Bali

hello! I'm back :)

Weekends are so precious, and I can't believe I'm actually spending time to blog. hur.

But then again, the blog is intended for people to log down important moments, so here goes.

Bali was meant as a short getaway for us after the crazy period in May - Jun.

So off we go to land of the gods from 5th - 7th Jul 13.

Honestly, at the very initial stage, I thought 3D2N was more than sufficient.

But when it boiled down to actually planning of the detailed itinerary..

We realized it's definitely not enough!  :(

Didn't get to see the wild dolphins at Lovina, nor did we manage to do paragliding. 

Oh wells, this means we'll do a return trip in the future ;)

Here's us looking kinda sleepy in the morning at the airport.

Our last trip was what.. honeymoon in Jan? lol!

 For this trip, I had done my research very intensively (only towards the last 2 weeks),

and decided to book Astana Batubelig located in Seminyak for our stay!

They have 16 villas which are totally the same in everything; furniture, pool, etc. 

What's more is that I love how they did up their decor.

Think big white walls, clean private plunge pool, well-maintained villa, 

huge jacuzzi in the middle of washroom, and royalty-fit treatment!

And sure enough, Astana Batubelig didn't disappoint ;)

Took a video on Instavid, but I've no idea on how to post it here.

Can look for my video on instagram -> missy_eg

Astana Batubelig Villa

www.astanabatubelig.com‎

Decided to walk out and explore our town!

Naughty Nuri's Warung is just steps away from our villa :)
From what we heard from the locals, it's famous for the pork ribs!

They have this cute little piggie statue outside the shop too.

 This is possibly the best pork ribs I've ever eaten my whole life.

The meat is crisp on the outside, tender inside.

And the sticky sweet bbq sauce on it was simply divine. 

And it's cheap too. 

Ever since I came back to SG, none of the pork ribs I ate could live up to this standard.

Be sure to check it out during your trip to Bali :)

Naughty Nuri's Warung

Jalan Batubelig, 41

Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta, Bali

After eating at Naughty Nuri's Warung, we walked further down the road..

and we ate again. lol.

This time it's at Sardine Restaurant!

It's a fine dining place, and it overlooks a paddy field which is Sardine's private field!

The view is absolutely gorgeous.

Thankfully, we had asked the good people at Astana Batubelig to make a reservation for us.

The couple in front of us were turned away as they didn't make any reservation.

I had the lychee martini, and liked it alot. 

It was light and refreshing, without the alcohol being overpowering.

For starters, we had this soft shell crab dish. Super yummy!

Then for mains, I had ordered the scallops.

Mm, I prefer the soft shell crab. haha.

As Sardine is a fine-dining restaurant, the portions were kinda small.

But it was indeed flavorful in every bite!

You know, the kind of flavors that can't be replicated easily..

yep, it's that kind of standard. haha. 

The meal didn't come up cheap (About $170 I think), 

but it's definitely worth a visit.

Sardine

Jalan Petitenget 21

Kerobokan, Bali

With that, it's the end of day 1 for us.

We didn't explore much as we reached our villa pretty late. 

Landed at 1.30pm,

but as the traffic jam was horrible,

we only managed to reach our villa at 3pm?!

------

 In-villa breakfast.

Oh yes, the staff had asked us for our preferred menu when we checked in.

So here's ours! American for me, and Indonesian for him.

After breakfast, the people from Jetsetmarine were already waiting for us outside our villa.

So very convenient right.

This is one reason as to why I chose Jetsetmarine.

First, they are well known to be very reliable, very safe, and have up to date equipments.

 Here's the view which greeted us when we reached Jetsetmarine's private beach.

 Kicked off with seawalking, which is basically walking on the seabed 8 metres below the surface,

and we did parasailing as well.

It was really fun! 

For a timid person like me, I was pretty apprehensive of both.

But as I had booked the activities through email beforehand,

it wasn't too nice for me to back out last minute as well.

Luckily, they allowed for hubs and I to parasail together as a pair.

If not I think I would really have freaked out even more. haha.

The seawalking was fun though.

Was really busy trying to touch the fishes,

and we even saw clown fishes and a black ink squid!

I do think we are really blessed.

Heard from the staff that they had to cancel all activities the day before ours,

as the wind was too big, and it's dangerous to parasail / surf.

Even the water is affected as it was murky (I have no idea why).

The good thing about Jetsetmarine is that all activities are kept private.

This means I don't have to seawalk together with say, 10 other people,

nor do I have to wait for my turn to parasail. :)

Really cool isnt it!

I would choose Jetsetmarine again if I ever go back for seasports!

 Here's us after all our seasports!

Thanks to dearest Rhonda, the boss of Jetsetmarine who has been so quick to respond via emails :)

She's really a lovely lady in real life too.

Jetsetmarine

Jalan Setra Gandamayu

West Beach Tanjung Benoa

Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

 After the seasports, we proceeded with the plan to go for spa!

Lluvia spa, that is.

We went for the Pearl Spa Package, which included:

- Aromatherapy Foot Bath

- Massage

- Pearl spa body scrub and mask

- Milk flower bath

 It was really good too! 

I like the ambience and cleanliness of the place :)

And my masseur was very nimble with her fingers too. 

For once, I didn't feel like I ached all over after spa. haha.

The scrub and mask left my skin very soft and supple too!

The hubs was very happy with the package too :)

Thereafter, we proceeded to Ulutwatu to view the sunset.. and monkeys.

haha. We were supposed to see the cecak dance too.

But honestly, I have seen videos of the fire-dance before, 

and I'm quite freaked out.

It's a spiritual dance afterall, and I don't feel too comfortable with it.

Not sure if it's just me, but I just don't want to go.

Well, we saw monkeys though.

They are really naughty! 

 Monkeys aside, we saw the ocean view from Uluwatu's cliffs.

Gorgeous viewwww! 

 After all of the views, the jetsetmarine driver wanted to bring us to Jimbaran bay to have seafood dinner.

Even though I was quite apprehensive, we decided to go in the end.

Cuz I already rejected him for the cecak dance..

So I thought it wasn't too nice to reject the Jimbaran Bay dinner too. 

It was helluva a mistake. 

$130 for a substandard seafood dinner.

Seriously, I can get a much cheaper and better quality at Manhatten's Fish Market anytime. >:(

Sigh, at least the view was good while it lasted.

I know the platter seems to look decent.

But trust me, the food isn't of any decent standard.

And there was this bug that was running around the base of the plate.

Totally destroyed any little appetite I had left. 

With that, our day 2 in bali ended.

Went back villa, and dipped in the pool! 

------

Here's our last day in Bali!

Thought I should end off with a happy photo :)

I love how the turbo fans (is that what it's called?) work in the pool.

It's like whirling and whirling, and all bubbly.

Goodbye bali!

Overall, I'd say all the previously planned stuff didn't disappoint.

But the recommended stuff by our driver did.

I guess, at the end of the day, they are there to make money.

So yea. We kinda got ripped off after being too trusting of the nice driver.

Can't really blame him as well, cuz afterall, 

the Balinese mostly depend on tourism for their living.

After leaving Bali, I had many thoughts running through my mind.

As I had written on my facebook, 

I thought that Bali is really an eclectic place with its mix of urban and rural.

E.g. in a single road, there are spanking new villas,

each furnished with new 40" LCD TVs, aircon, and furniture,

Yet, tucked in a corner of the same road, there are weathered kampong houses,

lived by the locals, and they huddle together in front of an old TV set,

just barely enough to get a glimpse of the latest news. 

As tourists, we had our fun; the sun, sand, sea, spa and food.

But on this island where its people rely heavily on tourism for income,

I hope our little contributions had made a difference in their lives :)

Will I go back Bali again?

Definitely. :)