Minions off to Bali

Yes, yes, my Despicable Me 2 inspired nail! Another last minute trip on the weekend with my monkey to Bali. This time, I did the homework - flights and accomodation.

We stayed at Poppies Cottages, a beautiful and peaceful place in Kuta. They offered free airport transfer, so that saved us lots of hassle. Kuta is still as horrible as 5 years ago, you just can't sit on the peace without being disturbed by people constantly trying to sell you things. Things definitely have changed, a few malls popped up, there are more restaurants and sky bars. Prices also shot up with food and souvenirs.

It was monkey's first time in Bali and he fancied the idea of surfing on Kuta. But after seeing Kuta, he changed his mind. So we had a stroll around Kuta streets, had our first meal at Five Monkeys for burger and hot dog. We got lost for a while, then went back to chill before heading out for shisha and beers. After that, we chanced upon Kopi Pot which had a very relaxed atmosphere for a bite. The bite turned out to be chicken satay, piece of blackforest cake, Bali apple cider and garlic bread.

The following morning, we also randomly walked into a place named Jokers Bar & Grill for breakfast. After that, monkey did a bit of shopping, he was thrilled he managed to get some good buys! Having aborted his surfing plan, we were lost deciding what to do, so I suggested a trip to Ubud on the bus. The journey was long (longer than the time we spent in Ubud!!) but it was worthwhile. At least he got to see the monkey forest, the artistic chilled Ubud and had the best cakes in Bali! I revisited Kakiang Bakery, my old favourite, just to have their strawberry cake... Little did I know, they have more cakes now, I was so spoilt for choices and had to order another mille crepe. No regrets, it was SO delicious!!! Even monkey was full of praises for them. That was my first treat for monkey, and in turn he bought me the souvenirs I wanted to get from the bakery. I also got mini scones as takeaway, I liked my raisin one. Monkey is addicted to shisha, so we had another... No babi guling this time as we were running out of time. Nearly got lost, thanks to my good memory, I found our way back to bus station just in time. The journey back to Kuta was a nightmare, two hours, and we were exhausted by the time we got back. So instead of going for more shisha, we ended up having a quick dinner at Un's Restaurant - lovely ambience and service!

The second night, we were woken up by croaking of frogs. I bet one was in our cottage, it seemed so near, it disturbed us every couple of hours but we never saw it. Monkey disturbed one that evening so I reckoned it must be on revenge! It was a horrible night, monkey couldn't sleep due to his allergy to mosquito bites so it kept me awake half the time. In the morning, he went for a run in the rain while I sat in watching TV. Then we had breakfast before heading to the airport at one.

We had a beer at the airport and chilled. The queue to check in was horrendous, I guess we were lucky we went a bit earlier. Also please remember to save 150,000 rupiahs for departure tax. It's a ridiculous amount of money but I think I recall paying the last time round too. Yes, money grabbing touristy destination :p

All in all, it was a rush but pleasant trip. It was nice to be able to re-visit Bali and have the chance to go back to my favourite bakery, this time with someone MUCH nicer.

One night in Batam

... is enough ;)

I always have the impression that Batam is like Bintan (I haven't been to Bintan though), that there's nothing except a place to chill and have a more laid-back life than Singapore.

Ferry

Thank God, the ferry rides to and fro were smooth and I didn't get seasick which I usually do! When we arrived, I was taken aback by their very slow and inefficient service (the same at the customs and hotel). I guess coming from Singapore, we expected a little too much, maybe it's a good thing to experience a "slow life" for a day or two.

The hotel service is exceptional, the staff never failed to greet us with smiles and I am impressed. I will go back again just because of great service, even though the amenities really need a huge revamp. Harris resort always has very positive reviews from the travellers and I am not surprised after spending a night there. They have a few options, there are some "houses" right in front of the beach and two blocks of building. The older one which we stayed in is named Funky while the newer block is named Trendy. We were given a room on the 4th floor (out of 5 storeys) with pool view. It was spacious, with good comfortable beds and shower, even though the bathroom lock was faulty, the wardrobe door came off and I had to put it back! The TV had Singapore channels and a few good cable channels, there was also free wi-fi but very slow and weak up on the higher levels. It was like staying at our local NTUC chalet where you just stay there, use the amenities, do nothing except chill... They have bowling centre, gym, sauna, jacuzzi, a huge pool, table tennis table, squash court, nail services and other activities which you can arrange through the hotel. The downsides are the facilities are pretty worn out, everything is in Singapore dollars and it didn't work out to be very cheap, especially eating and shopping in Harris. So we used the limited shuttle service to get into Nagoya Hill shopping mall to get food and slightly more affordable shopping. But Batam on the whole is like olden Singapore, just not very developed and populated and I feel the malls are mainly patronised by tourists especially Singaporeans and thus things are not cheap like in other parts of Indonesia (e.g. Bali), but it is still compared to shopping in Singapore.

Harris

Our package was a great deal, it included the hotel stay, ferry tickets, transfer, 60 minutes Indonesian oil massage, a game of bowling and a pizza lunch. I bet more than half the guests were Singaporeans! I met my another friend there during the trip, she was with 3 others. And my friend met 2 friends too, the world is small indeed. As nearly everyone booked the same package, we had trouble trying to get our timings sorted (especially the spa timing and departure ferry timing) but with the help of the spa manager and the guest relations officer, we managed to get things the way we wanted. I am very pleased. Good job, Harris! Even on the way back, the general manager and staff were there waving goodbye with big smiles as we departed for the ferry terminal.

Everything was very slow... and so our ferry back was delayed by 30 minutes. Most things were still done on papers and quite labour intensive, and thus the slow service. But overall, I would say I had a very relaxing weekend and it was my first time having a full body massage (you'll be surprised they actually "outrage" your modesty!). But it was a good laugh ;) It will be a good place for a family getaway and maybe the next time I will be back and staying at the new block :)

Eventful Bali (iii)

The days in Ubud seemed to pass very quickly... the happy days at Madrigal came to an end, and even though I couldn't bear to, it was time to bid farewell to Bill and his lovely dog.

We had another night in GreenField, just to take things slowly, before we moved on to Sanur (next destination). Sanur is another beach destination, but a world apart from Kuta. Here we saw a lot of older couples who wanted a cosy and "upper class" beach holiday. Not as high class as Nusa Dua but still a very peaceful place to really let go... do nothing, soak your feet in the clear waters of Sanur, read on the sun-bed while sipping a cocktail.

Now, that's a holiday.

Unfortunately it was a bit rainy and S didn't fancy the beach much... so we didn't really get to do what the others were doing. We walked about a bit, mainly just to look for places for dinner. S got around to some shopping (he reckoned he needed a new haversack), finally S and his shopping!!! I never grumbled because I wouldn't mind at all to accompany him! I went to Hardy's (a superstore with supermarket), and bought lots of stuff. No wonder my friends said I treat grocery shopping as an adventure too, but it really is... I don't know why but I can easily spend hours in a supermarket!

We stayed at Flashback's after walking miles and not finding a more worthy place to stay. Flashback's is a little paradise of its own, it's not too fancy but it's very charming with lots of character. We stayed in a wooden room (with our saviour, a mosquito net!), it was teeny but surprisingly it felt very comfortable and more than a lot of other bigger rooms we have had. There we shared a kitchen (with fridge, coffee/tea/water), bathroom & toilet (but each assigned room has their own bathroom!), a chill-out area with books and cable TV (yey! we watched movie and soccer) and also a tiny 1.5m pool (where I clung onto S as a float half the time.. hee!).

The owners (Peter & Jan) also opened their own "retro" themed cafe named The Porch, just besides our room. They do wonderful food as I read from online reviews so I was quite eager to try!! I finally did on the last day before we left for Singapore... only after the lady boss kindly offered me a discount on the red leather bag I had been eyeing on, else I wouldn't be able to buy my last meal at their cafe! I guess she got a good deal out of it too because the 10% discount she has given me ended up back in that steak burger I ate! LOL. Anyway, I was left with quite a lot of money which could last me another 2-3 days, so I decided to splurge it on that leather bag after failing to find a pair of leather gladiator in the shops. Happy purchase (because I have always wanted a quality bag and this one is designed by Flashback's owner Jan!). Thank you Jan!

So that's basically the end of my 12 days... I didn't write that much this time, not a lot of inspiration or much worth to mention about apart from these. The rest shall be kept as "Whatever happened in Bali remains in Bali" -- learnt from my friend, Marz. So all is history.

BTW anyone keen to drop a visit to Bali, it's a good time, Jetstar is now having a promotion and the ticket price is half of Garuda's (to go this December!). Book now! But reminder, it's rainy season!! Bring a raincoat!! Rp is now also weaker to SGD, even better time to go compared to the time I went! A little tip, change some money in your country but you can change the rest while you're there because the rate there are probably same or even better (BUT beware of small shops that gives you small notes because they will probably "miscalculate"!!).

Eventful Bali (ii)

The moment I stepped into our room in Ubud, I know this place is going to be heaven (I don't mean the room, but this place, Ubud). And I love this place. So much so that we decided to spend one more night on top of our 5 nights (initially planned).

Ubud is in centre of Bali. It has no beaches, but that isn't important. It has a LOT more to offer than Kuta or anywhere else (even Sanur which was our last stop). It is known as Bali's center for its arts and cultures which is why we attended two different dance here. The traditional Balinese dance held twice a month named Masters of Bali, and the Kecak Fire & Trance Dance which really got into me (chak chak chak...chak chak chak). It even got a toddler so obsessed that he was attempting to join in despite his parents holding him back. LOL. It was quite amusing but a few of us were looking out for him in case he got trampled by the taller beings.

In Ubud, you can't miss the famous Babi Guling in Ibu Oka... We had our first sampling in south of Bali during the daytrip, I spotted a Warung selling Babi Guling and it got deeply engraved in my mind. So when it was lunch time, I asked the driver if he could drive us there for a meal!! It was yummy for a Warung... and S swore he would want it a 2nd time. This one is Ubud did an excellent one - Gosh, I told myself I could have a 2nd helping there amid of finishing my 1st (how ambitious!!).

We stayed at GreenField Bungalows, my 2nd choice to Tegal Sari which happened to be just next door. And the reason I booked it was because we were probably sharing the same view but instead we're paying a third of the price! I will still love to try Tegal Sari's wooden house if I have a chance :) Anyway GreenField offered a lot for what we paid for, great service and filling breakfast... so we didn't have any complaint at all. The salt water pool was cool too but a little too deep for me (yeah depth-phobia!). We stayed besides the rice paddy and it was pretty and easy for the eyes in the morning!

Bali, surprisingly, does it own wine too. During the time there, I tried their Rose wine (not bad at all) and Brem wine which is like dessert wine!!

The streets of Ubud was filled with shops, but not as touristy as Kuta. There were shops with souvenirs, shops selling proper leather stuff (I'm impressed but not rich enough to buy any), a few massage places (I tried to go for one but the place was closed, in renovation! There goes my massage :(  There were some cool cafes and bakeries (KaKiang bakery does awesome cakes, Kafe has a super cosy ambience). We visited the Ubud market where we bought stuff not because we wanted them but because it was such a quiet time after the execution of the Bali Bombers and business wasn't good. Those people were so desperate to sell you anything even for a low price, so I ended up with a few things.

We were staying in Pengosekan, just south of the Ubud center. And after 3 nights, we moved up to Penestanan (renowned for artists' village). It was a little out of nowhere, especially if you want to get around... but best for chilling and staying in. The Madrigal guesthouse we stayed at was marvellous, it was basically a studio apartment (mini kitchen, open-air outdoor bathroom, a dining area inside and outside, a chilling out sofa outside and a 4 poster bed!). A God-send, except for the bathroom with lots of bugs. The owner, Bill, was a very friendly and helpful guy; we could borrow his phone to ring for delivery or make calls! His dog was our regular visitor too... but she got really angry when we went over to Bill's place to make a call. I got frightened once when she barked at me non-stop!

And it was also credits to Bill that we found the Warung with the best Indonesian cuisine - Bubu Warung!! I have the best babi sate (pork satay with super thick peanut sauce). Till today, I can't stop singing praises about it and oh my, how I miss the food!

During my walkabout in Ubud, I got chatted up by some random driver, and I decided to give him a call after discussion with S. We got him to take us to see the volcano - Kintamani (unfortunately we didn't go upclose to see the crater :( ), and rice terraces - Tegalalang, the mother temple - Besakih, Goa Gajah (elephant cave) and some things along the way. He wasn't that great a tourguide, didn't seem to know a lot but at least we had a fun time seeing places in other parts of Indonesia. We even got blessed during the journey, the lady put some rice on our forehead and an orange flower in my hair! Pity we didn't venture to the north or east, but there will always be a next time!

It was also in Ubud, me and S had a talk about how well we got along during the trip, and I was so glad it happened because the trip would have ended in a disaster if things weren't communicated properly. I went without much expectation but things gotten so bad at one point it was so unbearable and I didn't know how to deal with it anymore. We wouldn't speak and I dread waking him up in the morning... or asking him what he wanted for breakfast. I guess when you travel together, you see another side of the someone (a different color?). An online friend told me, people change when they are on holiday - do they really change or it's just a part of them hidden??

Anyway I'm still friends with S now, but has things changed... I can't say for sure.

p.s: Ubud is frequent by the Japanese. I notice the sales staff can speak fluent Japanese and there are lots of them willingly to spend and lavish on themselves.

Eventful Bali (i)

Preface: To Mr. Smith (if you happen to be reading these chronicles), it is with no offence to you that I'm writing them, I wish to record how I felt at that moment and even if you might not have agreed or at some point see the same from my point of view, I wish to point out that nothing here is written to deface the kind of person you are.

Bali.

After a few months of proper scheduling and discussion, it finally happened. There wasn't any cheap flights, there wasn't any bargain. But a wish is fulfiled - a trip to Bali, Indonesia. I booked the tickets on Garuda, them being a better deal than most others I could find at that time. And believe me, their service isn't that bad... some actually dread their name when it comes to flying. Their crews aren't young and pretty like most of Singapore's airlines, but what's more important is they can deliver :)

My mate S arrived in Singapore a couple of days before our flight together to Bali (Denpasar) - BTW Bali has only one airport and it's not in the "town/city" Denpasar, it's only named that as a name for their international airport. Our flight was brought forward to 7am and so we decided to spend the night in the airport since we had to check in around 5ish.


Arrived.

We took a metered taxi outside the airport but I have a serious suspicion that the driver took us on a bit of a winding route to get to wherever we were going! Well, what to do, when you newly arrived, are tired and lugging heavy bags. So F it, just get it outta the way and since we haven't book anything for our 1st 3 night accomodation, we had to do some work. I got Su's Cottage in my shortlist for places to stay in Legian, unfortunately they aren't the cheapest and we decided to seek a cheaper place (probably in Kuta). S collapsed on the bed not long after we arrived, he suffered from lack of sleep from the night before... so we had a nap before walking down to Kuta.

And there we saw Kuta/Legian in Bali... the street was filled up with shops and only shops. Taxis and drivers everywhere on the road, asking if we needed transport. Beach was stunning, especially during sunset, it was full with tourists laying on the sun-beds for a tan or being pestered by the "beach hawkers" to get a necklace, fake branded watch or even a manicure/pedicure/massage. My mate didn't enjoy this place because there was nothing for him, no surfing and no shopping. He was practically annoyed with shopping (even window shopping), so I went without him. I went out alone the 2nd night and it started to rain cats and dogs, I ended up buying an umbrella and had to walk miles along the badly flooded roads. It got so bad that I hopped onto a cab which stopped for me!! But the driver was unexceptionally rude... until I started to chat with him, he got a little friendlier.

Food wasn't really cheap or awesome in Kuta, I wasn't impressed at all.

Before I went, I had a few freelance drivers' contacts and so we could ring any up if we decided to make a daytrip. But we also found a better deal online, S had apparently sent a request and they quoted us something very reasonable. Unfortunately we couldn't find the place, ended up chatting to a local man who offered to recommend us a driver. We went back happy and to our dismay (and darkest nightmare) the driver didn't turn up the next morning. We looked the guy up and things got worse, price he quoted wasn't including a driver and worst of all, it was doubled. Nasty nasty, we sure weren't very happy.

After some haggling around, it was almost noon time we found a driver whom would take us for the price we offered. We hadn't much time to waste as it was the last day in Kuta, the following morning we would leave for Ubud! The daytrip turned out very pleasant, even though it was a short one to two places - Tanah Lot and Uluwatu, but we were almost pleased to get out of Kuta (which is boring us to death!). Tanah Lot is overrated in my opinion, I guess everyone was there for a photo or two, that was it. But Uluwatu turned out to be much more fun, with aggressive monkeys accompanied by a very beautiful scenery. The monkeys were trying to pickpocket S's camera or even tried to open his bag... but only ended off with his bottle of water. Some tourist got their sunglasses flung over the cliff and the local picked it up for them (of course receiving a tip in return). Now hearing from my indonesian friend saying that the monkeys might be trained to do that, now that's just nasty. I was snapping a close up shot of the monkey, and it actually tried to grab my camera (very quickly after the shot)... this is how naughty it can be!

Anyway, we were quite ready to leave Kuta after 3 nights and a very uncomfortable last 2 nights being bitten by bugs and insects in our poorly facilitated room!! Thank God! My legs now look hideous from all the itching bites :(

Post Bali thoughts

One of my friends just commented something along this line,"Even though they can be your really good friends, it doesn't mean you'll get along great on holidays."

And yes, she is right. I have had quite a few holidays now, solo, with relatives & cousins, with friends, with acquaintances. They are all very different experience, something I'll never get sick of trying... I went to Bali with a long-time friend I have known over 7 years (well we live in different continents, so we never really know if we get along that well except that couple of times we hooked up over the course of 7 years). We went to Krabi together the first time, it was horrid at certain points and I just couldn't talk to him anymore at one point. Then we were in Siem Reap at the same time, each with our own friend and we hooked up. It was unexpectedly fun, perhaps as the phrase goes "The more, the merrier". So this time in Bali, I was hoping it would be a good time like in Cambodia...

Read on if you like to find out more...

Note: My impression of the British haven't been that good so far, and it didn't help that I was traveling with another one of them.