Really
awesome breakfast to start off our long day!
I
had Indonesian Mee Goreng, yum yum.
Chek
had found a day tour guide while we were at Sanur Beach the day before.
His
name is Wayan Matur.
Phone Number:
081
239 88162
I
recommend him because he knows where to go and discover more about Bali. Obviously
there were some cons, which I will be discussing later on.
It cost 40 USD for 4 / 2 people altogether.
Our
first stop was Batuan Temple.
$0 entrance fee but donations are encouraged (more like expected).
There’s
a funny story behind the nose of the turtle stone, but I’ll keep it a secret
hehe.
This
is where the broken or eroded stone sculptures are put away. It’s kind of a sad
view knowing that some of these stones had to be put aside due to the lack of
care of people.
Our
tour guide, Wayan, likes to take random things and give it to us. I have also
noticed that many Bali men like to put flowers such as frangipanis on their
ears. Apparently it’s for good luck, but I also think it is really cute :-)
Our
second stop was a traditional Bali house, which is open to pubic for viewing. I
guess since it became a tourist location, the owner decided to make the space
an art house where you can buy paintings.
$0 entrance fee!
I
had quite a nice time appreciating the paintings displayed because you can
really tell the amount of effort taken to complete each piece.
I
would definitely have bought a painting if I had my own place, hehe.
Next stop: Tegenungan
Waterfall
IDR
10,000/person entrance fee
It’s
quite a far walk down if you want to get closer to the waterfall. That being
said, it’s one hell of a climb back up haha.
TIP:
Bali really is not the best tourist destination to go to if you have family
members who have difficulty walking.
I
think this was the first time I had ever seen a waterfall at such close
proximity, so it was quite a pleasant sight. I found it especially fun trying
to manoeuvre my way across the rocks to get a closer view of the waterfall hehe.
As
you can see, Chek and I were struggling to climb back up haha! A consequence of
the lack of exercising for months.
Also,
this was a pre-vomit picture of my man. Poor thing :-(
TIP:
DON’T gulp water down right after you have climbed these steep stairs.
On
to Goa Gajah / Elephant Cave.
IDR
15,000/person entrance fee
I
was expecting a bit more from this cave but I guess I was expecting too much,
haha! This also makes me sad because I cannot fully appreciate cultures :/
Was
really impressed by the extent of erosion & weathering of this huge rock!
Favourite
attraction of the day: Bali Coffee
Plantation
$0
entrance fee!!
I
was not expecting to enjoy this location at all. When Wayan introduced us to it
the day before at Sanur I actually told Chek that I wanted to give it a miss.
However, I am thankful Wayan still brought us there!
You
don’t have to pay to enter and you get to learn and see different fruits, herbs
& coffee beans! What’s even better is that you get an awesome scenery while
trying 12 types of coffees/teas for free!
Everyone
travelling to Bali should check this place out.
Having
the wind blowing through your hair keeping you cool while tasting tea &
coffee felt amazingly calming. I felt rushed by my mother and Wayan and sadly
could not finish drinking all the tasters :-(
Rice
tea!
We
decided to try the Luwak coffee, which is civet poop (putting it plainly). It
cost IDR 50,000 and to me only worth it if you’ve never tried civet coffee. Unfortunately
it was not to my liking, so there went S$5 down the drain!
Lunch
stop: Lakeview Restaurant next to Mt
Batur
By
then I realised that our tour guide brought us to certain places because of his
connections and the commission he gets from sending tourists there. For lunch,
Wayan brought us to a buffet restaurant that had a good view of Mt Batur.
The
food was alright but the restaurant is only worth a visit if you get a seat
outside. Even sitting outside you get pestered by house flies to continuously
attack your food.
Missing
Indonesian goreng pisang :-(
Haha,
Wayan picking up things again: I’m guessing this is ash fall from the volcano.
This was a pretty cool souvenir :-)
On
the way to dinner at Jimbaran beach, we stopped by Cening Bagus.
ATTENTION:
just buy lots from this shop because the prices here are cheaper than in
Ubud/Kuta areas + you don’t even need to bargain.
Address: Jalan Raya Batu Bulan no. 100X, Bali
80361
Opening Hours: 7am – 9pm
Final
attraction of the day: Seafood dinner by
Jimbaran Beach!
Being
honest (even with myself), seafood dinner along this famous tourist area is not
worth the money.
TIP:
Come to Jimbaran beach for the sunset, NOT the seafood.
This
is what we paid for IDR 120,000,000 (which is about S$120). Yes, it is filling
but I would not say it’s the best seafood I have ever tasted. The clams tasted
a bit off.
Despite
the bad price we paid, I am really grateful for my company :-)
As
you can see, the sunset is really amazing. I’ve never seen the sky change so
many colours before. I wish Singapore had such skies, haha!
Tour
day with Wayan was probably the most fun day of our trip. I recommend it for
shorter stays in Bali because the guide covers almost all there is to see in
Bali.