Amazing Bali
Trip Start
May 25, 2007
1
Trip End
May 28, 2007
Bali, Indonesia
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The phenomenal physical environment - from lush emerald- green rice terraces and smouldering volcanoes to the roaring Ayung River and the rocky outcrops of the east- is unforgettable.
Our First day in Bali - once we touched down, I requested our tour guide to stop at Made's Warung at Kuta. As seen in the internet, previous travellers highly recommended Made's Warung and also Restaurant Ketupat. I seek our tour guide's opinion and he chose Made's Warung and so we went there for our lunch.
There we had our satay babi for the first time and man, it is certainly delicious and exceeds my humble expectations! Sorry to offend our local satays, but I guess I love their Pork Satay better. However, please be informed that I've tried other restaurant's pork satay but my vote is still with Made's Warung.
Other than that, we also tried Pork Ribs with Young Papaya (although it tastes different than the dishes we've tried in Malaysia overall, but it has a nice taste to it), Gado-Gado (their version of our rojak where they have more taugehs) & their fried rice (similar to Malaysia).
I regretted not trying their Bebek Betutu (one of their specialties - smoked duck). I eventually thought that Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) is the same as Bebek Betutu. Ladies & Gentleman, it is certainly different. Thankfully, I've tried before Ayam Betutu in our local restaurant in bandar Puteri, KL called Bumbu Bali. There, they serve great Bali food. :)
Later then, we checked-in a 3-star Adhi Dharma Hotel at Kuta. An advice for those who are planning to go to Bali by themselves - please check before the reviews for the hotels that you're planning to stay in. Like me, I would usually check through Asiarooms.com, Virtualtourist & etc. Usually, they'll show pictures and reviews of the previous travellers. They help alot! Even the prices are cheaper when bought through the Internet.
On our 2nd day, we went our daytrip to Batubalan, Celuk, Ubud, Tegallalang, Tirta Empul Temple, Pura Taman Ayun and Tanah Lot Temple.
In Batubalan, we watched Barong performance. Barong is a mystical animal representing good and a Rangda, a witch with breasts hanging down to the ground representing evil. In Bali, their culture is all about balance between the good and the bad. If you notice, they will wrap their shrines with a black-and-white checkered sarong. To them, the black represents the evil and the white represents the holy and goodness. Therefore, Barong is a mythical beast, representing the cleansing forces of the universe.
In Ubud, we had our Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) lunch = Crispy Roasted Duck. We had it at Prada Restaurant, a restaurant that is situated right next to a mass land of paddy field. We sat on the 2nd storey where we could have our crispy lunch while be amazed by paddy field serenity views.
Another important thing - Remember to try out their Babi Guling (Roasted Suckling Pig). One of their specialties. We ta-pau (take-away) Babi Guling at Warung Ibu Oka. Heard that they serve very delicious Babi Guling through the Internet. Even when we went there, there were many people (locals & tourists) sitting on the floor enjoying their food.
The taste of Babi Guling is not the same as Malaysia's roasted pig, u see.. Bali's Babi Guling, its texture is more like chicken meat! It's more tender. The Balinese people roasted them with their marinated spices which makes them different from the usual Roasted Pig we have here..
Later then, we stopped by at Tegallalang for snapshots of elegantly scultured rice terraces. It looked awesome. When we went to Bali, it was their harvesting season. Therefore, the view would be even greater if it is during that season!
After a short while, we reached Tirta Empul Temple where we cleansed ourselves with their holy water. Locals would go there, pray before jumping into a pool of water cleansing themselves. From pool no. 1, they'd proceed to pool no. 2 and lastly pool no. 3.
After Tirta Empul, we head for Pura Taman Ayun, the state temple of the once-powerful kingdom of Mengwi.
Then, we went to Tanah Lot Temple, one of the best known and photographed temple in Bali. The temple sits upon the tower of rock. For balinese, Tanah Lot Temple is one of the most important sea temples. It was built in 17th century, associated with a Majapahit priest Nirartha.
The views was even more spectacular as the sun was setting! You can see hues of orange colored sunlights reflecting the sea water and also the sky.
3rd day - we went for Quiksilver Cruise to Nusa Penida Island for snorkelling, banana boat and slides, and Desa Toya Pakeh to watch cock fighting and their kampung (village) living. Then, we went to Uluwatu to watch another breathtaking temple by the seacliff and headed to Jimbaran Bay to have sunset seafood dinner.
Last day was all about shopping! we shopped nonstop at Kuta art centre.. You can bargain here probably until 70%!
Comments
cool! have you check out lagunatrip.com?