Ahhhh, Bali. I miss Bali just by writing this here. Bali is my definition of chill and laid back.
You see, this Bali adventure is almost a year in the making. There is much stuff that we need to take care of just so we can finally push this travel through. One is if you know me, you most certainly know I don't book airline tickets with its regular price. I am always counting on seat sale because hell yeah, you can really save a lot of money with that sale and call me weird but finding promo tickets is fun for me. With all the website crashing, the heavy stress load on the website, with everyone on the hunt, it just feels satisfying finding tickets on your preferred dates. :)
I actually booked this Bali trip last December 2017 and I remember patiently waiting for Piso fares because this would be my last stop and the last country to complete my Southeast Asia bucket list. It was not in my plan to visit everything (except Brunei) before I turn 25 but I did! And it also became a birthday trip because it coincided with my 25th birthday! And that's one reason why this trip is very special to me. 1. It coincides with my birthday. 2. My first international travel with boyfriend (I will not rant how hard it is for us to travel because of his work but you get the point right?) 3. It is the last country on my Southeast Asia bucket list.
So from now on, I'll be visiting other countries aside from SEA. My friends usually ask me why I don't visit Japan or Korea or Taiwan or other touristy places. And the answer is I just want to backpack around Southeast Asia while I can. I mean I know I probably won't be able to survive it if I'll visit it on my early 30s or maybe even late 20s. I saved those comfortable countries in that age bracket. It's also not fair to say I won't revisit SEA countries because I know I will. Who can resist the very beautiful SG? Or the very Manila like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur? I am always looking forward to revisiting these cities.
So yeah... Back to Bali. I am not exaggerating when I say 4 days is not enough. And I mean it is REALLY REALLY not enough because the island is just so big that if you really want to enjoy it, I would say allot at least a week! Unfortunately for us, even though I want to extend our stay, we just cannot. So we just have to enjoy what's there to enjoy, right? I just made a promise to myself that I'll come back. Because also believe me when I say Bali is very chill and nice. <3 It is just the perfect blend of nature and city life.
I booked our accommodation in Cara Cara Inn and also booked a private villa somewhere in Ubud using Airbnb. If you like a cute and very cool hostel, I suggest go book Cara Cara inn. It's like Flotsam and Jetsam. They have a variety of rooms for different kinds of traveler. Very instagrammy and if you like meeting new people from all around the world, then this place is for you! The breakfast serving though is not filling so if you're a heavy breakfast eater, you might not get satisfied with the serving.
On the other hand, our Ubud accommodation is the bomb!!! Very peaceful, very close to nature, breakfast is very filling. Our stay is so worth it! If you want the exact place I booked, message me and I'll give you the link to our accommodation. :) I'll blog it about some other time.
The elevator in Cara Cara Inn
Did I also say that I am very excited for my boyfriend because this is his first passport stamp! Hurray! Haha. It's funny how he asks questions about airport stuff like immigration and checked-in bags. Lol
We arrived at Ngurah Rai airport at around 8AM. We already booked a driver via Klook and also paid for our sim card. Everything was hassle-free and our driver Astika is very nice. Also, guys a piece of advice, if you are booking drivers for your Bali trip, book it in Klook. This is the cheapest I've come across with. Everything else is just so expensive.
I told our driver to go to Cara Cara Inn first so we can leave our bags there and freshen up before the tour because you know.. 3:50 AM flight? I really don't have enough sleep so I looked like a panda. After checking in and freshening up, I told our driver to go somewhere we can have our breakfast and exchange our money. Our driver pulled over beside a small local restaurant where we first ate legit nasi goreng and mee Goreng.
Mee Goreng for me
Nasi Goreng for the boyf
Remember when I say Bali is very big? Yup. Our travel time from Cara Cara Inn to our itinerary for the day was like 2 hours! Yup, it's like we traveled from Manila to somewhere in Pampanga (of course without the traffic). That's how big the island is. You might look at the map of Bali as something small but girl.. You have no idea how far these places are from each other.
So, our first stop after eating breakfast is Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. Entrance tix cost Rp50,000. The special thing about this temple is that it floats. But the thing is, if you come here when the water is low, then it will not obviously float. Just like during the time we went here. It isn't floating. Also, this is a breath of fresh air from the Buddhist temples I came across last 2018. Hindu Temples are also nice, isn't it? This Hindu temple is dedicated to the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Also, aside from the temple itself, there are many other things to see in the vicinity. So yep, this one is a must when visiting Bali.
So sad it's not floating during our visit.
Most of the places here are like a gold mine already because they will charge like a 100 pesos for a picture at certain place. And that is per head! Take these Wanagiri Hidden Hills for example. It's just a gate right? But we paid 30000 IDR each just to take a photo here! Insane! On the bright side, we met a Filipino photographer who took our photos for free. hehe. It's actually nice of him because when he gave his business card, he's associated with Tree House Story, which if you're not aware, is one of those big names photography and in covering events such as prenup, weddings, etc. The first photo on this post is actually his shot, say whutttt? I'll put his name at the end of the post for proper photo credit.
Then those hanging birds nest, swings you see on instagram? Oh yeah.. They all have entrance fees! I forgot the exact name of the place but it was our driver Astika who brought us there. I really had no idea they this place just for taking photos. But to be fair, the view is really good! Plus the staff will direct your poses, tell you what to do, will assist you in each "station" until you get your shot. Just in this place alone, you'll probably get a week's worth of Instagram post lol!
So yep, all of those photos are taken in one place. :)
Astika also brought us to a coffee place where you can sample different kinds of coffee. Their main product Luwak Coffee which for just tastes the same when compared to other coffee. Also, I would their coffee is good, only that is instant. I'm not a fan of coffee but I don't really like drinking 3-in-1 or instant in that matter because I believe it contains a lot of sugar and unknown chemicals/ingredients. They also sell different kinds of instant tea such as turmeric.
On the other hand, the location is nice. The place is serene.
The types/kinds of tea and coffee we sampled.
Our last stop was supposed to be Tanah Lot temple but we ran out of time and our driver said it's another hour away so thanks but no thanks. Instead, he brought us to Taman Ayun Temple.
After a full day exploring, we headed back to the hostel to rest first before heading out for dinner.
There are a lot of nice restaurants in Kuta. This is the city area so there are a lot restaurants offering different cuisines. For our dinner on our first night, we decided to eat local food again because hello, are you really travelling if you don't sample different local food? The downside though is that since this is the city area and this is where tourists like us stay, the price is expensive.
Nasi Campur
One of things I liked in Bali is the food. I certainly did gain a pound or two because everything has rice! "Nasi" means rice so when see you see something in the menu that has "nasi" in it, it is in fact a rice meal. Their food is actually nice. My boyfriend would agree Nasi Campur (read as Nasi Champur, they pronounce C as CH) is a must try! As well as their suckling pig!! My favorite is their suckling pig while my boyfriend fancy nasi campur more.
And of course, while you're at it, do not forget to try Bintang beer. ;)
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