Showing posts with label Bali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bali. Show all posts
I LOVE BALI
We went down to the beach again in the morning. Sitting there, it hit us hard – We fall in love with Bali and we will miss it. We have not leave yet, but we planned to come back here again. We checked out the hotel and Eddy brought us to our favourite Javanese Food Restaurant – sorry guys cannot remember the name, to have our final taste of good food and Satan’s Sambal or Sambal Setan. We named it due to the spiciness after taste that is unforgettable (read: blazing hot).

Eddy, our Supir.

Our flight departs at 1 p.m leaving a piece of our hearts in the beautiful land of Bali. To us, Bali will always a special place in our hearts because of its people, its culture and its beauty. There is a lot of other excursions available in Bali. You can go dolphin spotting, cross over to Lombok, went to a lot more temples and other places. We are grateful for the opportunity and for our Supir – Eddy. He truly understands our need and such a great company through out the trip. If you read previously, we did not go to a lot of touristy places. We valued our local guide experience in getting food and even in planning our journey. It does not matter how many place we get to visit in the end of the day, it’s the memories that we made there that matters. Until next time Bali!

Bali Trip - Part 0
Bali Trip - Part 1
Bali Trip - Part 3

Early in the morning, we went down to the hotel’s beach to catch the sunrise. And it is a must-do! Just beautiful. We also walk around the pool – Grand Nikko have 6 swimming pools, can you imagine? Its huge!


Beautiful sunrise
Today, we will have a full day excursion in which we will go to places that are far away from Kuta and Nusa Dua. Eddy (Supir) has been informed about our improvised travel arrangements and he gladly follow it. We did not have breakfast at the hotel – Ragu2 makanan hotel halal, maybe boleh makan roti je so rugila bayar RM90 per head untuk breakfast.Eddy brought us to the shrine of Java food that later becomes our favourite spot for dining.
He brought us to a small restaurant owned by a newly widowed Javanese woman who is Eddy’s neighbor. For Javanese people, the ate rice with several dishes in the morning -  bayangkan kitorang makan nasi berlauk pagi buta. Pelik tapi berbaloi sebab tak lapar jalan jauh. Very heavy for us Malaysians but it was so good, so delicious, so spicy, so worth it!!!! We surely came back for more. The food I presumed is the cheapest in Bali – RM8 per pax. We ordered a lot of dishes. Amazing.
TIPS: Plan your itinerary well if you choose not to follow the place suggested by your Supir. Please consider the amount of time to get to one place as it is far away from each other.
We continue our Journey to Tegallalang, Ubud. Ayah keeps on talking with Eddy – Ayah is very friendly though, he makes new friends like instantly. Ubud is the home of the paddy fields fancily decorated at the hill slopes. It was so lush with green and very easy on the eyes. The field was shaped to follow the contour of the hill and slope. Along the way, we can see a lot of street art galleries heading to Tegallalang.
Paddy field



Termenung fikirkan kelapa mahal 
We have some coconut drinks at the café and boy, we got the “tourist price syndrome”. A coconut water cost us RM15. Mahal gila okay?Mahal!!!!. We were shocked of the price for some simple coconut water. We moved on to next destination – Kintamani. Many tourist guide or tour operator push tourist to have lunch here which is as you guess it – EXPENSIVE. Cost RM60 for lunch buffet. This is the holy grail of having Supir.You decide where and when you want to have a lunch break. Since we are full from the Javanese food, we skip the lunch here.
Kintamani offers a highland where you ca spot the Mount Agung volcano from a distance. Below, you can see some farmers came to collect the fertile black soil at the base of the volcano for their farmsBeing a tourist spot, we were ambushed by several ladies selling souvenirs stuffs. Our Supir politely deceived them saying we are bound to airport and we leave.
Kisah: Embak2 kejar sampai masuk kereta. Dah masuk kereta, diorang campak semua barangan dlm kereta suruh beli jugak. Kitorg cepat2 bagi balik ikut tingkap. Panik gakla sebab kena serbu ramai embak.

Next, we are bound to the beautiful Tanah Lot. This is the most beautiful spot in Bali. We arrived here around 3 pm. It is hot and humid outside, only me and Kak Jaja decided to went down to the temple. This temple is located on a rock at sea. You can only cross over to the temple when the tide is low. It is truly beautiful. It remind me of how beautiful and rich Bali is, with its culture and nature.


It looks like it came off from a magazine, but this is the reality.

After admiring the view, we proceed to Kuta for lunch and to visit the infamous Kuta Beach. We had lunch at a Nasi Padang in Kuta – expensive and so-so quality. How I miss the Javanese Restaurant. We prayed at a local mosque and straight to the beach! Kuta is lively day and night and of course traffic is unforgiving. We went to the Hard Rock Café for some shopping session.
 
Just don't ask me why...

Hard Rock Cafe is the most go-to place in Kuta

We then proceed to the Mother of Shopping and Souvenir Center – Krishna. Yes, it opens 24 hours! We bought some souvenirs for colleagues, family members and friends here. Price was okay and they sell a whole range of Bali souvenir – you name it, its here. Eddy even joked that he can bring us to Krishna at 3 a.m if we want to continue our ahopping expedition.

Sampai terduduk kak?


Kat Krishna beli kacang-kacang, kopi Bali, macam-macam lah. Ibu macam tak nak balik je. Nak duduk lama2 kat situ ke.

Before going back to the hotel, we stop by Mc Donald’s for some light dinner. And the packing war begins. These are the items I bought from Bali.

Bali Trip - Part 0
Bali Trip - Part 1
Bali Trip - Part 3


Our flight to Bali was scheduled at 0750 a.m MYT. Actually, our original flight at 8.30 a.m was cancelled and moved to this new time slot. Since they are combining 2 flights, we flew on a 777 instead of the usual 737.

3 hours later we arrived at Ngurah rai International Airport. This airport is brand new, very comfortable. Imigration was a breeze and Eddy, our Supir was ready outside with a sign card with my name on it. "Ibu Nadia". 
We straight away went for lunch at Wong Solo. It offers the famous Ayam Penyet delicacies from Java.  Okay, padahal lat Malaysia bukan main banyak WS, nak jugak lat sini kan. Bagi Nadia, sambal WS lat sini lagi menyengat. 
We checked into our hotel. We made the right choice. Our hotel was stunning and stupendous! We booked the Interconnecting Ocean View Room. Totally worth the price we paid! It can be said its one of the best hotel I have ever stayed. We have an extra bed in our room and it comes with all the amenities.
                                
 The view and the King Size bed!
After prayers and a quick breather, we went to 2 beaches in Bali - Pandawa and Padang-Padang beach. The journey here took approximately 45 minutes from our hotel We wanted to go to Dreamland beach, however due to the steep staircase down the hill, our Supir advices us not to since my parents will have a hard time scaling down. Eddy is a very cheerful and awesome guy! He tells jokes and never ever he takes us on a touristy place.
Pandawa Beach


                                         
                                              Padang-Padang Beach






The beach shuttle
One does not simply drive to the Padang-Padang Beach. You have to park your car at a designated parking area and hop on a mini van/ shuttle to the beach. It cost very cheap for the shuttle service. Padang-Padang offers huge waves - okay in malaysia we don't have this kind of 5 ft wave crashing to our beach. Red flag was up to indicate no swimming since the tides are swelling that evening. Nevertheless, the view itself is breathtaking. It was something you won't see in Malaysia. With a grilled corn on my hand and coconut water on the other, I am ecstatic to be there.


We then proceed to the very famous and well known Uluwatu Temple. It is situated on top of a hill. Parking is horrible - thank God for the Supir. We arrived there at dusk and there is Kechak Dance being performed. I don't watch the dance since we are busy looking at the 100ft cliff drop and busy running away from monkeys. Yes, monkeys are too friendly to tourist, be careful of your belongings please.

Sunset at Uluwatu
Well, it is IMPOSSIBLE to leave Bali without Spa Session! Bila lagi nak pamper kan diri ni. When we got back from Uluwatu, we ate some light dinner (read: Maggi) and went on to our Spa treatment at Bali Collection, which is a shopping mall in Nusa Dua.

The spa was called the Ocean and Tropic Spa – recommended by Kakak who went to Bali 1 week ahead of us. Me, Ibu, Mak and Kak Jaja book the couple treatment consists of 2 hours, 5 treatments for USD100 per pax. They arranged a pick up service from our hotel. The spa is beautiful, clean, staff are friendly and I receive good massage there. Although, I would gladly went for just the massage without other treatments.

Bali Trip - Part 0
Bali Trip - Part 1
Bali Trip - Part 3

Assalamualikum w.b.t,
Hi buds!

Bali is definitely the place that is in the bucket list of everyone - YES? Each one of us will list Bali as one of must-do. Little facts on my Bali trip:

Duration : 4D 3N
Date         : 23rd April - 26 April 2014
Type         : Family Vacation & Self-Tour
Pax           : 5 pax
Airline     : MAS & Malindo
Hotel        : Grand Nikko Bali, Nusa Dua


Unlike other trip, this was one of our "last-minute" trip. We decide, book and fly in matter of weeks. Originally, some of my relatives were to join this trip but pulled out on last minute. Masa nak book flight pulak cancel. So, after much deliberation, we choose to use separate airlines to save cost. Air Asia was too expensive when we include baggage options.

Flight MAS + Malindo = RM 528 expensive but cheaper than Air Asia. Pasrah jelah...

I have listed out few hotel options. Bali is divided to different areas with different surroundings, environment.


  • Nusa Dua / Sanur - CHOSEN ONE
Nusa Dua is located around 40 mins from Ngurah Rai. It offers a quiet, private getaway, free from hassle of the Kuta city. A lot of luxurious villa and resorts are situated in this area. The beach in Nusa Dua is beautiful beyond compare. Suitable for those who seeks privacy and serenity.
  • Kuta
Kuta is the town centre or the "life" of Bali. Unlimited night life, happening, busy - this city never sleeps! Accommodation is a lot here and with various range of budgets. Those youngster or those who are young at heart with a low to mid budget - this is for you. Like every city, expect "tourist price syndrome" here.
  • Jimbaran
More or less like Nusa Dua, away from the city life. Offers magnificent villas and sunset views. This is the most popular destination for Honeymooners and family.
  • Seminyak
More or less the same as Nusa Dua and Jimbaran. A lot of villas for rent here. Suitable for mid to high budget travellers, honeymooners and family.
  • Ubud
The hanging gardens. Magnificent view of paddy field. Long way from Kuta - expect around 2 hours drive. Suitable for nature lovers. A bit high on the cost side.
  • Pecatu/Utuwatu
Yes, the surfers' dream land. Beautiful cliffs and awesome tides. They offer villas and some very high end resort such as Ayana. 

There is plenty of hotels available in Nusa Dua are with variety range of budget.  Tak naklah yang mahal sangat. We choose the Grand Nikko Bali. A 5 star resort in Nusa Dua, right on the beach.


In Bali, we opt for the tour guide or Supir service. This service was provided by the locals. Hey, who else have the best knowledge than the local itself? This is the agency we use owned by a Muslim.

Price? IDR 350k for full day, 50k for airport transfer. This includes service and fuel. They use new Avanza.

Yanto Bali Tour - request for Eddy. He's the best!
Facebook: Yanto Hood
ytobalitour@gmail.com
+62817556488
+6281236540997

Bali Trip - Part 1
Bali Trip - Part 3Bali Trip - Part 2

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