Bali Trip Throwback 3

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CLIMBING DAY

DAY 3: 02/06/2012

Our third day in Bali started a bit later than our first 2 days as our main highlight of the day in the itinerary is during the sunset, the Kecak Dance. First in our itinerary today is watersports activities at Nusa Dua located not really far from our hotel. They offered some packages of activities consisting of all sort which we ended up taking the paragliding, flying buoy thing (similar to they banana boat but more extreme) and snorkelling (which was actually diving because we had to carry oxygen tank). It comes with a bottle of mineral drinks and a packet of bread. The bread is not as snacks but to feed the fish! Overall, I'd recommend this activities to people who enjoy this kinda stuff but some people may not be able to enjoy this because of the thrills. In comparison to the other activities that we had in Bali however, this is the most pricey so far but it is still cheap compared to paragliding say, in Penang though. After the exhausting and 'dizzy-ing' morning, we stopped by a nearby padang restaurant on our way back to the town area. The restaurant is a really humble premise and exceptionally clean. They serve Padang food, originating from the island of Sumatera in Indonesia. You can see Padang restaurant all over Indonesia and in Bali itself Padang restaurants can be found in town areas. As we sat for the meal, the waiters started loading our table with multiple selection of dishes served with white rice. It was the best lunch we ever had in Bali, seriously! It was Minang food at its best even though we were in Bali.

Delicioso Minang lunch

That 'hole' or 'cliff'

After the satisfying lunch, we found ourselves back on the road going to Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (GWK). But before we make our way there, Pak Supir brought us to a public park somewhere at a luxury hotel cluster was located which I forgot the name of it. He wanted to show us a cliff that was eroded by the ocean waves that created a small 'hole or cliff' (?) which was quite cool. Nothing much to see around the area so we continued our journey to GWK. The park is located amongst the limestone hills surrounding the area. At first glance one might thought that the park is a historical place because the sculptures and buildings were as if one of Balinese temple buildings but as we got closer to the complex it is obvious that this park is new and created as a tourist attraction. After the gateway, we arrived at an open plaza with some shops and restaurants in the area. Beyond the plaza, we entered a walkway with giant limestone at both our side standing as tall as a 3 storey building. It leads us towards another open plaza with nothing much inside. 

On the left side of the plaza, a staircase heading towards a Garuda head is located on an upper ground venue. Still tired from the morning activity, all of us struggled climbing the giant stairs to reach the Garuda. Obviously the garuda was still in progress as the remaining parts were sort of under construction. Another stairs leads up to another sculpture of Vishnu which was also under construction. After reaching the top most location of the park, we were rewarded with a beautiful panorama of Bali and it was worth climbing up the never ending stairs. To get back to the main plaza we need to go down another stairs on the other side.

Pecatu Beach

So far our third day in Bali was the most tiring and there were still activities ahead of us as Pak Supir drove us an isolated location near a seaside. The location looks like a new tourist area with small country-side road leading towards it. Pak Supir mentioned that since Julia Roberts shot a few scene at this beach in 'Eat, Pray, Love', people came flocking by the beach everyday ever since. In order to get to the beach, we need to climb down a series of stairs passing by a small cave and finally to the sandy shores of Pecatu Beach. Some local business stalls greeted us at the beach selling mostly tropical beach wear. A bunch of people getting their sun bath by the beach and others walk around just enjoying the place. Pecatu Beach is a short beach with stone cliffs at some of the water edges, which I can imagine might be a nice place before it was famous because of its mysterious, secret beach location but now its crowded with tourist!

There we go again climbing up the stairs to get back to our car as we need to get to Pura Uluwatu on time for the Kecak Dance. The performance will start at 6 pm and we need to get there as early as possible to get a good seat. We reached Pura Uluwatu just at the right time as Pak Supir guided us towards the a pathway that leads to a 10 minutes walk, up dan down the stairs until we reached a garden where they sell the performance tickets. Along the way, we enjoyed the seaside view of the Pura itself which is located atop a high cliff on the other side of the pathway. There were monkeys lurking along the pathway as well, looking for opportunity to steal any shiny stuff that you have including glasses and mineral drinks bottle. There were already tonnes of people waiting to be seated in the hall when we arrived. One third of the seat have been taken, leaving us with plenty of seat options. We chose the middle row to get the best view of the whole performance. A few minutes later, the performance started and the audience kept coming into the hall, getting seated at any corners they could get. The performance was a combination of dance and acting telling stories of the Monkey god, Hanuman from the Hindhu mythology. There were fire flying around, a lot of group shouting "KECAK", Hanuman jumping in and out of the audience seat and dancing princesses. The show was good but I still prefer the Barongan dance for its Balinese originality.

Amazing view to the cliff at Pura Uluwatu

Don't play with fire, don't play with monkey either.

After a day of climbing stairs, Pak Supir has planned for us a nice dinner at fancy tourist restaurant somewhere at a beach side which if I am not mistaken was in Nusa Dua. As a local, surely he had find us a fairly good restaurant with the best deals and we were right. It was a nice ending to the tiring day and we had the nicest dinner in paradise before we head back to our hotel.

Bali Trip Throwback 2

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ROYALNESS

DAY 2: 01/06/2012

Pura Taman Ayun's construction was sponsored by the Royal family

Our second day in Bali started with a breakfast meal at the hotel with view towards the construction site outside the hotel compound. Good way to start the day eyh? Pak Supir waited for us at the hotel lobby while we rushed to finish our first meal of the day. The first destination for today is a royal public temple, Pura Taman Ayun located at Mengwi district. As we arrived at the the carpark area, the pathway directly leads to an ancient looking bridge over a flowing small river. Over on the other side of the gateway, a stone pathway heads to a majestic gateway blocking views towards whatever on the other side of the brick fence wall. The front part of the temple complex is decorated with an open landscape garden with kemboja trees along the way. As we reached the inner temple gateway, we followed a pathway leading at side of the fence wall, towards the main temple area. Tourist aren't allowed to enter the temple so, we circled around the temple area which is surrounding with a shorter brick fence wall. The area consists of a few pagoda-like buildings or hut with each one standing as tall as around 10 feet high.
              

The wall seaparating outsiders from the main compound

The bridge and gateway

Finished with our first destination, we head off to Lake Bratan where Pura Ulun Danu is located. Our journey to Lake Bratan took quite a long ride on the road passing through villages and as we reach a scenic town along the way, our tour guide (more like driver actually) points out that the temperature outside is getting colder as we get even higher to the mountain top as he lowered down his window. We passed through a wonderful town at the side of a lake which looks totally amazing. Further uphill, we reached a place which obviously quite touristy. Apparently, as we reached there were some religious event taking place at the temple complex. There were girls dressing up in traditional performing costumes, local families walking around in traditional outfits and women carrying offerings on their head. We went in the complex with our eyes still gazing around the crowd observing their daily ritual activities. As we got closer to the temple, we can't help to notice Lake Bratan at the background. Its so enchanting that we didn't really paying attention to the Pura itself at the edge of the lake. Just off the edge of the water, a pagoda-like structure stands in the lake which personally got my attention more than the main building complex.

We spent quite a while at Lake Bratan as there where some other places around the temple complex which include a walkway with a small jetty, a recreational garden and a bigger garden at the front. As we were walking back to the parking area, I overheard a family with familiar language. I listen even more carefully as I was curious what I heard was right and it seemed clear to me they were  conversing in Iban language, one of the ethnic groups from Borneo. "what a small world", I said in my head as we continued passing by a row of shops. The driver brought us to a local farmer's market on our way to the next destination where the locals sell local produce in abundance, mostly fruits like strawberries, avocado, salak fruit, and many more (some I never seen before). We bought a box of strawberries and munched some during our journey. 

 

Next we went for a quick stop at one of the nicest view looking towards Lake Bragan from a higher ground and Bali never seemed to stop impressing us. Few photo session as remembrance of the captivating scene, we were off again on the road for our next stop. After a few minutes on the road going downhill, we stopped by for lunch at a restaurant overlooking an amazing scenery, and yes its a miles and miles away stunning paddy terrace. This one is more spectacular then the one we'd seen yesterday, As for the food, slightly better than yesterday and thanks to the panoramic view, it was a nice lunch. 

 

As usual, Pak Supir didn't join us for lunch and he waits patiently at the parking lot ready to get to the next stop. He planned all the itinerary for us as we mentioned where we intended to go and he will try his best to make it as efficient as possible. We drove all the way from the hillside to another temple at a seaside location. It is the iconic Pura Tanah Lot, also known as the snake temple. The temple building is located atop a giant natural stone facing the sea but before we reached our main target of the day, a Balinese gateway greats us that leads to a local craft and tourist market that stretch all the way towards the beach. We bought quite a number of souvenirs here which are mostly modern framed paintings for gifts and home decoration. Our tour guide earlier mentioned that its advisable that if the shopkeeper offered to roll the drawing for easier baggage handling, just say no. These paintings are not as high quality as the expensive ones, so they were probably made from low quality paint and may crack if rolled. He also mentioned that the paintings won't last as long because of this but guess what my painting at home has been hanging there for 2 years and it looks just as new! After a long picking and bargaining session at some of the shops, we quickly walked to the seaside.

When we arrived there, the place was full of people, mostly tourist and some local prayers. Stretches of golden sandy beach with stone cliffs and some huge stone on the seaside, people were standing there looking upwards at Pura Tanah Lot. Outsiders are not allowed to go to the temple on the stone instead, there were a small cave-ish enclave under the stone where locals pray to the snake deity that was said protecting Pura Tanah Lot. Some tourist lined up with the locals to be blessed at the entrance which also located next to the stairs heading up to the temple. We spent the evening until sunset at the seaside, enjoying the breathtaking view of Pura Tanah Lot with the sea as its background.

Bali Trip Throwback1

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ARRIVAL & BARONGAN BREAKFAST

DAY 1: 29/05/2012- 30/05/2012

Bali is one of everyone's favourite place to spend their vacation for obvious reasons; the amazing people and culture, breathtaking views, cheap tourist-friendly attractions, and the list just goes on and on and on. With the recent movie at that time played by Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love potraying this mysthical island, it multiplied your reason not to miss the opportunity to visit this paradise. As we learnt in our first holiday in Bangkok, 3 days is not enough for you to experience the local atmosphere and soaking every moments of your travel time. So, this time we have decided to double up the time to 6 days in Bali and it was a delightful time to roam this majestic place. There are a lot of hotels and hostel choices in Bali according to your preference. As for us, we have booked the hotel earlier before at a somewhat pleasant deal. We stayed at Grand Kuta Hotels and Residences which is known better to the locals as Aston Kuta, its old name. Apparently it was under the Aston Hotel Group before and you can see the hotel accessories such as tissue and toiletries with the name dashed out or covered with marker ink. It was a bit far from major attractions but it was a good deal and we have booked some local tourist guide (which is really cheap!) so, transport is not the issue.

     

So the next morning we start the day with a Barongan dance at one of the local dance schools. The stage itself was impressive; with the iconic Balinese gateway as the background and full traditional orchestra team at one corner under a Balinese hut. The show goes on for about an hour telling local folklore thru dance with the infuse of Hindu mythologies accompanied with impressive costumes. Even though we didn't get the full understanding of the whole story but the performance itself kept me mesmerized. My friends however were not so keen of the scary masks which I thought was really artistic, Next we embarked on our next stop which is the famous rice paddy terrace at one of the foothills in Bali. On our way there, we stopped by a local Art Gallery where the local artists sell their beautiful paintings but the price tag were quite expensive for my pocket. As we continued our journey to the paddy terrace, the scenery along the way was beautiful as well; the traditional local buildings, the small roads, hindu and buddha sculptures along the road and we even stumbled upon a local wedding ceremony march as well.

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When we reached the paddy terrace, it was already almost lunchtime. Our driver parked the car at the side of a small road heading to an uphill location. After spending sometime at the paddy terrace and savoring the view. we decided to head to the next location, restaurant to get some food! After a few kilometres drive, we arrived at a restaurant on the hill overlooking a breathtaking valley which i didn't remember the name. Even though the food were not that great, but the splendid view was enough to substitute the flavours. After we had finished our meal, we head to our car as some local aunties start to gather around us and tourists selling some so-called touristy items. That is normal as this is a third world country and they'd do anything to survive. However, their faces seem to be sort of similar like red indians because they had red-ish skin, high nose (red-indian like nose) and most probably the way they dressed up as well or maybe it was just something wrong with my eyes.

The next location is the Luwak Coffee plantation and factory along the way back to Kuta. For anyone who never heard of luwak coffee, Luwak is a type of civet. Why would someone call a coffee based on a civet? Go figure! The front part of the plantation were a small botanical/ herb garden with some local plants to display an introductory crash course to the tourist. Nothing new for someone from the neighboring country. Deeper in the compound was a small hut which obviously just for showing the process of producing the famous expensive luwak coffee from A to Z. Around the hut they had some luwak taking sleep in the broad daylight. A few steps downhill, we arrived at a nice small cafe where they gave some samples of coffee choices with a tea and a chocolate tester as well. This venue also was overlooking a nice valley (not as beautiful as the first one) full of bamboo plant and coffee trees below its canopy.

We end up getting some luwak coffee from the store as gifts which I end up drinking them myself few months later because most people around me don't drink coffee. Next destination is the Tirtha Empul Temple, one of the iconic temple in Bali known for its beauty and history. The president of Indonesia, Soekarno even had a palace at the side of this temple which is located at a higher ground. Before entering the complex, everyone must cover their legs with sarong and sleeveless shirts are usually not allowed. So, I had a sarong i bought earlier from one of the shops at the paddy terrace (I found out it was priced higher somewhere else!) while everyone else wore purple sarongs from the temple entrance. The temple started with an open area which leads towards a gateway, typical of Balinese premises. In the temple compound, there were a few hut-like structures with one of them was used as a religious ceremonial hall. Through the other exit out of the temple were some pools, some as landscaping feature and one for religious bath, meant to cleanse the sins of its devout followers.

After a few walks around the complex exploring the parks around Tirtha Empul, we found ourselves strolling around the local hawker market selling some tourist items and gifts. We decided that we should head back to the hotel and get some good rest after the light shopping session before exploring more of Bali at night!