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Perhentian Island (low season, virtually no one in sight)

serene

Sunset at coral bay!!

Out for a little ride

Sandy white beaches of Flora Bay

Coral Bay from the cliff

Coral Beach panorama

Coral Bay

Bali!!!!!!

Basically, I had based myself in three places namely Penelokan, Ubud and Kuta for the one week duration I was there. These places became base camps from which me and my friends explore the adjacent regions. On the contrary, we did not try squeeze in as many places to visit as possible because the main purpose is to RELAX, not slaving away.

The view from my balcony at Hotel Surya. Beautifool...

Of the three places, Penelokan and Ubud are the more scenic spots, Penelokan more so. Penelokan was my first destination after touching down at Ngurah Rai. It did not give me a good impression at first because the moment we reached Penelokan, people swarmed us with souvenirs, food, hotel rooms expecting us to at least buy a little and sounded sour when we refused. These guys were a persistent lot! Another little thing I dislike about the people here was dishonesty. The bemo guy did not bring me to Toya Bungkah despite my constant reminder to bring me to MY choice of place and not theirs. But these guys DID NOT drive me there, instead they drove me to this Hotel Surya just at the lake edge after I paid for a ride to Toya Bungkah. What I am to do, these are the people behind the wheels. Anyway, thank goodness the room was great value (20000 rp per person) and the view was gorgeous!!! The moment I stepped out of the room, I could see in full view Mt. Batur, Danau Batur, Mt. Abang and the surrounding forest. There were also bamboo benches outside the room to chill out while enjoying the strong afternoon breeze which smelled faintly of sulphur. This is a great place to do nothing, read a book, and have a chat while waiting for meal times.

Entrance to Pura Puncak Penulisan

Explored the nearby villages of Penulisan, Batur and Kintamani around the crater rim (massive rim due to the 1829 explosion) after a late sumptuous lunch. Visited Pura Puncak Penulisan, a Balinese-Hindu temple which offered a good lookout point for the surrounding villages and Mt Batur. After that, we went to Pura Ulun Danu on the way to Kintamani. Too bad there weren’t any religious festivals happening at that time.

The guardian

Intricate facade treatment

Prayer time

Hmm..

At Pura Ulun Danu Batur

This is where they house the gods

Main gate, I think..

Entrance archway, I think..

Mt Batur and Mt Abang seen from Pura Ulun Danu

Pre-sunrise, gotta hurry up!

Sunrise as seen from Mt Batur

The next morning it was the inevitable climb up Mt Batur. There is nothing to do in Penelokan except a trek up the volcano (inactive for some years now), play the role of a responsible tourist and get to know the lowdown on the history of eruptions in Bali. The trek started very early at 4 am, and trying to make sense of the unfamiliar terrains of the volcano without a flash light was a new experience (I didn’t bring my torchlight). Very different from the tropical rainforests which I am more able to identify with. Anyways, the trek up was well worth all the sweat and bruises. In short, the view from up there during sun rise was indescribable. What can I say? I can only liken it to a beautiful woman who doesn’t need any amount of makeup and can still dazzle.

Another view towards Danau Batur and Mt Abang

Finally reached the peak of Mt Batur after a 3 hour trek.

Friends

The trek up the other peak. Mt Abang can be seen in the background

After the sunrise, I and a few friends commenced to another peak. It was a scary trek as we had to tread on the rim of the volcano’s mouth and it was steep and the paths narrow. Thank god for the guide. This is something really new to me as there were little holes purging out heat or steam (depends) along the way. The paths sometimes were slippery sand and ash which is hard to climb. The landscape was barren with brownish grasses, edelweiss and little fern-like plants.

Above the clouds

The entourage

Me and Hang Sau. i love this place!

Narrow paths and rising steam

another panorama

The inside of the crater (I think from the most recent eruption)

A smoking big crater

Brown and barren (inside the crater)

Having a nice meal (stil waiting for food to come)

Off to Ubud!!! Compared to Danau Batur, Ubud had way more tourists and it took a while to get accustomed to. While at Mt. Batur, there were only around 15 to 20 other tourists. In Ubud, tourists were overwhelming, it can be safely said that there were more tourists in Ubud than local people. Or so it seemed to me.

Ubud had a quaint feeling that is hard to find elsewhere. Little shops, narrow pavements, a relaxed vibe, great food, small alleys, little objet d’arts and friendly people. My personal favourite was Monkey Forest Road. And there is Ibu Oka’s Babi Guling! Absolutely divine and delicious unlike the foods that I am accustomed to.

Monkey Forest Rd

See those white cloth hanging on a line?

The long walk to the neighbouring Penestanan paddy fields revealed the quiet villages and paddy farming practices which is still quite primitive. In other countries where farmers use scarecrows to scare away birds, the Balinese farmers used a connection of strings and tincans, aluminium plates and colourful cloths which produces a unique sound to repel hungry birds.

Penestanan village's paddy field

Pagoda-like pedestals/temples?

Good to the last drop!

A terraced paddy field

From Ubud, we hired a kind driver to bring us to the Sayan paddy fields, the Pura Taman Ayun and Pura Lot Tanah temples. Views along the roads were great, but none was more productive than a spontaneous stop at the watermelon farm which had just been harvested and was selling juicy fresh melons with the vines still intact! Delicious to the last drop!!!

Pura Taman Ayun entrance

Pura Taman Ayun near Mengwi

Posing in sarongs

Xiao Xuan with the famous temple in the background

The cliff-y Pura Tanah Lot

Ecstatic!

Pura Tanah Lot after sunset

Sunset at Legian beach

Kuta was a bit too hectic for us after a big portion of time spent in villages and quiet towns. It is even safer to say that tourists are the local people in Kuta, there were loads of them everywhere. Its kinda difficult to hear someone speak Balinese or Bahasa Indonesia here, people here speak English, German, French, Chinese, Japanese (way too much tourists!). Loads of little shops around in which the case was Prada, Tommy Hilfiger and Paul Smith stand proud in the midst of small restaurants, surf shops and guest houses. Way too commercialized and did not reflect the life of Balinese people.

Another oblgatory Ronald McDonald entry, this time a surfing Ronnie

That's me!

The beaches of Kuta and Legian seemed so-so only and there weren’t much privacy around. Masseuses, manicurists, hair braiders and all sorts of amateurs with something to sell swarmed anyone who set foot on the beach. They were very difficult to brush off and it was not a place to be rude. Thank goodness for surfing lessons! It only costed me USD10 and yes, I can surf now! Can’t do the stunts though but it was a great experience. I never thought I could do this as I am in real life as blind as a bat without my trusty glasses. Well, a pair of contact lenses did the job for me but it was a struggle that is never to be forgotten as I couldn’t put the lens into my eyes, they were too small (my eyes, I mean). It took a good 20 minutes to get it in. Phew..

By the way, I suspected that the surfing instructors are actually gigolos at night. I think they were trying to get me to hire them… Asked me whether I had a boyfriend and whether I liked clubbing and was lonely? Hmm… suspicious.

At Kuta, I lived in a small inn just behind the 2002 bombing site. Spooky, especially during those late night walks home..

After surfing and a massage...