::feb 21~27, 2007:: was declared as our personal holidays >> lids, chie, seth, reg :D {the bali babes}feb 21, 2007 :: flight to Jakarta, Indonesia via Cebu Pacific (took advantage of the P999 promo!), 2055h >> thanks to driver roel for bringing us to the airport on time... of course, Cebu Pacific flight was again, NOT ON TIME... around 30mins delayed... but the flight was as usual, great. Cebu Pacific pilots, in my opinion are the best!
arrived at the Jakarta Airport with Mrs. Canivel's (Trixie's mom) driver waiting for us with a sign with our names on it...
capped the night with a load-ful of bali information from Mrs. Canivel... thanks to her trusty guide books ;)
here are some stolen shots of the Canivel home:
feb 22, 2007 :: we had an early morning flight to Bali, Indonesia via Air Asia and so after a hearty breakfast of chorizo, danggit, nasi goreng, waffles, fruits, etc... we were sent off to the Jakarta Domestic Airport...
here we are goofing around before our flight...
arrived in Bali on time! picked up by the hotel service of The Matahari Bungalows... we were at the hotel in no time, with our welcome drinks and keys to our rooms... we were assigned the second floor rooms which had a balcony... definitely scenic!
after a short rest, we decided to explore the other parts of the hotel...
who could say no to the lure of mcdonald's :P this food chain often offers something different in each country i've been to... so chie and i opted to try out something we didn't have in Manila... it was ok... but we still loved the chicken wings of hk and macau more :) yum! btw, we had to hunt for this mcdonald's branch, using our not so reliable map... found it by kuta beach... the walk to the resto was long, and the weather didn't help at all! it was super humid... so we were sweating like pigs soon as we got there! the a/c in mcdonald's was a great relief...
right after lunch, we decided to walk around the beach... that's where we first got a glimpse of the sand and surf that bali is famous for... the waves were huge and the surfers juz loved it! it was great watching them... ;)
after this short stint in the beach, we knew it was time for some shopping! Bali is known as being one of the best shopping areas in Asia! for designer goods or simply just for boutiques, kuta square is the place to visit! 70% discounts for brands such as Nike and Polo are everywhere! nice shops that showcase Balinese Art as well are available here... Uluwatu for beautiful handmade lace fabrics, Sonia Bali Natural Collection for Aromatic Oils, Soaps, and other knick knacks. Matahari Supermarket is good place to buy authentic Balinese snacks, fruits, etc...
after this long day touring ourselves around Kuta~Legian, we hopped on a taxi to bring us back to our home for those 4 days... grabbed the free dinner at Matahari Bungalows >> was quite interesting. hit the sack early as we had a long day ahead of us come Friday!
feb 23, 2007 :: up and about by 7:30am to prepare for a roadtrip to the different areas of Bali! breakfast was yumyum at the Matahari... had some Nasi/Mie Goreng, jaffles, french toast, fruits and of course, coffee and OJ! met some quite interesting people... 'insert bubble here' :P
eka, our trusty driver arrived at exactly 9am... first stop was the money changer.
WARNING :: it is best to exchange money with the main money changer in town: PT. Central Kuta. exchange rate as of this trip was around US$1 = IDR 9025. you will be instant millionaires in Indonesia... but be sure to count your money before leaving the counter when doing the exchange. it is known that some 'authorized' money changers will scam you and not give you the amount agreed upon. they work clean and fast so be vigilant!
eka brought us to watch the Barong Dance -- a traditional Balinese Dance in Batubulan... check here for the Barong Dance Schedules. in the same area, we were able to view the beautiful Stone Carvings that the village is known for.
for a video of the Barong Dance, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlcoWt7ZVWc
On the way to Ubud, you will be able to pass by Celuk where you can find beautiful silver and gold pieces! We went to a silvershop and saw the process that is involved in making such beautiful jewelry! I made some purchases here! tsk! >> maybe it's the free krupuk that entices people to shop! :P 
Next stop was Mas, which is famous for it's Wood Carvings... Eka made a pit stop in a shop where they sold wonderfully carved masterpieces!
WARNING :: vendors at the entrance will try to sell some fruits (bananas) so that you can feed the monkeys... this is NOT advisable as the monkeys can get quite aggressive when they see or smell food.
We were definitely starving after all these stops so we told eka that we would like to have some authentic Balinese food in BEBEK BENGIL (Dirty Duck). this is another tourist favorite in Bali! we had nasi goreng, nasi campur, and of course bebek bengil! yumyum food after a tiring tour!
it was really yummy and the resto was very pretty... definitely camera friendly!
we were recharged and ready for more! We headed off to the Ubud Market, which we knew was the best place to shop! went through the tight alleys and hidden corners of the market to find the best prices. we had a blast haggling and goofing around with the locals! it was a great experience... bought different items ranging from shirts, blouses, baskets, food, and more!
WARNING :: prices given to you by the vendors are more than twice that they are willing to sell the goods to you for. if you are interested in buying the item, HAGGLE! cut down the price to a quarter of the amount and make your way up to the price that you deem reasonable. better yet, if you're shopping with friends/family, buy in bulk to get a better discount!
after shopping in the market, you can also take photos and listen to traditional Balinese music in the sultan's palace...
our shopping time was cut short as we have already planned on going to the famous temple Tanah Lot in Beraban, and view the sunset there...
the ride was long but we made it in time to catch the setting of the sun... the view was beautiful... a temple on a rock by the shore of the sea... waves crashing on it to make distinctive marks that create a beautiful silhouette.
after all these activities, we headed back home to the hotel...dropped off our loot and headed off to ESC for a comfy dinner... had big plates of ceasar salad, fish and chips, and calamari. value for money at ESC is great!we were too hungry to take photos of the food! :P
feb 24, 2007 :: saturday was definitely the day we were looking forward to! water sports were planned for this day...
eka brought us to Tanjung, Benoa where you can find different 'shops' that offer water sports... we of course went to the one that eka worked for a few years back... for Php 1500 per person, we were able to get a deal to parasail on our own and ride what they call the 'flying fish' we definitely thought it was worth it! pictures will tell all...
CHIE:
REG:
SETH:
LIDS:
the experience was great... the anxiety we felt before the 'flight' was useless! it didn't feel scary at all! will do it again if given the chance! woohoo!
videos? take off and landing
hungry! hungry! right after these activities... all we could think about was food... and again, we wanted real Balinese food! so we went straight to Bumbu Bali! satay and nasi goreng to die for! had refreshing iced teas as well...
we were then ready for some more beaches... so off to nusa dua we go...
but before the beach, we made a stop over at Bali Collection >> a nice and trendy strip mall in Nusa Dua where we saw the higher end shops of Bali... a lot of art works available there as well and we even got a chance to watch a lady weave a pretty Balinese Fabric...
the sun was at its peak so we decided to head off to the Nusa Dua beach already... got there and saw that there wasn't anything special about it... asked eka to bring us to a more interesting one... and so he brought us to the New Kuta Beach, aka Dreamland...
where the waves were high...
the current strong...
where surfers enjoy the rush...
and lazygurls watch :P
took snapshots of the sunset up on the hill from where the beach was, before dinner...
we then went to Jimbaran Beach where a strip of Seafood Restaurants lined the beach...chose the first one in line: Nyoman Cafe... >> had grilled squid, fish, prawns <<
feb 25, 2007 :: first stop was Ground Zero ~ the site of the Bali Bombing... it's quite surreal being in that area and just think about how things transpired on that fateful day... people just enjoying and taking some much needed relaxation, when their lives were taken...
just took some pictures and said silent prayers...
Waterbom was our destination of choice! contemplated once, twice -- and finally flipped a coin just to make a decision on whether we should go for it or not... and the coin spoke :: 'GO!' and we were glad we did... our $21 did not go to waste as we had a blast at Waterbom!
first stop was the lazy river:
then an exciting experience at the boomerang:
followed up with another exciting slide:
grabbed some lunch >> pizza, grilled corn, fries <<>
then turned silly in the kiddie area:
we can't leave a town we visit without a pitstop in the mall >> and the red light was on! Free Krispy Kremes for everyone!!! woohoo!
what else is Bali known for?? it's spa services... ho hum... took some R&R at Bali Ratu, Kuta by indulging in Traditional Balinese Massage (for Chie and Reg) and a not-so-basic Foot Massage (for Lizeth and myself)... this is the best foot massage i've ever had! changed to our robes, soaked our tired feet in warm water with rose petals, picked our massage oil fragrance (Lavender for Reg, Chie, and myself and Grapefruit for Lizeth), lay face-down in their massage tables, and then allowed our masseuses to de-stress our tired bods... what a relief! Bali Ratu's setup is very relaxing and pleasing to the senses... if we had the energy and time, we would have taken a dip in their luxurious pool.
after that stint, we were ready for dinner at Warung Made > one of the more famous dining spots in Bali... had some chicken curry, Nasi Goreng, and lumpia and not to forget the ou la la ice creme! the place was pretty and the service was quick!
took a stroll through the streets till we found our way home...
feb 26, 2007 :: dedicated Legian~Kuta day... after our carbo-breakfast at Matahari, we finally got the chance to enjoy the hotel's swimming pool... it was nice especially since we had the whole pool to ourselves! Ü noodled around, swam laps and just lounged...
had a cheap but filling lunch at ESC again before we drove to the Domestic Airport for our afternoon flight...
packed up and got ready to check out by 12nn...
the trip back to Manila was quite interesting as well... we've been advised that the Domestic Airport is just a free shuttle ride away from the International Airport so we expected that things will run smoothly... but then, when we landed and found our way to the shuttle service waiting area, we were once again hassled by all the taxi drivers in the area... we kept waiting for the shuttle but we just had the worst luck in the world as the only shuttle passed by without stopping to give us a ride.
>>to the rescue was Oscar, a kind fellow who offered to give us a ride to the Domestic airport... thankfully, his girlfriend was in the area as they will be having dinner that night. as Oscar won't be off from work in another 15 mins. Fidia was kind enough to give us a ride so that we can catch our flight back to Manila! they were simply super nice and sweet!<< to look forward to :: KL~Penang Trip, April 2007
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