Bali 16.06.2011 – 21.06.2011 (Part 3)

this will be the final part of our trip to Bali.

the third day was a free and easy day for us as we decided to go and take a walk in the town area and do some souvenir shopping for family and friends at home. hence, there are nothing much to show as we were busy looking for knick knacks and stuff

anyway, will show some snapshots of photos taken along the way instead

don’t know why i did this in front of a busy road man…

fancy taking a hose ride?

motorcycles are modified to carry what?

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surfboards! what else?

Warung Made with its overflowing customer. doesn’t matter it’s night or day!

     

our driver told us earlier that this is where the second bombing happened in 2005.

in the evening, it’s back to the beach for a little stroll

and my... there are a lot of people there.

feeling a bit hungry, we decided to have Mexican food at TJ’s since it is very near to where we stay and also very recommended by a lot of people

this photo was taken later that day. hence the daylight :p

the atmosphere there was good! again, apologize for the bad photo

 

Chilli Con Carne for both of us

chicken fajitas for me. served with various condiments and sauce. especially their signature hot sauce!

while wifey had… erm,… i forgot what was it. haha!

i forgot the price already. but one thing is for sure, it was cheap compared to what we had in Malaysia.

not to mention it taste good and the portion is big!!! and oh, i think i’ll omit Chilli Con Carne in the future as we really had trouble finishing it. haha!

after a filling dinner, it’s time to accelerate the digestive system by walking around Kuta and Legian nightlife area.

 

the never ending pubs and clubs…

and of course, who can forget the Bali Bombing Memorial as a respect to those who perish in the horrible 2002 bombing by terrorist.

after filling our tummies to the brim and torturing our legs for the night, it’s off to the bed for…

the final day of our Bali trip.

how time flies when we were having fun…

one last look at the Gate of Kuta Beach before going to our next destination.

which is more shopping at Sukawati (AGAIN!) and it surrounding places.

and also another stop at Ubud for more shopping and lunch!

bakso! and you know what, it’s hard to find a mobile food stall in Bali! and the owner explained it’s because the Government doesn’t allow them to operate openly. how true was that. i’m not sure. but it sure is hard to find one.

is this our lunch? hell no!!! that was only a starter

This is our main purpose!!! what food do they serve then?

does this give you any indication?

i think this will give a clearer picture. yes, Nuri serves the most kick ass ribs in Bali!!!

and oh, the glutton in us ordered pork satay too!

and the satay sauce was super spicy!!! and 2 glasses of drink was not enough to put down the fire on my tongue!

ordered a big sausage too. nothing to shout about, but we lapped it out anyway!

 

the extensive menu!

parody of the movie Eat, Pray, Love! haha!

at the end of the lunch, we were stuffed and satisfied (and my tongue is on fire!!!).

and once the bill is paid, it’s off to the airport…

and oh, i had a mild fever on our flight back too. must be from the spiciness of the food earlier!

what a way to end our trip. haha! but it’s fun nonetheless!

Bali 16.06.2011 – 21.06.2011 (Part 2)

the second day of our trip is not as exciting as the first day. i would say it is more relaxing.

As it is the first day, it was time to get up early on the second day (8am to be exact) as the journey from one place to another will be long…

anyway, the first stop is Taman Ayun Royal Family Temple. first impression, it looks more like a big garden than a Temple to me. but it is still a nice place to go nonetheless.

and oh, one thing, since we did not hire any guide to tell us the history/stories of the buildings thoughout our trip, we are left on our own to guess what is it, either from the information board or eavesdropping on other tour guides! haha!

a short walk to the Temple

the entrance to the Temple

 

this must be the other side of one of the gates i guess

 

one of the place of prayers? too bad we are not allowed to go inside

makes you wonder what is inside the hut, no?

artisans those days are great. how long does it takes to finish this block alone? let alone the whole temple?

this must be some kind of observation deck or some meditation place.

the stairs up to the tower is so narrow and the flimsy railings doesn’t help much! my legs go weak on my way up!!! the most embarrassing thing is that my wife those kids have no problem going up at all!

but the view from the tower is worth it! but the way down from the tower is… knee weakening again. haha!

prayer offerings that you will see in Bali. especially in the morning.

next stop, Ulum Danu Beratan Temple!

weather is quite cooling, almost like Mount Batur. this is definitely my kind of place!

the temple was super crowded on that particular day as our driver said the temple was reopened again after a major renovation. so they have a Upacara (ceremony) for that.

for your info, Balinese are very much into Upacara. they have a lot of reasons for it. during our trip, we’ve come across quite a number of the Upacara. i guess this is their way of life.

we are not allowed to go into this section though. but they were playing musical instruments inside. very very happening it seems!

a lot of people having a good time. families having picnic sitting together chit chatting.

View of Beratan Lake from the temple

 

look at the crowd!

our lunch was just a simple affair that day. on our way back from Ulun Danu, we just stop by a small food stall selling Ayam Bertutu.

a simple dish of ayam bertutu, vegetables, chicken liver, some condiments served with rice and fried onion soup

a close up of the dish. doesn’t look so appetizing but let me tell you, looks can be deceiving!

one we were full, it is off to Alas Kedaton which is some sort of a monkey forest. this is the place which we like the least thoughout the whole trip though. upon paying for the entrance fee, you will be ushered by a guide (who is actually one of the stall owners selling handicrafts and stuff) to lead you around Alas Kedaton.

 

care taking photos with bats and also feeding them with bottled drinks? sure! with a fee of course!

they do have photo session with pythons too. but we gave it pass…

The guide and i. and monkeys are everywhere!

nope. those are not monkeys although they look like one. haha!

monkey feeding time!

a small packet of peanuts are provided so you can feed them too. but some of them are quite aggressive too! i got one who climbed over me! noticed a guide in the background? she is holding a stick with her just in case the monkeys got nasty! actually i noticed that my guide was a bit scared of the monkeys too although she said the monkeys are quite gentle.

walk further, and you will see a small temple. looks like a scene from The Jungle Book. with more monkeys, BIGGER MONKEYS! apparently these monkey have their own gangs and territory too.

at the end of the walk, we were ushered to the guide’s shop to buy some handicrafts. no forcing though, but we just bought something from her.

will i go to Alas Kedaton again? no. but one advice of those who intend to go : beware of those monkeys!!! at least don’t get scratched or bitten by them. you never know if they have rabies or not…

the highlight of the day happens at the last itinery which is in Tanah Lot!

a lot of people from the parking lot to the main gate amidst all the “I Love Bali” t-shirt!

and lo and behold, the gate to Tanah Lot Temple!!!

almost there…

Tanah Lot Temple. but again, the temple is not accessible for tourist

Holy Spring just nearby the temple. not sure what is it for. but i guess it must be to get some blessings or something like that. those kids in purple attire are students. most probably to get blessing for good grades in exam?

photo taking and printing on the go!

the cliff over there is a good place for sun set watching. be sure to reach there early to get a good view of the sun set! it’s approximately 10 minutes from temple.

and from the cliff, if you walk for another 5 minutes, you’ll reach this magnificent place. not thing much there though as it is just a small place for praying. there’s also a restaurant and a place to watch Barong Dance there, but we did not go for that though.

and so we went back to the first cliff for sun set watching!

the tide was low at the time. when the tide is high, you’ll see only the temple in the middle of the sea, which i think will be a great view!

 

 

after waiting for around 20 minutes, at last we got to see the magnificent sunset!

dinner for the night will be at Warung Made in Kuta, since every one seems to be recommending it.

 

the crowd is quite big with people of various nationalities. we were seated on the second floor facing the stairs instead. apologies for the bad photo…

when in Warung Made, the first thing that you should order is Nasi Campur Special. literally translated as special mixed rice. just like its namesake, it comprises of a bit of everything, satay, prawn, chicken, vegetables and sambal. tastes normal to me though. but maybe it is just me who got used to eating malay/indon food in the office… but one thing is for sure, RP55k for a plate of nasi campur is a bit on the pricy side. but then again, they are famous AND it is a tourist spot, so i guess i shouldn’t be complaining.

wife got herself a kebab (lamb i think) with side dish of salad and potatoes (it looks like fried fish balls, right? haha!)  and the taste is normal for us… but hey, at least we tried it!

and so after the dinner, we ended our night with a walk to the town area and a bottle of beer (sorry, not supposed to show a photo of wifey downing a beer all by herself. hehe!).