Trip to Bali

Beautiful sunset...


At a temple...


One of the beautiful beaches in Bali


baby turtle!!




with traditional Bali dancers



I wasn't crazy about the snake, as you can see...



pictureque volcano in the background


I just returned back from a great and relaxing trip to Bali, Indonesia last week. I went with my mum and Uncle David for four days, from Saturday (16th Feb) till Tuesday (19th Feb).

This being my very first trip to Indonesia, I was anxious to discover about the culture of the people there. I found out that they were mostly Hindus, with the rest being Muslims and Christians. And devout Hindus they were! Almost every shop has an offering plate placed in front of the shop, maybe as a sign of worship and offering to the Gods. The Balinese are very friendly people. They greet you with a smile, and welcome you into their land with warm arms.
They tend to be a bit overenthusiastic though, when it comes to selling their goods....we'll come to that part later...

We stayed in a hotel called Aston Inn, Tuban. I was satisfied with the quality and standard of the accomodation, quite comfortable and cosy, decorated with my favourite colour, light purple. There is a spa (although we didn't utilize the service) and a swimming pool, which was vacant most of the time, except for the final day of our stay when a couple of people were shooting a scene from a soap opera there. They even had pick up service to and from the hotel to the airport, which we didn't know about until too late.

The first day, we went horse-back riding, which brought us around the town of Bali. We ended up at a market in the centre of the town, where I bought some DVDs.

The following day, we hired a personal tour guide, who drove us to several tourist attractions. Our first stop was to watch a traditional Balinese dance, called the 'Barong' which tells about the eternal fight between good and evil. I didn't quite understand the performance though. Then he bought us to a Batik making factory and a silver factory before driving us all the way up a mountain for lunch. The scenery there was great, as it was facing a huge volcano ( which I think is dormant). But the lunch itself was expensive! Then we drove down, and stopped by a cocoa plantation and a well-known temple on the way back. It was intriguing and fascinating to watch the way the Balinese live their lives. Their lifestyles seem so much simpler compared to ours. They bath in holy water to cleanse themselves before a big occasion (e.g. wedding, graduation)
And when it comes to selling their goods....they never give up. They go to the extent as to pull and drag you into their shop and have you look at their goods. And there is no such thing as a fixed price in Bali, at least not in markets or roadside stalls. Their initial pricing would be rather expensive.

A typical conversation at a store in Bali would be like this...
You (pointing to a wooden carving): How much is this?
Store owner: 100,000 rupiah
You: Wow, that is so expensive! Can't it be cheaper?
Owner: You tell me the price. How much do you want it to be?
You: 50,000 rupiah?
Owner: Oh no! No way. That is too low a price. I would 'rugi' that way. 70,000 rupiah then?
You (starting to walk away): Then I don't want it. I'll only buy this carving from you if it is worth 50,000.
(After a while)
Owner: Ok, ok mam, 50,000 rupiah it is then.

So, you win again!

The third day, our plans of sleeping in was twarted when a taxi driver we met the night before offered to bring us to a some nice beach in the morning for watersports. We ended up renting a Glass Bottom Boat to Turtle Island, where we saw some baby turtles and some huge 17 year old turtles. Add in a parrot who seems desperate to peck you, a bat and a snake which the claimed to have had its venom removed.... But my mum fell seasick so it wasnt' that enjoyable.
However, when we got back to the main island, I did manage to squeeze in some parasailing. It was just a random decision on my part. Thinking back, I didn't know why I was so brave. Anything could have happened while I was up their in the air. And I almost landed on the water. But it was fun.

In the evening, we went to a highly recommended place called Jimbaran for sunset dinner. That was worth it. It was great having a scumptuous dinner of barbequed fish in the shores of a sandy beach, and watching the sun slowly set in front of you as you slowly enjoy your dinner. And watching the waves crashing on the shore....it gives you a calm and relaxing atmosphere. That is what I call a vacation!

And oh yeah....throw in some traditional Balinese massage as well! On the third and final day of our stay in Bali, we decided to try out the Balinese massage....the third day in a more high class place, meant for Japanese tourists. It can be quite painful at times, but relaxing and soothing on the whole.

On the whole, I really enjoyed my trip to Bali!! The people are friendly, lots of things to do there....go for massage, bargain shopping, high class shopping at Sogo... or water sports for the more adventurous. No wonder the Japanese love to travel to Bali.
Info.... 1 ringgit is equivalent to 2700 rupiah. Don't forget to bring your calculator! And your bargaining skills ;)

p.s. Enjoy the pics!!

p.p.s I passed my End of Semester 3 exams!! Didn't do too well, but at least I passed, and am eligible to proceed on to Semester 4. More about this in a later post.

p.p.p.s Have to really be serious about going on a diet now. More in a later post as well.