I am blessed to have been given some sort of incentive trip this year. First time it ever happened in our company so it sure was a treat. We had the choice to choose between Phuket and Bali. Since I've been to Phuket twice last year, I opted for Bali this time.
The new airport just recently opened so that was another treat. I was so impressed! It looked far better than the dilapidated NAIA Terminal 1 in the Philippines (which I heard they are now renovating thank God). In fact, it is better than all 4 NAIA terminals.
There is a taxi terminal outside the arrival area and they offer fixed rates depending on your location. It was fairly reasonable and very reliable. I stayed at the Grand Mirage Resort & Thalasso Bali at Nusa Dua. The same area I stayed at 5 years ago. I prefer that area actually as the resorts there usually have their own slice of the beach and it is not as crowded as Kuta beach.
Next day was whole day tour with my colleague Darren and Han. Thanks to Darren for arranging the transportation! You can google or find "Joged Bali Tours" on Facebook to arrange a tour with them.
First stop was the Barong & Kris dance show which I also saw 5 years ago. Nothing special. You can give this a miss actually.
Next was the Holy Spring which the locals believe to be "healing". It was an interesting sight and even tourists can go for a dip if you wish.
Next stop was Mount Kintaman. The view was spectacular and the weather was perfect! It was quite cold and I didn't expect that. We were wondering why the soil at the foot of the volcano is black and assumed it may have been dried up lava? I believe it took us more than an hour to get here but I didn't really notice as I enjoyed the country side view during the road trip.
I was so glad to have seen the Tegalalang rice terraces. It reminded me of Banawe rice terraces in the Philippines which I haven't seen (shame on me). I also got a small painting of a traditional balinese dancer in one of the nearby shops at such a bargain price of S$10!
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| L-R: Darren, Han & Made |
Made recommended us to try Luwak coffee. The Luwak animal is fed with the coffee beans and they are processed after the animal passes them in their feces. In short, coffee from shit hehehe.
It was a very unique experience. We got to try 12 different types of coffee and tea. My favorite was the coconut and ginger. We were wide awake after this experience haha.
Last stop was barbecue dinner by the beach. Seafood dinner was good although very expensive, though the place was still packed. The entire tour took around 12 hours yet Made never charged for extra. So we gave him a very hefty tip hehe.
The next day was rest and relaxation for me. The resort had a huge pool which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The beach was perfect as well. This is the Bali that I love. It is definitely not Boracay standards but it has its own charm and beauty. It was scorching hot but I didn't mind. So hot that I got a tan in the 2 or 3 hours I sat under the shade (with probably half an hour swim at the beach).
I was wondering why the resort had such a long and odd name and found out that Thalasso Bali is actually the spa connected to the hotel. I tried the aquamedic pool which was a really different experience. There were different types of water jets that were able to massage basically your entire body even your head.
On the flight back, I got these cola flavored lip smackers through the inflight duty free. So yummy! they really taste like Coke haha.
So that was it! It was a short but worthwhile weekend getaway. I highly recommend flying KLM to Bali if you want a quick holiday as I thoroughly enjoyed the inflight movies and food plus their flight timing is perfect.
Next week, I will be in Cambodia for 5 days. Excited to see the Angkor Wat temples! Goodluck to my Cohen diet again! haha.
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