The day before was just too packed for me and i slept till about 8am before crawling out of bed to prepare my waterproof camera (Olympus TG-3) for the exciting day ahead of us! Battery was fully charged this time; a lesson well learnt from the Bintan trip i made earlier in April this year.
A new driver today as i wasn't exactly happy with the service the day before; i got the contact from TripAdvisor and told the person exactly where i wanted to go; snorkeling, sea-sports activities, Uluwatu temple and sunset at Tanah Lot temple.
Keeping my fingers crossed as i am travelling with five other travel mates and i would be extremely guilty if things were not what they seemed to be.
Drove past one of the city temples; by this day, i am already quite jaded with the religious displays in Bali and unlike some of my friends, i didn't get affected by the spiritualism that they felt so strongly in their visits to the island.
On our way to Nusa Dua where we can get to snorkel and partake in sea-sports activities! I honestly didn't do much research before the trip and literally went with the recommendation suggested by the driver over whatsapp.
Paid the toll fee to use the highway that would cut our journey time to Nusa Dua, which was on the southern part of Bali, southward of Kuta, where we stayed at (i.e. Grand Istana Rama Hotel).
Loving the blue sky as the rain had dampened our mood on day two. Furthermore, any activity in relation to the sea would be less risky and stand a higher chance of taking place if weather is good.
City temple or house temple?
Driver's recommendation - Bali Apollo Dive & Water Sports; as mentioned earlier, my research was minimal and although i had the impression that there would be a spot for us to snorkel freely using our easybreath masks; the truth was snorkeling was chargeable as you have to be boated over to another location.
For pricing and review of Bali Apollo Dive & Water Sports, click here. I can only blame myself for not checking further and thanks to Alex's colleagues; we managed to bargain down the price of the activities. We eventually skipped snorkeling and opted for parasailing. What's the best thing that happened? Our lunch at the sports centre where you can read more here.
There was a funny moment too! I was changing to my board shorts in Bali Apollo Dive & Water Sports' changing room and i noticed something stuck to the door hanger. .
On closer look, i think it's a sanitary pad!
Rest assured, it wasn't stained.
Our craziest travel mate who always triggers tons of laughter whenever we are together! Lora, i still remember the offer you made; for us to visit your hometown in Philippines!
Near a local university, i guess.
Joker cell - sounds like a prison for Batman's nemesis! And did you see that kampong chicken with its slim body and thin legs?!
Scenes along the driving journey to Uluwatu Temple!
Kopi luwak plantations were practically everywhere in Bali, except for maybe the cities! Want to know what to expect in a typical plantation? Click the link here.
My visit to Uluwatu Temple; in summary, an extremely beautiful place that's mostly due to the spectacular stretch of cliff bordering the sea! Want to see more photos? Click here!
Rain started pelting down on us when we reached the edge of the cliff at Uluwatu Temple and it continued even when we exited the place! Due to the weather, i am not that hopeful that we would catch the sunset at Tanah Lot.
Seriously, semen as part of a company name?
Super cool - a real aeroplane that's parked beside a busy road! According to the driver, it was said to be a restaurant but it either didn't materialise or the establishment had closed for good. Nevertheless, how did they even move the aeroplane to a spot that's already pretty built up with houses and roads!?
Angel on a surfing board; it's in front of this shop known as Surfer's Paradise which seemed to be a factory outlet for reputable beachwear brands like ripcurl, quicksilver, oakley etc.
Another towering statue - at this point, we were about 90 minutes on the road and it's impossible for us to get to Tanah Lot in just 30 minutes to catch the sunset when there's no relief to the jam in front of us!
Hence, we requested the driver to send us to Seminyak so that we can meet up for dinner with the rest of our travel mates! Like Kuta, Seminyak is a touristy place even though it's more hippy with a laid back chill in the atmosphere.
Arrival at our destination.
Dinner was at Potato Head Beach Club Restaurant - Nice ambience with just one major issue; food wasn't fantastic! Someone commented that the lunch we had at lunch at Bali Apollo Dive & Water Sports was way better!
Given the jams along the road at that time, i opted to walk from Potato Head Beach Club to Grand Istana Rama Hotel and the rest of my travel mates gamely joined me! According to Google Map, it would take us about 50 minutes to walk and if we take a cab, it's only 5 minutes shorter.
It's an interesting walk as Bali's streets were hugely confusing and Google Map, in case you are unaware, might not be updated if there's any new development.
We knew because it brought us to this area known as C151 Smart Villas that's right smack on the route that we had to cut through! Nice villas by the way and if you wish, you can book one for about S$500 a night.
Retraced our route and finally got onto another road that's reflected on the google map. Walked past a few plots of padi fields which would likely be gone in a few more years when the owner realises it would be more profitable to build a few villas that cater to tourists instead.
At this point, we were 40 minutes into our walk yet, the journey back to the hotel was barely halfway through! I was apologetic towards my companions and suggested taking the cab instead as everyone had an expression that's plain exhaustion!
Back at Grand Istana Rama Hotel in about 25 minutes and i got out in a jiffy as i needed to check out the supermarket at Beachwalk shopping center.
Reason being i wanted to compare prices of souvenirs! A seasoned traveller would known it's sometimes much cheaper to get your souvenirs in a supermarket. And to know the actual fixed pricing of the souvenirs also means you have the upper hand in bargaining with shops that don't practice fixed price for their products!
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For the itinerary of my short 4 days, 3 nights' itinerary to Bali, please click here.
