hard rock hotel

after an enjoyable day, we met up with our friends who stayed in Hard Rock Cafe Hotel at the Kuta beach. it is really a great place. comfortable and convenient. there are restaurant, shops around that area. the beach is just in front of the hotel.

this was our last day in Bali and we not yet had a chance to try out the famous Balinese massage. haha. this is really a new experience for me. whole body massage and facial wash. it costed me about Rp 300,000. the massage centre is located far from kuta and transport was provided by the centre. honestly, the decoration of the centre is not really very very special and the massaging was .... so so only. but till now i still remember the facial wash. not because it is very good but because it is very very 'special'. special until i wanna scream for help. the massage lady scrub and scrub my face till i felt like my face is going to peel off. i wonder is it the way they do facial? another friend of mine also had the same experience as me.

wanna see more of the famous Hard Rock Hotel??

there is a temple inside Hard Rock Hotel

the swimming pool

the swimming pool

Bali is really a very nice place. if have chance, i will go there again and now i am back to malaysia and have my ordinary life.

where will i go for my next trip??

amazing Tanah Lot temple of Bali..

Bali is really a amazing and photogenic place. most of our photo taken in Bali are quite good. (hehe. i personally think that. ) we are not using any professional camera but with normal ordinary digital camera, but surprising most of the photo turned out to be.......... as in postcard... well. this is the magic of Bali. umm... it is a nice place to take wedding photo. any one getting marry soon, do consider Bali a great nice for wedding photo shoting or for honeymoon.

mUst see them in BALi !!!

today was our second last day in Bali and it was definitely a wonderful day.

we joined a guided tour and we really enjoyed the trip. because :

-the places that we visited are very very beautiful
-the experienced tour guide really gave us a detailed guided tour that made us really know Bali a further more
-last but not least, that was our second last day in Bali, of course we wanted to enjoyed it to the top


our first stop : Taman Ayun Temple
it is the royal family temple of King Mengwi that was built in Year 1634. it is one of the largest temple in Bali.

entrance ticket : Rp 3,ooo

this is the door to get into the main temple. only the royal family have the privilege to go inside for praying.

this is how the main temple look like.

2nd stop : Bedugul
we went up and up over 1000 meters above sea level to Bedugul. another cooling places and with strong sunlight where most of the people here also with tan skin and brush cheeks. due to sun burn , i guess.

here, we encountered a breathtaking temple which is the nevertheless floating Ulun Danu Temple. why floating? it is because the temple is built on the Lake Bratan. very very relaxing...

the temple is in sea. how to go there? by boat?swim?? it is definitely a task to go for the praying. is it to show the sincerity?

the floating temple....

3rd stop : Tanah Lot temple
wow~

this is my first impression when i see her!!! it is definitely gorgeous. this is the MUST go spot in Bali. sitting there, i wondering how Balinese managed to build this temple? it is a wonderful job.

at about 6pm, the moment that all of us waiting for finally arrived. THE SUNSET. after the sunset, the tides started flooding onto the rocks that we were standing on and gradually the temple becomes an island. it is really hard to explain it by words.

before the tides, tourist can walk on the rock towards the temple. but after the tides, we have to swim.haha~

tour fees : Rp 230,000 each ppl
experience : priceless

are we going to sleep on the street in Bali?

got to sleep with this doberman by the roadside???

we reached Kuta at about 8pm. guess what. we didnt have any room reservation and we thought that we can just drop into any guest house and get ourselves a room to stay for overnight.

BUT......... we were totally wrong!!! July and August are the super peak season and all the hotels were full!!!! all full!!! we walked and walked around that area to look for a shelter. hehe. we were not alone, and there were a few groups of tourist that didnt have a room too.

1 august 2008 was a disaster for both of us. we were tired, exhousted and i was sick with very very painful sore throat, headache and we didnt have a room for that night!!! when i think of that, i really wanna cry~~

anyway, we managed to get ourselves a room finally at about 9pm. it was located in a very secluded area. i got to say this. the room was in a very very bad condition. not so clean bed sheet. slightly dirty bathroom that has no shower tap ( until i dont want to take my bath).

anyway, i were really grateful that we had a room and the room was only Rp 100,000 per night with breakfast.

we learnt a lesson. planning is important. it is good to do room reservation ahead. some even give better price if book earlier.

---

bali...bali..

31th july 2008 is our third day in Bali, we did a lot of travelling,spending most of the day on the road. from Ubud-Bekasih temple-Justice Hall- Sukawati-Kuta.

Sukawati is known as the Bali Art Market and there have all kind of handicrafts and textiles. of course, we did not come back empty handed.

haha...

i love this slipper very much. they come with a variety of colours and designs.
Rp 10,000 ( RM 3.5) per pair

aromatic set as sourvenirs.
Rp 35,000 for 4 set

a very cool pant. i think.
Rp 20,ooo

our car rental ( included driver ) of the day = Rp 320,000 ( RM 115.20 / USD 32) and last about 8 hours.


in Bali, there are many travel booths and travel packages or charter cars. tourist can pick up loads of brochures and do some comparison of the service and the price.

we chose to charter a car, so that our trip is more flexible and we can go wherever we wanna go, and can stop there for as long as we like. by the way, when u take a taxi, or some something, please dont forget to bargain.

below are some references :
6 hours USD 30
8 hours USD 35
10hours USD 40
12 hours USD 45

usually, these are four wheels drive that can accommodate 5 pax and includes petrol, some include a tour guide.

ps :during our 5 days trip there, we tried out taking package or charter our own car. our conclusion is......... try to get a good tour guide and he/she will definitely make your Bali trip a wonderful one because they will tell you information of the place, their culture, religion.... or else, they would just sit there and say nothing and we all blur blur and walk around and take picture and thats it.

Igede Kesena.... a very nice, friendly and hardworking tour guide that we met in Bali. if anyone out there that is looking for a tour guide and just contact him. his hp is 081 239 63519, or send him a e mail : de_kasena@yahoo.com

What is so special about Hall of Justice?painting???

There is a hut with painted ceiling. It is not ordinary painting, but it is painting that is derived from Balinese teaching. Every painting also have their story and moral behind them. At first, two of us just looked at the painting and took some pics and don’t really appreciate them. But, after listening to the explanations of a tour guide ( not our tour guide. Our tour guide was sitting in his car), it really opened up our eyes. He is really good and telling stories of each of the painting. Thanks!!!

closer view of the picture. there are really fascinating, but too bad they are just exposed to the hot weather, busy traffic as the hut is just stood beside a road. just the top and no covering of the hut as shown in the second pic. plz conserve these treasure

Mothers out there, we better start breast-feeding our baby. If not………….

Entrance ticket: Rp 10,000

jom... lets climb up to the mother temple of BALI

after our lunch, we headed to the biggest temple in Bali which is also known as the mother temple of Bali - the Besakih temple. the journey to the temple actually is quite long as the temple is located quite from other places. but, of course it has its own attractions- the unique architecture, the breathtaking view from the temple as this temple is situated high up the mountain which is over 900meters up to the slopes of Mt Agung as the highest volcano in Bali. Thats why there is a long way of walking uphill and many many staircases for us to walk before reaching the top of the temple. man...... it is tiring..

Bali really looks nice in the photo. standing at the top of the temple is really relaxing. as we can see that there were many villagers spending their time in the temple, chit-chatting, picnic... (umm... that was a thursday afternoon, dont they have to work??? )

if not due to that bad experience, i think we should can enjoy ourselves better. we were forced to give extra charges for the tour guide!!! actually, we have to pay for entrance fees for most of the temples Bali. for Besakih temple, the ticket is Rp 10,000. we should pay for that, no problem. we also have to pay for the entrance ticket for our driver which is Rp 5,000 . Fine, its ok.

BUT, at the entrance, there were many so-called 'tour guides' kept on sticking with us and told us that we were not allowed to enter the temple without them!!! but, i thought we already pay for the entrance fees??? they followed us all the journey up to top of the temple and we hold on with our principle and did not pay them.( anyway, that time, we were almost broke and no extra money to give them :[ ). well, many tourists were also annoyed by them. but, there were also tourists that pay for their services. but, is it necessary?? our driver asked us to pay them, but not too much. some people said that we shouldnt pay them as this will lead to laziness and there is no rules saying that we must pay them.

after a quick snap of photo, we continued with our journey and went see the famous painted ceiling at the Justice Hall in Klungkung.

they are everywhere in bali

In Bali, we discovered something that really amazed us. We saw them almost everywhere, outside the restaurant, in the homestay and even in a busy road.

They are nevertheless our loyal doggy friends. DOGs !!!

here they are.

itchy dog that keeps on scratching and biting his body. scabies??

what a handsome dog!!

new hair style? body with patchy hairs

anyone interested to buy this dog? it is only Rp 40,000. just kidding, dog is not for sale, but the clothes in the shop are for sale

by the way, where did all the cats go??

.

jalan jalan in Ubud with a map of Ubud, Bali

With a map, you can explore Ubud by you own. This is the map that i got from Mr Kenyat from Nick’s homestay, a very helpful and guy with a big smile on his face. Thanks!


The town basically is not very big and walking around it shouldn’t be a problem. The major roads are Jalan Raya Ubud, Hanoman street and Monkey Forest street. Ubud market and the palace are located in Jalan Raya Ubud.

there are all kinds of shops in Ubud. this is a doggie shop that offer product for dog lovers, as shown from the window..

and we can even order special hand-painting product too.....

meow~ meow~~~~

house of wooden meow meow........ lovely

nope. they are not selling those froggy ( those greenish little creatures sitting on the rack) . they are selling food. nice balinese food.

we are inside one of the shop in Hanoman st.

ubud is really a nice place, and there are lots more for us to explore, but too bad, after lunch, our driver already waiting for us outside Bebek Bengil and we had to continue our exploration....

Yummy yummy mum mum..... in Ubud

Our third day in Bali. Our first morning in the sunny Ubud. We took our own sweet time to walk around Ubud city. We bought some souvenirs from the central market. There have a lot of great stuffs there,such as stone statues, wood carving, keychains, begs, short pants, t-shirts ..... you can try to get some souvenirs here, but try to bargain as this is a tourist spot, and you get the souvenirs at a few times lower. Not just half, but maybe can reduce to 3 or 4 times. Anyway, if you really like something, just offer them the price that you want.

I bought 4 aromatherapy boxes at the total price of Rp 35,000. At first, the lady offered me one for Rp 40,000. Well, what i can say? It is not easy to earn a living.

Lunch time!!! There are 2 famous food in Ubud, which are the Dirty Duck and Babi Guling ( weird names) . Due to time constraint, we can only try the Dirty Duck. The main highlight of this restaurant is their crispy duck and the nice view of this restaurant. It is facing the paddy field. Very relaxing.

At first, we wondered why the name of the diner is dirty duck as it sounded so unhygienic and unpleasant. The story behind it is the name of the restaurant was inspired by a flock of ducks that ran quacking into the restaurant and left their muddy webbed footprints all over the places and they were this restaurant very first customers!!! ( but, how come customers would end up being served on the dining table??!!)

Bebek Bengil Dirty Duck Diner
Location : Hanoman street ( our guest house is in this street too)

dishes that we ordered were :

Bebek Bengil Crispy Duck

Half a duck steamed in Indonesian spices and then fried for a crispy finish with our choice of sauteed potatoes and a side salad or steamed rice and Indonesian vegetables. As the name implies, the duck is really crispy!! A very special cuisine.
Rp 63,000 ( RM 22.80)

happy happy lunch time!!!

Nasi Campur

Steamed rice with an assortment of Balinese specialities.
Rp 29,000 (RM 10.40)

Ice lemon tea
Rp 8,000 ( RM 2.90)

Actually, the price quite reasonable. Nice view + nice food ( the portion are quite big too )
Ps : the price is excluded 15% tax

now, come the famous babi guling of Ibu Oka

IBu oka Babi Guling

Some people said that Ibu Oka serves the best babi guling ( suckling pig ) in Bali, i don’t know how true it is. Too bad.......... because we didn’t have a chance to taste it or even look at the babi guling. Some people said that the pork was tenderly roasted with a family secret blend of spice and chillis. There are many good reviews about this warung and they definitely stimulated my salivary glands. Should try it out if have chance. It is located adjacent to Ubud palace.

pic: walking around Ubud.... so relaxing...

when we walked around Ubud city, i'm wondering am i spending time in Europe?! Really. because most of the building are so fasionable, moden, stylish. see it by yourself,ok? (^-^)

Majority of the building are single-storey and rarely we can see tall building, not even double-storey. According to our tour guide, they believe that God is from the sky and no way human can stand higher than god. that's why most ( almost all) the building are single-storey and well-decorated.

i like this very much. simple but nice

balinese traditional building can be seen anyway

image spending a night in this cottage, wouldnt it be a special experience? there are a lots of homestay or cottage in Ubud




English style coffee shop. many tourist likes to hang out here.

balinese temple





if we had the time, we really wish to spend more time in UBUD (@_@)

legong dance... the dance of angels

Wayan Family homestay in Hanoman street is our pick in Ubud. The room is Rp 100,000 per night with breakfast. How much you pay is how much you get, so we also don’t expect too much from the homestay. But, the room is still ok and the owner was very friendly and helpful. They even sent us by motorbike to the central market.

Ps: Accommodation at this area is cheaper compared to the main road.

After we settle our accommodation, it was already 6.30 pm. The main agenda of that night was to enjoy the famous traditional dance in Ubud, the legong and barong dance. After a quick shower, two of us were already on motorbike going to Ubud Palace. Without having the time to grab ourselves any food for dinner, we already in the rather simple-looking theater.

Legong and barong dance
Tickets : Rp 80,000
Time : 7.30 pm – 9 pm

The Balinese dancers are very good and we really had an enjoyable time. In Bali, we had watched 3 dances which were Kecak dance, Barong dance and legong dance. Both of us also agreed strongly that this is the best show. The dancers both guys and ladies were skilful. The synopsis given is clear and we can follow the storyline. Legong dance is about pretty angels that help to settle a war by using their beauty.

she is one of the angels. after watching their performance, i think it is not everyone also can dance like that. if not, try out yourself..

wow... it is soOooooooo wonderful!!!BALI...

29th July 2008 ( my 2nd day in Bali- part 2)

Finally, we were here!!!

We finally saw Mt Batur. I just cant describe my feeling at that time. I can just say, “wow “ .it looks gigantic, so marvellous and soOooooo ... it looks like it can accept anything. You should look at it yourself! Mt batur is 1,717 meter / 5,633 feet above sea level. Actually, it is lower than our Mt Kinabalu that is 4,095meter (13,435 feet). But, it looks so GIGANTIC compared to Mt Kinabalu. I think maybe it is because we looked it at a shorter distance.

Mt Batur is still an ACTIVE volcano and it last erupted in year 1994. Our tour guide told us about that when we were mesmerizing the view. What a shocking news?!Is it safe!!?? Well. To be frank, i am not that type of people that would take up the challenge of “Fear Factor”. When i think of parachuting, or swimming in deep blue sea, they really crept me up. Visiting active volcano is another fear factor for me, but i would say that Mt Batur really worths it! Hehe. I was slightly exaggerating here. Anyway, we were only overseeing Mt Batur from far, really quite far, from Kintamani.

We were supposed to have our buffet lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking at the great view. But, due to financial constraint, four of us decided to try other local food in a small restaurant. Hence, No great view while enjoying food and No unlimited food (for me, the buffet food looked very simple and don’t really attract me), but we can save Rp 60,000. Instead of high class restaurant, we had our lunch in a simple-looking restaurant that faces the main road instead of Mt Batur, but the food was nice. I had a noodle soup at only Rp 10,000. My friend ordered fabulous fried rice at Rp 25,000. As usual, what do we expect from tourist centre? The food is usually 2X or 3X more expensive than other places.

Ps: please bring your own mineral water because mineral water there is very expensive too. 1.5 liter mineral water costs about Rp 5,000 or 15,000 ???( sorry, forget already) while we can get it at Rp 2,500 at some of the convenient shop in town.

On our way back, we visited an orchard farm. What is so special about this farm is all visitors have a chance to taste their drinks in their comfortable and relaxing garden. All the staffs were extremely friendly and kept on offering us to taste their product such as ginger coffee, chocolate, and others. As usual, after the free testing, we were welcomed to visit their sale department.

cheers..

This was our second day in Bali and we decided to stay overnight in Ubud. The bad news was we dint book any rooms. Good news was we going to have an exciting evening, walking to look for a room again. Full of excitement and surprises but tiring...... too !! ^_^

we were standing in Kintamani, overlooking the breathtaking Mt batur. beside it, it is the Lake Batur. a very big lake and it looks like sea