Indonesia: Bali - Summary

Helloooo readers!

As promised I'm gonna write a summary entry regarding our recent trip to Bali. Like I mentioned in the previous post, we did not draft any itinerary/schedule for this trip thus everything was planned last minute. But thank god, we still managed to visit most of the "must visit places" in Bali such as Jimbaran Beach, Ku De Ta and etc.

In this summary, not only that I will include our itinerary but also some details like our traveling expenses such as flights, accommodation, transportation in Bali and etc. But before that, let me brief you guys some information regarding Bali.

I bet most of you are already aware that Bali is actually part of Indonesia and the meaning of its name is known as "The Island of Gods". This is also why over 90% of the Balinese are followers of Hindu while the rest of the population are mainly Muslims, Christians or even Buddhists. Thus, don't be surprised if you see some restaurants or warung serving pork. In fact, most of the restaurants here serve pork and the signature Balinese dishes are Babi Guling (Roasted Pork) and Pork Spareribs. Honestly, the trip wouldn't be completed without trying out these two dishes.

However, fret not if you're a Muslim because Halal restaurants can still be found in certain areas. Just remember to do your homework before traveling and be extra cautious because unlike Brunei, the eateries in Bali usually don't put up the halal sign. Make sure you ask the staffs before deciding to have your meal there. One good thing is that fast food restaurants such as Burger King, McDonald's, KFC are serving halal food but probably not beef. This is because Hindu followers do not consume beef. Thus, you can see that these franchised fast food restaurants only serve chicken so that it can cater everyone.

Bali is slightly smaller than Brunei and is made up by different cities on the island. The most prominent cities are Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud and Denpasar (which is its capital city).

I gotta say I am deeply touched and inspired by the Balinese culture. Bali has just too much to offer, too much. I've always been nagging about visiting Bali since many years ago and when I finally stepped on the land of Bali, it was just like a dream came true. After this trip, I finally understood why do people keep revisit Bali over and over again. It's just simply an amazing place and I am looking forward for a revisit soon (hopefully!).

Here are the details:


Flights

As there is no direct flight from Brunei to Bali, we had stopover in Kuala Lumpur instead.

Round trip from Brunei to Kuala Lumpur
Total Bnd 481.28

Round trip from Kuala Lumpur to Bali
Total RM 1364


Visa

Not required for Bruneian passport.


Accommodation

#1 Mecure Hotel, Kuta

Type: Superior Room

Length of stay: 2 nights

Breakfast: Not included

Total: USD 276.50

#2 The Haven, Seminyak

Type: The Haven Room

Length of stay: 2 nights

Breakfast: Included

Total: USD 266

#3 The Ulins & Spa Villa, Seminyak

Type: 1 bedroom villa

Length of stay: 2 nights

Breakfast: Included

Total: USD 778

Transportation

In my opinion, traveling in Bali is ain't easy with your own transportation. Similar to Brunei, most places in Bali are scattered around the cities. I've seen some foreigners rented motorbikes and taxis are also available in most places so it's pretty convenient. But still I prefer hiring a driver that come with a car. By paying either a full day rate or half day rate (depending on your needs), I can have the driver driving us around the cities to places where we want to visit. However, mind you that he is only a driver thus do not expect him to give you detailed explanation regarding the Balinese culture, places and so on. If you prefer the latter one then it's better to hire a tour guide.

For the first few days of our transportation, we hired a driver from Sila Bali Tours and his name is Nyoman. The rate we paid was IDR 450,000 for full day rate; for half day it is IDR 300,000.

Itinerary

#Day 1

Arrived Ngurah Rai International Airport - Check in Mercure Hotel, Kuta - Supper at food court nearby hotel

#Day 2

Note

#1 Do not forget to bring sunblock!

Although similar to our climate, Bali does get rainy some times but still most of the times it is very sunny. Hubby and I got few shades darker after this trip, no kidding!

#2 Drink more water!

#3 Be cautious with money changer!

Always remember to change your currency with authorised money changer ONLY. Money changers are available in most places but each can charge at different rates. Some might be lower and some might be higher but always stay alert with the ones that have ridiculous high rates because it is very likely that it's illegal. So what I suggest you guys is to check out more money changers and observe the rates then choose the one with the rate which you think is reasonable. Don't be greedy! Another thing is that always put an close eye on the actions of your money changer and remember to count the notes. If the money changer dropped the notes, call off the deal and get back your money because you wouldn't know if he or she is trying to trick or cheat you.

#4 Ignore the guys selling you VIP cards!

During our trip we saw quite a few locals preying on tourists trying to convince them to purchase the so-called hotel privilege cards. Firstly, these guys would brief you regarding the benefits of having this cards such as free hotel accommodation in any hotels internationally and then they would either bring you to their office to make the payment or pay them right on the spot. This is actually a tourist trap. Their company never existed nor the usage of this privilege cards. These guys are usually seen wearing dark green buttoned shirt and riding on a bike. If they start talking to you just ignore them.

Hunnie Signing Off~

Indonesia: Bali - We are back!

Ola people!

We are back from our Bali trip and now we are having post-holidays syndrome; we just love Bali soooo much! It's seriously one of the best places to visit whether with your family or your partner. I wouldn't really suggest one to travel there alone as Bali has just too much to offer that it could get a little lonely and boring without a person beside you to share with.

Many many many people have been asking us if we were having our honeymoon in Bali. I'm fed up of answering so this shall be the last time I am explaining it again. Due to past projects and work stress, Hubby suggested that we should have a trip to somewhere where we can totally relax our minds. It was purely just a getaway. Why Bali? Cause we have never been there before and we are rather bored of the usual places which we visit. We thought since we are spending the money anyways, why not just go somewhere further?

I am unsure if you guys do feel this every time when you travel but this happens to us many times. In our past trips, we always made a long list of places that we wanted to visit or must visit. Ended up we did not enjoy the trip as much as we could. Why? Because we were rushing here and there! We had to follow the itinerary that we set and tried our very best to finish visiting all the places listed down so that no regrets. This is why we never had a really good rest during our so called holidays and we always look like a walking zombie whenever we returned from a trip. That is why, for this Bali trip I did not draft out itinerary. We wanted it to be a free and easy trip; a totally stress-free trip.

The most hilarious part is Hubby and I have been traveling alone as a couple to few places but no one ever did mention anything about honeymoon. But this time, we just changed our destination to Bali and *poof!* everyone bombarded us with questions such as are we having our sweet honeymoon in Bali and etc. I understand that people always think Bali is a very romantic place (it is!) but it's very tiring for us to explain it over and over again thus I am posting it up here hoping that people can understand that and respect us.

There is simply just too much to share about Bali so I'll write up a summary in another post and start blogging as soon as I finish sorting the photos.

At the moment, enjoy your Sunday people! Peace!

Hunnie Signing Off~

Hello from Bali!

Hey guys, I am currently having my short holidays with Hubby in Bali and it has already been 4 days since we the day we arrived here.

We are enjoying Bali a lot and I just finished packing up our stuffs to get ready for transferring later. We are moving in to a local villa by the way, yippeeeeee!

Until now, we still haven't get a chance to try out the Balinese massage or spa treatment. Hopefully we have ample time for it today and I must say that the weather here is bloodily hot! It's similar to what we had experienced during our previous trip to Taiwan in 2010. But I must also say, Balineses are really friendly and helpful!

Oh, I must share this thought of mine!

"One does not simply cook yummy pork,

But...........

In Bali,

Anyone can simply cook heavenly delicious pork!"

For your information, most of the Balinese are Hindu thus they do not eat beef. And the choices left for them are chicken and pork. My friend had brought me to try out one of the local delicacies Babi Guling in a local warung and the meat was soo sooo tender I tell ya (pics will me up soon!).

Below is a picture taken when we were watching sunset while having candle light dinner at Jimbaran beach. Enjoy your Wednesday people and ciaos!

Hunnie Signing Off~

Empire Lobby Lounge

Ok, this is a really long due post. I went there last Aug and only after the CNY 2012 has over then I remembered I have not shared this on my blog =___________=|||

So on that night Hubby, SKY and I was looking for a place to chillax then we thought why not try out 'atas-atas' place like Empire Hotel Lobby Lounge and that's basically how we ended up there.

Oh, not to forget we also bumped into Mr. Tiger Lim and his family :D

Honestly, it was really a good experience. Although there were still people passing by but as compared to the crowd during day time, it's still far better as it was less chaotic.

Despite the 10% service charge, I personally think the cakes and pastries are quoted at a very reasonable price. There were lots of choices available like from breads to pastries to cake and even macarons!

On that night, we had Caramel Praline Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Mousse Cake and Chicken Quesadilla. As for the beverages, we had Pina Colada, Shirley Temple and Banana Milk Shake.

With the good food and environment, I really don't mind going so far just to lim teh, seriously!

The Lobby Lounge Bakery

Pastries and cakes on display

Bird cage!

Candles~

Some Empire souveniers for sale

These luggage tags are for sale too

Bagels

Cookies

Macrons

You can choose to dine here or the other area near to the hotel counters

SKY feeling too high!

Banana Milk Shake $6

Pina Colada $6

Salsa sauce that was served with the Chicken Quesadilla

Chicken Quesadilla $4.50

This was really yummy!!~

Caramel Praline Chocolate Cake $4

White Chocolate Mousse Cake $4

Hunnie Signing Off~

KK Trip: December 2011

Hey guys! How was your CNY? I have to say mine was pretty hectic during the first week.. lots of house visitings, open houses and etc. In other words, it mean lots of FOOD! Anyways, I'll share my CNY 2012 photos in another entry while today I'm gonna blog about my previous trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Ok ok, I understand that I haven't even finish blogging bout my August KL Trip and now I'm blogging bout another trip =_______________=||| I've procrastinated long enough thus, I'm gonna finish off this KK travelogue in just one post! Awesome? YEAH~~~

If you have been reading my blog then you should know that Hubby and I visit KK frequently. We try to to make it an annual thing and there was even once which we visited KK 3 times in a year. Last December, we did it again and as usual there was only 2 of us during this road trip to KK.

During this trip, we have stayed in two different hotels which are Courtyard Hotel (1Borneo Hypermall) and Imperial Bouctec Hotel (Warisan Square, Waterfront).

Alright, let's move on~

# Day 1

We were watching the movie named 'Fortune Buddies' in car while waiting for the custom gate to be opened. This movie is so hilarious! It is a must watch I tell ya!

After long hours of driving we finally reached KK and checked in Courtyard Hotel located in 1Borneo.

All I gotta say for this hotel is "you pay for you get" - no doubt the room rate per night is cheap but this hotel is pretty run down considering that it's only few years old.

Toilet with really really simple amenities; don't put high hope on it

The walls of the room was decorated with wall papers which at first glance may make you feel "wow" however if you look close enough, most of the wall papers are already torn just like the above picture.

After checking in, we decided to look for a place for lunch and until now we still don't know why the heck did we decided to dine in The Hong Kong Recipe. It was really bad. The staffs there were rude and we waited really long time for them to serve us. What made me really disappointed was that they were having lunch promotion but they did not even care to inform us which ended up we had to order ala carte dishes and which these ala carte dishes were the same dishes as their promotional dishes except for the higher price quote. Food was served cold as well. The total damage for this meal was RM74.80 just for 2 persons. Really really expensive and I don't think I would ever wanna step in that restaurant anymore.

Inside The Hong Kong Recipe

Stuffs we ordered

Ice Peach Green Tea - RM6

Special Marinated Pork Shank - RM12; served cold but nothing special and tasteless

Taro Pork - RM14

BBQ Meat Combination - RM18

Vegetables with egg - RM12

After our lunch, we started shopping in 1Borneo. Hubby and I was pretty shocked to see that the building was pretty run down; toilets not as clean as before and yet they still charge people for using it, cracked tiles everywhere and also some of the shops that we used to visit had closed down. We really did not expect this at all!

Christmas decorations

For dinner, Kiat (Hubby's cousin residing in KK) came to look for us and we had it settled in Siaw Er Bak Kut Teh. We had bad experience when dining there during our 2010 trip but after knowing that another management had took over the restaurant, we decided to give it another go. It really turned out not bad at all! Really showed some improvements :D

Siaw Er Bak Kut Teh

Inside the restaurant

It's all about PORK~

Bak Kut Teh - RM26 (portion for 2 persons)

The popular KK meat balls; must try! - RM18 (portion for 3 persons)

Braised Pork Belly - RM18; like a jelly!

Claypot Vinegar Pork Troutter - RM26

Choi Sum with oyster sauce - RM10

Big feast on our first night in KK. Total bill - RM117.26

We found a new restaurant inside 1Borneo named La Fuente; gotta try it during our next visit~

# Day 2

Woke up in the morning and decided to head over to Old Town for breakfast.

My Breakfast Set Menu

We had Set 2 and Set 4 - RM5.50 & RM6.50 each

Old Town White Coffee (cold) - Really love this!

Hubby had hot white coffee

Kaya Butter Toast - so nyaman!!!

Half boiled egg

Fried assam vermicelli

Total bill for this was RM13.90

As usual, before we left we would purchase some instant coffee back to Brunei :D

We went back to check out our hotel room in Courtyard right after our breakfast. And then shopped in Karamunsing Complex before checking in Imperial Boutec Hotel located in Warisan Square.

Hotel Lobby

Hotel Lobby

The room rate in Imperial Boutec Hotel was higher than Courtyard plus I opted for the city view room thus it's even more pricey. However, room is big enough with ample walking space so still ok ok lar~~~

Toilet

Most of the amenities were provided

View outside our room

Had our late lunch in Koryo Jeong Korean Restaurant. It's one of our favourite restaurants in KK as it is one of the very few places that you can taste authentic Korean dishes plus it serves pork :)

Interior of the restaurant

A sterilizer cabinet for the cups

Korean side dishes

Ordered this Kimchi Pancake which cost RM20

Bimbap - RM9

Cold Noodle - RM22; this has got to be the reason of our revisit. It's really yummy!

Vinegar and mustard - served with the cold noodles

And so after our late lunch, we shopped at the nearby shopping complexes such as Centrepoint Sabah and Warisan Square.

Bought a very expensive dress from The Mod House *ouch*

The 3 stripes

Tried this and finally learnt to know my foot type :D

Nice?

X'mas decorations

I was surprised to find out there is Share Tea in KK thus we decided to get it

Staffs busy making our drinks

And as usual, we bought 2 drinks and got another 2 drinks for free!

Alright, so on our second day in KK, Kiat brought us to a restaurant located at Hilltop and also named as Hilltop Restaurant. This restaurant is not located within the KK city so if you're unclear of KK roads then it would seem pretty hard for you to find.. but fret not! You can try to locate the restaurant using GPS! *Me gusta~*

People mountain people sea in the restaurant

It was my first visit to Hilltop Restaurant although I've read some reviews about this restaurant and had also heard it from Hubby. Honestly, I personally prefer to dine in such old school Chinese restaurants rather then the franchised or higher end restaurants in KK. Reasons being it's a lot cheaper and also more localised mah~

Customers are able to choose dining inside the restaurants or the open area and we opted for the latter one

Dip dip~

Trip to Malaysia is never completed without drinking Shandy, wooot!

Barley drink

KK chili is really hot I tell ya!

1 of the few dishes we ordered that night - Grilled fish with sambal

Kiat highly recommended their Fried Bee Hoon and it really tasted not bad

We had Oyster Omelette too

Can you tell these are frog legs? :P

So right after dinner, Kiat brought us to City Mall which was just nearby the Penampang area. City Mall is a mid sized shopping complex where you can find many boutiques here. And of course, you can also find a supermarket here which is Giant! Honestly, in M'sia you can easily find KFC and Giant; they are everywhere~

Kiat~

X'mas decorations in City Mall

LEA Center; shoes for lelong~

After shopping at City Mall, we dropped by Cousin Ivy's place to visit these two darlings!

# Day 3

So on our day 3 in KK, we woke up early and couldn't find a good place for breakfast thus ended up in McD munching the Prosperity Burger.

Had this but no see we HUAT ler; cheat one :(

Frankly speaking, we were pretty upset to have McD for breakfast. Firstly, whenever I'm traveling abroad I would try my best not to dine in any franchised restaurants which Brunei already has. In addition, I'm not a big fan of McD. The long queue is already a pain yet we still have to wait for the staffs to prepare/cook the food after we placed our order. In such situation, having chicken rice seems much logic and cheaper. Chicken rice ftw!

So after our breakfast, we went back to Karamunsing as Hubby finally made up his mind to get a new desktop (we surveyed and compared the prices between 4 or 5 shops I think). It took quite awhile for him to choose the specs and my feet were really soared after standing in the shop for such long time :(

After making the payment, we left to grab our lunch while the technician assembled the parts. We chose to dine in Little Italy as we were doing our shopping in Suria Sabah which is just nearby.

Beef Carpaccio - RM24 but a total disappointment

Ravioli Combo - RM 23.90; even worse. It was really salty :(

Total damage: RM56.95

Time was still early and our desktop was not ready for pick up yet so we decided to visit 1Borneo again.

Home made ice cream

Tried this, not bad not bad~

We got tired of walking and wanted to look for a place to rest thus Hubby suggested that we should try out Kenny Rogers Roasters.

Inside the restaurant

We chose this

This muffin was really really muffinly yummy!

Twin Meal with drumsticks - RM17.90

Close up!

Before we left 1Borneo to pick up Hubby's desktop, we had Dunkin' Donuts takeaway

Woo Hoo! Someone's new desktop!

Woo Hoo!

Alright, so until now you have seen most of the pictures taken during our trip to KK in last Dec. Honestly, I didn't take much pictures as we did not really visit much places during this trip. But I am posting a video which include some pictures and videos that I had taken during our KK trip. Hope you guys enjoy watching it!

Cheers!

Hunnie Signing Off~