Island of the Balinese - Bali, Indonesia

May 28, 2011. The fateful day Dyanie and I flew to Bali.

and the rest is history
My Traumatic Experience as an Alleged Drug Trafficker in Bali, Indonesia

Dyanie and I focused more on researching about this Bali trip more than we did in Singapore's leg. Who wouldn't be excited to see the most raved island in south east Asia? Of course, we're not after the beaches. We perfectly knew our beaches in the Philippines are way better. What we wanted to experience is the world famous Balinese culture.

So just imagine how our hearts broke when the Custom Officials in Denpasar airport made us feel we were un-welcomed guests. How could we willingly spend our hard earned money and enjoy this much awaited vacation after those officials treated us unfairly? We were expecting to simply walk though customs like any other passengers, maybe killing time with some airport food and a game of foxybingo, but this was certainly not the case. We lose our excitement. We gained a trauma. What a welcome!

If we had a choice, we could have choose to go home right away. We'd rather spend the money somewhere else. Anywhere except in Bali.

That's what we exactly felt on that fateful evening. And I cant erase the fact that the traumatic incident happened.


May 29, 2011. It's a brand new day!
Im so thankful to God Im an indifferent person! I care very little and I can easily let go. (i know this is a bad trait, but see, sometimes being indifferent has its own advantage. *winks*) And just so you know, I internalized hard so I can write that traumatic blog entry with feelings. LOL

Dyanie and I stayed in Hotel Sorga on our 1st night. This is located in Kuta. A deluxe room with breakfast + free airport pickup costs us Rp.295.000. It's around P1,487 when converted.

Balinese shrine at Hotel Sorga

the rooms

twin room with ensuite bathroom
the room is just right. clean and okay. but the creepy feel is a must-mentioning.

dining area

very basic breakfast of your choice

breakfast is so-so.
ganda, parang walang naganap na eksena kagabi! =)

and yes, this hotel has a pool

Hotel Sorga - Kuta
http://www.hotelsorga.com / contact@hotelsorga.com

Not before we finished our breakfast, our tour guide driver arrived. His name is Nyoman. This is very interesting. I noticed in the "recommended tour guides forum" that almost everyone has the same names. Here's what our driver Nyoman told us:

Basically the Balinese only have four first names. The first child is Wayan or Putu, the second child is Made or Kadek, the third is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is Ketut. The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth will be another Wayan, Made, Nyoman, Ketut and Wayan again. --- Im amazed! So in Bali, my name would have been Made (pronounced as mah-day).


Anyway, Nyoman charged us Rp350.000 (P1,764) for the 10-hour tour around Bali. This includes the petrol and parking fees. Entrance fees in the temples are to be shouldered by the guests.

Nyoman
japanyoman92@yahoo.com / 081.239.97709

First thing we asked our driver is to bring us to an authorized money changer shop.

and I quote Nyoman "our money has many zeroes but it's worth nothing"
Rp100.000 = P505

Like most of the time, I always settle with a tourguide who approves the itinerary I made. There are lots of places to go to with so little time. I just compared the photos online and encircled the more interesting ones.

click this Bali Tourist Attraction Map for bigger version

Tanah Lot
Entrance fee is Rp10.000 (P50)
Pura Tanah Lot is a temple that sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Nyoman said they pray here for protection and balance of life.

Tanah Lot

Tanal Lot, other side
our guide said it gets more crowded in the afternoon to sunset time

the temple up close

Aside from the breath taking temples nestled upon the rock formations, this one really caught my attention.

whoa, a surfer rides the big waves!

Pura Taman Ayun
Entrance fee is Rp3.000 (P15)

In Hindu beliefs, this basket offering with rice and flowers is basically a ritual of giving back what has been given by the Gods. It is a sharing that is not based upon fear, but on gratitude to the richness of life.

It is a duty and an honor at the same time. They do these offering 3x a day.

basket offerings with leaf, flower, fruit, and incense stick

Pura Taman Ayun
Its Balinese name Pura Taman Ayun literally means ‘Garden Temple in the Water’. The entire complex was designed to symbolize the mythological home of the gods, Mount Meru, floating in the sea of eternity.

Candi Bentar or split gate of Pura Taman Ayun

behind me is one of the shrines in the complex

Did you know that:

sorry, ladies with menstruation - not allowed
lucky me, it's not the red day!

The eleven-storey meru are replicas of the original sacred sites around Bali.

the inner-most sanctuary, with its merus and bales

a Hindu priest inside the complex
(guests were not allowed to enter this site)

UlunDanu Bratan Temple in Lake Bedugul
Entrace fee is Rp10.000 (P50)
Ulun means heart and danu means lake, the temple dedicated to the Gods of lake or waters. The lake supplies the water to the rice field. It looks that the temple symbolizes the nature of surrounding as the respects of nature greatness, since the location is surrounded by peaks of Bali mountain chain.

statues on the way to the lake

UlunDanu Bratan Temple
people pray here for the protection of the sea and mountains

i forgot what these tall elements are for, but Im sure the direction of these elements matter

a temple dedicated for the gods of the lake

Lunch time!
Nyoman brought us to several buffet restaurants, but unfortunately most of them were full. We ended up here in Pacung Indah. Buffet rate is Rp70.000 (P352).

buffet lunch for P352

i like the satay, fried noodles, fish fillet, and spring rolls.

and by the way, the dining area is overlooking the rice terraces

After our lunch, Nyoman asked us if he could bring us to how-coffees-are-made center. We agreed. We were given free samples of each coffee. Great, Dyanie and I were not coffee drinkers!

free shots of coffee for non-coffee drinkers like us. uhoh..

But as a courtesy, we tasted each and every coffee in these cups. Take turns. It's officially a coffee drinking challenge!

drinking coffee is not that bad after all! ^_^

Tirta Empul
Entrance fee is Rp6.000 (P30)
Tirta Empul or Tampak Siring Temple is a holy spring water temple. The sacred spring is said to have been created by Indra and to have curative properties. Guests are asked to wear a sarong (this will be provided in the gate). Again, ladies with menstruation are not allowed.

Tirta Empul

traditional Balinese split gate along with shrines to Shiva, Vishnu, Braham, Mt. Batur, and Indra

worshipers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the main pool to bathe and pray.

the water in this sacred spring is believed to have the power to cure

others collect the holy water in bottles to take home

On the other side of the Tirta Emoul complex:

an offering led by the Hindu priest

worshipers

Also found in the complex are these statues:

if only our tourguide Nyoman came with us, I'll ask him about the weapons and handsigns of every sculpture.

Ganesh

Brahma

Tirta Empul complex is indeed very picturesque.

one with the locals

the traditional split gate

good memories of Bali

Gunung Kawi
Entrance fee is Rp6.000 (P30)
Gunung Kawi is one of the oldest religious places in Bali which contains ‘candi‘ (pronounced chandi) or tombs built to honor an 11th Century king. It is a peaceful place, surrounded by rushing water and local farmers harvesting terraced rice paddies.

colorful sarongs and masks in the entrance gate

200-step staircase going to Gunung Kawi

traditional split gate

Buddhist Temple Complex is used as a residence and as place for meditation.

royal tombs at Gunung Kawi

There's not much to see inside compared to the previous temples we visited. Maybe there's an interesting stories behind these tombs, too bad there's no one in the whole complex except Dyan and I. Creepy!

temples-overload look
in tagalog - nakakaumay sa dami ng temples!

I guessed we had seen enough temples for that day alone. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the history, customs, and beliefs of the Balinese.

On our 2nd night, we stayed at Teba house, it's a guesthouse in Ubud. A deluxe room costs us Rp325.000 (P1,640). I'll say that this is the perfect room we're looking for. More pictures on my next post.

a spacious and cozy room in Teba House

Wayan, a staff in the guesthouse, recommended a nearby Warung (store) for our dinner. Aside from it's cheaper, the food here tastes better than what we ate in our buffet lunch.

satay with peanut sauce, seafood nasi goreng, spaghetti, and pizza
yummy and cheap home-cooked meals! (P300++ for everything)

next post: beaches in Bali