Saturday, 28 December 2019

Tropical Bali!!

Bali is a small island in Indonesia, which is known for its Hindu temples and traditions, coral reefs, beaches, volcanic remains, etc. In short, its a lovely picturesque holiday destination.


Accommodation:
Jimbaran - Bali Paragon Resort - 3 nights
Ubud - Sri Bungalows - 6 nights

Day 1:
Vacation Starts!! All of us are thrilled and excited!!
We took a flight to Bali. We landed late night and took a cab to our resort.
The resort was just amazing. We had a warm welcome.
Our room was also very good, with a direct entry to the swimming pool!



Day 2:
We woke up very early in the morning as we were still living in the Sydney time zone. We were the first ones to jump in the magnificent pool.

Charvi all ready to jump in the pool :)

Our lovely resort

After having a lovely breakfast at the resort, we headed out exploring the place on foot. At the first sight of Bali, everything looked amazing.

We tried different local food - Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), Mie Goreng(Fried Noddles)

Roti Chocolate
The resort was quite impressive with many activities to keep everyone busy. The pool was quite big with water slides and Jacuzzi. The play area was also quite good.


Day 3:
Pandava Beach: 
The entry to this beach is laid out with temples of Kunti followed by each of the Pandavas - Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. There is also a viewpoint to enjoy a panoramic view of the beach.


We had a wonderful time at this beach, all of us hitting the ocean, sinking the cold waters in the hot weather. We also hired a Kayak and tried kayaking.



Padang Padang Beach:
This is one of the best beaches in Bali. As we walked down the steps, we were really amazed by the picturesque view of the white sands and the blue oceans and the rocks. Truly Amazing.




Uluwatu Temple:
This is the most popular attraction in Bali. It is a Balinese Hindu temple located in the south of Bali. The temple is located on the cliff, with amazing views of the oceans. The route to the temple takes us through the garden , welcomed by the monkeys, along the cliff , with breathtaking views of the ocean.





Kecak Dance:
Every evening, around sunset time, there is a fire dance performed at the Uluwatu temple. Through the fire dance, they tell us the story of Ramayana. Its really an amazing experience to see the Kecak dance


The arena set for Kecak dance

A scene from Ramayan

Sumit taking a picture with the beautiful Sita :)

Day 4:
Turtle Island:
Turtle Island is a conservation center for the Turtles and many other animals. We hired a glass bottom boat to visit this place.


Sumit holding the Bat

Sumit holding the turtle

Brave Charvi!!

Sea Walk:
At Turtle Island, there are many adventure activities like sea walk, para sailing, banana boat ride, etc.
We decided to go for the Sea Walk. You will definitely not regret the money you spent on this. We went towards the deep water on a speed boat, from there we hopped on a floating deck, where we put on all the equipment like the helmet. Finally we jumped into the ocean. This was the most amazing experience of my entire trip. I had never done anything like this before. I saw variety of fishes in rainbow colors. They had laid a rough path on the sea bed. I was walking on the sea bed, using the railings, going up an down. An experience of a lifetime!!



Balinese House:
After a wonderful experience at the Turtle Island, we visited a traditional Balinese house. The guide explained us the different parts of their house and their customs and traditions. Its amazing to see how they still keep up with their traditions in today's busy life.

Coffee Plantation:
On the way, we visited coffee plantation. They gave us to try variety of tea and coffee. We also tried Luwak Coffee. Read about Luwak coffee and its specialty to find out more. They also had Luwak animal there. They showed us the whole process of preparing the Luwak coffee.





At last, we finally reached Ubud. As we entered Ubud, it was a very different experience. Ubud was very happening and lively, full of tourists and also shops. The next few days we would be living here and that made me really thrilled.

Finally we landed in our resort. This also was a very lovely place. We had a pool facing room, with a garden view as well as paddy field view. Just on the busy monkey forest road, lies this amazing resort, which takes you into a rustic world.




Day 5:
To start with, we decided to explore Ubud by walking.

Ubud Palace:
In the heart of Ubud, lies the Ubud Palace. Ubud palace is quite big and a nice place to visit. It has quite ancient architecture.


Saraswati Temple:
Just next to Ubud Palace lies the Saraswati temple. The surprising thing to note was that the devotees are not allowed to enter the temple, which is quite different from the temples in India. The Saraswati temple is surrounded by a pond, full of Lotuses.




Campuhan Ridge Walk:
In Sydney, we do go for many bush walks and they are really amazing. This one was a normal one, but still different to the ones in Sydney. Along the Ridge walk, you can view the terrace paddy fields, some old temples, and some nice sunset views. Its a nice refreshing experience especially when you go in the late evening, when its cooler.



Sunset at the Campuhan Ridge

On our way back home, we found an amazing Indian restaurant called Dal Roti, which served us really amazing Indian food.

Day 6: 
We hired a cab to see around places near Ubud.

Tegalalang Rice Terrace:
This gives a panoramic view of the paddy fields in terrace farming. It also has zip line and jungle swings.




Pura Gunung Kavi:
This is an 11th century temple, which has ancient shrines carved into the face of the rock. The walk to this shrine is a moderate one and takes around half an hour. Walking back upwards is a bit challenging esp in the hot sun, but its worth the visit.



Crazy Us!!!

Tirtha Empul:
This is a Balinese Hindu water temple, where the Balinese Hindus go for purification. They also allow tourists to have a purification bath. After an exhausting walk to the Gunung Kavi, we decided to go for the bath here and it felt refreshing.




Volcano at Kintamani:
We stopped at Kintamani for viewing the remains of the volcano. We can clearly see the remains of lava.


We had lunch at Amora, which also had amazing views of the volcano.


Pura Kehan:
This is also a nice temple to visit.





Goa Gajah:
We concluded our day with the visit to Goa Gajah, which means elephant caves.




Day 7:

We decided to take rest and chill out.


Day 8:

Tanah Lot: 
This is a very popular tourist place and is the photography icon of Bali. This temple is located in the sea and can be visited only at low tides.




Taman Ayun temple:
Its a lovely temple surrounded by water.




Creepy Charvi !!




Mt Agung volcano:
On the way to Besakhi, we did see the Mt Agung volcano

Besakih Temple:
Bali has many many temples and this is called as the mother temple, the most important temple for the Balinese people. Its located on Mt Agung and looks awesome with the fog at the temple head.



Ulun Danu Beratan:
This is one of the popular temples and is located in the mountains. The drive to this place is also amazing. This is my personal favorite. This temple is also located in the water.




Creepy Charvi Again !!


Day 9:
This was the last day of our vacation. So we visited the Ubud market and did some shopping for us as well as our close family.

Pooja prasad outside peoples houses
Day 10: 
Finally the day when the vacation comes to an end. We took a flight back to Sydney.

All set to go home!

Vacation ends !!