Friday 27 July 2018

#SummerInBali Day 6 : Sanur > Uluwatu : Last Day In Bali, Back In Bikinis and Watching Sunset By The Cliff


Time flies when you're having a good time holidaying. Today is our last day in Bali and since our flight is only at 10:30PM, we've got the entire day to explore more!


Taking it slow, we got up in the late morning and went to Genius Cafe which was just a short walk from our hotel to grab breakfast by the beach.


Everywhere I went, I'd never skip the freshly squeezed juices. They're just so good, you could taste every fruit that is mixed into each little jug of goodness.


After having local food since the first day in Bali, we decided to have western fusion today.


Everything on their menu sounded delicious. Or maybe we were just hungry as it was our first meal of the day after all. From french loafs to pizzas, we eventually over ordered and regretted not being able to finish up the food.. that was actually average. I'd recommend sticking to just the juices here :)

The ambience was nice though; beach-facing sofas and comfy bean bags to laze through the day while chill out music playing at the background.


Just a few steps away from the cafe was Sudamala Suites and Villas' private beach where the area is exclusive for in-house guests (like us) to enjoy.


Under the blue brollys and lounge chairs, we lazed around with our tummies so full. I felt I could just fall asleep here listening to the gentle waves rolling up the shores.

Until the afternoon sun started to get a little too warm. We then went back to the hotel to cool ourselves down by blasting the aircon, nua (laze) some more on the bed because the bed is just sooo comfortable, before heading back on our rides and riding down South to Uluwatu.


Located 30KM away from Sanur was one of Bali's most popular temple named Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur Uluwatu).


Perched on a steep cliff at about 70metres above sea level, commanding a breathtaking view overlooking the Indian Ocean, thousands of tourists flock over to grab a beautiful sunset delight.


As much as we wanted to visit the temple during sunset, we couldn't as we wouldn't have enough time to get back to Sanur and then get to the airport. So we're gonna try make the best out of the ride over, on one bike this time :)

J had to witness me wheezing in and of the crazy traffic jam here, unstable at times and yes some near misses as usual LOL. Well these are just one of my ways of making life more exciting :p


Along the way, we stopped by cute-looking cafes to take some pictures,


a random local food stall to hydrate and of course,


to eat. These are just some of the things I really enjoy doing while riding in different countries. Ride, stop, eat, pictures, people, repeat.

View from Uluwatu Temple
5:30PM

It was around evening when we arrived at Uluwatu Temple. There is a small entrance fee of IDR 40,000/person and you are required to wear a sarong (it is provided) before entering.


The views were indeed spectacular, and you could hear the strong waves slamming against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. There were many tourists around, and plenty of monkeys watching the views with us too.


The sun was pretty strong at this time, making it difficult to capture a good photo as the light was too harsh. No wonder sunsets here are so popular.

Nevertheless, I'm glad we managed to visit this place!


On the way back, we stopped by Padang Padang Beach to fly the drone since it was forbidden at Uluwatu Temple. Most temples don't allow drones, but beaches are usually okay!


Located on the north-western coast of the island's Bukit Peninsula, Padang Padang Beach is one of Bali's most famous surf spots where surfers from all over the world are attracted to. It is also a regular surf spot for international surfing events such as the Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang.


And since we didn't manage to capture sunset at Uluwatu Temple,


we decided to savour it over a glass of fruit punch at Blue Heaven Bali - a restaurant, bar, and a very romantic place for weddings!! They even have a church setting hall that overlooks the vast ocean.


It's so beautiful here I don't wanna leaveeeee. But it was time for us to go.. and looks like we're gonna be riding at night again hahah. #poortimemanagementforever


The journey back to the hotel took longer due to peak hour traffic jam and some road construction. It wasn't exactly easy tackling the tight traffic at night, in low speed with a pillion, but I guess it was more exciting? Haha, in a nervous way maybe, for J.


7:45PM

Got back to the hotel safely, checked out and returned our Honda scoopys that served us so well throughout our whole trip!

We even had a bit of time for a last round of local delight before heading to the airport.


On the flight bound for home, I closed my eyes and recalled everything that happened during this holiday - the good, and the bad, I embrace it all.


140 hours riding, hiking, diving, cycling through Bali to Gili, I saw a lot.. but learnt even more.
No adventure is ever the same.

Till next time, Bali baby~




[Singapore. Ubud, Kintamani, Mt. Batur, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Pura Lempuyang, Sanur, Uluwati, Bali. Singapore]
[Mileage Clocked: 492KM]
[Weather/Temperature: 27°C/Sunny]

Thursday 19 July 2018

#SummerInBali Day 5 : Gili Trawangan > Mount Lempuyang > Sanur : Jumping Through the Gates of Heaven


Today we'll be reuniting with our little Honda Scoopys when we're back in Bali!


But before that, let us enjoy the laid back vibes of this paradise just a little more..


Oh I'm definitely gonna miss Gili Trawangan.. the time spent here is just too short. The next time I visit, gonna make sure I have more time here to also explore Gili Air and Gili Meno.


Our ferry ride back to Padang Bai, Bali was scheduled at 10:30AM and we thought it would be late as usual, so we were planning to check out one last cafe for a morning coffee nearby at 10:25AM until I saw this familiar looking ferry docked and asked J, "eh is this our ferry?" 

Still slowly strolling, he was like "hmm... looks like it hor.."

"You think they just arrive or they about to leave?" 

"Hmm... I think they are leaving leh... OMG THEY ARE LEAVING"

Still in disbelief that our ferry was so on time, we waved our hands at the captain while running unglamourously over, carrying all our barang barang before hopping onboard as the last passengers.
Sibei paiseh hahaah.


After 2.5 hours on choppy waters, we're back at Padang Bai, Bali!

So stoned after the ferry ride, had this coconut juice to wake us before getting back on our bikes cuz we are going to be riding quite a distance today!


1:15PM

It's scorching hot now and I don't have my usual motorcycling gears with me but I'm still so excited about riding my way over 37KM to strike another one off my bucket-list!

pc: @smilewithjeryl
That is visiting The Gates of Heaven at Pura Lempuyang Temple.
I first came across a picture of it above on Instagram and was instantly captivated by it. Right there and then I knew I had to ride over here one day.


The road over was generally easy with the usual moderate city traffic, with it narrowing down to sharp turns and steep climbs when nearing the temple.


Temperatures started to dip just a little as we ascended up into the mountainous range, passing through vast padi fields which was really scenic.


As they say, it's not just the destination that counts, but the journey too! Taking a moment here to just soak in this relaxing atmosphere, casting all my cares aside.


We then continued on until we arrived at the entrance of Pura Lempuyang temple where we parked our bikes along the side of steep slopes, making sure our bike's gears were engaged and locked to prevent it from rolling down by any chance.

There were some rows of mama shops here selling mainly tidbits and snacks, so we decided to have a quick drink here to hydrate and that's where J found his favourite instant noodles.


No entrance fee is required into the temple, but the mama shop stall owner advised that everyone needs to be wearing a sarong to enter. If you do not have one, you could loan one from the shop for IDR 10,000.

Trying to look stylish here
From hereon, no vehicles are allowed to enter to it's a short steep walk up the slope to the temple.



One of Bali's oldest and most highly-regarded Hindu temples, Pura Lempuyang sits on the peak of Mount Lempuyang at 1,175m above sea level.


This was the really popular spot to take photos and you'd have to join a queue. The locals there are more than happy to snap a shot or two for you too, without any fee.

It was a rather cloudy day here but the views were still pretty spectacular and the sun was right smacked in the middle of these Gates of Heaven.


On a clear day, Mount Agung is visible from this point. But no one can predict the weather la, so we made the best out of our visit here by taking a lot of fun jump shots haha. This is just one out of a hundred shots we took LOL.


5:50PM

Done with the temple visit and as checked, it's a 2 hour + ride from here to Sanur, where we will be spending our last night in Bali at Sudalama Suites and Villa.

When riding overseas, it's recommended not to ride at night for safety reasons, especially in more rural areas because there are no street lamps, visibility is lower, bad guys or animals may come out etc etc. I always try to avoid night riding situations but I'm guilty of spending too much time at one place when riding around in the day, that sometimes I overrun into night. Just like now :p

There were a few moments where J and I lost each other, and his phone is with me (cuz I'm using it as GPS), but thankfully manage to reunite with each other without much time lost lol. If you've ridden in groups before especially without any comms, you'd know how easy it is sometimes to lose each other and to find each other can take even up to an hour.


8:21PM

After slightly over 2 hours of wheezing in and out of the erratic traffic of Bali with a few near-miss instances (LOL), we finally arrived safely at our hotel and checked into our beautiful garden suite.


Riding a motorcycle actually uses quite a bit of energy because you've got to be really focused when you're on the roads. Riding at night requires even more energy - That's why both of us are pretty tired from today's ride, I'm also too tired to snap anymore nice photos haha.


Starving as usual but not wanting to ride out anymore, we crossed the street and found Baby Monkeys restaurant just opposite our hotel.

Waiting for dinner to be served
Someone buy me a "Put Your Phone Down" shirt please so I can wear it now hahaha.

Balinese satay
Maggie Goreng

Wings and Fries
When we placed our orders, the waitress told us that none of the Balinese food here are served spicy because this place is popular among Americans/Europeans who doesn't take spicy too well.. and I was like, what.. noooooo. I told her we're from Singapore and hope the kitchen could make an exception by cooking up a spicy dish for us haha.


Thankfully, this Thai Green Curry was not too bad and I had my chilli fix!

After dinner, went back to the hotel, took a nice hot shower and slumped on the super comfy bed, smiling off to Dreamland, knowing I have ticked another off my bucket-list today!

Last day in Bali tomorrow!




[Singapore. Ubud, Kintamani, Mt. Batur, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Pura Lempuyang, Sanur, Bali. Indonesia]
[Mileage Clocked: 411KM]
[Weather/Temperature: 26°C/Sunny]

Next stop: Uluwatu, Bali.