Finally, it was time for an island getaway! This was my second
trip to Bali. My first trip to Bali was on a business trip and I did not get the
opportunity to tour around much. The best thing about this trip was to travel
together with my two buddies, Din and
Raja. Our trip was a 4 nights trip where we had hired a freelance tour guide named Bobby Sugianto.
Bobby is very flexible and his tour is at a very reasonable price. When I say
reasonable it’s SUPER REASONABLE! Bobby’s service includes transportation
(where he will send and wait for you), a pre-planned/suggested itinerary which
caters to your preferences and an airport pick up/sent off. He is highly recommendable
for those looking to visit Bali anytime soon. Contact details will be provided
at the end of this write-up.
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| All checked it and ready to fly. Bali here we come! |
Before our trip to Bali, Bobby had provided us with itineraries
for the top of the list must visit/do in Bali. We were left only to book both our
flights and accommodations. We flew using Airasia where we've managed to get return
tickets for only MYR322/per pax. We've decided to move the hotel every night to have a feel of different services.
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| Eating our supper after the 3 hours flight. |
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| Nasi Ramesh and my all-time favourite - Teh Botol. |
We flew on the last flight departing from KLIA2 on the 31st
October 2014 and we only arrived at Ngurah Rai Denpasar International Airport past
midnight. Bobby was already waiting for us at the airport. There were many
changes at the airport since the last time I’ve visited Bali in 2012. Before
checking in at our hotel, Bobby brought us for a late-night supper where we had
nasi Ramesh. Oh my, that was spicy! Every
time I am in Indonesia, I will definitely go with Teh Botol – tea in the bottle. One thing I love whenever I travel
to Indonesia is that food is super cheap! Our meal for three was only
Rp57,000! For our first and second night in Bali, we’ve booked the S8 Suardana
Hotel located in Kuta. The room was cosy and it even has a small kitchen for
cooking! It looks like a small service apartment. The 2 nights stay for 3 pax only
cost us MYR208!
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| Our room at S8 Suardana Hotel. Top: The bed. Middle: The mini kitchen. Bottom: The living room. |
Day 1 – Beaches and cultures
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| An early morning dip to start the day at the hotel. |
Our first destination was to Tanjong Benoa, south of Kuta. Tanjong
Benoa is well known for water sports activities and also the famous Turtle
Island. One good thing when you have Bobby as your guide is that you can enjoy the
local price (not all tourist site are applicable). After discussing on the excursion
that morning, we’ve decided to visit the Turtle Island (on a glass view
motorboat) together. Tips: There will be another extra Rp5,000/per pax upon entering
the Turtle Farm for conservation fee. As
for the water sports, Din and Raja decided to try the flying fish and I’ve
decided to go for the paragliding. Total costs for all our excursions was only
Rp1,650,000. My take for Turtle Island: I think it was too commercialized.
Turtles were too dependent. I cannot imagine if these turtles were to be released
into the wild, what will be their chance of surviving. Another thing I would like
to highlight was to have stricter rules. The reason said is because some tourists
were not handling the sea turtles well. Some were lifting the turtles up for a
picture and just chucking them down after they were done. Boo them!
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| In front of the turtle farm at Turtle Island. |
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| SELFIE with the poor turtles. |
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| My expression tells a lot on this visit. |
The paragliding was awesome. I highly recommend this
activity as this will give you the chance to have an aerial view of Tanjong Benoa.
The flying fish on the other hand, (based on Din and Raja’s experience) gave a
great view but it involves lots of stamina.
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| Din and Raja getting ready on their flying fish. |
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| Me gliding over Tanjong Benoa. |
After a great kick-off in the morning, we went off for
lunch. Bobby brought us to Warung Ibu Oki
for chicken rice and hell it was spicy. Total spend for lunch was only
Rp25,000. Later that afternoon, we headed off to Pandawa Beach. Pandawa is
located in the village of Kutuh, Southern Bali. It is normally referred to as the
secret beach. There were not many tourists there and the view was picturesque perfect.
Tips: If you are looking for a quiet spot this beach should be on top of your
list. We spend the afternoon chilling and enjoying our ice coffee and rojak buah – fruit salad with prawn
paste sauce.
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| At Warung Ibu Oki for lunch. |
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| The super spicy chicken rice. |
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| Pandawa Beach. |
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| Rojak Buah. |
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| A selfie at this secret beach. |
For our next stop, we headed off to another beach called Suluban Beach
or famously known as Blue Point Beach which was a 35 minutes’ drive from
Pandawa. Blue Point Beach was jam-packed with surfers but the view here was
stunning. If I was given an option, I would prefer to stay longer at Pandawa
Beach.
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| Strong wave, a surfers paradise at Blue Point Beach. |
The highlight for our first day will be the famous Uluwatu Temple. Entrance
fee: Rp20,000/per pax. To enter this heritage site it is compulsory to
dress appropriately as it served as the local worshipped place. We were all
provided with sarongs and Bobby taught us how to tie it like the Balinese. The
view at the Uluwatu Temple was divine. As it was almost dawn, we quickly
grabbed our ticket for the Kecak and
Fire Dance performance. The ticket was only Rp100,000/per pax. Tips: Try to get the tickets
earlier (say 1730H) and secure the best
seat (facing the sunset). For me, it was so surreal to experience firsthand one
of Bali’s famous traditional culture performance. The show lasted for almost 2
hours and man we were starving!
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| We in our sarongs. Just getting in the mood. |
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| The view is awesome! |
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| Sunset at Uluwatu while watching the Kecak & Fire Dance performance. |
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| Amid the performance. |
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| With one of the performer. |
Dinner that night was special. Bobby brought us to Jimbaran
Bay. The setting was just stunning! It was by the beach. The place sells
itself. However, a night out like this is usually very pricey. There were many
seafood restaurants to choose from but we've decided to go with The Cuisine –
Fresh grill seafood restaurant. Tips: Go
with a set meal and usually a set meal can feed up to 4 pax. As we've expected our
meal for that night was super expensive! We've forked out a total of Rp487,000! Oh
well, it’s a once in a lifetime experience! The night ended with all of us feeling
knackered and we went to bed quite early. Tomorrow, to the north we go!
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| Our so-called "romantic" dinner by the beach excluding Din because he was busy taking this photo. |
