard mama is planning for a lil’ brother ( or sister ) soon. If not now, her next vacation would have to wait for another 2 years!
AirAsia DIY goholiday package to Bali 4D3N in a 3 Star Hotel for 2 pax costs about RM1,300 ( firm advance booking 1 month ahead ). Package includes flight, hotel and breakfast but excludes return flight airport tax ( so don’t spend all your rupiah and ringgit ). You could ask for complimentary airport-hotel-airport transfers in some hotels.
Pama took a cab from Ipoh to Sepang LCCT at 6.00AM to catch the flight scheduled at 10.55AM. Ipoh to LCCT is almost 3 hours by road and costs RM190 one way cab. LCCT ( Low Cost Carrier Terminal ) is for budget no frills airlines such as AirAsia, and mama felt ‘second-classed’ as compared to KLIA ( KL International Airport ) which is for serviced airlines such as MAS, because the LCCT building is very basic and not well maintained. Still, vacation beckons for mama!
Flight departed sharp at 11.00AM. It was a boring 3 hour flight and mama started to miss me. To kill time, mama indulged in buy-your-own in-flight snack of sandwich, roasted peanuts ( must try, oil-free stuff ) and orange juice, all for RM13. Of course, mama did some in-flight shopping too, mama bought me an AirAsia aeroplane soft toy which costs RM19, which looks a bit more like a squashed bird ( haha, papa was getting jealous that the first souvenir is for me and not for him or mama herself! ).
Pama touched down at Ngurah Rai airport at 1.45PM.
Ngurah Rai is a beautiful airport with the landing strip just by the sea. You could watch airplanes landing or taking off, while enjoying sunset dinner at Jimbaran ( quite scary thinking about these landings and take-offs ). Read more about wonderful Jimbaran later.
Weather was gloomy, and sure enough the moment pama stepped out of the airport, it started to pour ( and the travel pamphlet was saying dry season April to September! ). Lucky, papa has arranged for the hotel representative to pick them up. Out of the two dozen hotels offered by the package, pama picked Febris Hotel & Spa located in southern Kuta, also know as Tuban ( very near 5km or 5 minutes cab from airport ) – the idea was to have a minimalist hotel as you know my pama are such active fellas roaming Bali and only come back to shower and sleep. Still, Febris sprung many pleasant surprises ( check http://www.greenbali.com/ ).
Mama stayed at 2nd floor Febris Hotel & Spa. Below is the swimming pool lined by shady Frangipani trees ( Kemboja ). Febris uses Frangipani flowers as natural freshener. Frangipani flowers are so widely used in Bali for so many things. The pool is a co-joint between a 20 meter swim-able pool and a toddler pool with elephants sprouting water.
Since pama were greeted by the monsoon rain, the initial plan to visit Tanah Lot temple for the sunset view was cancelled. Instead they went for a stroll along Kuta ( top tourist spot in Bali ). In Discovery shopping mall ( a high end mall ), mama bought the second and third souvenirs – a blouse and skirt for me, again. Haha. Papa also bought some yummy buns from Breadtalk ( the secret/special ingredient is the flour, which came from Japan ).
There is a lot of ‘scratch card scam’ on the streets of Kuta. Many of these touts claim to be from the government tourism agency. Just ignore them.
There is also a lot of horsecarts offering ride in Kuta ( Yes, in harmony with the blue taxis plying the narrow street! ). The horsecart clinking shoes sound is quite spooky at night…
Dusk is early in Bali, around 6.30PM. At this time, the streets seemed deserted and pama wondered where have all the people gone to ( for dinner and rest before the night life of Kuta starts at 10.00PM? ).
Pama walked all the way to HardRock Café in Kuta which is about 2 km from the hotel. Good things here :
1. Delicious and giant portion food.
2. Polite and friendly service.
3. Happening crowd.
4. Dine and you enter HardRock Disco without cover charge.
Mama’s seafood fritter dinner at Rp80,000 or RM32. Papa had some stuffed potatoes. ( Rp2,500 equals RM1. From now on you do all the conversion ).
After dinner, pama took a relaxing stroll back to Febris, stopping at Matahari shopping centre ( reasonably priced stuff ) for some aromatherapy souvenirs costing Rp10,000 each. Pama carried more than Rp3 millions with them – sounds so rich. They bumped into a taximan and bargained for a one day drive-around tomorrow for Rp250,000 ( meals and entrance charges on your own ). Reached Febris at 10.00PM, and mama was all worked out and had a small blister on her little toe. To bed, but not without a Frangipani scented shower gel bath.
On day 2, mama woke up early at 6.15AM to the chirping of birds, warm sunlight and lovely papa beside her. Breakfast at 7.30AM and being a Sunday the street was still very quiet at this time. The restaurant had Balinese music accompaniment radiating a peaceful atmosphere. Papa favourite choices were local delicacy bubur sumsum which is a kind of coconut milk broth taken with gula Melaka and Marmite on toast.
The Balinese is very religious ( they are mostly Hindus ). They pray and give sajian three times a day to the god(s) at shrines ( pura ). *Sajian is an offering of flowers ( yes, Frangipani too ), young coconut shoots and incense in a square box made from folded leaves. The taximan, a 33 years old man named Panji had a dried sajian in his car. He bought 4 at the price of Rp1,000.
Pama’s first destination was the Barong dance at Batubulan. Barong is a mythological animal representing the good spirit. The dance is actually a play, but pama couldn’t really enjoy the play as they didn’t understand the language despite being given synopsis handout. Papa got bored just barely 15 minutes into the show. He thought it was a Rp50,000 per ticket ripped off, and the Barong according to him is like a grossly sedated Chinese Lion dance.
Mama and the Barong after the show ended.
The show lasted 1 hour, and pama were off immediately to visit the batik factory. Nothing impressive here too.
Next stop was Celuk, to look at gold and silver smiths. Mama bought a pendant and a ring at Rp90,000. The silver was not shiny but the workmanship was excellent and very detailed.Then it was to the painter’s paradise at Mas. Pama went to a gallery with 70 resident painters. The gallery was huge with many halls and full of paintings. All the paintings were so beautiful and expensive too. A small one ( post card size ) costs around Rp80,000 while a 2x3 feet framed artwork would cost Rp1,000,000. The paintings mainly depict Balinese landscapes and lifestyles, birds and flowers ( yes, Frangipani again ).
At the entrance to the gallery ( the entrance looks like a mirror right? ). No photography allowed inside the gallery, but you still can see sample paintings on the right and the left of the entrance.
From Mas, pama proceeded to Kintamani, a hill village. On the way, they passed by scenic stretches of rice terrace. The view was superb, reminding mama of the train ride from Beaufort to Sg. Padas in Sabah for water rafting.
Rice terrace landscape.
At 1.30PM, pama arrived at Kintamani. They had lunch in a restaurant facing the magnificent view of Mount Batur ( 1717 meter ) and Lake ( danau ) Batur. Mount Batur is a volcano. Papa loves the mountain and its surrounding volcano-scaped area so much. The buffet lunch at the Batur Seri Restaurant was delicious and it costs Rp85,000 per pax. Mama especially liked the danau smoked fish – the flesh is tender and salty. Papa liked the fish-satay.
They were many street peddlers in Kintamani. Remember to bargain for at least 50% off, and mama got 3 bangles and 2 packet of pencils for Rp25,000 and 6 T-Shirts for Rp50,000.
The majestic Mount Batur. Note the black fertile lava soil.
Mount Batur and Lake Batur ( top right corner ). Note the white dots of houses.
Batur Seri Restaurant outdoor seating. Hot seats among tourists – hot for the scenic view, hot from the scorching sun.
Mama, lunch and Mount-Lake Batur.
After lunch, pama headed downhill from Kintamani to Tanah Lot temple which is famous for its sunset view, and is almost iconic with Bali ( Tanah Lot temple appears in so many Bali postcards ). The journey took 3 hours and it was nearly 6.00PM when they reached Tanah Lot ( remember dusk in Bali is 6.30PM, just nice for sunset ). Entrance is Rp10,000 per person. Alas, the sky was cloudy though it didn’t rain this afternoon, so they didn’t get to watch the sunset. Still, mama liked the thundering splashing of wave hitting on the cliff wall…so musical and relaxing.
It is low tide now. During high tide the sea water will actually cover two-third of the rock boulder and thus giving the illusive image of a temple on a rock in the sea.
Tanah Lot was pama last destination for the day. They returned to Febris at 8.00PM. Spent and satisfied, they took a dip in the empty pool with the crescent moon and twinkling stars above. Papa started to reminisce about Poring Hotspings after Mount Kinabalu hike.
Pama had dinner at WarongWarong, a small eatery 50 meter to the right of Febris. Mama had chicken wings and papa had his nasi campur eaten with hand. Rp53,000 for a simple and delicious dinner.
Day 3 plan : Free and easy morning. Book taximan for sunset viewing ( plus Kecak dance ) in Uluwatu temple and then followed by seafood dinner in Jimbaran in the evening.
So after breakfast ( buffet menu changes everyday ), pama went for a stroll along the beach. The beach is just 100 meter from Febris and you can cut straight into it from Santika Hotel across the street. The sun was blazing hot and yet they enjoyed walking under it. The wave was roaring and no wonder it is a surfer’s paradise ( got Australia’s Gold Coast feel ). They strolled along the beach, passing hotels and resorts, all the way to Kuta Square which is about 2 km away. There were many beach boys offering surf boarding and street peddlers pushing ‘almost everything’. Pama had themselves temporary tattoos! 4 credits cards sized tattoos for Rp50,000. Hair plaiting is also a craze but mama didn’t want any as it would be difficult to wash her hair later and I am going to pick and eat the beads once she returned home. Manicure and pedicure were extremely cheap in Bali too, you can get it done for Rp20,000 with nail painting thrown in. Mama bought more souvenirs ( including some wooden kitten figurines and a lime-green Bintang Beer T-Shirt for me ). Lunch was A&W, and mama has missed A&W rootbeer and fries for the past few years ( In our tiny city of Ipoh, the one and only A&W outlet closed shop some time back )
Mama in Kuta beach.
These tattoos will only last for 2 weeks. Mama has three – a butterfly on her back, a flower-chain on her wrist and a flower-cluster on her ankle.
The taximan picked pama sharp at 4.00PM ( half day charges Rp100,000 – special discounted ). He drove pama to Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park ( nearby Bali University ) which has natural blocks of rock eroded like the Grand Canyon. Mama was amazed by the natural beauty. There were also a huge Garuda head sculpture made of brass and a Lord Vishnu half body stone carving. The place seems to be still under construction and with an entrance fee of Rp15,000, some visitors might grumble.
The Uluwatu temple is simply a breath-taking place! The scenery was stunning with vertical-drop cliff. Pama would love to spend one whole afternoon here but too bad, they arrived late at 5.30PM.
Uluwatu 500 meter(?) vertical-drop cliff. There is pavement leading to the edge of the cliff for the brave hearted.
Uluwatu : The little hut and its surrounding amphitheatre is actually the venue for the Kecak dance. Note that mama is wearing a purple sarung – shorts are not allowed in the temple and thus one has to drap a sarung on loan.
There were a lot of monkeys and real fierce, naughty ones. These monkeys even snatched tourists’ spectacles, hairpin and even camera ( camera cover ) and then ran up the trees. Avoid direct eye contact to avoid confrontational challenge, but keep an eye for attack from the back. Just can’t imagine if it is the tour leader/driver spectacles…who is going to drive the bus back?
Two spectacular views : mama on the left and cliff on the right. For papa, the choice is clear. If he needs to choose, it will be mama, for life. Note the two white men and the rascal monkeys…they are going to regret soon!
Pama watched the highly recommended Kecak dance ( fire dance ) at an open amphitheatre facing the sea and sunset. The dance is also a play ( Ramayana? ). When the sun set the dance began. This dance was more interesting compared to Barong dance and papa seemed to enjoy this more. There is no musical instrument. The ‘music’ is actually from human singing and chanting ( 70 people ) just like acapella. The play lasted 1 hour and ticket is priced at Rp 50,000.
Note : Pama were unable to witness Bali sunset for the second time. It was cloudy too in Uluwatu just like yesterday in Tanah Lot.
After Uluwatu, pama moved to Jimbaran for seafood dinner. There were a dozen or so restaurants facing the open sea in Jimbaran, and they went to one called BOS – Blue Ocean Seafood. The seafood was fresh and some stuff was real expensive too ( 1 kg of lobster Rp270,000, 1 lobster almost 2 kg )! However the real attraction was dining on the beach, under the starry sky, facing the open sea listening to the roaring waves, while watching airplanes taking off or landing, with life music serenading table to table. The dim candle light made the food even more delicious. Tips : go for cheaper fares such as barracuda, squids and mussels – they are cooked the same styles as the expensive stuff, yet you enjoy the same dining experience but at a smaller bill. Pama’s dinner was just over Rp200,000.
Hmm…after the delicious seafood dinner, pama went back to Febris and straight into the pool. It was cool. It was cold!
Day 4 : No plan. Return flight at 2.25PM. Need to be at airport by 12.30PM to check in. Pama thought that some massage after 3 days of walk about would be great and so decided to go for the Febris in-house Balinese spa in the morning. Papa loved the 90 minutes Balinese massage. He said Balinese massage uses long strokes which is different from Siamese massage that focuses on rubbing and thumping. Mama did the 120 minutes Balinese massage too, plus body scrub and mask. The massage was great and calming with Balinese background music and aromatherapy. But having scrub and mask in an air-conditioned room was no joke, freezing cold. They share a common room but partitioned from other guests ( only 1 “ar-ar-ar” guest in pain anyway ). The massages cost a little over Rp308,000 for the two of them.
Note : Febris in-house spa also offers foot reflexology. The foot reflexology room is semi-partitioned and has a soothing aquarium view.
With a massaged, relaxed and refreshed body, pama went to pack up for home with a heavy heart. Although the trip has been very enjoyable and wonderful, mama can’t wait to be home…for her little cute daughter QiQi ( me ) is waiting for her.
posted by tingkam at 5/23/2007 09:36:00 pm
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