VV goes to: Bali, Indonesia
Just a day after christmas last year, I hopped on the first plane out to meet up with my family in Bali, Indonesia. The trip literally took the whole day but seeing everyone made it all worth it. Here’s how it all went down.
I decided to fly with China Eastern Airlines which my Chinese friend, Kiwi, highly recommended. Online reviews reported otherwise so I decided to fly first class in order to be on the safe side. I figured it was worth it since I was going to be in flight for about 10 hours with a stopover in Shanghai. The flight from Tokyo to Shanghai was pretty good but the food was horrible. The free bread, ice cream and alcohol made up for it though. Seats were pretty basic. Nothing that great except for the extra legroom and space.
When I arrived in Shanghai, I hung out at the lounge and decided to get settled in a quiet corner where I can use VPN without being caught. Yup. You guessed it. Almost every social media site is blocked so I was bored to death. I had a few hours to kill so I decided to stream a few shows while munching on some snacks.
My flight to Bali from Shanghai on the same airline was way better. Nobody was assigned to the seat beside me, it was more spacious, the seats had multiple recline options and the in-flight entertainment was amazing. The food was also way better since you’re given a menu with multiple options. They served better options for bubbly too. Before passing out, I spent the flight watching movies and playing games.
I arrived in Bali around midnight. My brothers and mum picked me up at the airport and it felt so good! Nothing like seeing my family after months of being away. It took about 45 minutes to get to the hotel. I crashed the moment I laid down on the bed.
Day 1: Uluwatu & Fire Dance
My aunt decided to book accommodations at Bali Masari since they wanted a place filled with so much nature that monkeys will literally be hanging out with you while drinking your morning coffee. It was quite far from the central area but I guess it was perfect for a family trip.
We got two villas: one for the oldies and one for the youngsters. Our villa had two rooms, two bathrooms (with a tub and an outdoor shower), a living room, kitchen and dining, a backyard and a private pool.
On our first day, we went to Uluwatu Temple to see the amazing view of the cliff, the temples and the fire show.
The temple was huge and there were some restricted areas but the whole place looked amazing. The place was packed with tourists which made it hard to go through some pathways but definitely worth a visit.
The fire show was incredibly entertaining. They packed the arena to the brim until there was nowhere left to sit!
At first we were quite confused with what was happening but soon enough we got the story and enjoyed the whole theatrics.
We also spotted one performer who uncannily looked so much like someone incredibly powerful from the Philippines. Can you guess who?
We then had dinner by the beach at Jimbaran Beach and chatted the night away.
Day 2: Monkeys & Temples
We spent the day going to different temples and learning a little more about Indonesian history. It was quite tiring but seeing the temples, statues and architecture made it all worth it!
We also bought souvenirs and did a bit of shopping. We also ate at a restaurant called Mahagiri which had an amazing view of rice terraces. (Yes! They also have it!)
Before heading back to the hotel, we decided to visit the Sacred Monket Forest in Ubud. We only got to stay for a while since they were closing but it was still great seeing the monkeys in their natural habitat.
I ended up spending the night in bed with my cousins eating snacks, catching up and watching some good old K-drama.
Day 3: Wildlife Fun!
My cousins and I spent the day at Bali Safari and Marine Park. We watched the shows, took photos of pretty much everything and did the safari tour.
We enjoyed the park and the food! Some of the animals didn’t look as healthy as some though which was a bit disappointing since the park promoted wildlife care and preservation.
Day 4: KUTA been better. :(
Since it was our last day, my cousins and I woke up early to go to Kuta Beach to hopefully see the sunrise, surfers and the beach itself! As a bunch of millennials coming from the Philippines, we were expecting a lot from the beach. Our driver wanted to bring us to a smaller beach but we were just so fixed on the famous Kuta Beach.
We had this whole idea of what it looked like (thank you, Google) so we were hella excited. Unfortunately, it was horrible. The sand wasn’t fine, there was trash literally everywhere and every other tourist who came to the beach (in their swimwear!) looked incredibly disappointed. Nobody even wanted to surf because there was so much trash, you could actually end up swallowing something disgusting if you grasped for air in the wrong time. It was so bad I didn’t even take any photos. So if you do go to Bali, go to the less advertised and visited beaches. It would be better if you could go out of your way and go island hopping. I guess Kuta Beach is only ideal for beach parties.
After being disappointed so early in the morning, we found the silver lining which was a mall filled with a bunch of Western brands. We ended up spending the day there shopping and eating to our heart’s content.
We ended our last day in Bali chilling in our villa with boxes of pizza and never ending stories! It was the perfect way to end the trip.
Terima kasih, Bali! You were amazing. I will definitely go back to explore the more exciting parts of you in the near future. :)
