Time flies when you are having a good time! It was almost 10am when we woke up...we quickly headed to the restaurant for breakfast. Can't believe they are serving BUFFET breakfast here! Instead of 2 slices of bread and just ONE portion of egg for the past few days, today we can feast on unlimited eggs, fried meehoon, fried rice, bread, fruits, etc. Free flow of juices, coffee, etc...

After our breakfast, we decided to head to the nearest departmental store MATAHARI to check if they sell nice t-shirts. Quite disappointing...nothing special here. Reputed to be the dept store chain with a pan Indonesian presence with four branches in Bali. Hmmmm. No comment. After a quick tour, we headed back to the hotel as we need to check-out by 12pm. Unlike Malaysia where hotels normally allow you to extend check-out time FOC, you will be charged in Bali. Not even one (1) hour extra. If you want to, you pay.

We left our bags at the security, and our flight back to KL was at 2015
- we still have PLENTY of time. We took a cab to KUTA Art Market, but again, was dissappointed. Most of the stores are selling clothes, didn't see much "art" here. Not satisfied, we took a cab to LEGIAN market...still, most of the stores are selling clothes. Sigh.

A glance at the watch...WOW...12pm already! We stumbled upon KFC and decided to give it a try! Both of us shared 2 pcs of Black-Pepper Chicken, and a waffle! YUMMY! It was NICE =)

Before heading off to the beach, we decided to stop at HARD ROCK CAFE store to purchase some souveniers. Managed to buy a shirt for myself RP 225,000, and my nephew's at RP 195,000....YAY!

Finally, we reached KUTA beach! No serious tide...but can see many people surfing, anyway. Except for the waves (which occur in the evening) - this place looked like any Malaysian beaches minus the many gwailos and surf boards...

While walking on the beach, we were trailed by endless locals trying to sell us umbrellas, caps, beach mats, tatoo, hair braiding, manicure, pedicure, etc, etc, etc. Pretty annoying...One lady kept following me and pestering me to do hair braiding...offering me at RP 200,000....I said "No".....kept trailing me....RP 150,000...again, said "Tidak mahu lah"...RP 100,000....I told her..."Laa..tak nak ler" but she just won't give up. In the end, I agreed to do it at RP 50,000...will see how I look like with braided hair.

It took them about 1/2 hour to complete the task...hubby watched how they do it, and told me that he learnt the art and can help me do it in when back in Malaysia! Errm, but wait...does it look nice? *ahem* I had to put on my sunglasses! Yikes, it makes my face oh so ROUND!! Unfortunately, what's done is done...$$ already paid, will take some pics and leave it on until I reach Malaysia la. At least show it to my mum & sis!!

We still have SO MUCH time left. We have done enough shopping already...we can't go swimming as we already check-out...OMG....we have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do anymore!

The weather was darn hot...finally, we decided to enjoy some air-conditioning and spotted a familiar place...PIZZA HUT. What a relief!! Bali is really HOT & HUMID. We ordered fruit juices and a small pizza to share (yeah, more food)...and most importantly..to kill time! Snapped some silly photos...tick tock tick tock....geez, still LOTZ of time.

Hmm...we can't be sitting here all day! Even the waitresses kept asking is we would like to reorder (although the restaurant was quite empty).
Ok, that's it. We decided to go back and hailed a cab back to our hotel.

The weather is really killing me...it was so so so hot! Tak boleh tahan ler...ended up at this restaurant again (just across our hotel). It was a nice restaurant...cooling.....Then, a brilliant idea struck me!! To kill time, we decided to write down and analyse our trip expenses...hehe...what a good idea!! OMG...Didn't realise that we bought so much things until we really WRITE it down!

Finally, time is up! We headed back to the hotel which is just across the street and hop on to the van provided by the hotel....to the airport! See, airport transfer is provided by FOC by the Hotel which would otherwise, cost us another RP 55,000!

Adios Bali! We will be back...the next time, will ensure our hotel is booked way in advance!

"Wait!!"... the sun was dissappearing fast! See that TINY lil' round yellow thingy in the middle of the sea? That's the sun! We haven't even reach our seat yet and the sun was in a hurry to dissappear!

Oh, not "we"... it's only ME. Hubby went to the gents, and missed the whole "sun going down on me" thing! I only manage to capture the above shot to show him...it was only seconds!

Jimbaran Bay...lines of tables and chairs by the beach, setup in sunset-viewing position.
White sandy beaches...subtle wind...sound of the waves.....candlelight...definitely a MUST for couples! It is indeed a romantic place =)

Dinner comes in various sets with various pricing. We ordered the grilled seafood set plus a BBQ chicken. All meals are served with rice, veggies, and a variety of Balinese spicy sauces and dips. Price wasn't cheap at all. Our dinner easily cost us RP500,000 =P Served on banana leaves, thank god the food was delicious...or maybe we're hungry??

Would I go back to Jimbaran the 2nd time? Hmm. Well, yeah..why not? But the next time, will make sure I get a better deal...and ensure I reach the place at 6pm, at least! =)

After dinner, we headed back to Legian where we'll be staying for the final night. Nyoman mistakenly took us to Harmony at Seminyak. Alamak! Wasted some time there, but we finally reached Harmony Legian! Phew!

Next, we arrived at a coffee & cocoa plantation. We were served with complimentary Bali Coffee, Ginseng Coffee, etc, etc. Free tobacco leaves too, where you can wrap in a piece of paper and smoke like a cigarette.

Introducing kopi LUWAK - "The secret of this delicious blend," enthuses the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board, "lies in the bean selection, which is performed by a luwak, a species of civet cat endemic to Java. The luwak will eat only the choicest, most perfectly matured beans which it then excretes, partially digested, a few hours later. Plantation workers then retrieve the beans from the ground, ready for immediate roasting."

Har?? Poo from a civet cat? Indeed an expensive gourmet! Thanks, but NO Thanks. =P

In this farm, we can see the coffee beans being roasted and grinded the old-fashion way! This man is certainly proud to show off his skill:

Enough about coffee. Our next stop will be Kintamani to see Bali's active volcano, Gunung Batur! I was so excited. ACTIVE volcano! After paying for an entrance fee, Nyoman drove up the hill, and suddenly stopped his car on the road side. "We're here!" I was like..."HUH?"

Ok. So, it was a view of the ACTIVE volcano from FAR. It was almost 12pm, Nyoman suggested that we should proceed up the hill where we can further enjoy the scenie view while munching our food. At Batur Sari restaurant, it only cost us RP70,000 each for a buffet lunch with breathtaking view of the volcano....Not bad :)

Next! Nyoman will take us to see another scenic view - Tegalalang paddy terrace field. It's a "must-see", according to Nyoman. It is also known as "ceking rice padi terasering" meaning paddy field that were build like a staircase on the side of a valley. Sounds interesting!


Of course we can't help but pose for a nice picture for memory! This is our 1st holiday trip as the official Mr & Mrs =) It was indeed an amazing view! We let the pictures do the talking:


The photos might look a bit too small for you to admire...see this original piece from my humble Sony Ericson Z610i:

Next stop: Tanah Lot. The name Tanah Lot is probably from " tanah laut " which means land in the sea. It is the fact that the strong sea abrasion has separated the temple area with Bali mainland, so it looks that the temple nests on a small speck of rock building up on the ocean.

By the time we arrive, the sea water resided, as such, we are able to walk up to the sacred temple.

...A closer view...

We can see people queuing up for the "holy water". We queued up as well...to taste the "holy water". Amazing! The water source strangely comes from the sea, but the water doesn't taste salty at all. It tastes just like regular water, how strange!! The priest dabbed some rice on our forehead as a blessing and gave us a flower each!

We didn't wait for the sunset, instead...we need to rush off to Jimbaran Bay for our romantic seafood dinner by the beach! Hopefully, we'll be there on time to catch the sunset!!!

The Tirta Empul Temple was built around the springs and special bathing where its pond is believed to cure some sickness. Tirta empul means water that comes from the earth naturally. And until this day Balinese still believe the miraculous healing powers of the water.

Based on a legend, Bali was ruled by Mayadenawa (a very powerful giant) and ran the empire as a dictator. He became very arrogant because of his power and even prohibited the Balinese to pray to the God as he claimed to be their god. The Balinese people suffered and was afraid of Mayadenawa.

God then came to earth as a knight and challenged Mayadenawa. After a great fight, Mayadenawa ran and tried to hide. He was so angry with the Balinese people that he uses his magic and made the river water to became so poisonous that anyone who drank it, would die.

When the Knight (God manifested) found out, he took his arrow and shot it to the earth. And as the arrow pierced the earth, suddenly clear water appeared and flowed into the contaminated rivers to replace the poisonous water. From that day onwards, the water is used as medicine for people who get sick. And has since been called Tirta Empul or sacred spring. To honor the knight and miracle, the Balinese built a temple there.

And when there is a festival or ceremony in this temple you can see many people bathing in the ponds that has seven pancuran. The source of the water is from the sacred spring in the middle area. Not only can the water cure sickness but can also purify sins.

Took the above footage where clear water emerging from underneath. Clear & clean water - drinkable!

For the price we are paying at Yulia Inn, I was dissappointed with the breakfast served. It is as though it cost so much to provide us with a decent breakfast meal! Again, it was toast bread, egg and fruits. And egg - only one type for each guest: scramble/fried/boiled/etc. And geeez. Look at how pathetic they sliced the tiny sausage as deco.....

We quickly finished our breakfast and head off along the street hoping to find a better "valued" accomodation. Can't believe it is still FULL. Finally, my hubby found a decent "homestay" at the Warsi Bungalow. Checked the room...it was by far the biggest & the toilet is spacious and CLEAN too. Too bad there was no air-condition, only a ceiling fan but surprisingly, they have hot water. The price was only RP300,000 and I bet, their breakfast menu is similar to that of Yulia! Here's some picture I took with my modest Sony Ericson Z610i:

We confirmed the room and then we head off to the street again, this time to look for a KODAK camera shop as I forgot to bring my charger along :( It was such a surprise to find that most of the camera shop in UBUD still sell the film-type camera! After a long search, we finally found a universal charger...costly, but I reckoned it will be worth the $$ if I can recharge my camera and take beautiful pictures! It cost me an unbelievable RP 215,000!! And hey, it is MADE IN CHINA. Can't wait to test this out!

We then headed back to Yulia, had a quick shower and check out by 12pm. No extension of check-out time allowed here in Bali. Everything is chargeable =P. Hubby hailed a small van to take us to Warsi Bungalow located along the street and it cost us RP 9,000. After putting our bags at Warsi, we decided to head to this popular place, TROPICAL RESTAURANT for our lunch. Since we saved some $$ on our accomodation, it is time to have a feast! Yay! Luv the sate lilit here =D
After our lunch, we headed towards the Ubud Royal Palace - about 5 minutes walk from the restaurant. Also known as Puri Saren Agung, this place was the home of the last "king" of Ubud, and now his descendants live there. It was also Ubud's first hotel, opening its doors to paying visitors in the 1930s. Still operated as a small homestay style hotel. Hmm...I personally find it poorly maintained, and I didn't realise that is was also a hotel until I researched it over the internet =P

According to our driver Nyoman, the Ibu Oka Babi Guling stall is a MUST try. It is just located opposite the palace. We ordered one small portion to try....hmmm...I still prefer our local "siew yoke"....
*Burp*... time to head back to Warsi, take a shower and rest! While walking back, we saw some bicycles for rent...RP 30,000 per day.....hmmm....*tempted* suddenly, someone offered us a mbike for rent...also RP 30,000...wahh! Faster and easier...same price woh! Unfortunately, both of us doesn't have a mbike license! We declined and walk back to Warsi...

Hubby was still thinking of the mbike...with the bike...we can go to monkey forest and back...don't need to walk sooooooooo far =P. While I took shower, hubby went to enquire for bike rental. He was gone for almost an hour...I wonder...where is he laaa?!! Hehe..he actually went out to "practice" his mbike skills!! Not convinced, I told him that we'll walk to the Ubud Art Market instead of the bike since it is so near....we'll give the bike a try later when we want to go to Monkey Forest.

Ubud Art Market is just like our M'sia Pasar Malam...just that, here, they sell a lot of craft works..more like Chatuchak market in BKK. Bargained and bought quite a lot of souveniers for friends back in Malaysia =) Everywhere you go, there are unlimited sight of nude paintings and this:

Did you notice the lil' hello kitty tag??!!! Odd...hehehe!

Our final destination today would be the Sacred Monkey Forest. Instead of walking, I decided to hitch a ride from this Mat Rempit from KL ...*ahem*...not bad woh...we managed to reach our destination SAFELY!! Yay! Snapped this picture to show his mum!! Kekekeke....

Okay! Back to the Sacred Monkey Forest. Entrance Fee is only RP 5,000 per person and a stalk of banana to feed the monkeys later. Monkeys are everywhere, not as cheeky and naughty compared to those in Botanical Gardens, Penang....we walked around the whole forest and we see lotz of monkeys, and forest, more monkeys, more forest....and lotz of statues!

"Within Balinese Hinduism, monkeys can be the embodiment of both positive and negative forces. The dual nature of monkeys is especially reflected in the Ramayana (a very popular Indian epic poem). Within the Ramayana, Sita (the beloved bride of Rama) is abducted by Rawana (an evil king). Rama (an incarnation of Dewa Wisnu) calls upon Sugriwa (king of the monkeys) and Hanuman (Sugriwa's General) to help him retrieve Sita. However, within the Ramayana, there are also antagonist monkeys like Subali that attempt to assist Rawana. In the end, Hanuman, along with his monkey army, defeats Rawana's evil forces and helps Rama to retrieve Sita.Because monkeys can embody both positive and negative forces, the Balinese both loathe and revere monkeys. Monkeys that occupy sacred Balinese Hindu temple sites (like the Sacred Monkey Forest) tend to be revered and protected by the Balinese. One reason for this is that monkeys, in the form of a Barong, are believed to be capable of guarding temple sites against evil spirits. However, the Balinese belief that monkeys can be negative in nature is reinforced when, for example, they raid rice fields or snatch items from souvenier shops."

Wow! Read more at http://www.monkeyforestubud.com/monkey.html

Thank god for the bike! We don't have to walk all the way back to Yulia! It was fun riding the bike, we manage to see more things and can go almost anywhere!!

I have decided to call it our Balimoon instead. I doubt we will be able to have any romantic/intimacy/seclusion in our schedule as we STILL NEED TO FIND A PLACE TO STAY.

Yes, it will be our first trip together as Mr & Mrs, but my expectation of a honeymoon is so much different! I would picture myself with hubby in a nice hotel, enjoying spas, romantic dinner n such. So, this is our Balimoon where we will have to continue to look for a PLACE TO STAY and most probably, rent a vehicle or get a driver. Hopefully, don't need to sleep in the car...

We woke up around 8am and decided to walk around DEWA BHARATA before adjourning to our breakfast. (yes, it is included) Actually, it is quite a nice place, from outside that is. Look at the swimming pool...hehe - just that, it didn't fit into my expectation of a honeymoon-type of place to stay. And the mini hutan...yeah yeah...lotz of greenery...So, yeah..for Balimoon..it is ok.

We were given a menu to choose for our breakfast. Hmmm. You either choose fried egg or scrambled egg or boiled egg or hal-boiled egg. The rest are fixed. And hey, no sausage. No baked beans. Just bread and egg. They don't even provide butter or jam. Just plain toasted bread with egg of your choice. THANK GOD for their Balinese coffee!! It was the one and only thing I enjoyed =) Ok..not so bad lah...breakfast with a pool view...

Instead of driving ourselves, we decided to engage a driver. Costing us RP 300,000 for a trip to Safari Park & Ubud later, the driver also agreed to help us find for hotel in Ubud. If we rent a vehicle, it will cost us about RP 150,000 excluding petrol and we still have to find our way to the Safari Park & Ubud. So...we made the smarter choice by engaging Nyoman Sudarna. (Nyoman means third child in the family)

On the way to the Safari, we stopped at Sanur for lunch. According to Nyoman, this little shop is famous for it's Babi Guling. We have heard so much about it and decided to give it a try. There was a small queue, and I ordered a chicken set, while hubby ordered the babi guling set.

Honestly, I find our local Msian "siew-yuk" (in cantonese) taste so much nicer. Although the skin is crispy, but, I still prefer the Msian ones. In hubby's plate, it seems like there are several more fried items that are made from pork. Looks like internal stuffs....eeee...luckily, I chose the chicken set (although the chicken feet looks disgusting =P)! Ok ok only lah...

Finally, we arrived at the BALI SAFARI AND MARINE PARK. I can't wait to get up close and personal with the white Sumatrian Tiger!! The ticket was a little pricey, and we didn't have much choice as it comes in a package. One good example is that, we told the lady that we are not interested in the FUN RIDES (huh?) as we merely want to see the animals. Still, she insists that we purchase this "Jungle Hopper" package that cost us RP 721,000 for two tickets! Our driver told us to spend max two (2) hours...as we need to make our way to Ubud later...

Look carefully...

Closer....closer...... such a cutie!!

Look, a LIVE komodo!!

Look..ELEPHANT...but fake one laa...

Some facts here...apparently, the white tigers are NOT rare and NOT endangered species. And, there are not even a species. The white tiger is a mutant, and today - there are no white tigers in the wild...simply because, it would almost be impossible to survive as they would be disadvantaged by their colour. Preys would easily spot them! And oh dear, they are deliberately 'manufactured' by man - to be an attraction to zoos, etc. Sigh!!

Yes, it is unfair to keep animals in zoos and safaris. And yes, they should roam in the wild instead of being exhibits and money making tools! But then again, it is only here that we can get up close and personal with the wild animals...

Now that I read so much about the white tigers...it is certainly cruel to breed them for such purpose. Sigh!

Still on Day 2, after the Safari trip (we ended up spending almost 4 hours) we told Nyoman to take us to art villages to buy some paintings & craftworks. We knew that Ubud is the art centre of Bali and is famous for its artist & paintings.

Our flight was delayed. According to Airasia officials, it was due to heavy rain and instead of taking off at 4:45pm as per scheduled...we manage to fly only at 6:00pm. Wow...that was like 1 hour and 15 minutes worth of delay. And geez, we still have no hotel.

But, both our airfare cost only RM 140/= for 2 pax...RETURN!! Crazy eh? Well, with Airasia..EVERYONE can fly!

Upon landing in Ngurah Rai International Airport, we quickly checked out and headed straight to the little counters located just outside the terminal arrival exit on the right. We quickly went into one of the counter/shop to book our accomodation. "Full house", "No place", "Full".....except for some expensive villas which we find not worth the price as we planned to only stay one night in Kuta, and move to Ubud tomorrow noon. Hmmm.

Finally, they managed to get us a place at USD35 called DEWA BHARATA BUNGALOWS in Kuta. Huh? Bungalow? For 2 persons? Ok, whatever, so long we have a place to nap tonight. We then queued at the taxi counter and paid RP55,000 for a ticket, and off we go!!

The first thing I checked, was the TOILET. Luckily, it was CLEAN...old, but CLEAN. The room was "ok"...small, but CLEAN. Took some pictures:


I was somehow put-off by the toilet. Although it is clean, but it is so old that I can't help but feel yucky! So, decided to skip bathing, and go off straight to find food! It was almost 10:30pm...and the street was filled with youngsters and foreigners in pubs n such. Loud music was everywhere and the street was busy with bikes and cars. Hmm, even horsey on the road at night??

We both ordered "Nasi goreng ala Bali" and yummy! It was simply delicious! Hmm...before going back to Malaysia..must go buy some "rempah" for the Nasi Goreng for mum...*sedapnye*

After dinner, we continued to walk on the street for a while before heading back to our "bungalow"...ZZZzzzzzZZZzzzzzzz..........