shopping gains from bali.

bought quite a lot of stuff from bali, most souvenirs. i got quite a number of beads accessories, decoration items, and lots of t-shirts. everything is very cheap, but when everything is added up, the amount of money spent is not little either. =p

as long as i had lots of fun buying and the stuff are nice, right? ahahaha…

woodcraft in bali.

my dad fell in love with the woodcraft in bali. he bought five of them back home after visiting countless woodcraft stores at lots of different places. we even went back to one of the stores 3 times, i think…

haha, the artwork is really impressive and prices at local stores are really reasonable, plus the people in bali are so friendly! i think woodcraft items are pretty good souvenirs to bring back home from bali.

bali ngurah rai international airport.

time to go home. we woke up early in the morning to have a long and relaxing breakfast together, then spent some time to walk around more, for the last time! our tour guide picked us up and brought us to collect our layered cake to bring home, then we are headed to the airport.

after checking in and stuff, spent sometime visiting duty free stores. sadly, most stores, especially branded ones, sell stuff in USD and it’s expensive. but the handicraft stores here has really nice stuff. i found a fish decoration that i really really like but it’s way too pricey.

before borading, we had lunch at one of the cafe (i forgot the name). the cabonara spaghetti is very nice, i like the creamy texture and the cheesiness. and then, it’s time to say goodbye to bali.

after 3 hours flight, we are back at lcct airport.

padi prada restaurant, bali.

here, we get to see paddy fields real close, awesomeness. in the evening, the fields are even more beautiful. this restaurant is famous for crispy duck, which comes with rice, vegetables, soup, chili sauce and fruits.

the meal portion is quite big, and so many stuff too. the crispy duck was okay. not much meat but the skin is fried till real crispy. i love the sauce the most, i find that most restaurants in bali serve awesome self-made sauce.

the meal is filling and quite nice and there’s free wifi too. the service here is also nice, people are friendly. there are also lots of other tour groups having their dinner here.

and after dinner, we head back to our hotel for the night. we walked around the shops nearby our hotel for awhile and hang out at the restaurant until sleep time.

ubud palace and ubud market, bali.

our next stop is… shopping! at ubud market, there are rows and rows of shops that sells clothes, handicrafts, souvenirs… all the touristy stuff. but you will need to bargain with them to get a good price.

all the shops basically have the same stuff though, so it all depends on your bargaining skills and luck to buy real cheap stuff here. we weren’t interested in buying anything ‘cos it’s very packed and we already got a lot of souvenirs hehe…

instead, we went across the streets into boutiques that sells branded (fake?) clothes. the clothes here are very nice and good quality too. it’s pricey compared to normal clothes but it’s still cheap. plus i really love the designs. i bought a few t-shirts. =p

we also went to uluwatu handmade baliense lace store. super pretty and super expensive. i really love some of the dresses, very unique design. i bought a short pants here cos it’s very comfy and pretty. XD totally overspent.

opposite the ubud market is the ubud palace from long long ago. there’s quite a lot of tourist. here you get to see the balinese architecture… statues, tall gates with cravings, etc. this kind of design is also very common in bali, lots of building has the same style.

the afternoon spent here is awesome, lots of goodies to bring home and it’s certainly fun to shop around. =)

lunch at puri batur, with a nice volcano view, bali.

we had our lunch at the location where we see the beautiful volcano, buffet style. there isn’t much choice, balinese dishes… but the food taste quite okay. i like the fried noodles a lot.

facing such a beautiful view for the entire meal is really nice. the restaurant has lots of tourists though, both local and foreign. it must be a must-go place for all tours. =)

kintamani volcano, bali.

this is the most breathtaking location we visited during our trip in bali. it’s simply amazing… so beautiful and mysterious. this is my first time seeing a volcano, it’s a very beautiful mountain with black volcano sand all over it.

beside the volcano, there’s also a lake, so vast and calm… it’s really a nice view. we took a group photo here, it turns out really good. another very good thing about this location is the weather, always cooling even when it’s sunny.

oka agriculture, bali.

here, we get to see and taste balinese coffee, luwak coffee, cocoa and other flavored tea like lemongrass and ginseng. from the tree to a cup of coffee, they show us how it is planted and processed. we also saw the fox that made luwak coffee.

anyway, all drinks available are free for tasting, except luwak coffee (we paid to try it). not a fan of both balinese and luwak coffee though, there’s a lack of fragrant compared to other coffee beans. the lemongrass tea is quite nice, my mom like it a lot.

they also sell massage oil products and perfumes and medicines, made from lemongrass mostly. my mom bought the lemongrass tea since it’s nice and it’s also good for health.

more coffee photos at picasa and facebook.

handicraft center, bali.

i forgot the name of this place… and this wasn’t part of our plan. our tour guide brought us to this handicraft center which sells premium items, with a premium price of course. did not buy anything since it’s pricey, but the quality is very different, really nice artwork.

royal palace, bali.

at tirta empul temple, we get to see a glimpse of the royal palace. visitors used to be able to go in and visit but not anymore due to security concerns. looks pretty nice from outside.

tirta empul temple, bali.

this is a rather big and crowded temple. the special thing here is the holy water bath. it is said that it removes bad luck and nightmares, also used for burial ritual to cleanse the body.

we got to see the prayer ceremony that is going on in the temple, lots of people are cleansing their body and then proceed to the prayer area. the holy water is actually spring water from the ground, very very clean and beautiful.

more temple photos at picasa or facebook.

breakfast at kertiyasa bungalows, ubud, bali.

the breakfast here is served with different set, there are 3 different sets to choose from… american, continental and indonesian. i picked american since i love eggs and bacon/sausages. it comes with fresh fruit juice, coffee/tea, fruit salad, toast and egg with bacon/sausages.

it’s a very heavy breakfast, very yummy as well. while we were having breakfast on the first day, a monkey actually came and took a banana bun away. it happened real fast so no photos. but the monkey’s aim is really good haha…

kertiyasa bungalows, ubud, bali.

this is my accommodation in ubud for 2 days, it’s not your typical hotel… more like a few units of bungalows combined into a hotel. there’s no receiption area… you will walk into their restaurant at the entrace and the hotel staff are there to serve you.

there’s only like less than 10 bungalows, around 20+ rooms maybe? and the bungalow designs are very traditional… like in tv shows with ancient timeline. there’s a pool outside the bungalows, and lots of greens around the pool and walking paths.

the facilities here are very minimal, but the staffs are extremely helpful and friendly. they will try to help whenever you need anything, no matter how trivial. my dad and his friends even watched a soccer match with the staff the night before we went home, since there’s only a tv at the staff room.

it’s a very nice place for pure relaxation and peace. also you can find local stores, normally not visited by tourists, along the street. it’s a different experience for me, and it’s nice. =)

more bungalow photos at picasa and facebook.

naughty nuri’s warung, bali.

this is a local restaurant which serves very nice pork ribs… lots of customers, very famous restaurant. however, the restaurant environment is very poor, dim lights inside and no lights outside the restaurant… lots of mosquitoes in the evening.

i got so annoyed with the mosquitoes and decided not to eat my ribs there, brought it back to my hotel instead. the pork ribs are quite nice though, lots of barbecue sauce, very strong taste and the ribs are juicy. the portion is also huge, one whole ribs for one person…

no doubt the food is delicious, but the restaurant definitely needs to improve on their environment, it’s a real turn-off for me. photos are not so nice due to bad lighting…

… and that is all for my day 3 at bali.