all about Bali~

Finally, the long-awaited Bali trip is here...The only thing all of us hoped for is a nice, pleasant weather that could bring nothing but ease to our travelling. And, alas!! We got it...all the 4 days of our trip was indeed smooth-going.

our lodging for the 3 nights (Jayakarta Bali Club)

Here are some of the sight-seeings we have done...

 Bali beach...

more Bali beach...

 isn't Bali all about beach and sand?

 amazing temple of Tanah Lot

 @ Taman Ayun

 sunset @ Uluwatu, a plce full of notorious monkeys (make sure you go with a guide or you might be attacked by 1 of those monkeys; have seen it with my own eyes)

a shot of the Pecatu Indah Resort 

 Tegallalang paddy field (where they filmed "Eat, Pray, Love"

 Tirta Empul

 people bathing @ the public pool @ Tirta Empul (it is believed that if you bathe with the water, you will stay young)

 do's and don'ts @ Tirta Empul pool

 magical water pool @ Tirta Empul

 i thought he was 1-legged til i saw...

this!! (looks like he was practising 1-legged stance)

 coffee testing @ Sai Land, Coffee Luwak (a famous coffee to be tried in Indonesia)

 breath-taking scenery of the Kintamani volcano (in cloudy sky)

breath-taking scenery of the Kintamani volcano (in clear sky)

As advised by a friend who have been to Bali, we didn't try food sold by the road-side. Bali was definitely a heaven for both sight-seeing and food. There is such a wide variety of places to dine that we find 3 nights is barely enough for us to try all. ;p If you have a love for drinking and food, Bali is definitely the place to be! A piece of advice from a taxi driver, "Always frequent the place with lots of people because this shows how good the place is." So, choosing a place to settle down for a meal is not so difficult after all. We were lucky to have been told of Jalan Lesmana, Seminyak where all the "great and famous (lots of patrons)" were located at.

 with a large man-made stage, the Hard Rock Cafe is quite a popular place among the "ang mohs"...they have live performance starting 10pm with local talents showing off their singing abilities (the ones we heard of are pretty good!)

 @ Ultimo, Italian restaurant (a fine-dining restaurant with super low and affordable prices on its menu)

 my favourite of the entire trip (Indonesia's very own ayam panggang with rice, cost about RM13)

another nice ambiance restaurant; Rumors (wonder what the 2 girls are looking at in the yellow-framed picture?)

 here's what they are up to (taking 2-in-1 shot under flame, and this cost only RM10!)

 another round of shot (i didn't try because i was refraining myself from alcohol, trying to uphold the 5 precepts in Buddhism) :)

a random shot of a cute girl i saw during our visit to Tirta Empul

The whole trip was rather nice minus some of the tiring road trips. Bali is actually a huge place. You definitely need to travel by car and must be a superbly capable driver! The road there are very narrow as compared to Malaysia, and surprisingly, the Balians can fit 2 SUV's in 1 single lane! Honking over there is not a scolding signal but a signal to tell you "i am taking over you now, becareful". And the Balians are pretty alright with their peers taking over them. No swearing, no cursing, and for this, i admire them very much!

If you can ride bike, you can rent a bike and travel on your own. If you think you drive better than a F1 driver, you can also rent a car and drive around on your own. ;p If you want more challenges, you can rent bicycle. Otherwise, you can get cabs almost at every corner of the streets at very reasonable rates. No need of bargaining as the taxi drivers use meters. You could also charter a tour guide of your own.
If you so happen to find something you like and want to make purchase (stalls by the road side), make sure you bargain at least 50% off the original price. Don't know how exactly you can do it, but I managed to with the help of my travel mates! ;)

Ah, I have totally forgotten about my spa experience in Bali. Well, it's not something that I want to remember of. Guess I have to say, we were promised a good spa experience but were brought to a rather not-up-to-expectation kind of spa. Should i describe the condition of the room, i will tell you to watch the movie "Saw". Yes, the movie "Saw", or for better imagination, the first movie of "Saw" where Dr Lawrence played by Cary Elwes found himself awakened and chained in an unused bathroom. Well, the spa that i went to gave the similar chilling feeling of that in the movie. *Goosebumps* So, returning to Bali for its spa? Big no no!!

I can definitely find better spa in Penang!!

Hope my sharing on my Bali trip gave you better insights on the beautiful island.

In the mean time, have a happy week ahead!! ^^