TQ BaLi

Bali… Em what can I say about Bali? Beautiful, warm, and friendly …too typical description. I bet the foreigners describe Malaysia the same ;)

Bali from the eyes of serangkai (4 * 2 = 8 eyes). A worth holiday planning ( 3 months of anxious waiting for the day ;) )and dreaming. A shopping paradise, ‘Shop Till U Drop’ liner seems to suit us since we almost hit it of as shopaholic …hehehe. Remember Fida asked for a basket? ‘Bakul!’ when we actually were given 50% discount on any items in the shop. As we learned and told negotiation is a must, else you’ll pay way too much. Only in the small shops tau, not in the big shopping mall. Just like you are not going to bargain in KLCC.

What excitement and adventure we had during those blissful days?:

DAY 01:
2.50pm – Departed to Denpasar (Sing along gals: Denpasar moon… ). 3 hours flight. Luckily not a restless one like always since I have a good company besides me n on the front row. Thanks gals. Before arriving to the airport, from the plane we could see the volcano (berasap2 lagi tu). Excited, siap amik gambar lagi tu, since we don’t have any here.

6.00pm – The first time we touched the soil of Bali, Indonesia. We have this excited looks, most people would know we are totally tourists, minus the camera at the neck…hehehe. Outside was dark like 8pm in KL.

7.00pm – Dinner. The tour guide, Gede took us to a restaurant. Must be a fancy restaurant, since it is in a shopping mall plus not many people there, and they are tourist just like us. The food was great. Our first introduction to the Bali food. The food much like us in KL. Kita kan serumpun :D

9.00pm – Transferred to the Hotel Santika. Total Balinese surroundings, which we loved and adored. Large garden, only 2 storey high, comfortable, relaxing and soothing views. Cun habis laaa… The rooms are cozy. Not a spacious room, but it was comfortable. May be due to tired of traveling, we just hit the hay and anxious to begin a whole new day the next day. Well, we supposed to wake up at 6am, to see the sea view behind the hotel…own agenda btw.


DAY 02:
6.00am – Kring kring. ‘Dah bangun nak jalan2 tgk laut?’. yeah rite. Knowing myself and Wan, since our studies days, it’s hard for us to wake up that early plus we always have our infamous line ‘Jap, lagi 5 minit’. So this is our reply, well actually my reply ‘Esok je la Erni I tgk laut’, hang up the phone..hehehe. sorry Erni. :”)

9.00am – I’m so excited to finally able to watch the Barong Dance. The Barong dance is truly a delighted display of bright colors and graceful movements. Barong dance is more than a folklore dance. It is, in fact an important part of the Balinese culture and has an evident sacred meaning. Inspired by an episode taken from Mahabharata, an epic poem written in Sanskrit. The entire dance is centered around the struggle between good and evil. And the performance accompanied by gamelan.

Keris Dance is a separate performance at the end of the Barong dance. In this sacred Balinese dance, the dancers always go into a trance. Their body said to be occupied by spirits, therefore they do not know and feel any pain sensation in their physical body. The Keris dance features a scene in which the dancers thrust the Keris (dagger) into their own body. Either a Barong or a priest helps them to regain their consciousness. Ish… sungguh2 depa dok cucuk badan mereka.

10.00am –
1) Art Villages (Celuk Mas and Ubud). SHOPPING!
2) Silversmith – Seronoknya tgk all the bling-bling.
3) Art Gallery – Err… we are totally not an artistic mates. Less than 15 minutes, we are out from the gallery..hehehe
4) Souvenir Shop – Yahoooo… Our basket full of souvenirs. Wan and I had a box full of comforter…heheheh. We lost the track of time here.

We were hungry right after the shopping splendor…hehehe

3.00pm – Headed to Kintamani to view the scenery of an active volcano, and at the same time enjoying our buffet lunch there. A friendly waiter told us that they still give offering to the volcano, no.. not human being dude, just foods. It took them 3 hours to be at the peak of the volcano. According to the waiter, they start climbing around 3am, by 6am they are there for the morning prayer. Note: Balinese are strong believer of Hindu religion, u might see their offering (food, flower, fruits) along the way. And they believe the Good and Evil spirits. May be someday we shall travel n reach the peak of the volcano. Emm… someday, if shopping is not the major motivation :D

4.00pm –
1) Wood Carving Gallery – <>6.00pm –
Kechak Dance. Inspired by Ramayana, an epic poem written in Sanskrit. This dance does not being accompanied by gamelan or any other music instrument. Basically the dancer will chant ‘Kechak’ (about an hour). Chant it with me, Kechak, kechak, kechak. If you are able to maintain this within an hour, congratulation, u may join the dancers too… guys only since the dancer have to be topless ;)

Fire Dance is a dance where the dancer becomes entranced and able to dance on hot coals without feeling pain. Ala-ala Kuda Kepang. A priest helps him to regain his consciousness. Ish takut tgk, mcm naik sheikh la jugak…heehe


7.00pm - Dinner at Jimbaran Bay. We were seated to the outer most of the beach. The wave is just a few feet from us. Beautiful scenery. Our dinner lighted only by candles. Romantic. No wonder honeymooners love Bali as their honeymoon spot. Hold hands walking thru the white sandy beach. We did that too, minus the holding hands and walked just a few steps from the dinner table …;)

8.30pm – Back to the hotel. Quick touched-up and refreshed.

9.15pm - We walked to the nearest shopping mall. Just to watched the night life of Bali. The price in the big shopping mall are competitive like in KL. Sama mahal la kiranya. But at least we know shops for last minute shopping in case we need one, and apparently we needed one.. hehehe

11.00pm – Late movie on HBO ‘A Walk To Remember’. I don’t remember when I actually fall asleep.

DAY 03:
6.00am – We were ready for our morning walk on the beach. The big wave added to the fantastic view. Note: Bali at 6am similar like KL 8am, at exact same time. No time difference. The sky was bright and clear. We posed for the cam. Kenang-kenangan. ;)

8.30am – Off we went for another exciting trip. We went for a boat ride to see the corals and fish. Before we headed to Turtle Island. The Turtle Island mainly a rehabilitate sanctuary for turtles. We manage to hold and posed with the turtles. The turtles are range from baby turtles to 50 years old. Greater than 50 years old they will let it go freely into the ocean. Kesian dok kurung depa lelama. Took pics with the eagle and err… I don’t know the name of the other bird that we took pics with…hehehe. Erni, Fida, Wan and Sof took pics with a snake.. I’m not sure what breed is the snake is. And a big NO for me to take pics with this reptiles. Definitely a no No NO!

10.30am – Pedicure and manicure on the beach. Hard Rock Café for t-shirts and souvenir.

12.00pm - Visited Tanah Lot the sea temple. Excellent view. Nearby the temple, there are lot of small stalls and shops. So what else can we do except for shopping ;) Another shopping spree for us. Best nyer…

2.00pm – Lunch in Bedugul. Bedugul, a highland with beautiful mountain scenery and also lake Bratan. Spectacular view.

On the way back, did we stopped for another round of shopping? I guess so. Since Bedugul is quite far from the town (approximately 2 hours drive), most of us in the van fall asleep. But the view along the way was marvelous. Serene and unique rice terraces.

7.00pm – Dinner at Natrabu. A Padang restaurant. Natrabu in KL dah tutup ye? Delicious food especially the rendang. Yummy.

8.00pm – Quick rest at the hotel.

8.30pm – Off we went to Kuta beach shopping area. Hehehe.. another shopping trip.

12.00am – Till tomorrow. Sad since tomorrow will be our last day in paradise.

DAY 04:
8.00am – Breakfast and off we headed for our last round of shopping. In case, we have forgotten to buy stuffs and souvenirs. Last minute shopping. :D While we shopped, Wan treated herself with body massage. Aduh, enak gitu.

12.00pm – Totally last minute shopping at the airport :”) . Sempat lagi tu..

1.50pm – Goodbye Bali. Till we meet again : (

5.00pm – Home Sweet Home.

Please refer to ‘MAY 2005 ~ OUR GREAT JOURNEY TO BALI’ to see the pictures. More pictures coming soon.

Girlfriends, let’s prepare and plan for next year’s trip :D