BALI – DAY 4 – 10th AUGUST 2018

Due to a ‘lost keys’ incident in the previous night, our morning was spent for handling the attempt to unlock the doors (the owner of our homestay and a technician finally came to us).

The first meal we had together that day was Ayam Betutu/Nasi Campur, a signature dish of Bali. I enjoyed each element of the dish because it’s rich in flavor and spicy! But unlike me, my friend who don’t like spicy would categorize the dish as a torture :’)

Tipat campur <3

Anyway, as we had to arrive at the airport at 3 pm, we chose Kuta area as our waiting spot.

First we went to Beachwalk Bali, everyone’s favorite shopping mall there. We visited Candylicious and took several snapshots with Hershey buddy! Btw, surprisingly, this Candylicious sold several Indonesian candies which you can’t find in Singapore’s Candylicious. It had Yupi (Indonesian-brand gummy bear) and several local chocolates.

They had Yupi!

We also strolled at the Kuta Beach, we played Donal Bebek game (you should’ve known this game if you did good in your childhood  J) because we were just that idle and out of idea and also shameless and also energetic and also playful and also following our common idea.

Kuta beach, not-so-clear water

Afterwards, we went to McDonald (YES ANOTHER MCDONALD COZ WHY NOT?) to have ice cream. I had this limited edition ice cream called ‘Cotton Candy’. Well, the soft serve was just a classic vanilla, the pink waffle cone tasted nice (it’s sweet, not just bland), and I believed the blue syrup was basically a blue-dyed white chocolate. Overall, it tasted nothing like cotton candy (you know cotton candy is identical to fluffiness and over sweetness right?) but it tasted good :) Worth it for IDK 10k per cone.

adorable, huh?

So those are basically what we did in Bali. Maybe not all of the activities we had are written here, but we did have a good time as we also got to know each other better throughout the trip. Thumbs up for the successful bonding time in Bali!

sayonara!

BALI – DAY 3 – 9th AUGUST 2018

Our schedule for the third day was going to Pandawa Beach. 

Using rented car, we traveled from our Homestay in Sanur to the beach. It was about a 1-hour trip, we passed the Bali Mandara Toll Road, a long toll road carried by a grand bridge stretching across the Gulf of Benoa. In our experience, it was such a GREAT TIME because we opened our car window to enjoy the breeze while listening to a funky music from the local Bali radio.

I’ve been to Bali several times but this was my first time visiting Pandawa Beach. I got to say that it’s such a beautiful beach. Extraordinarily, the water was very clear that we could see the underneath corals. The beach was being properly organized, we even got a receipt for renting a bench. Anyway the rental cost for the bench was IDR 50k for 3-hour use, which was way more reasonable than renting bench in Kuta beach (I found out in the next day that renting bench in Kuta was IDR 100k for only one hour, duh).

To maximize our chilling time at the beach, we enjoyed fresh coconut for @IDR 20k.

The day became memorable as we decided to rent a canoe! It’s my first time canoeing and it’s pretty fun, although my arms were becoming weary for a moment.

definition of fun

To be noted, that day was our first time of experiencing a slight EARTHQUAKE at the middle of the sea. Yes, about 10 minutes after we arrived at a floating ground in the middle of the sea, an earthquake happened. Thankfully, no one was injured (I EVEN FELT NOTHING, MY FRIENDS WHO FELT THE SHAKE). But spontaneously, we hurried to go back to the mainland.

this was taken hurriedly after the quake

Btw, I personally felt that paddling at the backseat of the canoe is less tiring than paddling at the front. What do you think? Haha.

In our way of leaving the beach, I ate a Kinder Bueno flavored gelato stick that I bought at the parking space for IDR20k, it’s so good.

gelato stick

didn't forget to take pic in front of the gigantic sign

After visiting the ‘hidden beach’, we set Uluwatu as our next destination. In our way to Uluwatu, we stopped a while at a nearby restaurant called “Waroeng De Dusun” for having a meal. It’s a big YES for its Chinese cuisines (such as stir-fried eggplant and chicken fillet), but a big NO for its fried calamari.

Watching a very well prepared, unique, and exotic cultural dance performance that’s complimented with beautiful sunset setting in Uluwatu is like eating a homemade ice cream with cherry on top! I was so amazed by the impressive Uluwatu’s Kecak Dance that in my opinion, was very decent to be appreciated by international guests.

stunning!

didn't miss the charming sunset!

‘You’re not visiting Bali if you haven’t eaten at Jimbaran’.

Thus we had a seafood dinner at Sakura, Jimbaran. Honestly, the seafood there was quite pricy for student’s budget. But, as we had eaten before dinner, we were able to have two grilled fish and 1kg of calamari, charging 40k per person. Stir-fried kale, sambal, peanut snacks, and a basket of rice were complimentary.

For sure, I didn’t forget to delight in the must-have Jimbaran grilled corn!

We ended our day by visiting nearby Krisna, a popular souvenir shop, which happened to be only 10-minute car driving from Jimbaran. The classic pie susu (Balinese Milk Pie) was obviously laying inside my shopping basket. Then, two of us were kind enough to treat all of us these twinning Balinese comfy shirts!

A bonus story: We lost the keys to our two bedrooms in our Homestay. It was already 12pm so we couldn’t contact the owner of the Homestay. As a result, we ‘sacrificed’ one of us (you know who you are haha) to ‘jump’ from the living room’s window to the wind
ow of a locked bedroom in order to get our belongings. Such a drama!

still managed to smile after a full-day drama

BALI – DAY 2 – 8th AUGUST 2018

As our Bali trip was few days after an earthquake, we chose to cancel our preplanned trip to Nusa Penida. As a result, we researched for non-beach trip recommendations, and thus Bali Zoo became our selection.

Surprisingly, Bali Zoo was beyond our expectation. We paid the entrance fee of IDR 195k (valid for Indonesians who show their ID card), and it’s so WORTH IT.

Look at this creative mural wall that's near the ticket box!

As we walked in through the gate, we were welcomed by released reindeers which were so gentle and gorgeous. I even had the chance to take a selfie with a friendly guy there! Then, we were also able to take pictures with beautiful birds with “Bali Zoo” sign as the setting.

Hey buddy!

As we moved on, we saw a tiger being fed by a kid, in which the food was given by an attentive zookeeper. We could feed the tiger too as long as we pay an additional of 60k.

Bali Zoo also offered some attractions or shows at certain times. In our case, we got the chance to saw a “Keeper Talk with Lemur” in which several lemurs were out of cage, interacting with visitors, with a zookeeper who watched over them and answered visitors’ curiosity over lemur. CUTE.

Giving it a grape (got it from the zookeeper himself)

Inside of the Bali Zoo, there was also an area called “Kampung Sumatera”. We could visit it by taking a provided bus. The Kampung Sumetera tour was awesome because we could see several charming elephants walking in a manmade lake, as well as spotted a tiger crossing a sky bridge. 

Oh, to be noted, it’s really cool that there’re several wastafels in specific spots to keep our hands clean!

As it was already time for lunch, we left Bali Zoo and proceeded to a Zomato-recommeded restaurant named “Pekandelan Warung”. It’s located in Gianyar, only 5-minute walking to the gate of Tegenungan Waterfall.

The menu varied, they offered international cuisines and local cuisines. We ordered Bebek Kunyit (Turmeric Duck) and Baramudi Fish Steak which were delicious! Astonishingly, it also offered fresh pineapple juice!  The vibe was so cozy, it’s inspired by ‘back to nature’ concept, proven by the fact that it had a small tree house! The friendliness of the lovely staff was also an added value. They appreciated our visit by posting our lunch photo in the restaurant’s instagram account, haha.

The signature dish: Bebek Kunyit

A beautiful plating!

After lunch, we went to the neighbor of the restaurant: Tegenungan Waterfall. The entrance fee was 15k per person.

To reach the waterfall, we had to prepare our legs for climbing up and down stairways. Let’s just assume that it’s a little exercise because as we arrived, our legs will be dancing. YES, we were awarded by the stunning waterfall view! It became more mesmerizing when we saw a RAINBOW APPEARED in the spray of the waterfall. For nature lover out there, you need to include this waterfall in your checklist J

my friend bought this trendy bag at the parking space of tegenungan waterfall. IDR130k after negotiation.

was messy, but look at the rainbow!

We agreed that our exhaustive efforts to generate flood of sweats (okay sorry for the hyperbole) should be rewarded by gelato!

Thus, we ordered grab and went to Gelato Secrets in Sanur. This small shop had a variety of unique flavor, I chose to have a waffle cone of crunchy pistachio and cheesecake with passion fruit. It’s a very decent gelato with standard price. Yum!

As it’s only 10-minute walk from the shop to the nearest beach, which was Karang Beach, we went for a stroll there. It’s very windy in the evening, the beach was calm and surprisingly uncrowded. We even managed to trespass a resort in order to go to the restroom and go back to the main street.

As we wanted to have budget-friendly dinner, we took a 20-minute walk from the beach to Pasar Sindu Night Market. The parking space of this market transformed into a celebration of local street food in the evening. There were several local food stalls and carts, they sell local delicacies such as fried rice, Balinese mix rice, fried chicken, satay, seafood, gorengan (fritters), and many more. I had Capcay and Lamb Satay there, they cost around IDR 30k in total.

Taken at Sindu Night Market

Excitingly, we saw many international tourists there, who seemed enthusiastic in having a taste of local cuisines. I saw a serious queue in front of the gorengan and martabak vendors.

gorengan hype

It was already about 9 pm and thus, we decided to take away Martabak Manis Keju as we got back to our Homestay.

As it appeared that one box of Martabak Manis didn’t enough to serve our Martabak addiction, we ordered another Martabak (this time two boxes, sweet and savoury) using Go-Food. Haha. What a tiring but also satisfying day!

hi babe!

BALI – DAY 1 – 7th AUGUST 2018

Hi! Finally, I come back, writing blog again, after one year of procrastination/laziness (or maybe just because I didn’t have the time to write, SO SORRY).

Anyway, I am now a university student, studying at Universitas Indonesia, in the second year of accounting major. 

hi to myself. haha. 

Now, I’d like to write about my term break, which lasts for 3 months, from the beginning of June until the beginning of September 2018.

So far, I have spent my holiday by going to China and Japan, Seaworld Indonesia, Bali, Puncak, and Singapore (not to mention I also watched lots of movies that came up in the cinema, and also strolled around shopping malls to hunt any attractive big sale haha).

At this time, I’d like to write first about my holiday in Bali! Bali was actually after China-Japan and Seaworld Indonesia, so pardon me that I don’t write my holiday activities chronologically. But please do enjoy!

Let’s start with DAY 1, and before you scroll down, here are the links to the other DAYS:

BALI 2018 DAY 2: http://diaryofmarvelaester.blogspot.com/2018/09/bali-day-2-8th-august-2018.html

BALI 2018 DAY 3: http://diaryofmarvelaester.blogspot.com/2018/09/bali-day-3-9th-august-2018.html

BALI 2018 DAY 4: http://diaryofmarvelaester.blogspot.com/2018/09/bali-day-4-10th-august-2018.html

Okay, here we go!  

BALI – DAY 1 – 7^th AUGUST 2018

I finally visited Bali after 2 years of waiting. This time, I went to Bali with my six college friends, who are in the same division of college organization with me. We’ve made a group chat in LINE, calling ourselves as a group of sprout beans.

We had booked our flights in several weeks before the D-day, we chose Lion Air and Air Asia for an affordable deal.

We arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport at 8 am. After we had been picking up our luggage, we got in into our rented car and started the journey.

Our first destination was NOOK as we wanted to have a brunch and take good photos. NOOK is basically an instagrammable restaurant that is surrounded by rice paddy field. The view was obviously wonderful and green, relaxing our eyes.

The vast rice paddy field

I have to say that some of the menu selections were unusual. For example, I ordered Quinoa & Kailan Breakfast Bowl, while my friend had Watermelon Sandwich. Yes, Watermelon Sandwich which consisted of bread, cream cheese, and juicy watermelon slices. In my opinion, the food were not that extremely delicious, but they tasted nice and worth the price due to the freshness of the ingredients and the cozy ambience.

Creamy Fettuccine, Watermelon Sandwich

Pretty-looking Quinoa & Kailan Breakfast Bowl

Then, the restroom was also unique in terms of the interior design. I can’t really describe it, but here’s the picture. This may sound weird, but I felt like I was breathing into the nature when I got in into the restroom.

The restroom

Btw, I also saw that NOOK offered mini gelato for IDR 14k which I guessed it’s affordable or probably cheap for a gelato in Bali. But I didn’t try it because it’s still windy, no need for ice cream.

A snapshot in Nook

Afterwards, we moved to MRS SIPPY, a beach club that offers salt water pool experience. The ticket was IDR 150k per person, it included 100k voucher which can be traded with either food or two towels. As there were seven of us, we managed to exchange our vouchers with Margeritha Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, French Fries, Nachos, two cans of coke, and one coconut drink. In my opinion, the Pizzas were the most worth it. The taste was in line with the price. The Nachos was actually really good due to the abundant toppings, but sadly, it’s a bit overpriced. Then, the coconut water was not worth it. It’s small, and we agreed that it’s definitely better to enjoy exotic coconut in the real beach rather than buying it in MRS SIPPY.

Margeritha Pizza

Coke and Coconut Drink

As I was having cold that day, I was the only one who didn’t swim among us. But the good thing was I didn’t feel bored at all. I actually enjoyed the chill out vibe of the club. I could take a good nap on a comfy mattress, pampered by the casual and relaxed atmosphere of the club.

I (literally) slept there

All of my friends said that got in into the pool was super fun, especially when it came into jumping from 5-metre diving board as well as sunbathing on cozy pool floats.

We were in MRS SIPPY from 2 am until 5pm. We decided to go to our accommodation afterwards, because we needed to take proper shower. Yes, MRS SIPPY didn’t allow the guests to take shower with soap/shampoo. 

Friendly place for you who aim for improved feeds haha

We chose Homestay Minimalis that’s located in Sanur as our accommodation. We found it at Airbnb, it’s such a good deal. Amazingly, the owner of the accommodation was very kind, the facilities were almost complete, and the atmosphere felt so homey. There were 4 bedrooms and 2 bathroom, and there was also water dispenser provided.

As it was already too late at night for searching proper restaurants, we had late dinner at nearby McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds. At Bali. Haha.

McDonald loyal customers (I was learning to be one of them)

I ordered McSpicy Chicken, and strangely, it was way spicier than the one I had had in Serpong. Was it maybe because most Balinese food are known to be spicy? Haha.

That’s the first day of our stay in Bali! Kindly click the link given above to move to the second day!