Travel: Bali 2013

September 23, 2013

Travel: Bali 2013

Yes! I'm back to Bali again after 3 years! It is a different experience this time round. We did not stay as long as we did back in 09 and this time round it's just two of us celebrating our 4th Anniversary and R's quarter century birthday.

Usual self-shots before we take off. He is so obsessed with his phone's camera so almost all the photos from this trip were taken by his handy-HTC1!

I was so excited trying to fly to the customs to get the immigration card which the airline failed to provide. yea, seriously? They ran out of immigration cards. Furthermore, when we were at the customs, they ran out of immigration cards at the counter as well. Coincidence or Ineffectiveness + Laziness? Don't they check? So we waited with a bunch of tourists like us, excited about the trip but irritated by the service.

Right after we checked into our hotel, Bounty Hotel, we went to Kuta Beach. Our hotel is really near the beach and located just beside a newly opened shopping mall and also Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort (so super nice!)

August is known to be the peak period for Bali where there are really many many tourists. The beach was almost fully packed every day we were there. But that's ok with us, it was more lively and fun that way.

As we touched down only in the late afternoon so it got dark soon after we walked around the local shopping area and we decided to have our dinner in a warung. The food was great!

And we got ourselves two touristy straw hats :)

We had our "fun" there.

I am hesitant whether I should blog about it but if I don't I'd probably forget about the experience next time because I don't think I'll try again? Idk. Maybe. It's literally everywhere on the street and you have to be careful which one you buy from because it might not be the authentic one.

I remembered the different amazing things that I saw. Cartoons and dragons on the walls etc.

We had the most exciting and awesome game of ping pong that night. The hotel staffs were kind enough to switch on the lights when they saw us playing.

I would say I was a better player that night.

It was fabulous.

We tried eating mentos and when you bite the candy, woah, it's like surround sound system.

I should just stop here. Haha. Don't want to get into trouble!

The awesome pool that our hotel offers with a bar inside the pool. R actually saw people doing "it" in the pool.

Day 2

Woke up for breakfast and off we go for some shopping! Walked around Kuta and Legian for a bit. Got all the stuff we needed. Raymond was really good at haggling. I did not shop as much as I did the last time. We only got things that we needed like a cloth to put on the sand, a cheap I Love Bali bag to keep all out things so that out normal bags don't get dirty, shorts for raymond so he can swim and some random shades.

I managed to go further out into the sea. This time i'm smart enough to keep reapplying my sun block to prevent myself from becoming a charcoal like the last trip. We had fun just playing in the waves. Best part? Wearing a bikini top that does not hang on! Luckily, I was in the water so I just adjusted it under water. Haha.

It was also Raymond's birthday on our second day and we went to Jimbaran for dinner. It was more expensive and the food wasn't that fantastic.

But I would say it really felt different, in a way chill/good, to eat beside the sea. Just being mesmerised by the beautiful sunset can take all the tiredness away from you.

Jimbaran is basically just a row of many many different seafood eateries (i wouldn't call them restaurants) located along the beach. They have awesome views but the food is really so-so. If you're looking for fantastic seafood, this is NOT the place.

The staffs there are always ready to help you take a photo too. So no worries if you are not in a big group.

So these were what we ordered. We chose fish, prawns and sotong. The rest of the food like vegetable, rice and soup are all complimentary. You can ask for more vegetables if you like.

More photos of us :))

Day 3

Another day to laze at the beach. After we had our breakfast at the hotel, we went to buy my bikini top! The one that I brought was a tube top so it kept getting washed up by the waves.

This picture of the memorial was taken by R's HTC1. Not bad!

We went for some surfing and basically just slacked at the beach for one whole day. Bought Dominos pizza to fill our tummies then just relax. That's the whole point of the trip right?!

Day 4

So, we actually bought our trip for ATV a few nights before while walking along Kuta. It was about 70USD inclusive of transport (pick up from hotel), lunch, ATV and a free T-shirt (hah). You really have to bargain and go around asking the prices from different companies.

It was really considered very very tiring for me to ride the single ATV. The experience was horrifying yet exhilarating. I could feel the adrenaline rush and my heart pumping so fast when I almost fell. So, I eventually gave up and rode with R on a tandem :(

Unlike me, he was all ready for the fun and excitement that the ATV brought. Later on you'll see the photos taken while we ride on the tandem. It was terrifying for me to go down the slope which felt almost like it was 90 degrees straight down. No joke. But R's face just showed pure determination and resilience. HAHHAHA!!!

It may look easy but girls, if your arms are not strong, I suggest you ride with your bf or friend. Maybe it's just the terrain that we were in, it was wet, slippery, STEEEEEPPPPP and scary, as least for me.

OMG! just look at the fear that's written all over my face. I was really terrified, so afraid that we might fall off the slope. But look at R!!! hahah. The I-CAN-DO-IT Face.

Here I am, on straight road, less bumpy and treacherous, spotted the cameraman and giving my best smile after almost dropping off the slope. Yes, we almost dropped off the slope. Luckily, the instructor was there to hold our ATV. Otherwise, byebye! I won't be alive now. I remember there was one slope that was so so steep that they have to hook and hold our ATV to a tree so that we are released slowly and not slide down on our own.

Yay, It's FINALLY lunch time!

Took almost 1.5 to 2 hours for us to get back and off we went to the beach, again.

We went back to bathe and then we had the most amazing dinner of the trip at Rosso Vivo which is located along the stretch of shops that's beside the beach at Kuta.