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.