From 23th until 30th of March 2011, David, Bertie and myself visited Bali. We stayed at Melasti Bungalow in Kuta, a very convenient area which is close to a lot of restaurants and also to the Discovery Mall. Since this was the first time that David's father visited Indonesia, we really hoped he would have a good time during our holiday together.
As we arrived early Wednesday afternoon, we spent the rest of the day relaxing at the swimming pool and in the evening, we walked to the Discovery mall and had our dinner.
On Thursday, we went to Denpasar. David wanted to show his Dad Pasar Badung which is the biggest market in Denpasar. This market has 4 floors which sell a range of goods, such as fruit, vegetables, fish and meat on the first floor while the other floors trade in clothes, goods for ritual offerings and ceremonies, arts and crafts.
For lunch, we headed to Warung Bendega, one of my favorite restaurants when I stayed in Bali 10 years ago. Apparently this restaurant is number 16 of the 24 things you should do in Denpasar according to Lonely Planet.
After lunch, we did some shopping at Erlangga and Khrisna warehouses where we bought some souvenirs for all of our family and friends. Then we continued our trip to Tanah Lot, which is famous for the Sunset Temple. Located 20km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.
For dinner, we choose Jimbaran, a favorite place for every tourist who comes to Bali. Located just south of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Jimbaran is the beach that is cluttered with seafood restaurants.
Friday we headed to north of Bali. Our first stop was Taman Ayun which literally translated means "beautiful garden' and is generally regarded as one of the most attractive temples in Bali. Built in 1634, this temple is situated in a beautiful park with trees and ponds, near the village of Mengwi in the south of Bali at about 8 km southwest of Ubud and 18 km northwest of Denpasar.
Can you imagine sitting on your own balcony on the slope of Pacung valley, facing the natural beauty of terraced rice fields covering the valley and the mountains as a backdrop? Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to stay at the Saranam Hotel which can give you a feeling of escaping from the pressures of everyday life and just relax, explore and enjoy the cool air, however we did stop here to enjoy our lunch and take a ride on their extraordinary lift down to the hotel suite area.
After lunch, our next destination was Ulun Danu Temple at Beratan Lake, This temple is one of the favorite tourist destinations located in the plateau area of Bedugul which is famous for it's cool temperatures.
Saturday, we visited my friend Alle and her family who live in Candi Dasa. Her house has a beatiful view of new cruise ship harbour. Alle prepared gado-gado and pepes ikan (fish steam in banana leaf) for our lunch and then they welcomed us to enjoy their big swimming pool.
Located at Candi Dasa, there is Tenganan village which is the most famous Bali Aga village. When in 14th century Bali finally subjugated by the powerful Javanese kings, some villages refused to adopt the religious and social customs of the Javanese. These people are known as the Bali Aga, which means "original Balinese". Their villages remained isolated and thus became a culturally distinct minority.
From Tenganan, Frank, Alle's husband took us to his other block of land up on the mountain. The view is really fantansic but the road was very bad and steep! It made us pray all the way to the top and back down again.
On the way back to Alle's home, we stopped at the harbour. This new cruise ship facility near Padangbai, is nearing completion, and is set to welcome the arrival of cruise ships from around the region.
On Sunday, we decided to take a break and enjoyed Kuta area. In the morning, I walked with Bertie to Kuta beach while David stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the TV. It was very disappointing to see Kuta beach so dirty, it was like they just hit by a tsunami. There were some people picking up the rubbish, but without proper a vehicle, I believe it will take a very long time to clean it.
In the afternoon, we visited the monument at the site of the first Bali bombing. A permanent memorial was built on the site of the destroyed Paddy's Pub on 12 October 2002. The memorial is made of intricately carved stone, set with a large marble plaque, which bears the names and nationalities of each of those killed.
On Monday, we visited my old office in Renon - Denpasar and met my colleagues. Then Ibu Dewi treated us suckling pig at Bundaran Renon. After lunch we continued our journey to Nusa Dua area. Our first stop in this high class area was the Bali Collection Nusa Dua which is a smart shopping center catering to the needs of the resort tourists nearby. As well as a supermarket, department store and many shops, the Bali Collection also has a good choice of restaurants.
Our next destination was GWK Cultural Park, which according to David is a must visit tourist destination in Bali. GWK stands for Garuda Wisnu Kencana which means "bird Garuda Vehicle of Lord Vishnu", and was designed and built by Nyoman Nuarta, one of Indonesia’s foremost modern sculptors. The Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue and its pedestal building will stand 150 meters tall with its wings spanning 64 meters across.
For dinner, we choose Jimbaran, a favorite place for every tourist who comes to Bali. Located just south of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Jimbaran is the beach that is cluttered with seafood restaurants.
After lunch, our next destination was Ulun Danu Temple at Beratan Lake, This temple is one of the favorite tourist destinations located in the plateau area of Bedugul which is famous for it's cool temperatures.
Saturday, we visited my friend Alle and her family who live in Candi Dasa. Her house has a beatiful view of new cruise ship harbour. Alle prepared gado-gado and pepes ikan (fish steam in banana leaf) for our lunch and then they welcomed us to enjoy their big swimming pool.
Located at Candi Dasa, there is Tenganan village which is the most famous Bali Aga village. When in 14th century Bali finally subjugated by the powerful Javanese kings, some villages refused to adopt the religious and social customs of the Javanese. These people are known as the Bali Aga, which means "original Balinese". Their villages remained isolated and thus became a culturally distinct minority.
From Tenganan, Frank, Alle's husband took us to his other block of land up on the mountain. The view is really fantansic but the road was very bad and steep! It made us pray all the way to the top and back down again.
On the way back to Alle's home, we stopped at the harbour. This new cruise ship facility near Padangbai, is nearing completion, and is set to welcome the arrival of cruise ships from around the region.
On Sunday, we decided to take a break and enjoyed Kuta area. In the morning, I walked with Bertie to Kuta beach while David stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the TV. It was very disappointing to see Kuta beach so dirty, it was like they just hit by a tsunami. There were some people picking up the rubbish, but without proper a vehicle, I believe it will take a very long time to clean it.
In the afternoon, we visited the monument at the site of the first Bali bombing. A permanent memorial was built on the site of the destroyed Paddy's Pub on 12 October 2002. The memorial is made of intricately carved stone, set with a large marble plaque, which bears the names and nationalities of each of those killed.
On Monday, we visited my old office in Renon - Denpasar and met my colleagues. Then Ibu Dewi treated us suckling pig at Bundaran Renon. After lunch we continued our journey to Nusa Dua area. Our first stop in this high class area was the Bali Collection Nusa Dua which is a smart shopping center catering to the needs of the resort tourists nearby. As well as a supermarket, department store and many shops, the Bali Collection also has a good choice of restaurants.
Our next destination was GWK Cultural Park, which according to David is a must visit tourist destination in Bali. GWK stands for Garuda Wisnu Kencana which means "bird Garuda Vehicle of Lord Vishnu", and was designed and built by Nyoman Nuarta, one of Indonesia’s foremost modern sculptors. The Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue and its pedestal building will stand 150 meters tall with its wings spanning 64 meters across.
The next day we went to monkey forest in Ubud. The Wenara Wana Monkey Forest Sanctuary, or as it's more commonly known, the Padangtegal Monkey Forest is home for more than 500 monkeys. Compared to another monkey forests, I like this one most because the monkeys here, are better behaved and don't try to steal your belongings.
For lunch, David felt it hard to choose between suckling pig and crispy duck. After considering that he never tried the crispy duck, we went to Bebek Tepi Sawah restaurant.
Bebek Tepi Sawah literally means “Duck on the edge of Rice Paddy” which is an accurate description since the restaurant is placed right next to a rice paddy. We had lunch together with my friends Chichi and Jerry and their 2 children.
As recommended by Chichi, after lunch we visited Goa Gajah or the Elephant Cave which built at least 700 years ago and is considered a significant Hindu archeological site. The cave was rediscovered in the 1920s and fully excavated 30 years later and is listed on the tentative Unesco World heritage site in 1995.
Tirta Empul Temple or Tampak Siring Temple is fed by holy spring water. Over 1000 years old, the temple and its two bathing pools have been used by the worshipers for good health and prosperity because of the spring water's curative powers. On the west side of this temple is an Indonesian Presidential palace which was founded by the first president and still used today.
For lunch, David felt it hard to choose between suckling pig and crispy duck. After considering that he never tried the crispy duck, we went to Bebek Tepi Sawah restaurant.
Bebek Tepi Sawah literally means “Duck on the edge of Rice Paddy” which is an accurate description since the restaurant is placed right next to a rice paddy. We had lunch together with my friends Chichi and Jerry and their 2 children.
As recommended by Chichi, after lunch we visited Goa Gajah or the Elephant Cave which built at least 700 years ago and is considered a significant Hindu archeological site. The cave was rediscovered in the 1920s and fully excavated 30 years later and is listed on the tentative Unesco World heritage site in 1995.
Tirta Empul Temple or Tampak Siring Temple is fed by holy spring water. Over 1000 years old, the temple and its two bathing pools have been used by the worshipers for good health and prosperity because of the spring water's curative powers. On the west side of this temple is an Indonesian Presidential palace which was founded by the first president and still used today.
We spent the last day of our holiday having lunch with my friend Eva at the Bali Deli restaurant. As our flight back to Adelaide was at 10pm, we spent the rest of the day window shopping at the Bali Galeria mall and had a relaxing spa at the Melasti.
Well, this was a very happy holiday for us all. Unfortunately Bertie was not feeling well on the flight back and ended up spending 11 days in hospital with salmonella poisoning caused by something he ate while in Bali.
Great photos, awesome!!
ReplyDeleteThinking of going to bali??
We offer Bali Private Tour and Airport Pick Up Service for your holiday in Bali. For more information visit my website. www.balibestways.com