#somebalitolove

Overall, my trip was nothing but pure awesomeness. It was very relaxing and inspiring. I was so pumped up the whole time. Bali is just for everyone. From  those who just want beach bumming and have sun-kissed skin to those who love water sports, Bali has an answer. For those who want to escape the city noise to relax and meditate, yoga is also very popular Bali. Your Zen will definitely be happy. For those who want to do inner creative soul searching, Bali will surely feed your soul with some awesome inspirations. And yes, it is very family-tour-friendly too. Kids will definitely enjoy the temples and activities.

There were many things I loved in this trip. I really fell in love with Bali. I loved touring the temples and beaches. I was very amazed by their structures. Despite being crowded, the beaches still looked healthy and maintained. Aside from sceneries, I also loved the interaction I had with locals and other tourists. I was amazed by the diversity of the people that I got to talk to. I met a European environmental activist who works with NGO and has been living in Bali for almost 10 years now. I met an Australian traveling with her partner to escape winter in Australia. I met a Canadian freelance graphic designer mainly based in New Zealand who has been traveling all around Asia for the past year (yes, a lot has happened in her life in the past year). Needless to say, I also met few locals, some are aspiring artists, entrepreneurs, to name a few. Hearing their stories and getting a short glimpse of their lives were very refreshing to me, and eye-opener as well. Balinese people take a great pride of their region. You can sense their pride when they tell you stories of Bali in general. Hearing other tourists’ travel stories and how it changed their perspective of different cultures and countries was very astonishing.

My stay in Ubud was definitely the highlight of my trip. I was surrounded by oozing arts and culture and I enjoyed them a lot. I stayed in this Artist Inn Residency and the place itself already got me so inspired. It is very raw and gives you a creative vibe. I also got to meet different different people who were inclined to arts. It got me thinking of the side projects that I have always wanted to start but never did (and now I will). Ubud is a very rich place and I would definitely stay there again next time I visit Bali, which I hope to do.

I must say though, touring in Bali was generally a little expensive, at least for me. Maybe because when I travel, I really just immerse myself and try to do as much as I can, so I always end up spending a bit much more than the usual. And literally, I felt a little rich in Bali because Indonesian Rupiah (Bali’s money) has too many zeros in their denomination. What was also funny was that since South East Asian people generally look the same, many locals spoke to me in Balinese because they thought I was Indonesian. When I tell them that I don’t understand them, it made them smile, and you can see that they were surprised. I might have really looked like them. And then they would talk to me in English. Yes, it would have been very awesome if I got to learn some of their words before I visited. And yes, I need to learn riding motorcycles too. It will save me a lot of trouble next time.

Yes, I indeed fell in love with Bali. Bali is the lover I never had. And I hope to go back again someday..

Some General Notes:

Getting Around

Easiest and cheapest way to get around nearby places in Bali is by motorcycle/scooter. Fee ranges from 50,000-55,000 IDR per day. If you don’t drive scooters, you can opt to hire car with or without drivers. Fee ranges from 600,000-700,000 IDR per day (with driver).

Some of the best local drivers I got to meet. Feel free to contact them.

Money Exchange

It is best to bring USD in Bali and just exchange when already in the country. Exchange rate in airport differs by ~2000 IDR compared to Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Canggu areas. Don’t exchange all your money in the airport.

Accommodations

It is more likely to score cheap accommodations in Airbnb or Agoda. Try to search as much as possible before booking. I also noticed that it is cheaper to book a place when the target dates are near. Usually it will peak for a certain time and prices will go down afterwards so you might want to check that out. However, the risk is that while waiting for price drop, others might book the place you are eyeing. Balance the risk.

Where to stay

Kuta, Seminyak, and Legian are the more busy places in terms of crowd and area. If you want party and non-stop activities, this is the place for you.

Canggu is a quieter place. Other than the center, there are not much happenings around the area. If you want quiet place and yet very near to the activities and cafes, this is a place for you.

South Bali is mainly a place for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts. It is far from normal tourist central area (Kuta, Seminyak, etc.)

Ubud is generally a place for arts. It is around 1 hour away from Kuta. If you are into meditation and arts, this is the place for you.

Bali Map:

Day 1:

I flew out from Manila to Bali at 0410H. It was the only available flight of Cebu Pacific from Philippines that I was able to score in a promo fare. Normal fare ranges from Php 23k-30k which is roughly 600 USD. To go to Bali, you have to fly to Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar).

I already arranged my airport pickup with my first Bali Airbnb host few days prior to the trip. There was a free WIFI in the airport so I was able to contact my host and he confirmed that my driver was already there waiting for me. Before I met with my driver, I exchange some 40 USD for my transportation and food. When I finally met with my driver, we headed to Canggu, my Airbnb stay for few days.

I stayed in Pondok Gede Airbnb in Canggu area and it was a lovely place. It was my home base while I was doing most of my Bali tour. Canggu area was not very touristy (like Kuta or Seminyak) so I picked it. I also noticed that it was very popular among Europeans. For my first day, it was mostly just settling in and getting around the area where I stayed. If you want to have a quiet place and yet close to the activity center, I recommend this place. Plus you will get to meet a super host. Petr is a European environmental activist living in Indonesia for quite some time now. 

Day 2:

I started my temple tour on the 2nd day. I booked a private driver through Petr since I wanted to customize my itinerary and the places I wanted to visit were very far from each other and no commute was possible. 

Gunung Kawi Temple. This is one of my favorite. After I paid for the entrance fee, I got my free sarong (sarong is free for almost all the temples I visited, just need to return it after use) and started my descent. It was a good place. There were rice fields at the entrance of the temple and a river too. It was also not too crowded. If you want to visit this place, you need to be a little prepared since it takes some walking (uphill and downhill) on the cemented stairs to get to the temple. I suggest you also bring water. 

Tirta Empul Temple. Even though it was relatively early, there was already a number of crowd roaming around the area when I arrived. What was interesting in this temple is that it has a bathing structure which lets people to actually take a bath in the open. This bath structure is famous for its spring holy water which is used for ritual purification. This is a worthwhile visit.

OKA Agriculture. On our way to the next destination, we stopped by this place as suggested by Made, my local driver and tour guide. It was a free tour and a local Balinese explained the process they do for their coffee production. One interesting thing I learned from this was that the most expensive coffee actually came from the poop of a certain cat (civet). Interesting right? As last part of the tour, they will give you 12 samples of their products for free that you will get to try. I enjoyed my coffee and tea tasting. I bought 1 type back home and I am actually drinking it now while writing this blog.

Kintamani Village Volcano View. I had my lunch in one of the many buffet restaurants with a great volcano view in Kintamani area. The view was indeed very pleasant to the eyes. It kind of reminded me of Taal volcano back home (Philippines), except that this one is a little bigger. People can also hike the volcano and see the sunrise. I might do that next time. It really looked exciting. If you’ll pass by this area, the view is a good company while eating.

Taman Ayun Temple. This literally translates to “beautiful garden’ and indeed it was. It was a little far but I really liked it. When I went, there were very few people so I was able to take my time walking around. One local visitor even mistaken me as a local and he tried talking to me in Balinese. When he realized I’m not, he was very apologetic. I thought it was funny though.

Tanah Lot Temple. This place was really very crowded and highly commercialized, but if it is your first time in Bali, this is a must. When I went, it was low tide so people was able to come near the temple. While waiting for the sunset, I walked around the area. The view was just breathtaking. This was another of my favorite temple.

Day 3:

For this day, I went South of Bali for some beach hopping. Surfing enthusiasts will indeed love the beaches in the South.

Water Blow (Nusa Dua). In this place, I watched big waves constantly crash against the limestones of the cliff. There is also a long stretch of beach nearby where you can surf and chill.

Balangan Beach. I loved the view in this beach. There were cliffs where you can take good look of the beach. Another of my favorite spot.

Padang Padang Beach. This beach was one of the filming location of Eat, Pray, Love and as I expected, it was crowded. In order to go down to the beach, there was a walk through a cave. Overall, this place was okay. It was not very spectacular but worth the visit if you are into beach bumming.

Melasti Beach. On our way to Uluwatu temple, we did a quick stop to Melasti beach. It was not crowded and I only saw few families in the area. This was still a little hidden but I am not sure if that will be for long though. It was a good place to beach bum if you want to avoid the crowd.

Uluwatu Beach. This was my favorite among the beaches I visited. It was not too crowded and and rock formations was really nice. It was also low tide so I was able to cross to the other side without swimming. This was a gem. The waves are great for surfing too. Moreover, there’s also an overlooking restaurant in the cliff. Sounds interesting. It indeed was.

Uluwatu Temple. Yes, I just could not resist it. Since I was already in the area, I also went to Uluwatu temple. It was very crowded but it was worth it. It is a temple in the cliff and you have to go to the other side to get a good look.

Kecak Dance. This is a Balinese dance that lasts for almost an hour. I went to the stadium early as suggested by my driver since the show was always sold out and it would be hard to get a good seat. Show started at 1800H and as anticipated, huge crowd started coming in. It was an interesting dance but I did not understand it so much. You can opt to watch this for experience, or if you’re in the area.

Day 4:

This day was mainly just touring around Kuta, Seminyak, Legian and Canggu areas. These are the more crowded ones as tourists stay in these places. There are good restaurants and cafes in the area. I am not big on food so I always prefer cafes over restaurants. 

Day 5:

Oh yes, the temple hopping did not stop. For this day, I rented a private car again and did temple tours in the northern part of Bali.

Batuan Temple. This is a private village temple and only Batuan people should be allowed to enter, but since this is the oldest one, they opened it to public. I was glad they did because it was a beautiful temple, and it was not crowded. If you are in the area, I suggest visiting this place too.

Ulun Danu Temple. This was the most beautiful temple I visited and was my favorite. It was really far away but it was so worth it.

Jatiluwih Terraces. I had my lunch in one of the many restaurants in this area overlooking the rice terraces. 

Batukaru Temple. This was a very far temple. When I arrived, there was only 1 tourist couple in the area. It was a little secluded compared to the others that I visited, but don’t mistake it, this temple was beautiful. There was a fresh water spring within the compound too. 

Day 6-7:

As part of the last leg of my Bali trip, I moved from Canggu to Ubud. My plan for the remaining days was just to relax and be more exposed to culture and arts of Bali, and Ubud was the best place to do that.

Prior to transfer, I already arranged my pickup from Canggu to my Ubud Airbnb stay with my second host. In Ubud, I stayed in this new AIR Airbnb place. This place was much more beautiful in person than in pictures. I am not very creative and artistic, but this place made me want to be one. This place was actually suggested by my best friend and I was lucky it got available. 

My 2 day stay in Ubud was a perfect way to conclude my trip. The place was very inspiring. It got me thinking of the side projects that I have always wanted to start but never did. Ubud is a very rich place and I would definitely stay here again next time I visit Bali, which I will.

Day 8:

I left at around 0500H to Denpasar Internation Airport. My flight out was at 0830H. I arranged my transfer with the same driver who picked me up in Canggu. I was too sad to leave, but also too pumped up to resume my normal professional life.