Bali oh bali....

I didn't know that 90% of the population in Bali are Hindus, that Bali has a few active volcanic mountains and that Bali has lots and lots of temples and shrines and they all look the same....:P....If you've seen one or two, you've seen the rest....

Well, our trip to Bali was great fun. Started with a hearty McD breakfast (seems to be our fave everywhere we go) at LCCT and eagerly waited for our flight. On board, a bunch of very active family were making hell a lot of noise. Talkative little girls and adults playing chor dai dee ....And we were on the same flight coming back to KL as well...

Upon reaching, we were greeted by Made (holding a board which read - Ho Kee Fong and family....:), our driver and guide for the next 2 days. He's a bit too quiet for a guide. But he's not bad....And we gave him RP100,000 as tip at the end of the trip.

We checked in to Oasis Kuta. Despite negative comments found on the web, the hotel is not that bad at all. Most impressive is the swimming pool surrounded by the rooms. Just that the bathroom and toilet is a bit old and dirty. The rooms are big, can fit 3 people confortably...

After our welcome drinks, we walked to Kuta beach in front of Hard Rock Cafe....The waves are a bit too strong to swim and it's suitable for surfing. Along the way, most of the shops are selling branded apparels like Rib Curl and Versace. We're so undecided what to eat for lunch so we settled for McD...again....:P Dinner time was at Jimbaran with the sunset view. But the food was not up to our expectations.....Maybe we went to the wrong restaurant. The environment was nice though with a band singing songs in different languages and the sand underneath your feet. First night was pretty much quiet....Walked around Kuta again and went for a Balinese massage. First experience and I am sure it will be an experience to remember as it was te first time I got my boobs massage..by the masseur, of course. It was really a full body massage with only our undies on. :P

Our second day started early and Made was waiting for us after breakfast at about 830am. First stop was at Batubulan for a cultural show. Paid a freaking RM20 for the 1 hour show. It was quite a waste of time. But then, at least we saw a Brad Pitt look-a-like there. Then, we're off to Batuan temple. Nothing much to shout about, an old temple with lots of weird looking statues.
Went to Goa Gajah next. What fascinated me most was the big big tree in the middle of the place. The next hour took us into Kintamani, with the spectacular view of Mount Batur and Lake Batur. It's still an active volcano. The annoying thing is once you stepped out of the van, locals will come to you with souvenirs and keep bugging you to buy. We had lunch there with the view of the mountain. Then off to Ubud. We passed by Monkey Forest but chose not to stopover. En route, there are numerous shops selling beautiful crafts from silver, wood, glass....Really beautiful sight along the way. We reached Ubud market and that's where we showed off our bargaining skills. Every price they offered, you shoud reduce it by 50%. After much bargaining, it's time to call it a day and we went back to Kuta to rest and dine. Oh ya....on the way back, we bought Dirty Duck, one of Bali's famous dish. Errrmmm...tasted quite nice but not much meat and it's a bit pricey for a duck that size.

The third day started off at the same time. Initial plan was to go Sanur and Nusa Dua area but we skipped that and detour to Uluwatu as I really wanted to go there. And the detour is worthwhile....Although I got dizzy on the way there as the roads are winding. Before reaching Uluwate, Made brought it to Padang Padang beach. A secluded small beach with soft and white sand. The view here is great too. Uluwatu's view is mesmerizing. Temple on the cliffs and clear blue and greenish sea below. The sound of the waves hitting the cliffs.....Sigh....Sight to behold. Then, we went uphill to Bedugul for two lake landscape - Buyan and Tamblingan stopping by to savour another famous local dish, Babi Guling. Next visit was to Taman Ayun, which was one of UNESCO Heritage site. Too bad I can't go in as it is prohibited for women having the monthly routine to step into the temple to preserved it's purity. :( After spending some time cam-whoring there, it's a long journey to Tanah Lot, just in time to make it for the beautiful sunset. The view here is way nicer than Jimbaran. There's a unique temple just beside the sea and there's a night bazaar too. But we were rushing back and didn't stop at any stall...except for the jagung stall...After taking showers, we dined at the restaurant just next to our hotel and went back for drinks after some window shopping in Hard Rock.

The last day was spent lazing around Kuta beach. Walking miles down the sandy beach and watching yummy hunks and sexy girls in bikinis. Hehe...and there are some ugly sights of 'Michelin' people. Anyway, it was a relaxing morning and I wish I can stay longer. And we had another McD meal in the airport.....Hehe....

So, overall, it was a very nice trip and with a group of 'youthful' people. Summary of this trip - lots of time in the van;lots of sightseeings (temples, beaches); lots of cute Japananese girls and guys (hunky guys- Brad Pitt look-a-like); tried new drinks - bloody mary, margarita, irish cream coffee, coco moon; tasted new food - dirty duck and babi guling (don't ask me why they are named like that);lots of 18SX souvenirs (unfortunately I didn't buy any) and lots of fun and cam-whoring.

Bali - we'll be BACK......

ps: for some pics - refer to Andy's , CY's and Su's bloggie....