Travel flashback: A glorious getaway in Bali (Indonesia, Part 2, March 2011)

This post is a continuation of our Indonesia tour. Click here for our Jakarta side trip (Day 0, Day1, & Day 2, Part 1)


Because Cebu Pacific only flies to Indonesia through Jakarta, we had to book domestic flights from Jakarta to Bali. We only spent one day of touring Jakarta and really wanted to stay in Bali for as many days as we could. I took the chance for us to stay in Indonesia for almost a week.



Because Bali is a very popular place for tourists and is famous for its beaches and high-end resorts, the costs of staying there is not at all cheap. We had to be able to stay in Bali for many nights on a budget. I was lucky to have found a nice guesthouse called “Kebun Indah”, and I booked their non-air conditioned room named “Kodok 1” at USD 25 per night plus USD 15 per night for an extra person. I had read very good reviews of this particular fan room before I decided to book it. I actually booked months in advance because the room is highly in-demand.

After choosing our accommodation, I finally chose Bali Agung Tours as our tour operator for four days because of their customizable tour service at only IDR 450,000 (about PhP 2,250) per vehicle with two to three persons per day for 10 hours. The company also has a lot of ready-made tour programs too at cheaper prices. Even from the testimonials of their satisfied customers, they pointed out that the company charged too low for their great service.

Most of the tour programs of Bali Agung Tours last for at most eight hours, and our four and a half days of stay in Bali may not be enough for us to avail all those programs. I really wanted to go to as many parts of Bali as possible, so I opted to have a customized tour through their “Bali As You Please” program, where I could get to choose the places I’d like to go to and to spend more than eight hours in a day. I just based my customized tour on a mixture of their ready-made programs.

Day 2, Part 2: Arrival in Bali

From Jakarta, we arrived early morning via Indonesia AirAsia at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. But before we landed, we saw a nice aerial view of dolphins bouncing in and out of the water! They were surrounded by boats probably carrying tourists who were on a dolphin-watching activity. What a cute welcome for us!

Our landing at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar City, Bali

We were then picked up by our hotel transfer service that I booked with Kebun Indah in Ubud for USD 25. Ubud is a district in Gianyar Regency.

We were welcomed at Kebun Indah with refreshing natural fruit drinks. We liked our fan room very much and the serene green paddies surrounding us. Aside from the two ceiling fans and a stand fan included in our room, the air outside was fresh and abundant that we really didn’t need air-conditioning at all. Our bathroom was very huge too!

At Kebun Indah, clockwise from top left: The path of green paddies to our room, inside our Kodok 1 room, the veranda of our Kodok 1 room, a closer detail of our bed 

Our private bathroom

I just had to send a text message to Bali Agung Tours to inform that we were already at Kebun Indah and that we were ready for our tour. I received a prompt response that our “Balibuddy”, as what the company calls their English-speaking tour drivers, was already on his way. While we were waiting for our tour pickup, we explored the facilities of our lovely guesthouse.

Around Kebun Indah, clockwise from top left: A couch at the veranda of Kodok 2 room beside Kodok 1, another room at the second floor, a cottage by the pool, a small swimming pool

Day 2, Part 3: Tour around Denpasar and Kuta South

We were greeted by our Balibuddy Yudi, our friendly guide and driver for our whole Bali adventure. We rode a comfy Suzuki APV and he took us first around Denpasar, where we stopped by the Bajra Sandhi Monument. This monument symbolizes the struggle of the Balinese people, and contains a museum on the evolution of the Balinese man from the prehistoric era.

Bajra Sandhi Monument

Our next stop was the Denpasar Market, where we bargained for souvenir shirts. I forgot how much we were able to buy the shirts but I do remember that we really had a hard time bargaining. We ended up just buying a few pieces.

Denpasar Market

From Denpasar, Yudi drove us to Pecatu village in the Kuta South District of Badung Regency for “Dreamland Beach” as what Australian surfers called it first in the 1970s. It was a tedious downhill walk to get to the beach, and the weather during that time was super hot. When we got there, we saw a few surfers enjoying the waves, and a not-so-nice-looking building that we learned to be a failed project by former president Suharto’s son. After a few photo-ops, we had to walk more tediously uphill back to our vehicle. It was probably called Dreamland because it may have been more beautiful during the 1970s than today.

Dreamland Beach

We were next taken to a nearby elevated hotel of villas where we had a view of another beach in Pecatu that is also famous among surfers, called Nyang-Nyang Beach. It was more secluded and for me it looked better than Dreamland Beach. We even saw a family of monkeys hanging out by the cliff we were viewing the beach from.

View of Nyang-Nyang Beach from a private villa hotel complex

It was almost sunset when we got to the Uluwatu Temple for the Kecak Fire Dance, also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant. It was amazing to see more than a hundred performers in a ritualistic chorus whose voices sounded to be a harmonious variety of native musical instruments. The show was an hour long, and along with the scenes from the Ramayana, the continuous vocal performance finished energetically until the end. The show started on a bright sunset, and ended at sundown where the fire dance that started in the near end of the show looked perfect.

Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur)

Kecak Fire Dance before sundown

Scenes featuring the Vanara's dance

Our night ended with a very sumptuous dinner at Jimbaran Bay at the Kuta South District of Badung Regency, where we picked our fresh seafood to be cooked. We had red snapper, prawns, squid, and water spinach. Everything tasted good that we had to order more rice! We had Yudi join us in our dinner and we learned from him that Christian Bautista was indeed popular in Indonesia. The Philippine TV fantasy series called “Marina” was popular among Indonesian viewers too!

Our glorious dinner at Jimbaran Bay

Our night was splendid because of the delicious fresh food and the relaxing atmosphere by the beach, where there were local musicians serenading around the tables, and where we could also see the nearby airport and the planes flying over. We also enjoyed our free-flowing conversation with our Balibuddy Yudi, who never had Filipino clients before as they rarely encountered Filipino tourists.

At Jimbaran Bay (with the view of the airport the lowermost right photo)

We had our first good night sleep at Kebun Indah, and we didn’t have any problems at all with ventilation and possible insect bites. Aside from the fabric installed in our bed that could serve as mosquito nets, we even had anti-mosquito burning coil outside our room. The sound of the crickets at night was peaceful and not disturbing at all. Our experience was better than being in any air-conditioned hotel room.

Day 3: The East of Bali

Our second day in Bali was the longest day we had because this was where I put as many parts of Bali that I wanted to go to, particularly in the eastern part. Even Yudi told us the night before that our next day would be a very long day for us. But I was glad that Bali AgungTours still agreed with my plan when I asked them ahead via email.

It was also this day that we would be having breakfast for the first time in our lovely guesthouse, Kebun Indah. It was more than just a set breakfast that we found to be even better than buffet! Here’s our daily breakfast set menu:

* Choice of fresh fruit mix: plain, with yoghurt and honey, or with yoghurt and muesli



Fruit mix with yoghurt and muesli



* Choice of fresh fruit juice: single fruit or mixed fruits of your choice!

* Choice of bread (with butter and jam): croissant, brown bread, or milk bread

Bread for us three

* Choice of warm drink: coffee, or tea (different flavors)

* Choice of main breakfast meal: Varieties of porridges, fried rice meals, omelets, pancakes or jaffles



Our main meals of choice for the first day: Omelet for Mommy,
rice meal for Pol, pancake for me 



We always looked forward to our mornings in Bali because of the daily breakfast feast we had by the outdoor reading nook beside our room. And now I’m missing Bali so badly because of this. L

Reading nook where we had our daily breakfast,
located between rooms Kodok 1 and Kodok 2

Our ever smiling Balibuddy Yudi picked us up after our ever divine breakfast. We started our morning with the Barong and Keris Dance at Batubulan Village in the Sukawati sub-district of Gianyar Regency. It is a cultural show based on a Balinese folk story on the fight between good and evil, where the Barong is a mythological creature representing the good and the Rangda evil. The show is accompanied by a gamelan ensemble. The show was full of color and the Balinese dance was really interesting because of the way the ladies formed their fingers and even how the eyes should be expressed throughout the whole dance. This kind of finger articulation and facial expression was also the same with the dancers we saw from the Kecak Fire Dance that we watched the previous day at the Uluwatu Temple.

At the Barong and Keris Dance theater

Some scenes from the cultural dance and drama

A closer look at some of the performers

We then stopped by a silver factory and showroom in Celuk Village, still within Sukawati. Taking photos inside the showroom was not allowed. The elegant showroom has two floors which showcased various silver jewelry designs from simple to highly complicated ones. The outside of the showroom was just as interesting so we took photos of it.

A silver factory and showroom in Celuk Village

Our next village in Sukawati was Batuan Village, where we had a look at a traditional Balinese house compound. The members of a Balinese family had separate rooms, and these rooms stood on their own and not really together in one single house. The same went for other rooms with different functions like the kitchen, the bathroom, and the family temple. They were all standalone, and had a certain preferred orientation (whether east, west, north or south) based on particular superstitious beliefs.

Some parts of a traditional family house compound in Batuan Village

We next headed to Tirtha Empul or the Holy Spring Water Temple in Tampaksiring district, Gianyar Regency. We could have dipped in the water had we had extra clothing, but I just particularly wanted to observe worshippers in this temple.

Holy Spring Water Temple (Pura Tirtha Empul)

Our last stop for the first half of our tour was the “Luwak” coffee plantation in Kayuamba village. We had a look at the coffee trees and the civets or the “luwak” being taken care of, and had a taste of the various hot drinks offered. I tried one tiny cup of pure kopi luwak for a not-so-cheap price of IDR 50,000 (about PhP 250), and added some cinnamon. I couldn’t remember the taste but I’m sure that Philippine kapeng barako from Batangas tastes much stronger. The coffee I tried from Kopi Luwak café in Grand Indonesia when we were in Jakarta was only 5% kopi luwak, because the café’s price for one small cup of pure kopi luwak was IDR 80,000 (PhP 400)! So the kopi luwak we tried in Bali was still cheaper after all.



Kopi luwak processing in Kayuamba Village



It was finally time for our lunch break but before that, Yudi had to drive us uphill, particularly to Kintamani in Bangli Regency where we would be having our buffet lunch with a view of volcanoes Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung surrounded by Lake Batur. It was a relatively long drive and when we were already uphill, Yudi suggested that we roll our windows down. It was just about noon and the air was so cold! We preferred the cool breeze over our vehicle’s air-conditioner. It was a very awesome ride!



In a buffet restaurant in Kintamani, clockwise from left: View of Mt. Batur,
view of Mt. Agung and Lake Batur, our restaurant's buffet table



We didn’t know the name of our restaurant that had a view of Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung, but I remember feeling really cold up there. Our buffet lunch scene reminded me of the Taal Volcano in Tagaytay, but the temperature reminded me of Baguio.

From Kintamani, Yudi drove us to Besakih in the Rendang district of Karangasem Regency for Pura Besakih or the Besakih Mother Temple. It is the largest and most important Hindu temple in Bali, thus the ‘mother’ of all Balinese Hindu temples. It was a perfect time for us to visit the temple because there was a festival going on. We were able to observe several Hindu rituals being officiated in different parts of the temple complex. Aside from the beautiful structures, the worshippers were also an added visual treat because of their traditional outfits and the ornamental offerings they carried.


Around the festive complex of Pura Besakih



The fascinating locals in Pura Besakih

In Pura Besakih, each set of tourists has its own in-house guide from the temple wherein we would have to pay a negotiable guide fee aside from the fixed entrance fees. We were foretold by Yudi about this and that we had to agree with the temple’s fee collector on how much guide fee we would give. The collector agreed at a price of IDR 100,000 (about PhP 500) for all three of us as what Yudi advised us to at least offer. Because we’re not westerners, the collector may have been considerate on us. After the settlement, we were finally given a guide. All throughout our tour around the temple, we found our guide to be really good at taking photos. We were satisfied with his service and his sharing of knowledge about the temple and about Balinese Hinduism so we gave him a USD 10 bill as gratuity. He was very grateful and he wished us a good journey.

A personal favorite shot, taken by our Pura Besakih guide

In my original “Bali As You Please” plan, I put Tegalalang Rice Terraces as one of the places I’d like to go to, just for the sake of seeing a rice terrace because I have not yet been to Banaue to see our very own Rice Terraces of the Philippines. But Yudi suggested another place where we could still see some rice terraces with a better view and not so much out of our way. We stopped by Mahagiri Panoramic Resort and Restaurant in Rendang district, and we were the only visitors there at that time. Yudi talked first to the restaurant’s smiling staff to ask permission if we could enter their resort just for a view of the rice terraces without ordering any food from the restaurant. The kind staff allowed us!

The view of the rice terraces from Mahagiri was breathtaking. Too bad, Mount Agung could not be seen clearly because it was a cold, foggy afternoon. We gazed at the view for just a few minutes because we were a bit shy to stay too long without at least availing any services from the resort. We thanked the staff and they smilingly thanked us back too!



Breathtaking view of rice terraces from Mahagiri Resort

Our last stop for the day was Penglipuran Village in Bangli Regency, another place I really looked forward to visiting. Yudi told us that he had not been to the village for almost a year because it was rarely preferred by his previous clients. But I really wanted to see the village because of its traditional style and its orderliness which somewhat reminded me of the stone villages in Batanes where I still have not been to yet. When we got to Penglipuran village, we were again the only tourists there. There were some residents who invited us to come inside their homes but we politely refused because it was almost sundown. As what Pol had remarked of the village, it was like we had a time warp to a distant past. The village was very picturesque and peaceful, and the residents living there were very friendly. I wished we had visited earlier so that we could have explored the houses.



The beautiful Penglipuran Village

The fascinating residents at Penglipuran Village

It was already dark when we got back to Ubud. We were supposed to visit Goa Gajah during the day but Yudi forgot to bring us there and we were already far from it when I suddenly remembered. We tried to stop by Goa Gajah that night to try our luck, but unfortunately it was already closed.

We then called it a day and Yudi dropped us off at our guesthouse Kebun Indah. After some freshening up, our guesthouse staff called for a free shuttle from the guesthouse to Café Wayan, a restaurant owned by the owner of Kebun Indah among other guesthouses. This was also where our daily breakfast came from.

I had nasi campur which I really liked because I had everything in one meal. We also tried their famous cake, Death by Chocolate, which really lived up to its name because of the chocolate overload we sinfully experienced.

Our dinner at Cafe Wayan: Nasi campur, red snapper meal, Death by Chocolate cake

It was indeed a very long day for us that when we got back to our beloved Kebun Indah, we automatically dozed off. Thank goodness, our next day’s tour would be a little less compressed.

Day 4: The West and Center of Bali

We woke up on another beautiful morning in Bali where the peaceful sounds of nature and the relaxing view of green paddies greeted us. We again looked forward to our divine breakfast.

We learned that if we were to choose their porridge dishes for breakfast, we would have to order a day in advance. Thank goodness, we would still be having breakfast on the following day which would also be our last day. We settled with the same food we ordered the previous day, but we shuffled plates so we all basically ate something new.

Our tour for this day would be very exciting because the places we would go to were the must-see ones where a short-staying tourist should go to, such as the Ulun Danu Temple and Tanah Lot.

As promised, before we left Ubud, Yudi first brought us to Goa Gajah or Elephant Cave, a place I really didn’t want to miss because of its intriguing façade. It is tentatively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.



Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah)

 

Still in Ubud, we stopped by the batik center in Tohpati village to observe how batik is being made.

Batik center in Tohpati Village

From Ubud, Yudi drove us up north to Mengwi district in Badung Regency for the Taman Ayun Temple, a royal temple of the Mengwi Empire. It is a nice complex of multi-roof shrines surrounded by wide gardens and lakes.



The complex of Taman Ayun Temple



I was excited to go up north again for the cool mountain climate. My most awaited place throughout our whole Bali trip was Bedugul, a mountain lake resort in the Baturiti district of Tabanan Regency. I longed to see the photographic Ulun Danu temple that floats on Lake Bratan with a cloudy mountain backdrop, which I only used to see in postcards and computer screen wallpapers. And I didn’t expect that the climate in this place was pleasantly cold like Baguio! It was a dream come true for me to have my own wallpaper of the floating temple with me in it. J

The path to Ulun Danu Temple

Finally, Ulun Danu Temple in Lake Bratan!

Aside from the floating temple, the complex also has beautifully landscaped gardens and a restaurant. Every part of the park was just worth taking photos of, and because of the cool atmosphere, we stayed here for very long until we had buffet lunch.



The garden around the park of Ulun Danu Temple



After having lunch, we still had plenty of time before we could leave the cool mountainous central north of Bali and head south for our last stop. Yudi suggested we visit Bedugul Botanical Garden, which was a welcome suggestion as we loved the cool weather that we wanted to stay in Bedugul longer. The botanical garden was so huge that we had to be in our vehicle to be able to fully explore the whole place. With our windows down, we enjoyed the cool breeze as our vehicle ran. And with our occasional stops around the park, we enjoyed looking at the healthy, beautiful plants and some families having picnics.

Bedugul Botanical Garden



More of Bedugul Botanical Garden

Finally, it was time for us to go back south towards Beraban, in the western part of Tabanan Regency, for Tanah Lot. This is the most commercialized tourist spot of Bali, where Yudi said, “You’ve never been to Bali if you’ve never been to Tanah Lot.” It is a huge rock formation by the sea, where a temple was built during the 15th century. Among other sites we previously visited, this was where we encountered a lot of tourists, including a few Filipinos. Here, we enjoyed the view and the sound of the waves that smashed against the huge rocky shores.

Tanah Lot



The mighty waves at Tanah Lot

Our day of touring finally ended and I very much wanted to have babi guling at Ibu Oka in Ubud for dinner. Babi guling, a dish featured in Anthony Bourdain’s Indonesia leg of his show “No Reservations”, is basically like Filipino pork lechon. The difference was probably the herbs and spices used for roasting and the extra melt-y crispiness of the skin. Unfortunately, Ibu Oka was closed that night as they only serve during lunch time! L

To my disappointment, we opted to go back to our guesthouse Kebun Indah and just walk from there to find any place where we could eat. It turned out that we didn’t have to look farther because there was a grill stand just right beside the entrance of our guesthouse. The oozing look of the ribs being grilled was already tempting. We ordered all the ribs they had left and while they were grilling them, we took advantage of the free use of our guesthouse’s computer with internet connection. And when I finally had a taste of the ribs, I thanked the heavens for the meat’s divine tenderness. Life was still good despite the babi guling that got away.

The divine, tender ribs

Day 5, Part 1: Nusa Dua beaches

Our last day in Bali had sadly come, and our last divine breakfast in our beloved Kebun Indah made us even sadder. We all tried out their porridge meals as the main course of our heavy breakfast sets. We had bubur kuning (chicken porridge in yellow broth) and bubur injin (black rice pudding). Their porridge meals had to be ordered a day in advance. We were glad we did and we loved it!



Our delicious porridge meals, from top: Bubur kuning, bubur injin



After our divine breakfast, we checked out from our guesthouse and bid the nice staff goodbye.

Our agenda for our last day was our half-day beach adventure. We first got off to Tanjung Benoa for some water sports. We initially wanted to go parasailing, however we were advised by the beach staff that the wind was not favorable yet. We resorted to fly-fish instead. We also went jet skiing, and snorkeling (inclusive of complete snorkel gear and glass-bottom boat). There was a 20% discount for availing at least three water sport activities, but still each activity was really very expensive and was quoted in US dollars. Our discounted price was about USD 120 or more, but we successfully negotiated to pay USD 100 instead. But still, we paid with heavy hearts knowing that we could have enjoyed such water sports in the Philippines at cheaper prices. We still did enjoy our activities anyway.



Our water sport activities at Tanjung Benoa: Jet ski, fly-fish, snorkeling



After our water sport activities, we headed to another beach where we could just enjoy swimming.

I initially put Kuta Beach as our second beach in my “Bali As You Please” plan, but Yudi suggested to take us somewhere better. I actually thought of going to Kuta because it is one of the most popular beaches in Bali and thus one of the most crowded. So when Yudi brought us to Geger Beach instead, we were satisfied to find ourselves in a more secluded paradise.



Geger Beach



Our half-day beach escapade went by fast, and it was time for Yudi to take us to the airport. It was also when he dropped us off that we settled our full payment for our four-day tour (basically two full day tours plus two day tours below eight hours). Our total charge for everything was just about IDR 1,500,000 (about PhP 7,500) or even less, excluding the minimal entrance fees we paid for the places we visited. Because we were very satisfied with our Balibuddy Yudi’s service, we inserted a few more hundred-thousand rupiah bills in the payment envelope without letting him know.

During our whole time of traveling around Bali with Yudi, we learned a lot about everything he probably knew. He shared with us extensively about the Balinese Hindu beliefs and deities, the common practices of the Balinese people, and even the politics of Indonesia and how it affects Bali. One of the interesting things we learned was the rule that no establishment in Bali should exceed four floors because only the Hindu gods should stand higher among everything. That was why even the Bulgari Hotel we passed by only had four floors. It was also nice to know that all tour operators in Bali are strictly Balinese owned, where there is a law that no foreign tour operators, even non-Balinese Indonesian ones, could legally operate. And one thing I really loved about traveling around Bali was the very efficient road system. Despite the roads only having two narrow lanes, we never experienced traffic and we easily went from one place to another. With the small but efficient roads, only light vehicles are allowed by law to pass like the Suzuki APV we were in. There are plenty more things really interesting about Bali that Yudi shared with us, and I suggest you come to Bali and find him to see for yourself!

There are still many other places in Bali that we had not been to, and I’d be glad to go back again for that babi guling that I’d never probably find anywhere else. We also haven’t experienced the northern part of Bali yet as it would require us to stay longer. I won’t have second thoughts on availing the service of Bali Agung Tours again for that matter!

Day 5, Part 2: Our DPS-CGK-MNL flight

While waiting for our afternoon flight from Bali to Jakarta via Indonesia AirAsia, we had a quick lunch and shopped last-minute for some souvenir items.

At the departure area of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali

Our lunch inside the airport

We finally boarded our plane to Jakarta, and bid Bali a sweet sad goodbye.



Departing from Bali



We landed at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and had to line up for a shuttle going to Terminal 2. It was a very long wait in the line that we were almost tempted to give in to the alluring invitation of taxi drivers, but I was glad we didn’t because when we finally got on our bus to Terminal 2, it was a very long journey not because of the distance but because of the terrible traffic. Our whole time in waiting for the shuttle bus to pick us up from Terminal 3 and in going to Terminal 2 probably took us more than an hour, which wouldn’t be the case had there been no traffic. But we were already used to that kind of situation in Manila, and thankfully our flight back to Manila would yet be by midnight. It was yet late in the afternoon when we finally got to Terminal 2.

We had plenty of time in the airport before we could check in for our flight to Manila, so we explored the whole terminal. The highlight for our exploration was A&W, a fast food restaurant no longer operating in the Philippines. We decided to have our dinner here for its root beer float which I tasted for the first time years ago from A&W in Manila.

A&W at Terminal 2 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

When we finally checked in four our return flight to Manila, we were too tired to explore beyond the immigration check area where most shops were already closed. We took the opportunity to take a precious nap under the dim lights of our boarding area until the arrivsl of our Cebu Pacific plane. Our flight went on time and we arrived in Manila at around 5:30 AM.

Boarding area for departure

Indonesia was the first and last country we visited for the year 2011. Despite our relatively longer stay here compared to other ASEAN countries we visited, Jakarta and Bali are just small parts of this very big and culturally diverse country. As what our Jakarta tour operator Thommy of Krakatau Holiday told us, we better get back to Indonesia again to explore the different parts of the enormous island of Java, especially Yogyakarta. I was really excited to hear that from him, because from the Muslim-influenced and highly-urbanized Jakarta to the traditional Hindu island of Bali, it would be another different experience to marvel at Central Java's ancient Buddhist landscapes aside from its numerous breathtaking natural attractions. Other must-see regions are Sulawesi, Sumatra, Kalimantan (Borneo), Maluku (Moluccas), and Papua. There's indeed no such thing as “overdue stay” in any place in the world, no matter how big or small it is. Thanks to ASEAN for the visa-free privilege! 'Til we meet again, Indonesia, which ever of the three time zones you may have for us. 


Click here for our Jakarta side trip (Day 0, Day1, & Day 2, Part 1)