Doing this post as requested by a fellow Instagrammer. Hehe. I've been active on Instagram these past few months and planned to record all my travels through instagram instead of blogging about it. Reason being, it geo-tags all my pictures on a world map! Awesomeness! But guess a blogpost is needed so here it goes on Bali, Indonesia. Costs included. =)
1. Rent a car with a driver
Car rental - Rp 500,000 ++/day (depends on how much they like you. haha!)
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| Our drivers in Bali, contact number - +6281337750722 (Ironei) :) |
It's cheap! I mean it! It's really, REALLY cheap to just hire a driver with a car of your choice. Price differs according to the size of the group you're traveling with. In my case, it was a group of 8 people.
Hint: Drivers without driving license are the cheapest kinds. LOL!
2. Go to Hard Rock Cafe/Hotel at Kuta Beach
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| Hard Rock Hotel in Bali, Indonesia and it's shop. Rp300,000 per city shirt piece. |
Ala, come on! I know most of the travelers are avid t-shirt or pin collectors of the Hard Rock Cafe merchandise. I just happen to be one. Well, just starting my own collection so this place is a MUST visit on my list!
Kuta Beach
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| A picturesque Kuta Beach. Surfing anyone? Or perhaps sunbathing? =) |
Well known for it's bombings in 2002 and 2005 killing many tourists, it is still a major tourist attraction in Bali. Kuta is well-known for it's long sandy beaches,various accommodations and hotels, and has many restaurants and bars. You could also see surfers and sunbathers here. The Balinese actually held an event called the "
Kuta Carnival - a celebration of Life" to commemorate those who perished in the bombings and it lasts 9 days long.
3.
Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK)
Entrance Ticket - Rp 30,000/pax
Its a private cultural park spanning about 240 hectares. Used as a venue to cater weddings, concerts, events it also houses two large statues which are the armless Hindu God Vishnu and his wingless mount, the Garuda. The Garuda is his mythical bird companion. It's rumored to have its wings built spanning 23 meters long and will make it the LARGEST statue in the world. When will it be completed? I have no idea. Wiki too.
This park comprises of supporting facilities such as Lotus Pond, Festival Park, Amphitheater (to watch the Kecak Dance!), Street Theater, Exhibition Hall, as well as Jendela Bali The Panoramic Resto and souvenir shop. A good one-stop tourist spot in Bali. More of it can be read
here. =)
4. Pura Luhur Uluwatu
Entrance Ticket- Rp 20,000/pax
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| The beautiful sunset at Uluwatu and the menacing monkeys on the picture below, far right. |
It is a Balinese Sea Temple and said to be among the nine directional temples built in the 11th century to help protect Bali from evil spirits. I can simply describe this place in two words, breathtakingly beautiful! Oh and beware of the monkeys. they tend to be very aggressive. If they see you wearing shades, they'll quickly SNATCH it from your face!! OH Em Gii!! I've seen it done!!!
Kecak & Fire Dance (balinese Cultural Show) - Rp 70,000/pax
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| And the man walks on FIRE! |
The Kecak Dance is actually an adaptation of an ancient ritual ceremony called Sanghyang that washeld to purify a village during an epidemic. In this ceremony two young girls would go into a trance and communicate with the spirits in order to find the cause and cure the problem. It also incorporates some episodes of the ancient Hindu epic, Ramayana. (I only recognize the monkey king from this dance. haha!).
5. Tegalallang Rice Terrace
Entrance Ticket- Rp 5,000/pax
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| Beautiful rice terraces seen from above. Kids were there to sell postcards. |
Need I say more? It's simply a ravishing place to rest your sore eyes and take numerous pictures! There are also some cafes and handcrafts shops along the road lest you want to buy some souvenirs. I actually bought postcards from a lovely Balinese girl just because she was so cute and talkative. Oh well, paid Rp50,000 for the postcards when in fact I can get it at a cheaper price at Tanah Lot. Woes is me!
6. Ubud
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| Puri Desa Lan, known for it's architectural structure and artsy crafts found in Ubud. |
It is known as the cultural center of Bali and one can find artists' workshops and galleries throughout the place. There are also some remarkable architectural sites here as seen in the pictures above taken by yours truly. Too bad we didn't get to go the market place as it was closed due to Hari Raya Galungan dan Kuningan, a hindu festival. =)
7. Kintamani and Mount/Lake Batur
Entrance Ticket - RP 7,500/pax
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| Locals love going here to just absorb the scenic view. =) |
Bali still has a very much active volcano called the Batur Mountain. If the weather was nice enough, you could actually see larvae around the volcanic tops.
8. Tirta Empul - TampakSiring
Entrance Ticket - Rp 3,000 (if not mistaken)
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| Many locals were taking their bath here as it was Hari Raya for them. |
This temple was said to be found in 926AD and ever since for a thousand of years, it has been a sacred bathing ground for Balinese for healing and spiritual merits. Fortunately for us, a mere coincidence that my friends and I were there during the Hindu festival and many Balinese were present to perform the sacred bath. Maybe next time I'll bath myself here when it's less crowded. Previous tourists who did so actually experienced a smoother and cleaner skin after doing so!
9. Tanah Lot
Entrance Ticket - Rp 10,000
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| Pura Ranah Lot Temple: A Hindu ceremony was being held here as it was Hari Raya during our visit. |
Once you enter the archway of an entrance from the parking lot, you'll come upon rows and rows of souvenir shops. I had to walk a little further down the walkway to reach the beach and by golly the view was mesmerizing! I basically held my breath when I saw the beach and the sea temple it grazes. This place is among the seven
sea temples (as also said for Uluwatu) that form a chain along the south-western coast. Too bad I didn't get to visit the other 5 remaining sea temples. Sigh.
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| The sunset at Tanah Lot. =) |
10. Krishna Souvenir Shop
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| Krishna, your favorite local gift shop. |
"I love Bali" t-shirts are exceptionally CHEAP here! Those could only cost you around Rp 18,000 per piece! There are many items being sold here and some in bundles, so you could basically spend hours to no end just browsing what to buy. Make it your last stop (or first) to buy what you desire. =)
With that I end my introduction of Bali and the places I've personally visited from the 6th to 9th September 2012.. If you plan to do the same, you could follow the itinerary below. Just show it to your driver and he'll do the rest. =)
Day 1
1. Kuta Beach
2. Hard Rock Hotel & cafe
3. Krishna Souvenir Shop
4. Garuda Kencana Wisnu Cultural Park (GWK)
5. Uluwatu
Day 2
1. Tegalallang Rice Terrace
2. Kintamani and Mount Batur Volcano
3. TampakSiring
4. Tanah Lot
~ End of Post ~
