Bali 4D3N RM1000

I have lots to say in this post. There are too much ups and downs before and during my journey in the land of Bali. If you are lazy to read, just skip the first two paragraphs. I have been struggling for the past 4 months to prepare for my professional exam in July. I studied day and night non-stop for 4 months. It's been the toughest and the most challenging period of my life so far. I even thought of giving up sometimes, because I was physically and emotionally exhausted. If you ask me, do I regret for picking up MBBS? I would say, sometimes yes but I feel proud of what I have learned. This is my inner conflict. I sacrificed my health for my studies. I had gastric problems on and off for 1 month, followed by indigestion and constipation. I know I shouldn't do this, but I don't want my 2 years of hard work just wasted like this. I told myself, 'no matter what's the outcome, at least you tried'. I don't want to regret in the future. I want no more 'I could do better'. So as a self encouragement, I bought a ticket to Bali in April.

This has always been what supporting me throughout the whole period while I was preparing for my exam. My Bali trip happen to fall on the week after my exam. Just few days before my trip, I was notified that 2 of my friends couldn't make it. Initially, there was 5 of us, but now left only 3. I was excited for this coming trip but my excitation ceased after knowing this. Anyway, we still have to move on even though it's just 3 of us.

Finally, the day has arrived. We bought a bus ticket to KLIA 2 from one utama. I went to the wrong bus stop and nearly miss the bus. Thank God I made it at the end. My journey to Bali began like this. Adventurous, terrifying and exhausted because I walked 3000 steps in just 15 minutes to look for the bus. After we reached the airport, we went to pick up our Wifi pocket. We rented it at a rate of  RM26/500 MB per day from KLOOK. It took 3 hours from KLIA to Bali airport. We booked a driver beforehand. We can go wherever as our wish. The transportation fee for 4 days long is Rp. 2,400,000. We went to Uluwatu Temple and Labuan beach after lunch before we headed back to Ubud, where our accommodation located.

1. Uluwatu Temple
It is a Balinese Hindu temple located at south Kuta built on a cliff named Uluwatu. It resemble The Twelve Apostles of Australia. Even though the sun was hanging high up on the sky but the breeze was cooling. Maybe because of the sea breeze effect.

Entrance Fee: Rp. 30,000 (Adult)

You will see this long walkway before you reach the cliff. It's a good spot for your ootd photo ;)

Just realized there is a rainbow in this photo! How lucky am I :)

My favorite blues <3

Can't get my eyes off this view.

Mini version of The Great Wall of China.

I can stare at this view for hours.

I like this photo very much. Taken by our driver. Credit to Samsung camera ;)

2. Labuan Sait Beach

Next, we headed to Labuan beach. It just located not far away from Uluwatu Temple. We just spent 15 mins there because nothing much else can we do except taking few pictures.

Entrance fee: Rp. 10,000 (Adult)

 I'm not sure what is this. Look like palace kind of building.

Way to the beach.

You need to pass through this narrow fissure of the stone before you reach the beach.

The way we used to return to the main road. Oh my, so many staircases. @_@

There are some stalls selling sarung on the way to the beach.

Tada, we reached the beach finally! So many humans doing photosynthesis here.

Everyone was wearing swim suit/ bikini at the beach. We are the only outliers who wear t-shirt and long pants hahahaha and people looked at us differently, who cares. 

3. Barong Dance

On the second day, we went to watch the traditional Balinese dance, Barong dance. Beside Barong dance, they have Kecak dance also. Frankly speaking, I don't understand what the message of the dance was trying to convey, even I was given a descriptive sheet.

Entrance fee: Rp.100,000

The Barong.

These two girls represent the servants of Rangda (monster).

A close-up look of the Barong.

4. Tegenungan Waterfall

It's a famous tourist spot. You can see many people chilling here even in the morning. It's located inside a forest. There is a long way to walk and go down the stairs before the waterfall appears in front of you.

Entrance fee: Rp. 15,000

You can see many shops selling their traditional Balinese product including batik, handcraft outside the waterfall. I think the products selling at these places is way more cheaper (for the quotation) than you buy in Ubud market. I will talk about the Ubud market later. I found this sign board funny. Yes, you get a free toilet visit if you purchase something at the shop. The usual marketing technique is buy 1 free 1 but this one is free toilet hahaha. I know why they do this because you won't be able to see any public toilet there.

Waterfall view from top.  The waterfall is located inside a forest. Before you reach the waterfall, you need to go down multiple staircases. Going down wasn't a problem for me but going up was. It's a reminder for me to exercise. My stamina is n times worse than before I enter MBBS. No excuses. Yes, you are right, I'm lazy. :p

Saw this on the way down to the waterfall.

Baby Tegenungan Waterfall.

Many rock balancing built by the river.

Amazing rock balancing art. W-O-W.

One step closer to the waterfall.

You can feel the water splashing on you even you are this distance away from the waterfall. Do not underestimate the current of water from top. It can kill seriously.

5. Mount Batur

This is an active volcano located nearby Mount Agung which just erupted few weeks ago. The cool breeze swept across you just as if you are situated at the Genting Highlands. I love the weather in Bali. KL is way too hot for me. I miss the weather in Bali after I returned to KL.

6. Luwak coffee plantation

NO entrance fee required. The driver just dropped us at the door of the farm and one worker guided us in. In case you don't know what is luwak coffee, this is the coffee that has been processed inside the intestine of luwak (a kind of cat) then excreted out. The luwak coffee that you consume is actually the feces of the luwak. No worries, we just took the bean inside the capsule of coffee bean. So, it's safe to drink. I've heard of this before in the drama and I felt extremely disgusting. How can we consume the feces of animal. But after the worker's explanation, I start to understand what exactly is luwak coffee. Don't feel embarrassed, I had the same thought as you ;)

Greeny walkway.

This is the luwak who eats coffee bean then process it inside their body. Besides eating coffee bean, it eats papaya and all sort of fruits too. So, you need not to worry about the cleanliness of the coffee you drink. This luwak basically a vegan.

The beans are being reprocessed again after taken out from the capsule by roasting them in a wok. I can smell the aroma of coffee from here. This woman was roasting coffee beans.

Different stages of coffee bean in process. From the lower left corner, you can see these are the coffee beans that just came out from the intestines of luwak.

View behind the coffee farm.

These are the testers. 12 types of coffee, cocoa and tea were given for free! In my own opinion, I prefer ginseng coffee and lemongrass tea. I don't like the taste of ginger. There are these 2 types of tea I have never heard of: mangosteen tea and rosella tea. Both are red in colour. Both tasted weird to me. The rest are normal.

This is the famous luwak coffee. It costs Rp. 50,000 (around RM15) for one cup. We shared this cup of coffee together. The cup wasn't big, similar to the size of espresso cup. We are not coffee professional. We don't find this cup of coffee special. It tasted just like normal Nescafe. Anyway, never try, never know.

Amelia shot this for me because the background is too beautiful to be missed. (Not promoting New Balance, thank you)

There is a cow in the farm. Poor cow, it looks lonely.

7. Pura Tirtha Empul

This is a holy spring temple. People come here to pray for health, family. Do remember to bring a sarung to cover up your lower limbs when you enter the temple. Females who are having menstruation are not allowed to enter the temple. 

Entrance fee: Rp. 15,000 (Adult)

I was holding their daily praying material (canang sari).

People praying in this holy spring. They move from one output to another from the left. Each output represents different prayers.

People used the spring water to wash their face but I just patted the water on my face. The water is cooling but the person behind me was urging me to go faster. In fact, I took no more than 5 seconds. Such an impatient person tsk tsk.

The driver told us that the spring water came out from below, that's why you see the water ripples.

8. Tegallalang Rice Terrace
In Malaysia, we do have paddy field but the arrangement is different from Bali. In Bali, the paddy field is in terrace arrangement. This kind of arrangement is to increase the surface area, so that more paddy can be harvested. I only see this kind of paddy field in my geography textbook before. Never thought that I could witness it with my own eyes one day.

Entrance fee: Rp. 10,000

Saw this at the entrance. It is a blanket made up by many small pieces of clothes. They sewed together as a big blanket. This makes me think of my mother because she used to make this kind of blanket to us. The is the best blanket on earth. The warmth of mother's love.

The terrace paddy field.

Outside the paddy field, there is a street. You can see locals selling souvenirs everywhere.

At night, we headed back to Ubud, the town where we stayed. We walked across almost the whole Ubud in 3 hours. Ubud is a small town in Bali.

 This street is similar to the Jonker Street at Malacca where you can see lots of shops selling different products.

I was amazed by this stall while I was strolling along the street. Yes, this is their petrol station. It looks like a stall selling some liquid to me at first but when I look closely, it is actually a petrol station. It is fresh to me as I don't see this in Malaysia.

The night view of Ubud street is peaceful.

 

Found some cute statues outside a restaurant at Ubud.

 

We walked more than 30 mins to look for this Starbucks. It has a traditional Balinese style design. It is located in front of the Saraswati Temple. I checked the prices, some of the beverages selling at Bali Starbucks are more expensive than Malaysia.

 This is the Saraswati Temple. They were having Kecak dance (traditional Balinese dance) that night. How beautiful it is with the reflection of the lake.

After that, we went to a supermarket at Ubud. I was terrified by a fury thing that run across my leg. Who knows it's a dog. Pets are allowed to enter the supermarket of Bali.

These are the Kewpie sauces that are not available in Malaysia. And I realized that they mainly sell their local brands rather than international big brands. Many products available in Malaysia were not seen in Bali. As a person on budget, I always compare the price. Something is cheaper in Malaysia but expensive in Bali and vice versa.

We only saw Guardian in Bali. No Watson. So far this is the only Guardian that has the design of Balinese culture at Ubud.

9. Ubud market

On the 3rd day, we decided to pay a visit to the famous Ubud market. We went there at two different timing, in the morning and evening. Both timing have different vendors selling different things. In the morning, you can see mainly vegetables, fruits, food and praying materials stalls. However in the evening, you can see stalls selling souvenirs. For those who like to bargain, this is your place to shine. I don't like to bargain because it's very tiring. I rather not buying anything. I still remember few vendors reduced the price to half by themselves after we walked away but we were still not buying it because it's too expensive even the price is halved. Choose the right vendor to bargain because some will even show you faces if you bargain with them. The market opens till 6pm. Happy shopping!

 This is the morning market.

 They need to improve on their environment hygiene.

This is the evening market.

10. Tanah Lot Temple

It looks like temple floating on the sea with high tide. When the tide subside, we are allowed to walk from the mainland to the temple. The tide usually subside at 5pm. Hence, it is also an attraction for sunset lover.

Entrance fee: Rp. 60,000

 This is one of the temples. But we were not allowed to enter because the waves were too strong.

 This is the temple I mentioned above.

  

 Another temple (the one at the middle). It does look like floating on the ocean right? The strong waves crashing hard on the temple. But when the tide subside, we are allowed to visit this temple.

This is the temple at the middle of the ocean.

 See how strong the waves were.

  Off we go!

11. Ubud palace

We decided to visit this palace because we left not much money hahaha. Nothing much to see here. We just took few picture and left.

Entrance fee: Free

House on the tree.

12. Bali Orchid Spa

Our driver booked this spa for us. We didn't expect it would be so expensive. Because we walked through the Ubud street on the night before and the range is between Rp. 70,000 to Rp. 100,000. The original price for our package is USD 70. But because our driver brings his clients here often so he got a special price for us. We only had Rp. 100,000+ remaining on the last day and it was not enough to pay for the spa. So, we requested to cancel the appointment. You know what is more shocking? We are required to make full payment even we cancel the appointment. I was like, WHAT?! Our day was ruined because we were forced to do the spa even we have not enough money. At the end, we came out with the solution that we pay with Ringgit Malaysia. After discount, the price is more affordable. We took the package of two hours spa and massage. The package menu is shown below. This is my first spa experience. My skin did look better after the treatment. Overall, I would give (8/10). 

 They have single room and twin room.

 Thalasso foot wash.

 Flower bath.

 Price list of the services.

After our spa treatment, it's time to go home. 

 Bali airport.

 Their airport has many attractive designs. This clock is one of them.

 Even their toilet looks good on the outside.

My first night flight. Bye, time to sleep.

For my accommodation in Ubud, we booked it through booking.com. We stayed at Sukma Guest House. We have really kind and helpful host. I remember it was a rainy night on our check in day. We reached there at 8pm. Due to lack of many personal hygiene products, we decided to walk to the nearest mini market. The host is so kind to rent her umbrella to us. We rented a room for three at RM66/ night. It is so cheap! I was so happy because I booked a cheap accommodation. Please take note that do not expect shampoo or body wash is provided. You pay for what you get ;) And there is no hair dryer too. It's a place suitable for backpacker. I saw many people from different countries there. If you just need a bed and a roof, go for this. 

Below are my own opinions for your reference:

Location: (10/10)

Cleanliness: (10/10)

Wifi: provided

Price: $

No air-cond because you don't need it. 

The funniest thing about this trip was that we (maybe not Jing Rhu xD) were disappointed about our accommodation because it's far out of our expectation. I was sad on the first night and couldn't really wait to go home. I miss my bed hahaha. We started to accept this place on the second day. It wasn't bad after all. We just get used to those good facilities that we often get in our hotel. If you think from another aspect, it's a different kind of life experience right?

 They have attractive exterior designs but not interior, oops.

I have heard of how beautiful Bali is before. The idea of travelling to Bali just came up in my mind randomly. It wasn't in my bucket list. But sometimes, unplanned moments are the best :) Oh ya, I forgot to mention one important thing. If you plan to travel solo and worry about the safety in Ubud, you need not to because this city is much more safer than KL. It's A LOT more safer than KL. I have used to raise my awareness towards my surrounding whenever I go out alone. I take good care of my belongings and beware of the people around me because my parents told me since I was young that outside is very very dangerous. But in Ubud, you can walk with all your heart out. You can walk with your handphone on hand, walk alone in the dark alley (this is impossible in Malaysia). Moreover, the waiters were very happy to know that we are from Malaysia because we have similar language. We happily communicated in Malay language with each other. I will definitely visit Bali again in the future but not so soon. I miss their weather, people and food. KL is too hot for me now x( I will post about food I had in Bali in my next post.

Hope you enjoyed reading. Feel free to comment below if you ever visited any memorable places. It might be my next destination ;)

Love,

See Qing.