SSRC 4D3N Bali Extravaganza Trip @ 31/10/2008 ~ 3/11/2008

Another part of my 1/10 New Year resolution is realized… Yup! I finally visited Bali Island with a bunch of colleagues on these date. It was the annual SP Sports & Recreational Club outbound trip that we ( SSRC Committees ) have planned to go in the month of August but postponed till end of Oct due to AA Flights Fare matters.

Day 1
We arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar about lunch time and had a Balinese lunch before we visited to our 1st tourist spot, Uluwatu Temple. The temple is perched on a cliff of a rocky hill located at the southernmost part of Bali and surrounded by trees + bushes occupied by tamed army of aggressive monkeys where these monkeys will tail and snatch the visitors for their cap / camera / glasses etc. I have few colleagues got snatched their glasses, camera pouch + toggle earring, luckily non of them were hurt except the lost of their mini belongings and sudden terrified. Then, we were coached to the famous Jimbaran Beach to admire the beautiful sunset and had a group romantic seafood barbeque dinner before we checked in our hotel, Kuta Lagoon Resort, Legian.

Day 2
We started our 2nd day watching an artistic blessing Barong Dance performance at the Batubulan Village followed by a visit to Celuk Village to see the proactive + innovative gold and silver crafting by local residents. Then, we continued our Kintamani Tour to experience the breathtaking panorama view of an active volcano in Mount Batur and Lake Batur which at the same time had our Balinese buffet lunch at one of the restaurant up on the cool breezing hill. We then visited the Goa Gajah ( Elephant Cave ), an ancient omission in the form of a cave with the high value of art and history where we can also find some other omissions like ancient stone idol, douche and mini temple. We omitted the later visit to Tampak Siring ( Holy Spring Water Temple ) which local residents believed the clear + clean and holy water in the temple could cure diseases due to heavy rain. However, we managed to catch a more meaningful prayer ceremony where local residents dressed in their traditional costume, walked all the way to the temple from one to another end of the street to show the merciful God their inner sincerity whilst we were traveled to our dinner.

Day 3
On the 3rd day, we visited Tanah Lot, a Balinese Hindu Temple on the rock where the seawater encircles it when the sea water is tide as if it is adrift on the ocean. We also took our time shopped for souvenirs at the flee market along Tanah Lot entrance path before we were traveled to Ubud Village for Balinese lunch. We were then coached to Taman Ayun Temple located in Mengwi Village, North of Denpasar, which is the Royal Temple of Mengwi Empire that owns beautiful temple building with multistoried roof in Balinese Architecture. After that, we were traveled to a local souvenir shop, Lulu Bali as our last stop / call to hunt for souvenirs before head for dinner and back to hotel. Later at night, Sennie + Ray + myself had our supper and enjoyed ourselves at the Hard Rock Café, Kuta with good time on beer + live band. But... what’s more excited or rather shocked is when we saw a group of nearly 20 young + fit + fully naked men ran towards our direction and went off into a club behind the street whilst we were inside a cab on our way back to hotel after the rock session. Wow~

Day 4
Sennie & I started off our last day in Bali with a traditional Balinese Spa Massage together at the resort after our breakfast which turned out to be kind of awkward when both of us had our massage next to next without a separating curtain in a room and had our spa ( milk bath ) session together in the open air twin sharing bathtub although we are of the same gender. =.= We then checked out the resort after the so-so massage + a good shower, and head to Mama’s, the Germany Restaurant that we patronized almost every night in Bali for a sumptuous Germany Grill Pork’s Knuckle lunch together with Ray before we went for Legian – Kuta walk. We walked along the Legian Street, passed by the Bali Bombed Area + Bali Bombing Monument and went all the way down to Kuta Street. We stopped over at Starbucks Kuta, had our favorite Starbucks shot, went to the Hard Rock Shop, saw the endless of Kuta Surf Beach + patronized the not forgotten I’m Lovin It in Kuta, Bali before we met with the others back at the resort and transferred to the airport for return departure.

Well~ This is how our trip ended and there goes our holidays. However, the most important is, our memory stays… Thanks to this bunch of active + funny + happy go lucky + shopaholic colleagues of mine who has made this a successful extravaganza trip.

P/S:- To those who intended / plan to visit Bali Island in near future, do beware of monkeys and be extra caution + alert when you exchange your money at any of the local money changer before you were cheated because Sennie, myself + another few colleagues of mine had a bad experience on this.