Beautiful Bali

On the morning of the 19th of December we made our way to KLIA2 to begin our much anticipated trip to Bali. Our flight was scheduled to leave for Bali at 10.20 but there was a slight delay due to a problem with the engine (yikes), so we only ended up leaving closer to 12pm. It was probably the bumpiest flight I've ever been on , but what a pleasure to only be 2 hrs 50 minutes away from Bali. We landed in Bali around 3pm and the weather was very overcast...

Passport control and getting our luggage went pretty quickly , we got our transfer to our hotel and sat in traffic for a good 60 minutes. For the purpose of my blog I'm not going to go into details of what hotel we stayed in because my post is going to be about Bali as a whole and not my unpleasant stay at a hotel.

Anyway in a nutshell we arrived at our hotel, unpacked, had dinner and got an early night. We were feeling pretty disappointed because of the weather, we had come to Bali for sunshine and beach days and here were in the rainy season in the middle of the first of many torrential downpours.

Day 1 in Bali:

On the morning of the 20th of December , we woke up to more rain and we were quite frankly ready to throw in the towel and head home!

We decided to take a shower, get ready and called a Grab ( which is apparently banned in Bali, along with Uber ) to Beach Walk in Kuta. It took us about 45 minutes in the car from our hotel ( we were staying in Sanur).

We arrived at the Beach Walk ( a shopping centre, not an actual beach walk) before 10 am thinking it would definitely be open , no luck there , we were told by the security guard that it would only open at 11! We were pretty frustrated because a.) we could see other people clearly walking around (b.) we just wanted to get breakfast and could see that restaurants were open and (c.) we had over an hour to wait and we couldn't exactly walk to any other restaurants considering the torrential rain and now the wind was picking up too.

We eventually decided to walk through the basement area hoping to find another entrance! We ended up on the outside next to a Zara and one restaurant (Tony Roma's) , we were pretty hungry at this point so decided to get something to eat there. The food was pretty average and when we asked for a toilet we were told that they didn't have one , we would have to go through Zara to use that toilet , but they weren't open yet! ( How lovely! )

Once we were done there , we walked through Zara ( which was now open) , used the toilet there and walked around the shopping centre. We had decided that we were going to hire a car for our time in Bali and got a really good deal. We paid 110 US dollars for 6 days. The best part is that we paid in cash , no credit card payment, no deposit!

The car was dropped off at the shopping centre, we paid the money in cash and we were off on a little adventure. We were determined to turn our holiday around , so we decided to go to Tanah Lot Temple. It was about an hour drive but such a beautiful, scenic drive seeing the countryside and some rice fields. We arrived and had to pay the entrance fees. First we had to pay IDR 5000 for the car and then IDR 60 000 per person. That's one thing about Bali that maybe you don't expect - you really do have to pay for every little thing, there obviously are a huge amount of tourists who visit Bali and I feel like the locals take advantage of that and really overcharge them.

The temple itself is beautiful, it was rainy and windy while were there, I feel like it's better to go on a sunny day but it was still beautiful. It's definitely something that you should experience when going to Bali, it's so unique and I feel like there isn't anything exactly like it in the world.

When we were done there , we made our way to Ubud , a place I was so looking forward to experiencing and I must say it really is worth the hype and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The are so many cute little cafe's / warungs and boutique shops. Really a backpackers dream! We eventually settled on restaurant called Nomad for dinner, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great too! One thing about eating out in Bali that I think people don't really know is that their service charge is not included in the price, and it is pretty high, you're looking at between 7-21%.

After dinner we made our way back to Sanur... I would say we managed to turn the holiday around!

Day 2 in Bali:

On our second day , we were determined to see Mount Agung ( from a distance ). We ended up stopping for breakfast at a hotel right on Candidasa beach, it was beautiful and the perfect backdrop for our brunch. The food was delicious and fairly reasonable too! The name of the hotel is Ashyana and definitely worth the trip just for that view.

After our brunch we took a walk along the promenade , took some photo's and then we were back on the road. We managed to see a glimpse of Mount Agung before it started to cloud over and the rain started again, we however still made it to the viewpoint and managed to take some pictures , unfortunately Mount Agung was covered with clouds but the scenery was still stunning.

Back in the car , we decided to make the trip to Lake Batur... The roads were muddy and wet and the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon but still we braved the roads. We ended up seeing the lake from a distance but eventually decided that the roads were too dangerous for our little Toyota. At this point we were all desperate for the toilet and the trip back to Sanur was a good 90 minutes , we saw a toilet sign and figured we would have to pay to use it but we were so desperate we didn't care... We ended up paying IDR 5000 each ( so IDR 15 000 for the three of us) and honestly I don't know what we were paying for, this toilet was so disgusting , no toilet paper , it was a long drop and the stench was overwhelming. Let's just say that we lathered the hand sanitizer on after that experience.

Day 3 in Bali:

This day was easily the highlight of my entire year...

We made an early start because we were going to the Tegenungen waterfalls. If you've read the post about my travel bucket list , you'll see that it was on there and something that I was so excited to see.

We were very lucky because we went on a pretty clear day. I would have been seriously disappointed if we arrived and it started raining , but it didn't...

When you arrive , you have to pay the IDR 15 000 entrance fee ( per person). This allows you to see the baby Tegenungen waterfall and walk across the river where you can see the other waterfall. Words fail me because I can't even express how I felt watching that exquisite waterfall , you really do feel so small. After walking across the little make shift bridge , I saw that there was a swing and saw that no one was on it and started to climb onto it when the man told me I would have to pay an additional IDR 10 000, I was on the swing for maybe two minutes... but still it was such a exhilerating experience, being that high up and feeling the waterfall's splashes on my skin.

Afterwards we made our way to the next set of steps but we were told that we had to pay an additional IDR 30 000 EACH if we wanted to go any higher. Of course we ended up paying it but that's what really irritated me about Bali and the tourist hubs particularly, because they give you a price and you think that's all you have to pay but then they keep adding on things! It would be so much better if the price included everything.

We made our way to the top of the waterfall and wow it was so beautiful and really just made me feel so incredibly grateful. There were things that irritated me but none of that mattered when I saw the incredible beauty of that waterfall and I definitely will never forget that feeling.

After we had taken an overflow of photos we made our way down all the steps and then up all the steps to the entrance. I don't think I was prepared for all that climbingt (in slops too) but none the less we eventually got there. I also bought a beautiful skirt for only IDR 100 000 ( about RM30 or R90 ).

We then made our way to Ubud to get some lunch. We had lunch at a place called Oops Ubud. Delicious food and really good wifi. There is something so special and unique about Ubud , the people are different and it just feels more relaxed and culturally orientated.

After lunch we walked the streets, walked around a market and then headed back to Sanur. We were all pretty tired so we relaxed at our hotel and then had dinner on the beach followed by some crepes at a little cafe.

Day 4 in Bali:

We got another early start , we had a jam packed schedule.

We made our way to the Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, it was about an hours drive from Sanur. Again we had to pay a parking fee , I think it was also IDR 5000 and then IDR 50 000 each for the entrance. I must say it was stunning and we had a beautiful sunny day and the gardens surrounding the temple were also well maintained. What irritated me was the fact that you have to pay to use the toilet when you have paid an entrance fee.

Next up we travelled in the direction of Uluwatu , stopped at a viewpoint where we could see Mount Agung. It was about a two hour drive to Uluwatu. We had a late lunch at the coolest place called the Cashew Tree, definitely worth the trip and definitely lives up to the hype.

After our lunch we went to the Uluwatu temple , this was seriously stunning ( entrance is IDR 30 000 each )! It was one of those experiences that blows you away because you can't imagine that something can be that beautiful , it seriously took my breath away ( or was that the wind?)...

We then made our way back to our hotel, we had our tour to Nusa Penida island and all wanted to get an early night!

Day 5 in Bali:

We were collected from our hotel around 9am and taken to the harbour in Sanur, we were all pretty excited and were just hoping that the weather would clear up ( it was raining on and off).

We got to the harbour , got our green wrist bands and were told which "speed boat" was ours ( it was more of a ferry ). The trip to Nusa Penida was pretty bumpy and the sea was fairly rough. The boat was jam packed , with people even standing for the duration of the trip.

We arrived at Nusa Penida after about 45 minutes and it looked like it was starting to clear up (so we thought). Our driver collected us and took us to Kelingkan beach which was beautiful ( and muddy). Our tour guide made sure to take enough pictures ( he even climbed up a tree to get the right angle).

We then went to broken beach , more pictures were taken and at one point I thought I had lost my slop in the mud ( luckily I did not). Broken beach was one of those naturally beautiful places , beauty that is completely untouched.

We continued our walk ( or hike ) to Billabong beach , the water was a bit dirty obviously due to the rain so we could not swim there but it was still amazing to see.

Our next stop was lunch at a warung on the road, I had chicken satay which was definitely more peanut than chilli but it was still delicious.

We made our way to Crystal Bay ( where we would be snorkeling ). The trip there was so bumpy but we eventually got there... Once again there was a lot of mud and I honestly don't know how my slops survived it. We found a nice spot on the beach and all took our turns to go and snorkel , we had a lot of fun got to take some great photo's with the gopro.

After that we headed back to the harbour to wait for our boat back to Sanur. While we were waiting I decided to use the toilet. That toilet ( another long drop) seriously made me feel ill and honestly if I had paid for it ( like the sign on the door said ) , I would have expected my money back... Hand sanitizer please!

Our trip back to Sanur was pretty rough again but overall it was a special experience that I will never forget! A Christmas eve to remember for sure!

Day 6 in Bali:

An unconventional Christmas ... We moved hotels twice and ended up at a Hilton Inn where we had a lovely Christmas dinner.

Day 7 in Bali:

Our last day in Bali... We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and also went for a swim before heading to the airport.

Bali was beyond beautiful, there are obviously also things that I didn't necessarily enjoy but it was an unforgettable trip , with lots of laughs, once in a lifetime experiences and an all round special holiday with my family!