Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Day 5: Bali

There was no plan made for this day initially. We just thought to have something spontaneous or probably covered the places that we had not been to for the past few days. We hired Gusti to bring us around which he charged us IDR 600,000 for the day. However, if you converted it and made a comparison, it is cheaper to get it from Klook.

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Our first destination was Ulu Danu Beratan Temple. I would say it is worth to pay a visit to this temple. It is really beautiful. However, it was really sunny that I could feel my skin burning. There was a prayer going on when we were there.

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Later, Gusti brought us to Jatiluwih to have our lunch. We were amazed by the beauty of this paddy fields. Jatiluwih was inscribed as one of the UNESCO’S World Heritage Site in 2012. After our lunch, we went trekking for a while. There are a few routes but we did not go to any of it as it was drizzling and going to rain heavily.

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The last place we went before we went back to Ubud was Tanah Lot Temple. Heard a lot of good things about this place so, decided that we must go there. The place was really crowded though. A lot of tourists.

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We had our last dinner in Bali at Cafe Wayan & Bakery that serves Balinese food. However, out of all the places that we had eaten, my favourite is Nomad.

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When we were back in the hotel, we saw a plate of dessert served on our bed. It seems to be a farewell gift from the villa. So, if you ever want to have a lovely stay for your honeymoon or anniversary, go for Alam Puisi Villa.

You will love it.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Day 4: Bali

Another day for us to go around Bali through a private car charter booked through Klook.

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The first place we went was Waterfall Tegenungan Village. A little heads up, you need to hike a bit to reach the place. And if you had more time, feel free to dip into the water. We didn’t though.

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Later, we went north to Kintamani, to have lunch that comes with a view of Mount Batur. Though it was sunny, it was windy at the same time which made it chilly too. The are a few restaurants that you could dine in and most of them provide buffet. Of course the food is not something that can change your life but at least you can enjoy the magnificent view while you are eating.

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As the husband was dying to have Luwak coffee, I arranged a trip to Bali Pulina. There’s no entrance fee but, you get to taste 8 different types of coffee, with no cost. However, Luwak coffee is not one them. You had to pay IDR 50,000 just for a small cup for it. The husband did order it and it was really strong. We left the place without buying anything as it is really expensive.

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Thus, we left Bali Pulina and headed to Tegallalang Rice Terraces for a short visit. We did not explore the place as we wanted to call the day early. That evening was the one and only time we used our private pool. So much of utilising it, huh?

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We had our dinner at the villa that night as they will have BBQ party every Wednesday. It was fun and we were able to rest more that day as we were going to have another full day adventure the next day.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Day 3: Bali

Well, there’s no public transportation in Bali so, you have to either take a taxi or hire a private charter to go round the island. They do have buses but it is not convenient. We hired a private car charter for two days in Bali. Today would be the first day. I got mine through Klook which is cheaper than getting it in Bali. The rental covers 10 hours for one day that included the driver fees, fuel and hotel pick-up & drop-off. It does not include toll fees though.

The first place we went that day was Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park. We got our tickets in Klook too.

It is considered the greatest cultural icon in Bali. You can see that huge statue of Lord Vishnu riding a great Garuda when the plane you’re taking is landing the island. My favourite spot in this cultural park is Lotus Pond though there’s no real lotus or pond. Before we left the park, we redeemed our free drinks at Jendela Bali Restaurant. It was just a simple glass of iced lemon tea.

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We wanted to go to Waterblow next but the driver informed us that the place had been closed due to an incident happened not long ago. Apparently, a tourist died at the place. Therefore, we went to Pirates Bay Cafe to have our late lunch.

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I read it here that it is worth to pay a visit. Well, the food is not that great but I would give points for the view.

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We went to look for the Abandoned Aircraft after lunch. It was new to the driver as well so, we did not know the exact location until he went to ask the locals. Apparently the main entrance was closed so, we need to use the other way to take a look. As there was nothing much we could do, we did not stay long and took our leave to head back to Ubud.

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That night, we had our dinner at Casa Luna. Another place recommended by our friend. They serve authentic Balinese food and their lime tart is famous so, make sure to order that if you are there.

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Before we headed back to our villa, we went to Pandora store. The husband will always buy a charm from whichever country that we are traveling together. Hence, this time we were looking for something that will represent Bali in my collection.

A beauty, isn’t it?

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Day 2: Bali

Breakfast was not included in our room rates so, we had to pay for what we ordered. The villa offers both breakfast sets and ala carte. I ordered nasi goreng breakfast set while the husband ordered mee goreng breakfast set which was far better than mine. The set came with a main dish, fruits platter and a glass of juice of your own choice which I think is more worth than taking ala carte.

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That morning, Gusti came to pick us up from the hotel to go to Kuta.

For?

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Waterbom Bali!

You can get the tickets in their website but it will be more expensive though. We got ours here. However, you would still need to queue to get the tickets. But if you bought it from their website, there is a special queue for you.

We spent most of our day in the park. We took a few rides in the park together while there were some that I took by myself. We took two extreme and moderate rides respectively together. They were Twin Racers, Boomerang, Python and Superbowl. Later I took two more extreme rides my own namely Double Twist and Green Vipers. I regretted not taking Smashdown 2.0 and Fast & Fierce.

We stopped around 3pm so we could use the shower room without long queue and left the place around 4pm. But before we left Kuta, we dropped by Agung Bali to get some souvenirs. It is probably one of the best places to get souvenirs.

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We had our dinner at Warung Mina that night. We passed by the restaurant a few times in Ubud and the husband looked it up in the internet. The place received high ratings and since Gusti recommended it too, that’s where our dinner was. We ordered a few local dishes including a fish. Yes, I had to finish it all myself. The husband took the gravy only. As Gusti had been out with us the whole day, we bought some food for him and his family too. He had been really helpful during the day.

The room was cold when we were finally back. I guess the staff had switched on the air-condition for us so we could feel comfortable when we were back. Not long after, the room’s phone rang. “Who could have called us this late at night?” I wondered.

Picked up and it was a lady. Turned up it was the villa staff that called us. She was informing that she would be sending a cake over.

Guess what cake it was?

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“Happy Honeymoon” cake for us!

It was so sweet of them. Well, I did inform them in writing that we were going to spend our honeymoon there when I was trying to book an airport pick-up with them. So, readers. A great tip for you – inform the hotels you booked that you are having honeymoon or anniversary and voila, they will definitely prepare some surprises for you during your stay.

Thank you, Alam Puisi Villa.

Definitely worth to stay with them.

Day 1: Bali

It was the trip that we had been looking forward to for the year. As it had been a really busy year with many things going on in our lives, we truly needed this 6-days-5-nights break.

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We landed Bali around 2PM and met up with our airport pick-up driver which I had made an arrangement with our hotel. The cost was IDR 400,000 per car per way. We also went to collect our SIM card from Klook staff before we left the airport. Fortunately Klook’s corporate t-shirt is in bright orange so, it was easy to spot them. We approached the staff and they were friendly to us. They installed and activated the SIM cards for us.

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We were fortunate to have a friendly driver – Gusti. According to him, it would take close to one and a half hour to reach our hotel in Ubud. Hence, he did ask us a few times if we wanted to go somewhere else before heading back to the hotel which we declined. He also shared with us that he is staying 5 minutes away from our hotel. Therefore, we took his contact number so he could drive us to Kuta the next day.

For the whole trip, we stayed in Alam Puisi Villa, which I had accidentally booked. I had booked Bale Bali Inn initially. That one night, I was going through Agoda’s app and decided to try its feature. With the correct dates and destination, my thumb had randomly picked Alam Puisi Villa and I ended up completing the transaction. Freaking out, I quickly cancelled the booking but still charged for it. Long story short, the husband and I had called Agoda a few times in the next few days to resolve this. Since it could not be refunded, we managed to salvage the paid booking.

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Somehow, it was a beautiful mistake. We got the room with a really good price and the villa is really beautiful. It is away from the busy streets of Ubud which is both good and bad for us. Fortunately, the villa provided free transportation to Ubud town. However, a fee of IDR 100,000 per car for return will be charged.

Our initial plan was to walk around Ubud town but we were exhausted from the flight and drive that we decided to take a nap. The next thing we did when we woke up was to have dinner at Nomad in Ubud town. It was highly recommended by our friend who used to go Bali frequently.

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The staff were really friendly and they welcomed us by offering us a flower each. We ordered 12 Balinese Tapas. Do not underestimate these tapas. We had a hard time to finish them up. Our favourites are babi kecap, spring rolls and crispy tempe.

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We took a stroll on the street after dinner and came across Tukies, The Coconut Shop. Coconut ice-cream is his favourite and hence, no matter how full he was, he would still want to have this big serving of coconut ice-cream.

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Later, we came across Gelato Secrets. Gelato is our favourite type of ice-cream so, yes, we went to get a scoop of it.

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As it was getting late, we went back to the spot where we were supposed to meet our driver. Of course not forgetting that the husband stocked up beers in our room. He was going to drink one can a day before sleep for this entire trip. Well, the local beer is really cheap.

We could have checked out one of the bars in Ubud town but, we had to sleep early as we had a big day the next day!

What is it?

Stay tuned for my next post!

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

August 2018

We celebrated Dom’s birthday and of course, with a little member’s participation from now onwards. They had gotten a beautiful cake for Dom and it is his favourite character, Sonic the Hedgehog.

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That same month, we organised a hen’s party for one of our girlfriends. We booked a cooking class for us – healthy nasi lemak and satay. Yes, we wanted the bride to learn to cook for the groom. Well, it was an eye-opening session for me too, as I learned a lot of new things in the class. Plus, this class made me wanted to get a food processor.

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Of course, the best thing about this class was, the bride was really surprised. Hence, I believe our plan was a success. Of course the celebration did not end there. We had a dinner planned for her but I knew, she would see that coming and I was right. Her wedding would happen in 3 months’ time which I would share in my future post.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

July 2018

I had some work assignments in Kuching for a few days during the month and on the day I finally came back was the day the husband left for India for work. He would be there for 10 days. Since I landed in KLIA, I decided to wait for the husband, even if it was just for us to meet for an hour.

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Mom came to KL to pay us a visit too. I am glad we were able to hang out for a bit and that she was able to see her granddaughter too.

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We attended our niece’s one-year old celebration. It is the daughter of our cousin that is one day older than me. Time flies really fast that his daughter is already one year old. I was really glad to be part of the celebration.

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July was also the month which we had registered our marriage one year ago. To celebrate the day, the husband had it all planned out – to have dinner at Tamarind Restaurants. They serve Indochinese cuisine.

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You pay a fixed price and you can order everything on the menu for 3 hours. Oh, the dishes are not ready made though so you have to wait as well.  Hence, just go ahead to order everything on the menu. The portion is small so, you don’t have to worry that you cannot finish the food because if you don’t, you would be wasting time to wait when you ordered the next few rounds. It was a good experience, at least for once in a lifetime so, do go try it out.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

June 2018

It was Jag & Vila’s big day during the month. I could not imagine how stressed mom would have been to have two wedding dinners with just 3 months apart. On the bright side, she does not have to worry about such thing in future anymore.

Jag & Vila had their wedding ritual done at a temple followed by wedding dinner in a dewan. The night was full of dancing, drinking and singing.

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In that same month was also the month for us to celebrate our grandfather’s birthday. It was his 76th birthday and all of us were back in Sibu to celebrate this big day. I am glad that the vow I made is still going strong.

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The only difference for this year was that we had our mini family member, joined us for the celebration. Deanne represents the 5th generation in the family. Everyone back in Sibu was super excited to see her. Sadly she cried most of the time at home. Probably due to new environment and people. Of course, when she was in a good mood, she smiled a lot and that brought joy in the house.

Friday, December 7, 2018

May 2018

I made a very big decision to cut my hair short. Like finally since we had finished all the wedding dinners. Not only did I cut my hair short, I had my hair permed as well. I had then all done at Jeff Lee. No regret though it was too short for me.

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That same month, we celebrated our third year being together ever since we first got together. We wanted to go to Grub by ahong & friends but it was fully booked. Hence, we went to Tropicana Mall which was nearby and had our dinner celebration at Three Little Pigs & The Big Bad Wolf. It was a simple and nice dinner.

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Later in the month was when we celebrated Deanne’s full moon. We did not have an elaborative celebration – we had KFC and Domino’s at home. Just us.

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We went back to Penang end of the month to attend our mutual friends’ wedding dinner. This pair is like us, mixed cultural wedding.

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Honestly, year 2018 is a wedding marathon for us. Excluding our own wedding dinner, this was only the second wedding dinner for the year. Three more to go which I will share in my future posts.