The Bali Story

Somehow, between after Christmas and today, a lot of things happened (i.e. work, more active accounts meaning more work, new role meaning new work, on second thought--just work, basically) that I haven't had time to update blaahblaahbea, more so remember that I even have it. Haha!

So... after almost eight months of blog inactivity, three months since what follows took place and three hours that my boss has been out of the office, I find this an opportune moment to write about my Bali trip last May.

It has never occurred to me to go to Bali. I've always thought of it as a popular destination among honeymooners and surfers, if they haven't heard about how much better beaches are in the Philippines. Fully booked rooms in Boracay and an irrepressible urge to escape, hit the beach and get a tan got me and my friends exploring other options to get on with summer. And that's how we ended up booking a flight to Bali. We were suddenly excited by the thought that it will be the first time we'll be swimming in foreign waters and also going on our own version of Eat Pray Love (which we all know would most likely end up to be Eat Eat and Hopefully Love). And probably squeezing in fortune telling with the famous Ketut.

Jayonce having a hard time covering up his excitement--
about Bali and Mr. Nice Legs beside him.

Toff hooked us up with Nyoman, a local driver who toured us around Bali. Hiring a driver's the best way to go around the place as the famous spots can be quite far away from each other, and of course the locals would have the best recommendations on places to see and food to eat. We were the easiest passengers to please as we didn't have a strict itinerary and our request was really simple--we wanted to do the basics (meaning visit one temple and famous landmark, two max), the not-so-touristy and have our evenings and last day free for just bumming around the beach, pretend surfing and "happy houring" ('coz they don't have one).

 The Basics

Our first stop was the Uluwatu Temple. Kris had to wear a sarong to cover up her legs while Jayson and I just had to tie a yellow ribbon around our waists because we have nice legs anyway. Haha kidding. Visitors with short dresses have to wear the sarong to show respect for the holy place.

Probably the most iconic area of Uluwatu Temple 

The tail sticking out of my cat bag (see above) was like a bait for the monkeys--which were all over the place. Something about that cat tail and us three friends wandering around the area where there were no other tourists (nor other humans, for that matter) attracted a tribe of monkeys. For a few seconds or minutes (that felt like lifetimes), Kris and I gripped helplessly onto Jayson who was asking us to keep it down and "act normal" as the monkeys approached, as if they didn't look like they were going to scratch our faces and that we had no choice but to either jump off the cliff or wait for a temple guard who's nowhere in sight to drive the monkeys away and rescue us. That instance easily made it to the list of most traumatic moments of my life haha.

Our next stop-- Tanah Lot temple was a long ride away from Uluwatu, meaning we, always-hungry-friends, built a big appetite for a local dish. Nyoman highly recommended babi guling, which is suckling pig similar to the lechon that we have in the Philippines, except that it is smothered with spices and herbs. It was so delicious and perfect with the salty and herby soup (I forgot what was exactly in the soup, bamboo shoots, I guess?) and Tebs, a local iced tea which has the "sparkle" of soda. Kris thought of bringing Tebs to the Phlippines, and we thought of a marketing plan for it during the long drive to Tanah Lot (something involving famous "teh's" as endorsers).

Finally, we have arrived at Tanah Lot temple, just in time to see the sunset. You know those posts that show famous tourist spots in reality vs. expectations? Here's our entry:

Tanah Lot from trover.com

 vs.

Tanah Lot from my phone

We're sure the place would have been lovely, except that there were a lot of people ruining our shots haha.

We woke up early the next day to catch the Barong Dance in Ubud. The play was basically about the fight between good and evil but it was also a showcase of Balinese culture in their mythology.

Barong, lead role and representing the "good" in the story

Can't help but think about slapstick comedy in the Philippines.
Although I don't think we go as far as showing a penis about to get chopped off :))

We wanted to take cooking lessons as well but it coincided with the schedule of the Barong Dance. Will definitely try it next time.

The Not-So-Touristy

We had lunch in this hidden restaurant amidst Ubud's rice terraces. At this point, I was thinking of how similar the Philippines and Bali, Indonesia are-- from the laid back lifestyle and easy smile on the locals' faces to the natural beauty of rice terraces and beaches. I was in a foreign land but I felt right at home.

That's Nyoman, best local Bali driver
(you may pm him (Local Bali Driver) on Facebook for inquiries,
oh right, he also has Instagram now 'coz we suggested haha)

The place

The view

Provincial vibes

Flowers in our hair

On a side trip to Ubud Palace, I saw these bricks and door
and thought they looked good against my shirt so I took a photo--
then the other tourists thought there was something special about it
and started taking photos there too haha 

After lunch, all we wanted to do was lie down and get a massage. The idea actually came from the many spas that lined the streets of Bali. We asked Nyoman to take us to a spa that's not too commercialized but at the same time was not shady. We thought our directions would confuse him but he totally got us and brought us to this quaint spa situated in the middle of a farm. 

Feeling re-energized and smelling of jasmine oil, we went to Teba Sari Coffee Plantation to see the famous cats whose poop are made into expensive Kopi Luwak and to sample local coffee.

That's what's in your coffee :))

I suddenly thought it would be a nice time to tone my arms 

They have at least 15 coffees and teas for tasting.
The ingredients and health benefits of each drink may be found in the accompanying menu
and ordered from the store. I especially liked the spices chocolate and ginger coffee.

Free Day Beach Day

Our home in Bali was conveniently located walking distance from the beach. We had dinners (our favorite's Warung Mura which according to Nyoman means "cheap", just like what "mura" means in Flipino) and drinks by the beach every night but it was only by day 3 that we got to explore the area and literally test the waters.         

It is understandable why Bali is any surfers' go-to surf spot. The waves in Kuta were perfect and the sand's not rocky, so it wasn't too bad whenever we got wiped out--which happened many times. Don't judge, I've been out of practice for at least two years hahaha. Renting a board was also cheap, I think we only paid 300k IDR for whole day use of the board. 

Pre-surf face

Actual surfing face hahaha

Jayson killing it

After half a day of paddling, catching some waves and missing others on repeat, we decided that we're done surfing and it's time for the main event: bumming, drinking and people watching. La Plancha in Seminyak was just the perfect cap to the trip with its colorful bean bags and umbrellas set-up just before the sun set.

After sunrise

Yummeeh... this milkshake

Before sunset

It was also Kris' "almost-birthday", by the way.

She gets the finale 'coz it's her birthday :)