Bali 2.0 I: Back to Bali

In August, I took one week off work to accompany mum on a pilgrimage to Bali. Yes, quite shocking when I heard about it because Bali is predominantly Hindu. During my last visit in 2009, I didn't notice anything other than Hindu temples. For some of the participants, it wasn't their first trip out there. One lady told me that it was her 6th trip to Bali! The flight out was at 9AM, so we were out of the house by 5AM. The tour was organized by 72 year old gentleman, by the name of Uncle Jacob. With the help of his daughter and son-in-law, he had helped us get the boarding passes and luggage tags before we even arrived (don't know how he did it). All we had to do was use the self-service baggage drop. 

Thank goodness there weren't any delays because Air Asia is often sucky these days. Ngurah Rai Airport's new terminal was really impressive. It did take a while for us to get out because the immigration officers were really 'not into it'. Also wasted more time clearing customs. Helped a lot of the aunty and uncles to connect to WiFi and fill-up the online form. Took 2 hours for us to get out of the airport. Walking out of the arrival, I felt like a celebrity walking the red carpet because there was a whole podium filled with people holding up placards. 

We were greeted by Lucia, the Indonesian Chinese lady boss of the tour agency. With her guidance, we arrived at the parking area where we got ready to board our big bus. In Hawaii, one would be presented with a garland of Hibiscus, but in Bali it's scented Frangipanis. For the duration of the tour, we had a local tour guide by the name of Aida Ayu, which she shortened to Dayu. Her explanations were sometimes confusing and a little unorganised, but Uncle Jacob would always be there to translate.

Ironically, the first meal in Bali was Sumatran, Minangkabau to be exact. We stopped at Rumah Makan Minang Saiyo for Nasi Padang. Our private dining room was upstairs and the first time I noticed by how high the steps were. Much higher than in Malaysia. Each couple shared a set of six dishes. Liked the egg and chicken curry, but I found the beef rendang and blanched cassava leaves a little too tough.

Our first point of interest was the Kuta Bomb Blast Memorial. As the roads in Kuta are too narrow for our bus to manoeuver, we transferred to several minivans owned by the Kuta community cooperative. Kuta feels really touristy with it's myriad of bars (bar on wheels too!), tattoo parlours, Australian breakfast joints, braiding salons, and shirtless bulehs (gweilo in Indonesian) on motorcycles. Ground zero was the site of the Sari night club. The crater was filled up and the land remains as a parking lot for the minivans. The memorial is located across the road with a fountain and a large marble plaque etched with the names of all the victims.

Because it was Galungan, we had the chance to view a street performance of Barong Bangkul (wild boar spirit) up close. The troupe traveled the street looking for donations. Next up, we went to Kuta Beach to catch the sunset. Since its on the Southern coast, the waves from Indian Ocean were pretty dramatic. With an hour to kill before sunset, we sat down at one of the many beachfront warungs to have coconut water. Not one to sit still, I roamed the beach for Surfer Kens, and I was handsomely rewarded. The sunset was quite unforgettable. 

Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant called Istana Naga Purba. Couldn't brain why they would play the Chinese restaurant card so early in the trip. Anyway, the food wasn't great and quite greasy. There was also a plate of mystery meat that I couldn't quite put my finger on.  

After dinner, we checked-in at Grand Zuri Hotel. My room on the sixth floor was right opposite the gym. Always a first time for everything. The room was quite spacious and it was equipped with an international power socket. All of us had an early start, so it was easy to fall asleep. Morning call was set at 5:30 AM.