1. Tour Guides
a. Kadek AnggaTour: Thank you Kadek, Wendi and Fendy b. Klook.com: Thank you Buda and Roma 2. Restaurants/Cafe's a. UBUD - Bebek Tepi Sawah, Starbucks, Hofas Cafe and Gallery , Warung Sate Babi, Milk and Madu Ubud, Black Eye Coffee & Roastery, Babi Guling Pak Caek, b. Legian - Angkasa Foodcourt, Circle K Convenience Store c. Kuta - DJournal Coffee, Cafe Sardinia, Donut King 3. Hotels a. Ketut's Place and Villa Ubud b. Ulun Ubud Resort c. Yello Hostel Kuta
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I cannot just blame the reels on Instagram and Tiktoks for that urge to travel to Bali but it is definitely on my list to visit most countries in South East Asia since way back. So I did Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia... and definitely the next one is Indonesia. As much as I wanted to spend longer, my sister can only spare less than a week for her birthday travel. And unlike my other travels, I didn't list my expenses accurately knowing that it will just hurt my eyes and pocket. As others say, "she's my only sister in this world." P.S. This travel is sister-approved. It only means that whatever happened had been subjected to her approval. (wink) Day 1 After getting a wounded heel (from a furniture defect in a hotel that I stayed in Manila) yet joy-filled heart (from LANY's concert), I met my sister at the airport and boarded a plane to Bali at 0330H and landed half past seven. It has been more than a decade that I have been trusting our local airlines especially Cebu Pacific for my domestic and short-haul international travels as they provide a safe and smooth journey up in the skies and making our four-hour journey a worry-free and luckily, without turbulence (or am I just used to air travel). I honestly don't expect much lavish from Bali airport but it is just beyond average. The exterior is as beautiful as the interior (or was it because of the G20 Summit) but everything and everyone has been warm, organized and welcoming. I have arranged a random tour from Kadek AnggaTour who was referred by a friend. Set our first three days in Ubud and the next three in Kuta since it is closer to the airport. I am impressed that the airport has a seamless Wi-Fi connection and then connected with the tour guide assigned by Kadek, Wendi who has been at the airport before the plane landed. He communicated well and threw some humor which made the trip light since the ride to Ubud takes more than two hours and we haven't gotten back on our feet from the flight. We first looked for money exchange stores and he advised us to be careful and not transact with unauthorized or smaller kiosks which can be helpful to novice travelers ;) Firstly, my sister wanted to go to a 3D museum but the one she knew is closed temporarily so Wendi recommended another but it is filled with children so we just peeked and took a quick turn around Denpasar and headed to Ubud. First stop is Bali Bidadari Batik where they showcase a variety of Batik handmade products and you may see it hand crafted in front of your very eyes. Everything is beautiful and colorful from coasters to all types of clothing and accessories. And yes, we bought a bagful. I was actually holding a paper I researched before going to Bali and our tour guide light read it and saw the Coffee Plantation and Ubud Swing on the list, so he recommended a less crowded yet similarly awesome place called Uma Pakel. Nico, the plantation guide briefed us about the process of coffee making and showed the swings enthusiastically. However, it rained that I didn't get to try the swing but enjoyed the splashes of it. Since I appreciate coffee in all its forms, I enjoyed the free coffee tasting as much as the rain splashing on the ground. They also take pride of their very own Civet coffee and since Palawan and Davao also boasts that kind, I opted our local Civet coffee but bought a bagful of coffee grinds again. (Hello bankruptcy) Then we headed for lunch at Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant and was surprised of its authentic Balinese style interior and organic views. I have read good reviews from its dishes but didn't expect more from the restaurant but they definitely served well. The sate ayam is served in a clay griller and the beverages were superb. Though a bit far from where our villas are but it is perfect for that first decent meal in Bali. Satiated, we checked in at our villa at Ketut's Place and Villas and was greeted by a lovely receptionist who led to our room that amazed my eyes. Situated on the second floor overlooking the other private villas, the spacious room has a great view of the greenery outside and trees on the other. Refreshed, I walked around the lovely gardens to the infinity pool and said, I am definitely in Bali and nowhere other. However, one of the Birthday girl's wish is to visit the Bali Safari and Marine Park and fortunately they have a Night Safari Package (that costs 1,100,000 IDR) so we drove for more than an hour to get there. In a nutshell, the price is definitely worth the experience as we get to be in contact with the wild animals at night and be able to feed them. From Lions, Tigers to Hippos and Zebras, kids and adults both can enjoy in the whole ride with their nice zookeepers and guides. Dinner is also served buffet style and all were savory and balanced. And to cap off the night, the stage is graced with the Rhythm of Africa Fire Dance Show. And since I saw a good location of Starbucks at the Ubud Center, we dropped by to try their local blend and headed home. P.S. Thanks to Kadek from Kadek Anggatour for coordinating with our trip and Wendi Jarot for pleasing our modified itineraries. Though we started early and ended late, he still showed professionalism and good energy. I was in awe seeing Starbuck's location at the Ubud Center. The view is amazing in any weather and any time of the day. Kudos to the staff as well. Day 2 My sister started her day by walking around the city while I sleep and came back at 1100H with waffles and avocado toast. Enough time for me to enjoy the relaxing views of the resort and roam around the villas. We planned not getting a tour today to enjoy Ubud by our own. So we walked roughly 3 kilometers from our Villa to the City Center (with side trips to other resorts) and my sister's eyes sparkled as she saw Milk and Madu for her Birthday meal. Then I remembered it was on my list so we tried their brick-oven baked pizza and organic smoothies. We then walked back to the villa and I saw a sign of Sate Babi for only IDR 20,000 for 10 pieces and it was cooked perfectly. We then checked out and transferred to Ulun Ubud, another resort 30 minutes away from Ketut's. Ulun Ubud is relatively far from the City Center yet gives off a more exclusive area. The room that we got includes a pool outside and a more modern interior. I like their scheduled shuttle rides to the city center that caters three times a day. So we availed of it and walked around the Ubud Market to the Ubud Palace to Saraswati Temple and lastly my favorite area, Starbucks. We walked back to the resort and got worked up. Overall, Ubud is a lovely city that welcomes everybody in its fusion of local and modern architecture. The culture and tradition is well-preserved with locals and tourists respecting each other. It is basically one of my go-to spots if I travel to Bali again. Day 3 My sister was training early again but came back in time for breakfast. The restaurant has a good view overlooking the forest and the dishes served full-course, a pretty good combination. I may have forgotten how much I exactly paid for our villas but I'm pretty sure it is not over $90 (with breakfast) and Ketut's was not even $50 (without breakfast). And we just couldn't leave without swimming in that gorgeous pool before we check out and head to Kuta. The reception was kind enough to delay our check out time as we wait for the shuttle bus at 1300H. We booked Kura-kura bus at 1600H that costs IDR 100,00 and reaches Kuta in less than 2 hours and what I like about it is, it stopped exactly right in front of the Beachwalk Mall where our hotel is. P.S. We bought some souvenirs again and the lovely seller gave us Tri Datu Bracelet as a sign of goodluck. Yello Hotel, a vibrant modern hotel in the center of Kuta just a few minutes walk to the beach. I basically know it was a good deal. So after checking in and prepping out, we went out to stroll around Kuta and walked to Legian and found a food park where we ate pork. Loads of it. We then went back and rested since we booked a sunrise trek to Mt. Batur thru Klook, a first for me and they have to pick us up at 0130H, time check: 2200H. Day 4 The driver arrived exactly 0130H from our hotel and drove around 2 and a half hours to Kintamani with stopovers (we were hungry) to convenience stores (thanks Circle K) and arrived at the meeting point before 0400H where we were endorsed to our guide, Buda and a fellow traveler, Jang, apparently he was also sent by his company to Indonesia (remember SeoJi from my Azerbaijan trip?). This spur-of-the-moment trek is basically one for the books as it can be considered as a challenging route with inclined trails and volcanic rock breakers. But I got to say, seeing the sparkling luna on a clear sky with the stars is a breather. A few kilometers more is another piece of heaven on earth as you see Mt. Agung at the top of the field of clouds. It even gets bets better as you trek more and as the sun rises, the heavenly the view is. As we reach the top, Buda laid out a mat for us to sit on and prepared our snacks (sandwich with coffee and tea) as we watch the sun completely rising behind Mt. Agung. We walked around and saw a family of monkeys enjoying the wild life. As Mount Batur is an active volcano, we have witnessed steams coming out from selected areas and played with it with close supervision. The downhill trek is more about the fauna rather than the volcanic rocks and a perfect cool down for that treacherous climb. Overall, the trek will take 4-5 hours on average from the meeting point vice versa. Our driver was kind enough to spend some time with us in searching that local-fave Babi Guling and had some stop overs around Ubud and drove back to our hotel in Kuta again. Just in time to freshen up and meet another guide from Kadek, Fendy. We were actually torn between Tanah Lot and Uluwatu sunrise since it is our last sunset in Bali with a short travel time so we opted for the first, and as always, it is another sight to see even with the crowd. The waves itself is another fascinating scene as the people walk towards the temple on the sea. There are also souvenir shops around that isn't overpriced, we verified with our tour guide as it is also the same price as the other wholesale souvenir shops. So yes, we shopped again. What bums us was that traffic on the way to Kuta from Tabanan which we were stuck for more than an hour. I literally slept and woke up with the same car beside us, the other drivers and passengers reading books to my surprise but probably it really is normal to them. Important thing is, we reached home before the mall closes since we had to munch onto something. And that wraps our day. Day 5
Woke up before the sunrises to walk along the beach while my sister sleeps. As much as I wanted to surf, we have to go to the airport in an hour. So just a quick bond with the waters and waves before we leave. Nature and beaches are indeed my therapy. The fine gray sand in strong currents in Bali's calm skies makes one relax. Checked out and booked grab to the airport hassle-free. |
AuthorI go for the name GK since it is short for Gloria Katherine. A nurse by profession but a traveler at heart. I hope you'll find my blog interesting and noteworthy. ArchivesCategories |