I'd like to think everyone of us will have that one remarkable trip that endures us. You know, that trip you'll keep talking about that soon everyone will get tired of hearing; that trip you'll end up craving for, wanting to relive every moment, recreating that same feeling but doesn't quite compare; that trip you'll look back onto when you've reached past your prime, thinking how time could've betrayed you.
I'm talking about that trip to New York with your girlfriends, the Vegas trip of 2012, or that weekend in Cancun where details of that trip are still a bit hazy.
I think this was it for me... this Bali trip with my friends. Those five days in Indonesia seemed like about a full week's worth of activities but it still felt short. We didn't sleep much. We ate a lot. We moved a couple of times. We told a lot of stories. And we got high on cat poop coffee... well, some of us did. It has been a few months already and I'm dying to go back.
From the cleansing water at Ubud to the climb at Mount Batur, the surf at Uluwatu and everything else that I can't talk about, it was in every sense of the word, perfect. Well, sort of.
Take away the traffic jams, the scams, and the untimely death of a digicam, you get a forest of green rice paddies, a waterfall that's ideal for the hashtag #doyoutravel, and a small corner of a shore overlooking corduroy waves with surfers catching the perfect swell. And then maybe if you're lucky, a sunset so peaceful, so serene, you vow to come back to this place as much as you possibly can.
Bali, the perfect setting for the best summer of your life. Contrary to what you might think of this place, there's something in it for everybody - the culture in Ubud, the temples in Uluwatu, the nightlife in Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, the surf in Canggu, or the beautiful beaches in the Nusa islands. There are so many options that you'll surely find something that fits you perfectly.
UBUD
From the airport, our driver took us to Tegenungan Waterfall. It was the best thing to do on a really hot day in Bali. The walk down to the waterfall was easy and short. It had a bit of a crowd but not too much that you can't take a decent selfie without any photobombers.
We then went to Titra Empul Tampak Siring water temple, a place where we took part in the Balinese ritual for purification, bathing in their sacred healing spring water. There was a method onto going about the holy spring. I forgot the exact details so it's better to ask around on what to do.
Lastly, we went to Tegallalang Rice Terraces, looked around, marveled, took a few photos, and then had our kopi luwak tasting.
After a full day, we checked-in Bucu View hotel and had a good night's sleep.
With a new day ahead, we had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel and then headed to the Ubud market. From there we were back on the road.
ULUWATU
The travel to Uluwatu was long. We lost almost half a day because of traffic. But nonetheless, we arrived at Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the key temples in Bali. The view up there was breathtaking.
I had one thing on my Bali checklist and it was to surf.
Most beginner surfers are told to go to Kuta beach. I didn't really want to surf at a crowded beach so it was a good thing our driver (who became one of our friends) told us about Padang Padang beach. We first went there to just chill and swim. We then mentioned to our driver that we wanted to surf the next day or two, so he introduced us to one of his friends who was a surf instructor. We set the date and time (and price) and then we were all set.
We came back to Padang Padang and had a 2-hour surf session with Hank. It was awesome. It was probably my best surfing experience to date. (Just to be sure, we didn't surf the Padang Padang for pros, we surfed the Padang Padang for beginners with calmer waves.)
We also went to Single Fin in Uluwatu, checked out the place, the view, but it is packed! Frankly, we went there looking for Nalu Bowls but it was closed already so we didn't stay long.
SEMINYAK / LEGIAN
From Uluwatu, we went to Seminyak and stayed at Villa Gemuk. The place was huge, 3 bedrooms with their own bathrooms and a private pool.
We didn't get to sleep much that night because we had an early call time of 2am for our hike up Mount Batur. It took about 2 hours to get to Kintamani where we were greeted by the very cold air. We had a sip of coffee first and then we started to hike. The path started real easy but as we got higher, it got a little hard, a little slippery because of tiny, loose rocks. After how many hours, we reached the summit. We watched the sunrise and it was beautiful.
We explored more of Seminyak the next day, going to your ~basic~ Bali spots like Motel Mexicola, Sea Circus, and La Favela.
CANGGU
On one of our free afternoons, we went to Canggu, probably my favorite place in Bali, even though we spent the least amount of time there. There was just such a cool vibe to it, not too busy and crazy like Seminyak. You can just hang out at Deus Ex Machina, eat and have a drink or two, or more, and just enjoy your friends' company.
I definitely want to spend more time at Canggu next time.
*If you want to know more details of our trip, like prices of things, how to travel to so and so, contact details of our driver, our itinerary, or anything else, feel free to comment/message me.
I'm talking about that trip to New York with your girlfriends, the Vegas trip of 2012, or that weekend in Cancun where details of that trip are still a bit hazy.
I think this was it for me... this Bali trip with my friends. Those five days in Indonesia seemed like about a full week's worth of activities but it still felt short. We didn't sleep much. We ate a lot. We moved a couple of times. We told a lot of stories. And we got high on cat poop coffee... well, some of us did. It has been a few months already and I'm dying to go back.
From the cleansing water at Ubud to the climb at Mount Batur, the surf at Uluwatu and everything else that I can't talk about, it was in every sense of the word, perfect. Well, sort of.
Take away the traffic jams, the scams, and the untimely death of a digicam, you get a forest of green rice paddies, a waterfall that's ideal for the hashtag #doyoutravel, and a small corner of a shore overlooking corduroy waves with surfers catching the perfect swell. And then maybe if you're lucky, a sunset so peaceful, so serene, you vow to come back to this place as much as you possibly can.
~~~~~
HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME IN BALI
Bali, the perfect setting for the best summer of your life. Contrary to what you might think of this place, there's something in it for everybody - the culture in Ubud, the temples in Uluwatu, the nightlife in Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, the surf in Canggu, or the beautiful beaches in the Nusa islands. There are so many options that you'll surely find something that fits you perfectly.
So, here's a list of the places we traveled to and the things we did.
From the airport, our driver took us to Tegenungan Waterfall. It was the best thing to do on a really hot day in Bali. The walk down to the waterfall was easy and short. It had a bit of a crowd but not too much that you can't take a decent selfie without any photobombers.
We then went to Titra Empul Tampak Siring water temple, a place where we took part in the Balinese ritual for purification, bathing in their sacred healing spring water. There was a method onto going about the holy spring. I forgot the exact details so it's better to ask around on what to do.
Lastly, we went to Tegallalang Rice Terraces, looked around, marveled, took a few photos, and then had our kopi luwak tasting.
After a full day, we checked-in Bucu View hotel and had a good night's sleep.
With a new day ahead, we had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel and then headed to the Ubud market. From there we were back on the road.
The travel to Uluwatu was long. We lost almost half a day because of traffic. But nonetheless, we arrived at Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the key temples in Bali. The view up there was breathtaking.
 |
| ~ the surf ~ |
I had one thing on my Bali checklist and it was to surf.Most beginner surfers are told to go to Kuta beach. I didn't really want to surf at a crowded beach so it was a good thing our driver (who became one of our friends) told us about Padang Padang beach. We first went there to just chill and swim. We then mentioned to our driver that we wanted to surf the next day or two, so he introduced us to one of his friends who was a surf instructor. We set the date and time (and price) and then we were all set.
We came back to Padang Padang and had a 2-hour surf session with Hank. It was awesome. It was probably my best surfing experience to date. (Just to be sure, we didn't surf the Padang Padang for pros, we surfed the Padang Padang for beginners with calmer waves.)
We also went to Single Fin in Uluwatu, checked out the place, the view, but it is packed! Frankly, we went there looking for Nalu Bowls but it was closed already so we didn't stay long.
SEMINYAK / LEGIAN
From Uluwatu, we went to Seminyak and stayed at Villa Gemuk. The place was huge, 3 bedrooms with their own bathrooms and a private pool.
We didn't get to sleep much that night because we had an early call time of 2am for our hike up Mount Batur. It took about 2 hours to get to Kintamani where we were greeted by the very cold air. We had a sip of coffee first and then we started to hike. The path started real easy but as we got higher, it got a little hard, a little slippery because of tiny, loose rocks. After how many hours, we reached the summit. We watched the sunrise and it was beautiful.
We explored more of Seminyak the next day, going to your ~basic~ Bali spots like Motel Mexicola, Sea Circus, and La Favela.
CANGGU
On one of our free afternoons, we went to Canggu, probably my favorite place in Bali, even though we spent the least amount of time there. There was just such a cool vibe to it, not too busy and crazy like Seminyak. You can just hang out at Deus Ex Machina, eat and have a drink or two, or more, and just enjoy your friends' company.
I definitely want to spend more time at Canggu next time.
~~~
Although it felt like a lot, I still have much to see of Bali.
*If you want to know more details of our trip, like prices of things, how to travel to so and so, contact details of our driver, our itinerary, or anything else, feel free to comment/message me.
Okay, I am not sure if my comment went through, if it did you can just delete this one! I need to know about the cat poop coffee. Also, beautiful pictures! I should put Bali on my bucketlist. What made you and your friends choose Bali?
ReplyDeleteThe cat poop coffee or kopi luwak is a local delicacy in Bali. It actually tastes really good! You should definitely try it when you go to Bali. Also, thanks for the lovely comment, Chasa :)
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