Bewitching Bali

BEWITCHING BALI!

Sun, sand, surf, rain and the lovely greens……that is Bali, a small island in the country of Indonesia which can aptly be called one of its most beautiful islands. Some sources say it is a part of the Indian Ocean while others claim it to be a part of the Pacific Ocean. Well whichever ocean it is a part of, there is one fact which is undeniable and that is BALI IS STUNNING!

Since we can be referred to as water babies, as the three of us are madly in love with the beaches, whenever there’s a holiday plan, our first thought always goes to the sea. Keeping in sync with this thought, this time it had to be Bali. Bali was long due for us but something or the other was always coming in the way and this time too it was the eruption of Mt. Agung, which was sending us into a tizzy and making us contemplate on our decision. Yet, we decided to take a risk, and today, as I sit down to write this article, I’m so glad we ignored the unnecessary media hype and went on with our holiday. 

27^th December 2017 – We left for the airport in the evening and flew out a couple of hours later.

   Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali

28^th December 2017- Welcome to Bali!!! The joy of landing in Bali cannot be explained. We were so happy to have finally made it to Bali. We exchanged some money for local currency and then came out of the airport to look for a taxi and there, the fooling started. All sorts of taxi drivers kept coming to us, quoting a huge amount of money to take us to our hotel, which was barely 8 km away. We booked an Uber cab and were continuously mocked at by the local taxi mafia that uber would not come to the airport as its banned and we would be stranded. Irritated by the smirks of the local taxi mafia, we decided to walk out a bit and look for an alternative arrangement. Meanwhile, our uber cabbie was in constant touch with us over Whatsapp but language barrier was proving to be a problem. Eventually we walked out a little and took the help of a local to call the cabbie and ask him to come to that location. That kind man did so and voila! Our taxi was there within no time!

Just when we thought, our little ordeal was over, we were in for a shock. We had quite often heard that traffic in that area is maddening but we weren’t prepared for a three-hour journey to cover a distance of JUST 8 kms. Phew!!! We were completely drained out with hunger and tiredness by the time we reached our hotel in Legian. We checked into our cute little property and decided to take a dip in the pool while eating from the poolside hotel restaurant. After some relaxation, we headed to explore the area, which was buzzing with activity. Cafes, bars, massage parlours and shops selling touristy stuff flanked the roads. It was a wonderful sight. We strolled around the area, had a sumptuous dinner and hit bed.

29^th December 2017- This was the day we had reserved for visiting the world-famous sites of Bali – The Tanah Lot Temple and the Uluwatu Temple. 

After an early breakfast at the hotel, our cabbie picked us up and drove us to the Tanah Lot temple, which is known for its enchanting seaside setting. It’s a beautiful ancient Hindu shrine, perched on a tiny hillock with crashing waves. It is famous for its picturesque sunset and is a photographer’s delight as one can watch the sun melt over the horizon. We of course had two places to choose for our sunset and so after a day visit to Tanah Lot, made our way to the famous Uluwatu Temple. The drive was again way longer than it should have been due to the messy traffic. 

Uluwatu temple is a sacred Hindu cliff-top temple blessed by panoramic view of the Indian Ocean, dramatic Kecak Dance and romantic sunset in the south part of Bali. It is one of the nine directional temples of Bali meant to protect it from evil. The temple is perched at a staggeringly steep cliff as tall as 70m over the roaring Indian Ocean waves.  An important thing to note is that nobody can enter this place without wearing a sarong/lungi. You can pick up your purple lungis for free from a designated spot and then drop them back when you return from the temple tour. 

After a casual stroll around the temple complex, we bought our tickets for the Kecak dance, which is a short depiction of Ramayana. The setting sun and the crowded amphitheater present a perfect setting for the performance which is marked by no background music or conversation but just by the rhythmic chorus sung by 70 men who breathlessly keep taking out sounds while the actors perform mutely. It is amazing to see how the 70 men go on chanting without taking any break for over an hour of the performance! 

                                                                                           

                 Tanah Lot                                           Uluwatu Temple

 

As the show ended, we headed for our waiting taxi as we now wanted to head to Jimbaran beach for a lavish dinner! Navigating our way through the crowds, we reached JBS (Jimbaran Bay Seafood Club). It’s a perfect beach restaurant where you can have loads of seafood while a band of musicians go from table to table, asking people their nationalities and trying to sing a song in their language. We were delighted to hear them sing “Tum paas aaye, yun muskuraaye”. 

It was a lovely way to end a rather exhausting day!

 

Exotic dinner and music at Jimbaran Bay Seafood Club

Tanah Lot entry: 60 thousand rupiah (IDR) per person

Uluwatu temple entry: 30 thousand rupiah (IDR) per person

Kecak/Fire dance entry: 1 hundred thousand/1 lakh rupiah (IDR) per person

30^th December- A day for some local shopping and walking around as the previous day had been pretty exhausting. We walked around the lanes of Legian and Kuta area buying some souvenirs and soaking in the local sights. Krisna Oleh Oleh Khas a nice place to buy souvenirs. We then had some lunch and then went to the hotel to take some rest. After an hour we decided to walk around the beach. The Kuta-Legian-Double Six beaches are all interconnected and one can easily start walking from one and reach the other. 

The waves in this area of Bali are good for surfing and they rise high enough for a surfer’s delight. One can spot many surfers enjoying themselves in this area. However, what disappointed us immensely was these beaches were extremely dirty with filth everywhere. That was rather an unpleasant sight. Having dinner at a beachside restaurant, we headed back to the hotel.

         Legian Beach

31^st December- The last day of the year 2017!!! The day was cloudy and the weather prediction stated non-stop rain from 1700 hrs onwards. We decided to hit the beach so that we could take one dip in the sea for the last time in the year 2017 but as soon as we entered the waters, it started raining heavily. Nevertheless, we braved the rain for some time and splashed around but were soon annoyed with the garbage that was coming floating to us, so decided to move out. Our hotel was just about five minutes-walk from the beach, so we walked up to the hotel, took a warm bath and spent the rest of the day, munching on snacks and having lunch in the beautiful balcony of our room. It kept raining and we were just hoping that the rain should stop and not ruin our New Year’s Eve in Bali.  At 1800 hours the rain was reduced to a drizzle and it finally ended. We rejoiced and got ready to spend the last evening of the year in high spirits!

As soon as we were out of the hotel, we were in for a pleasant surprise. The entire coastline was brightened up with fireworks going up non-stop and illuminating the night sky. We walked all along the coastline, enjoying the fireworks while grooving to the music of the street side bars and cafes, all bustling with activity! After about half an hour of walk, we arrived at Double Six beach. This was the place we had chosen to bring in the New Year 2018. 

The mad party scene

We were welcomed at the beach party of the B9B café. The sight was a musical riot! There was some awesome music with people dancing and drinking. The party fever was running high. We had a couple of drinks, swayed to the music, had dinner and then as the clock struck 12, the entire area was in a trance! Fireworks, lanterns, music, joyous people…..it seemed to be the most beautiful way to ring in the new year!!!

1^st Jan 2018- The first day of the New Year and we were all set to leave Legian for our next destination, Ubud. As it was a bright and beautiful morning, we went to the beach before heading to Ubud to sip some cool coconut water! I must say, it was the best coconut water I ever had in life, sweet, refreshing and the quantity, well, more than the double of what we get in India!

We travelled on the busy roads towards Ubud and again it took way more time than it should have. The saving grace was lunch at a family run restaurant where I entered the kitchen and got food made as per my taste buds. For the seafood lovers, the squid/Calamari/Cumi cumi was a soul stirring food.  Ubud is a quaint little area, which gives you the feeling of a hill station. The place is dotted with cute cafes, which are an absolute marvel. Since we reached late, we just had enough time for some evening photography, some shopping and a lavish dinner at The Legend Café. 

The architecture of Ubud is stunning and it can rightfully be called the cultural capital of Bali. 

Rice field outside our hotel                The Legend Cafe

2^nd Jan 2018- The next morning, we set out early for the famous rice terraces as we wanted to avoid the flocking crowds and the locals troubling you for donation while totally ruining your experience. Hailing from the hills, the rice terraces seemed quite normal to me but people find them to be quite spectacular so I shouldn’t be saying much about that. We didn’t take much time, climbing the terraces and then coming down. As we sat in the cab, our cabbie suggested taking us to Uma Pakel. This place has large swings, suspended from large coconut trees and the experience is definitely thrilling! Our son loved the swinging and added one more thrill to his big running list!

        Rice Terrace, Ubud                                  Swings at Uma Pakel

Another attraction of this place is the coffee and tea sampling. You need to buy a cup of coffee to be able to sample 15 assorted flavors of tea and coffee. This experience is highly recommended as it tantalizes your taste buds and leaves you yearning for more. The highlight is the cup of coffee you order. It is none other than the famous LUWAK coffee made from the droppings of Asian Palm Civet. It is the most expensive coffee of the world.  Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee, is coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian Palm Civet. Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process improves the coffee by two mechanisms- selection and digestion.

     Tea and Coffee samplers

Cost of a cup of Luwak coffee- 50 thousand IDR

Swinging charges- 1 hundred 50 thousand IDR

The next stop was the sacred monkey forest of Ubud. It is a beautiful forest cum temple, which is home to hordes of grey long-tailed Macaques. The entire complex is flooded with loads of friendly monkeys/macaques who will climb upon your head or back and still not hurt you. Feed them with bananas that are sold all over inside the complex and they will be happy to come to you. The sculptures all around the forest are covered with a layer of beautiful green moss, rendering the area the look of an archaeological site. 

Once out from this place, we were terribly hungry and so went to a picturesque restaurant set amidst paddy fields – Bebek Tebasari Restaurant.  The food was an eye candy and the complimentary drink shots and beetroot wafers added to the charm of the place.

                 

        

           Monkey Forest          Your very own rice bowl                                                     

Tummies full and hearts contented, we headed to the Bali Bird Park as the bird lover, my husband, Ashish, had to be there at any cost!

The entry ticket was a little over-priced but once inside the place, we did not regret it a bit. I can easily say that it’s the best bird park I have ever been to. No other place has given us the opportunity to have such an up-close and personal rendezvous with these exotic birds from all over the world!!! These colourful beauties just sit around so relaxed even though there are numerous people around them. They are a pleasure to watch and they pose merrily for you. A number of bird shows take place and our son, Ansh, volunteered for these shows. The most awesome experience was having the Brahminy Kite swooping down on Ansh’s head to pick up its prey, which had been placed there!

We had various bird comfortably perched on our arms and head while we happily and excitedly posed for pictures. 

Ashish, the photographer, couldn’t contain his excitement on getting to click such breathtakingly beautiful birds!

Bali Bird Park

The super contented day ended with some dinner at The Paon Café in Ubud. For desserts, we went to Tuckies, a cozy coconut place, which has some wonderful coconut desserts to offer. 

Monkey Forest ticket- 50000 IDR Per Person

Bird Park Ticket – 385,000 IDR Per Person

3^rd Jan- After a cultural bonanza in Ubud, we drove to Candidassa on the 3^rd. For the first time, traffic did not bother us and we reached our destination well in time. This property exceeded our expectations in every manner for it was located at the beach with a tiny stretch of absolutely virginal beach completely at its disposal, a sea side restaurant with waves crashing against its walls, a garden dotted with cottages and coconut trees and a pool facing the expanse of the sea with ships anchored at a distance! My words definitely cannot do justice to the magnanimity of that place. Its beauty is indescribable. 

Our lovely resort in Candidassa

Candidassa isn’t a happening place at all but I would call our stay at Candidassa, the best leg of our holiday. We spent the rest of the day lapping in the sea and the pool. 

4^th Jan- The day started with a walk along the beach, lazing on the sun beds, taking a dip in the pool and having a hearty meal. 

We had heard a lot about the Pasir Putih Beach, also known as the virgin beach, so even though we didn’t want to leave the property and go anywhere yet we decided to go for a short visit. This beach is beautiful but is a long drive inside from the main road and then is plagued by mafia, which asks you for an entry fee. My husband demanded an ID card, which they of course didn’t have as they were operating illegally in that area, fleecing unsuspecting tourists, so he had a slight altercation with the man but eventually we walked across to the beach. Since it was already late in the evening and also drizzling, we decided to go back early and then again enjoy the scenic beauty from our resort. 

The day ended as prettily as it had started.

5^th Jan-  Our delightful stay at Candidassa came to an end as we moved to our last destination in Bali – Sanur! 

The drive from Candidassa to Sanur was also smooth and wasn’t plagued with traffic. We checked into our hotel, which was located right in the busy Sindhu area of Sanur. The hotel owner welcomed us warmly.  After a little chit chat with him, we walked to Sindhu beach to grab some lunch. The best street food was available there at ‘Amphibia Warung’. The boys chose their fish, squid and prawns and ate a hearty meal only to return in the evening to dine on some fish, crab and octopus!

 

The amazing variety is enough to set any seafood lover drooling!

6^th Jan- We had set this day aside for the world-famous Balinese massage. First, we pampered ourselves with some warm-stone-massage. The bliss one experiences while getting this massage is certainly out of this world! After getting our muscles flexed it was time for some yummy pizza at Segara, the seaside restaurant and bar, which is a community run restaurant, the proceeds of which go to the welfare of Sanur area. The pizzas were freshly done and we relished them while it rained heavily all the time. After lunch, we bonded over a game of darts and pool at the restaurant itself. 

The Sindhu night market is also quite famous. It has about 15 food carts placed in an area, which provide superb local food at very cheap prices. It is quite a hit with the tourists and so while the boys ate at the ‘Wicked Parrot café’, I saved my appetite for some local fare. The Indonesian Omelette is indeed superb and there’s an old man, who sells fried fritters/pakodas of various fruits and veggies which his wife fries sitting on the side. The tiny donuts she makes just melt in your mouth. Yummy!!! And then the fresh fruit juices…..this place is highly recommended.

7^th Jan – Tattoo Day!!! Finally, the day had come, when my hubby and me planned to get inked for the third time. A souvenir of Bali on our body.  Kadek Tattoo was our choice and it turned out to be a wise decision as he is an amazing artist with a very good speed and precision. His work is highly recommended.

  Kadek at work

8^th Jan – Time to head back home.

As they say all good things must come to an end, so did our Bali holiday. From the beaches of Bali, it was now time to freeze back home. With winters at peak, a holiday in Bali proved to be a perfect getaway.

Points to remember :-

1.      Try being there to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The entire stretch from Kuta Beach to Double Six Beach a abuzz with excitement.

2.      Keep in mind that traffic gets really bad, so plan your day accordingly. Do not plan too many things for one day as a very short distance can take hours at times.

3.      Taxi unions there do not let Uber cabs run. Even if you manage to book a cab via uber, your cabbie will ask you to cancel it once he arrives and try negotiating a deal with you. Since you don’t have much of a choice, you end up paying them, although you should not forget to bargain.

4.      If you’re just a couple traveling without kids, or a bunch of friends, then you can hop around on scooties easily available on rent after producing your driver’s license.

5.      Seafood is priced heavenly, way cheaper than Goa, so seafood lovers can really indulge themselves.

6.      Bintang beer is the most widely available beer there. Don’t miss it if you’re a beer lover.

7.      The same water bottle is priced differently in various stores. Circle K (open 24 hours) gives you the cheapest.

8.      Bali has many 24 hours departmental stores so you will never go hungry no matter what time of the night it is.

9.      Kuta/Legian/Seminyak area is the most crowded area and hence the dirty beaches but don’t get disheartened. The other side of the island has some amazingly beautiful beaches.

10.  Hotel accommodation isn’t very expensive, so don’t worry about burning a hole in your pocket.

Mother's Day- It's nauseating me now!!!

Motherhood is a forever love story. Her love is a treasure that never gets over, it's like a natural resource that never depletes. A mother's love is constant, it does not rise and fall like the tides. She loves you when you're nobody to the world and she loves you when the whole world rejoices at your success. Ups and downs, joys and sorrows, failures and success........nothing in our life is an constant as the love of our mother. 

Motherhood is the most beautiful thing that happens in a woman's life. The natural trait of a mother is unselfishness. Once a woman becomes a mother, she automatically gets attuned to prioritising that one person in her life before herself always, she is no more the centre of her own universe and relinquishes that position to her child. For a woman, motherhood is a great honour and privilege. 

We all know this, right! So why am I telling you this, all over again???

Well, as a matter of fact, I'm sickened at the hardcore marketing of this beautiful emotion these days and that's what's compelled me to write down my thoughts. 

All through the last week, the TV, internet, print media, the schools, everyone has been throwing 'Mother's Day' right into my face and I tell you, it's almost got me nauseating. I mean why! Why do we need one day to acknowledge our love and gratitude for our mothers? Aren't we thankful to our mothers throughout the year or for that matter till the moment we breathe our last? Every single moment we live, we love our mother and seriously, I don't need one day to tell her that I love her.

Philosophers here might argue that it's strange how I can be against 'Mother's Day'. Well I'm not but at the same time, I'm opposed to the idea of celebrating our mother's love only on one specific day. Just as her love for us never diminishes, so shouldn't our thankfulness get over after one day. 

Not calling your mother for days and days, ignoring her when she's right there in front of you cause you are busy and then suddenly one day, flashing pictures of yours with her over FB & Insta just because everyone is doing.....C'mon! You can do better than that. 

How about trying to take out a few minutes everyday or in two or three days just to let her hear your voice? It's that simple. She doesn't need billboards declaring your love for her. Small little gestures now and then on a regular basis are big enough for her to get her day made. 

So all you people out there, just one request.....I know you love your mother immensely but please let this emotion be expressed every single day. Do not fall into the trap of this 'one day' thing. She deserves much more than this.