Indonesia | Bali on a budget! (Day 2)

Day 2 – The highlands!

Bobby was early as we have so many exciting things planned ahead. We’ve checked out from our hotel before starting our one hour journey to Ubub. Our first stop was Goa Gajah – The Elephant Cave. This place was built in the 9^th century and is believed to serve as a sanctuary. There are no elephants here as the name suggest but it is a worshipping place for the locals Hindu. Entrance fee: Rp15,000/per pax and visitors need to put on the sarong if they come in with shorts. My take for Goa Gajah: I only love the fountain place and there is nothing much to see honestly. I would advise to skip this excursion if you have very limited time. 

A selfie at the fountain I was talking about. 

The entrance of Goa Gajah. 

A Balinese local praying in the cave. 

Next stop was Tirta Empul Temple. This place is a must! This Hindu temple near the town of Tampaksiring is well known for its holy water where Hindu Bali people go for purification. Entrance fee: Rp15,000/per pax.

A selfie at the entrance of Tirta Empul Temple. 

Pilgrims cleansing themselves. 

A trip to Bali will not be complete without a visit to a coffee plantation. Bobby brought us to Satria Agrowisata where we were given an educational trip on coffee production. Besides that, we were also taught on how the famous luwak coffee is produced. This coffee is known to be the most expensive coffee in the world and this is no ordinary coffee! Believed it or not, this coffee is harvested from the luwak’s faeces! The best part of this visit was when we were given free sample testing on their products. There were almost 15 types of coffee and tea flavours! It was heaven. I’ve decided to try their luwak coffee and oh my a small cup of coffee was Rp50,000! Location: Jl. Raya Tampaksiring – Kintamani Br. Basangambu, Gianyar, Bali. Tel: +6108179793020.

Enjoying the freebies! 

Enjoying my luwak coffee. 

After the refreshing coffee tasting, we drove off to Kintamani to enjoy the dramatic views of the active volcano Mount Batur and the serene Lake Batur. We had our late lunch at a Warung Bakso overlooking the beautiful view and our meal was only Rp66,000. At around 1600H, we headed off to Tegalalang Rice Terrace. This place is a great place to spend a day taking in the sights and sounds of nature and a simpler, slower kind of life. For us, it was only a pit stop. 

Mount Batur.

Lake Batur and Mount Batur.

Our lunch.

A short pit stop at the rice terrace.

We continued our journey to Padangtegal for a visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The daily opening time is from 0830H till 1800H. This place is homed to hundreds of long-tail macaque. Tips: Please take care of your belongings as there will be a high probability it will get stolen by the monkeys. Please do not feed the monkeys with the banana sold by the seller in the sanctuary. Feeding them will tend to make these monkeys too dependent on human. Entrance fee: Rp30,000/per pax (a bit costly). My take for Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary: You can give it a pass. Nothing much to see.

A panoramic view of the sanctuary.

Another panoramic view at the sanctuary.

We finally settled down in our hotel after all the monkey business at the sanctuary. For our stay in Ubud, we've stayed at Jati 3 Bungalows and Spa (booked using booking.com) and the rate per night was only Rp500,000. Check out the awesome room! Did I mention it includes breakfast? Tips: If you happened to have more time at this place, I will reckon you to try their spa called Cempaka Spa. Affordable price. After a refreshing swim in the pool and a great satay feast that evening we’ve called it a day! 

Our crip for the night at Ubub!

Enjoying the dip before dinner.

By the street enjoying our cheap satay dinner! Rp 15,0000 for 10 including rice!