Eventually

Well, what do you think? Isn't Bali the perfect place to spend your holiday? =)

Outside of that you can also check out other places near Bali or anywhere in Indonesia. Believe me, you'll be thrilled with the cultures, the places and the nature. I will try and update few more places that i've been too. For now, thank you for stopping by, it's really great to be able to share what i've experienced. Keep reading, i appreciate it so much. By the way, i advise you to read this blog from the oldest post to make it clearer. =)

Anyhow, you can also check the link for more information, or you can visit Bali Tourism Board

To sum it all up, here is a video of sneak peek of Bali and commercial of Indonesian tourism. Enjoy.! =)

Time for Cool Air

Just like i've mentioned before, Bali has everything. Whenever you feel enough of the beaches, you can go the other side, where you can find serene and peaceful mountains right on the north side of Bali. The areas covering central highlands of Bali are known as Bedugul. It consists of Candikuning, Pancasari, Pacung and Wanagiri and few other places. Located about 50 km north from Denpasar, it is a great place to escape from the hustles of the city where you can enjoy the green nature of forests and hills with cool air.

The most visited places in Bedugul are:

• Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Bratan. This lake has unique temple on a small island located in the middle of the lake. The lake itself is famous for its water activities, such as parasailing, jetski, fishing,

• The Bedugul Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Eka Karya), which was established since1959 and covers more than 150 ha of land in Bali’s Tabanan Regency. Boasting 1200 distinct types of plants, including 320 types of orchids from all over Indonesia as well as a rose garden, these gorgeous botanical gardens are a must-see if you’re anywhere near Bedugul.  
 

 

• Bali Treetop Adventure Park, an adventure park located in the Bedugul Botanical Gardens. The park includes six main circuits that stretch from tree to tree, as well as nets, Tarzan Jumps, and bridges. Each run also features "Flying Fox" zip-lines of up to 160 meters, providing heart-pounding thrills to guests as they fly through the air. Two circuits are designed for young children from 4 years old.

• The Traditional Market of Candikuning.This is a spot where locals and tourists can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, little souvenirs, or maybe check out or even adopt baby bunnies from local breeders.
 

 

• Bali Handara Kosaido Golf and Country Club. At an alitude of 1.142 meters above the sea level and surrounded by green mountains, crater lakes and ancient forest, the course is considered as one of the greatest golf course in the world.
 

 

So, those are few places that you can go around Bedugul area. If you have some time you can also visit Jembatan Tukad Bangkung (Tukad Bangkung Bridge) in Plaga village, Petang. 

This bridge is the longest bridge in Bali and considered as the tallest bridge in Asia. With height of 71.14 meters, length of 360 meters and width of 9.6 meters,  it is built with foundation pillar of 41 meters beneath the ground and estimated to be able to withstand earthquake up to 7 Richter scale. It is a magnificent construction where you can get the beautiful view of the trees and nature underneath from the top of the bridge.

The Center of Arts

Looking for arts in Bali? Then you should visit Ubud. It is a small village in the central of Bali renowned for artists and paintings which is also known as the art center of Bali. It is a great place of culture, comfort, nature and inspiration. It has scenic rice fields, smal villages, art and craft communities, ancient temples, palaces, rivers. Ubud has been growing fast in the last few years. Many artists either locals or foreigners lived there. There are a lot of Art Gallery and Art Museums in Ubud that you can visit. Art and painting shops are also lining up along the road.

Wherever you go in Ubud you can find a lot of cafes and restaurants beside the road, ranging from small cafes to very fine restaurants. There is also a wide range of hotel accommodation from the cheapest guest houses to the most expensive and luxurious hotels and villas. Most of the luxurious villas have really beautiful views of Ubud's famous paddy fields which is one of their specialities. Yup, aside of the arts, another thing that you'll like about Ubud is it's view of paddy fields, the artistic view and the tranquility of the city.

Unique rice terraces in Tegalalang

Whenever you go to Ubud, take a time to visit Sukawati art market. 

It is the place where you can shop and bargain for wide range of products, from souvenirs, paintings, arts,  to garments and kites. These items are the same as those you can find in tourist spots like Legian, but in Sukawati you can get considerably cheaper price. Sukawati is a good place to explore the shopping experience in a natural way, get in touch with common people and see how the locals go about the art of negotiation. Even if you don't shop, you may enjoy many kinds of art products that reflect the diversity of local
art and crafts and the creativity of its people.

And yes, if you fancy Antonio Blanco you can visit his house and gallery in Ubud. =)

Beaches (Con't)

There are still a lot of beaches in Bali, but i might not be able to discuss all of them, so i will end the beach review in this post with few more quick review. =)

Dreamland Beach

Another famous tourist spot with it's beauty, white sand and cliff outcroppings, it has become the chic beach of the day, and it is usually fairly busy with tourists, and quite a number of warungs and small bungalows have been built in the area. It is a great beach for swimming and surfing, as it offers a sand-bottom break, but often has a strong rip current.

Canggu Beach

Located only a few km north of Legian Beach, this beautiful beach is accessible from Kerobokan Village. Like its neighboring beaches, Canggu Beach offers the perfect waves for surfing. For beginner surfers, the reef-coral waves will give a fascinating experience.

Lovina Beach

Lovina Beach is located approximately 10km west of Singaraja. Its black sandy beach is beautiful at sunrise and a wonderful place for swimming. There is no surfing, but plenty of coral areas for snorkeling and diving. It is also a good place for watching dolphins offshore in early morning. This area is very tranquil with the life of the village that is peaceful.

Pemuteran Beach

Pemuteran Beach is located in Pemuteran Village. The beach has so many beautiful fishes, turtles and other marine and submarine habitats and coral reefs. There is also turtle conservation nearby. This peaceful place is ideal for natural excursion activities such as tramping at the National Park, swimming, snorkeling and diving.

A Glimpse of Luxury

On the northern side of Bali, you can find another great beach. Nusa Dua beach with it's strikingly beautiful crystal clear blue water and white sand is a spot where most luxurious and sumptuous resorts gather.

The spectacular view of the hotels and Nusa Dua beach

A lot of people who are willing to spend more money to find the ultimate luxury, serenity  and total relaxation from hectic working life usually spend their times there. There are a lot of internationally known spas where you can pamper yourself with traditional massage or spa treatment. If you  are the type of person who enjoys hassle-free traveling and first class service the it is a perfect place for you. But other way, you can still go to the beach  without the need to stay or spend your money when you are not willing to. There is no one who can prohibit you from enjoying the magnificent beach, so why not come there and enjoy? =)

Do you surf? =)

 Kuta beach

Okay, so the next beach on the list is Kuta beach, the most popular beach in Bali for tourists. Located on the west side of Bali, it is one of the top list of beaches with the spectacular sunset view.

The most popular water activity to do on Kuta beach is surfing, but there are a lot more than that. You can do a lot of other activities just like the way local people do, they play soccer on the sands, kite, sand castle building, or simply jogging throughout the beach coast. Tourists also like to sunbathe on the spacious sand.

Kuta beach and the surrounding areas located in the southern of Bali are the main spot for night life activities. Travellers from all over the world love to go there to shop at the lines of shops, boutiques and galleries. Restaurants serving wide range of food are easy to find in the area, so does hotels, ranging from small, inexpensive homestay to luxurious resorts.

I really enjoy going around Kuta and the areas surrounding it. There are so much things to see, to enjoy and to shop, perhaps. =)

The best time to go there is at noon, when the sun has move away from it's very most center spot, unless you can stand the heat. You can shop for many types of things, souvenirs, clothing, home decorations and many more. There are a lot of unique Balinese goods that you can find around, make sure you bargain for it. =)

Don't forget to make sure to get yourself in time when the sun comes to set to discover the panoramic sunset. =)

Personal opinions

Whenever people are talking about Bali, the first thing that may come in mind is beach. That is very common, considering that a lot of tourists come intentionally to surf or sunbathe, perhaps? =)

With the great beaches that Bali has you can either do one of those or you can choose a lot of other water activities. I will show you a quick review of my personal favorites of few of these beaches starting in this post and the next few posts, so stay tuned. =D

Sanur beach

One of the least crowded beach, situated on the southeast part of Bali, it is one of the most famous gateway for honeymooners, elderly, or maybe just people who is looking for tranquility out of the hectic working life. Sharing one of the most beautiful sunrise view, it is a famous spot to go for breakfast, morning jog or exercises. It is one of my own favorite places to go in Bali. I love going to Sanur beach in the morning before dawn to capture the scenic sunrise. Here are few shots of the sunrise that i took quite some time ago.

After enjoying the sunrise you can jog or bike around the beach following the jogging trail beside the sand.

Or you can enjoy water activities such as canoeing, parasailing,windsurfing, jet ski, sailing snorkeling and many more. Personally, i enjoy jogging in the morning, followed by canoeing. You can easily find rentals for canoeing around the spot for a really good price, usually they will charge you by hours.

Other than that, you can also take a boat to Nusa Lembongan, the small island located on the southern part of Bali. You can check the link for more information on this.

If you are interested in spending some time in Sanur and the areas, you don't have to worry, plenty of hotels are lined up beside the beach, so does restaurants and shops. You can also shop for traditional goodies in the traditional market on the location.

One more thing, you can try Nasi Campur Bu Weti in a small stall on the area, the famous Balinese cuisine that locals and tourists always craved for, but make sure you come earlier as it's always finished before noon. =D

The crowded stall

Sneak peek of the famous Nasi Campur

Home Far Away from Home

There are a lot of things that make Bali feels like home for a lot of tourists and foreigners. Besides the stunning view of nature, the unique culture, the people, and the foods; architects and interior designers in Bali have successfully built a great ambiance through their home designs. There are a lot of beautiful villas in Bali with the same earthy, nature-bound concept. I am going to show you one of the example of these beautiful villas.

Villa Jerami is one of the villas located in Seminyak, Kuta, which is strategically located between the capital city and the heart of the tourism of Bali. It was built with the concept of harmony with nature and modern minimalist style that also captures unique Balinese nuance. Operating since the year of 2007, Villa Jerami has gained a lot of popularity and has successfully widen their villa region in 2010. They have also established their own spa complex, with a wide range of spa treatments to indulge and pamper yourself with.

 

 

Here is a video review showing the villa from a customer:

If you happen to be in Bali and is looking for a great place to stay, you can check out the link for further information or online reservation. See you in Bali. =D

Two side of a coin

As you all know from my previous post, I'm really grateful having Bali as my hometown. It is really a beautiful paradise to live in. It may not be the most developed city, but it has every essential thing for you to enjoy what the nature has. You can find beaches, forests, paddy fields, hills, mountains in one small island. It's the best. The view, the culture, the people, the foods are magnificent. I really adore the strong bond of the people with their religion, Hindu, and their Gods. They have a lot of ceremonies and festivals every different dates and they always do them willingly. They also have great respect to the earth and always try to live in harmony with the environment.

Wherever you go in Bali, you can never find skyscraper buildings like any other towns in Indonesia has. Balinese ancestors actually restrict buildings taller than the height of coconut tree, which is around 15 meters (?) they say. I feel like this principle has successfully affect the conservation of the unique Hindu culture environment and that's why you can still enjoy Bali without the influence of tall, crowded buildings.

The conflict is now that a lot of people want to live in Bali and the fact that population in Bali itself is growing, is causing this principle to become a trouble. Imagine if they keep on holding to it, they will have to open up more land field for housing area, risking the paddy fields which has been one of their main cultural assets. It's a hard decision for Balinese now.

Personally, i love paddy fields a lot, and i don't like to see a lot of tall buildings, so it's really a hard choice. Tell me, what will you choose? =)

Home is where your heart belongs

Hands up for those of you who read or like or is a big fan of the book or the movie. =)

I watched the movie, but i didn't read the book. I don't really know the reason, but i just always take a long time reading a book, and that's a pity. i know. =(

Anyway, the movie was awesome. I really like watching or reading something that  is based on true story. It's quite sad though to see the fact that their relationship didn't work out and she just left her ex-husband that way, but i know there must be some explanation for that. Grown-ups are always complicated.

Okay, so another reason why i like watching the movie was because Bali was one of the place she visited. and yes, Bali is my hometown. =D

I've been living in Bali since i was born. My dad used to live in Java and my mom in Lombok, so Bali is the island which separates my parent's hometown, yet funny enough now my whole family live in Bali. =D

It's been almost 3 years since i live in Malaysia. I have only visited Bali once every year, last time on August last year.

Here are few photographs that i took during my visit.

random statue

i love seashells

my favorite beach, Sanur beach

I will go there again this April. Promise i will take a lot of photographs. =D

I really miss Bali. I love my hometown, and i'm proud every time someone ask me where i came from. Bali, i would say. The island of God, a lot of people called. For me, it is the place that i love the most, my home town.

Welcoming 2011

 

It's 2011 already, that's how fast time flies. 2010 went just like a click, but i can assure all of us got a bunch of stories going on last year.. =)

As for me, i've been through a lot in 2010, most importantly, turning 20, leaving the faithful number 1 in my 10 years. And this year i'll be 21, talking about being an adult.. =S

New year seems identical with goals to be fulfilled for some people. Some also have their wish list, whether it's small simple things or really big changes, so what is yours? =)

Me, personally, i don't really have specific goals to be fulfilled each year, i just go on with the pace. but still whatever it is, i'm just hoping to be a better person. =)

Truth to be told this is my first time writing on a blog, I mean, I've been looking forward to it since I don't remember when, and this is the time to try it.

I've been thinking that it'll be easy, but I realized it's harder than it seems, haha.. so please spare me if I'm bluffing around and bored you, but I'll try my best, so please be my guest, I appreciate it so much.. =D