If you are going up to North of Bali, to the highland village of Bedugul, that is famous with its Botanical Parc (Kebun Raya Bedugul) and Ulun Danu Temple on Beratan Lake, your journey can continue up to Buleleng, to the splash spot of the area : Munduk Waterfall. This is not only a visit to a beautiful waterfall place in Bali, but also a short hiking deep into the rain tropical forest of Munduk Village. Very recommended for Bali visitors after 4 or 5 days with skin tanning beach days and Seminyak night life, you should definitely schedule a day trip to Singaraja area.

Munduk is a quite village much different from  the south of Bali area situated at 1,500 meters above sea level, at the Northen part of Bali, Buleleng. That’s 2 hours drive from Denpasar. After passing Ulun Danu Temple in Bedugul, turn left at Wanagiri Village, Munduk is about 5 km downhill from here. A special small parking lot next to a small ‘warung’ is available right on the steep hill road of Munduk village. Be careful when you cross the road as cars and motorbike are speeding up as they enter to an extreme up hill and down hill road at the same time, from 2 ways. Waiting for you crossing the road (slowwwly…) is almost impossible at that speed level.

The path way as you enter Munduk rain forest is a mix between natural trail road and paved way. You will have occasionally to share the small path with the villagers on motorbike..Interesting hiking type!

You will be captured by the beauty of green lush tropical forest across the hill, with coffee and clove plantation around you. Stop by for a photographic moment! I was really in the middle of a pretty forest jewels having seen these giant bamboo trees, tropical colorful flowers and plants.

To get to the waterfall is actually easy, as they made the sign boards clearly enough to follow. But! at one intersection Bart and I got lost into another part of the forest area where it led us to a village  with no tourists/visitors but us..and the sound of  the pigs grunt! We actually missed one (OBVIOUS!) sign! haha..So I think I should just post some pics here just to give you a guidance, in case you giggle too much with your friends (like I did) you didn’t notice the sign boards to the waterfall.

To the right..to the right...

Just right after you did a wooden board surfing to cross the wet watery soil, there will be a local people sitting on a plastic chair taking Rp 5,000 (50 cents) of entrance fee to the waterfall. The ticket guy was away when we got there, so the waterfall visit was free of charge

I noticed this is one of favorite destination for french and taiwanese tourists, with a big difference of attitude. The french tourists only took a picture of the waterfall, enjoy the splash, then leave. The taiwanesses took half an hour to change 20 (almost the same) poses of 2 victory fingers under the waterfall, one by one, and there were 4 of them…and that’s the only reason why Bart and I had to spend more time just to wait for them to finish their victory and ‘vogue’ pose so we could take ours…*sigh*..

You will be as happy as I was when the rainbow struck across the water right under the waterfall, leaving a shinning reflection on the river beneath it. Who wouldn’t be jaw dropped when you see this beauty of nature moment..

*An ideal and strongly suggest itinerary for a day trip to Bedugul & Buleleng area would be :
- Bedugul  : Visit Ulun Danu Temple, then Botanical Garden.
- Munduk Waterfall.
- Stop at the highest point at Wanagiri Village, Sukasada sub-district, Buleleng,  at this open air sitting area overlooking 2 magnificent twin lakes of Tamblingan and Buyan.
- On the way back to Bedugul, a MUST visit to : Bedugul Market where ‘warung’/stalls displaying an array of fresh colorful fruits and vegetable, harvested from Bedugul land itself. Why I put Bedugul Market at the end, because shopping should be on your last itinerary after other nature spot destinations -  that’s if you don’t want to loose to much time between bargaining and spending your money

My last soulful encounter at Karma Spa was at its sister resort : Karma Kandara at Ungasan, Uluwatu. They gave me the best (and strongest) Karma Rub Down I’ve ever experienced. The same strong hands of Tari – my therapist at Kandara – has proven to heal my weary body & mind (the spirit was still high tough..), so I was glad that Tari welcomed me at Karma Jimbaran to give the Warm Stone Massage.

First thing that crossed my mind when I was introduced to this new Spa menu was : will the warm (or hot?!) stones burn or harm my skin? I know I don’t need to worry, they obviously the expert! Karma bodyworkers were trained under the guidance of a Chinese health practitioner and have received Level 2 Reiki training. They are regarded for their healing touch and good energy. (source : http://www.karmajimbaran.com/karma-wellness). Don’t care about the reiki wiki thing, all I know my level of energy was almost up, and only a good massage will recharge!

Undress, wear the disposable bum cover , lying face down, relax, don’t think about longgg.. to do list (leave it all behind!), surrender your body to your incredible healer – a must do at Karma Spa! Many ingredients used in Karma Spa treatments are organically grown and harvested, and I just love smelling their fragrant lotion, and spa products. Everything is designed exclusively for Karma Spa range of products including shampoo, shower gel when you rinse that coconut oil from your body afterward in their glass window bathroom (eeekk….I felt like a fish in a giant aquarium waiting for clapping audience.. woott!!).

Tari – therapist is known as “Karma queen of hot stones”, one of Karma spa menu was named after this famous tired muscles healer.  She blends a variety of massage techniques including lomi-lomi, effleurage and Balinese styles. Hot rocks are placed
on different points and massaged deeply into the body. Concludes with a ‘wow’ warm stone facial massage. It made my day, it heals my tired body..

The result of that sizzling :p..warm stone massage : I’m healed, my stress’s gone, relaxing muscles, feeling recharged and refreshed, and happy! That life is sooo…good to me. Did I tell you I’m addicted to a good balinese massage? Come to K Spa, you’ll be a massage junkie like me.

About Karma Jimbaran : A luxury boutique resort located in one of the most exclusive addresses on the island. 38 expansive luxury pool villas of three and four bedrooms are elegantly arranged on a gentle slope facing the white sands and tranquil waters of Jimbaran Bay that is famed for it’s spectacular sunsets and beachfront seafood restaurants. Jimbaran has established itself as one of the most desirable destinations on the world’s most beautiful island. A Mix of Mediterranean atmosphere and Bali’s best loved beachfronts just steps away, Karma Jimbaran redefines the luxury Bali lifestyle. A sister resort of Karma Kandara Resort.

Karma Jimbaran
Jalan Bukit Permai, Jimbaran, Bali, 80362 Indonesia
T: +62 361 708 800   |   F: +62 361 708 844
E: res@karmajimbaran.com / sales@karmajimbaran.com

Links :
Karma Spa & Wellness at Karma Jimbaran
Karma Spa & Wellness at Karma Kandara
Karma Resorts launches ‘Spa Season’

Related posts :
- Rewarding yourself at Karma Kandara
- Full Moon Party at Nammos Beach Club

I had a pleasure moment when last year my culinary blog www.wisatakulinerbali.com on which I’m blogging about Bali culinary delights (not only about real and traditional Balinese food, but more on my recommendation of yummy,healthy, affordable, “Warung” style eateries in Bali) received an “Internet Sehat” Award from Indonesia ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Watch for Travel & Culinary Blog category, how nice!! And things like that always encouraged & motivated me to keep writing & blogging!

Through Twitter I could meet the right people on the right niche of the Travel Community,i e. Writer, Blogger, Journalist,etc. And there are a lot of Travel Community websites now that allow you to share your travel stories, photos, sagas, write a guest post. And when I met @travelpod on Twitter, I found the link to www.travelblogsites.com (Travel Blog Sites is powered by Travel Pod – the web’s original travel blog) and wanted immediately to get listed on their comprehensive directory of independent travel blogs on the web (who wouldn’t want!). They aim to rank the travel blog sites all weekly and profile the best ones on a daily basis! Travel Blog Sites lists and ranks the Web’s best travel blog sites.

The Travel Blog Ranking score is updated weekly, and it’s the average of the Alexa.com and Compete.com rankings for each travel blog (yum!I want!). So you know how excited I was when I finally saw my blog was featured! and one day soon hopefully I’ll see my name on the Top 100 TravelBlogSites. Just noticed my lovely fellow blogger Keith ‘Velvetescape Jenkins stunning travel blog was ranked on this a while ago, I’m so proud of what he’s doing! Congrats! He’s been living an amazing Travel Blogger life, I guess (Keith, if you read this, I want that “I’m AWESOME TOP 100 Travelblogsites” Banner on my blog too!!!Awww!!)

If you’d like to be featured on Travel Blog Sites, let them know on Twitter. Thank you Travel Blog Sites!!

Hostelling means staying in value-for-money accommodation where you can interact and have fun with other travellers in a convivial atmosphere. Why spending hundreds dollar in a fancy room when you’ll going to be there only for sleeping in the night? And I’m going to stay just for 3 days. I better save the money for sightseeing (and shopping too!). I’m welcoming any great places to see, to taste recommendation. A tout à l’heure !

“I can get a glimpse of the world through Trinity’s Indonesia eyes. I may have been to many of these places before, but The Naked Traveler takes me there by a whole new route – Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet

If the guy from Lonely Planet could endorse this Indonesia’s best seller travel book, then this book worth a review, for you guys out there who opt Backpacker is your traveling style. But what did ‘whole new route’ Tony Wheeler really talking about? Let’s find out more.

It all began with her travel addiction ever since she was a little child, with the whole family having the same ‘hobby’. When most of Indonesian childs were rewarded with a new clothes, candies,bike or toys after they did good at school for example, she got a Jalan jalan or sightseeing to a new place from her parents. She did not realise she would be a travel junkie and her addiction could take her around the world, and signing her best seller travel book.

In 2005, she started her first travel blog www.naked-traveler.com where others still had not even been familiar with a blog, so we could say she is the travel blogger pioneer in the country. Although her blog is in Indonesian, many readers overseas who understand the language could still adore this most visited travel blog (and she does speak english,guys..). Her blog often reveals another side of traveling, sometimes the topic is controversial, often silly or could be a trigger for a harsh comment from some people who think the issued brought was a bit sensitive. Such as : How dirty the public toilet in most major cities in China is. One narrow minded reader had interpreted the blog post as “an insensitive issue to all chinese ethnic group”, which was obviously taken totally wrong!

euh..some privacy,please?

Following her successful TNT-1, now on the sequel, TNT-2, she wanted to share with all of her readers that traveling is not solely about how nice and comfortable it would and should be, or how magnificent the scenery of one place is, not also about a grande architecture or the white pristine beach. But she took the post-journey as the laughing and memorable moment when it comes to : flight delay (long ones!), unfriendly local people, a shoestring travel budget.

For Trinity, there’s no such thing as a great or ugly destination, they are just different-that’s all. Thus she never put a high expectation toward one place, this means she’d be OK when she arrived at one place so called in Puerto Rico, just to see a banana field which she could easily find anywhere in the neighborhood in Indonesia, her beloved country.

Staying away from a touristy place is one backpacker like her will most definitely does, but read her story about “A Touristy Night in the desert” where she found herself with other 200 tourists gathered in a tent under the stars of Dubai, were offered a buffet dinner complete with wine (this is an arabic country!), and had to witness a not so interesting belly dancing of a fat rusian girl who looked like she didn’t practice enough..

She has tried, met, seen, tasted, encountered, and experienced almost everything one world traveler could ever wish for : Nudist beach in Sydney : checked. Visiting the ‘fanciest cemetry’ in Santa Cruz-Manila, A Sex museum in Amsterdam, the spookiest museum in Phnom Penh : done. Getting proposed to get married to an african ethnic everytime she meets this ethnic group anywhere in the world (who took her as “Queen Latifah”-their idol) who seemed think that her ‘physical appearance” is their dream woman type. A pot party in the middle of a shrimp farm in Palawan Island, Philippine, where she did this weird 3 rituals while hanging out with the locals-circling to smoke a pot in a row + a glurp of brandy+a sip of ice lemon tea!…

She also knows who’s the fattest people in the world, the ‘easiest’ and most flirtatious men on earth. And she did all her journey with laugh out loud, jokes, sillines, audacious, and a very open mind. In our country, Indonesia, a woman solo traveler with backpacker travel style is not very common, to say crazy..:)

But beside her hilarious stories during her trips, Trinity also writes about travel tips and ideas, for example : how to use your free time during traveling, because for her traveling is not just about going places, or visiting a destination. Sometimes, the art of doing nothing could still apply in her travel days.

You wanna know the naked truth about traveling the world in backpacker style, get The Naked Traveler 1 & 2 now!…It’s an order! :p

- Trinity – Naked Traveler blog
- Follow Trinity on Twitter
- Trinity on Facebook

Related post:
The Naked Traveler is so Nekad!

]]> http://www.beeamazing.com/book-review-the-naked-traveler-2/feed/ 6 http://www.beeamazing.com/a-me-time-at-geger-beach-nusa-dua/ http://www.beeamazing.com/a-me-time-at-geger-beach-nusa-dua/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:20:02 +0000 Bee http://www.beeamazing.com/?p=886 Can you be peaceful and have a Me Time in a touristy (or semi-touristy) beach? YES, YOU CAN! said Obama :p . I Love Bali, I love living in Jimbaran, and Nusa Dua – the rich and famous neighbour – is just 5-10 minutes away from my house.  Just heading towards Nusa Dua, on the intersection at HARDY’S Supermarket, turn right to Siligita road, follow the road, you will see a small statue on an intersection and notice the  sign board to Geger and Sawangan Beach direction where it will lead you to the main road on which Bali Golf Resort Nusa Dua is located, and you’ll pass one of the newest hotel in Bali : St Regis as well. Then you’ll arrive at Geger Beach. Easy breezy..

Back in my visit in 2006, Geger Beach, Nusa Dua, has a thick white sand so thick and rich that an international beach games in 2008 with venues mostly held in Kuta Beach decided that Geger should ’share’ the white sand so the volleyball players would fall on a comfy bouncy sand instead of soft brown and hard sand like Kuta Beach. So there it was, a giant ship tanker with its giant vacuum cleaner sucked up 50% of the sand and poured it all over Kuta Beach. Yay! Kuta Beach is an adopted son of Geger now, it has Geger blood aka sand in it :p

Anyway, I care more about me, wanting some contemplation time and space just for my self, but was not in the mood for hidden beach adventure..and I knew I’ll find my peaceful late afternoon at Geger Beach. And although Geger now has installed more parasols, developped more cafe/warung business not to mention a water sport activities is just in front of your long chair and parasol, still I had faith there must be one small private spot reserved for me, as Bali has a generous heart to whisper to someone’s ears about its special place to be for those longing for embracing theirself with the beauty of nature and not treating Bali as its pleasure and hedonism slave…

Enjoy what Geger Beach has to offer, the beautiful blue turquoise water stretched along the coastal line, but don’t stop the viewing and limit your eyes with square eyes and mind. What I did, was move away from the crowd and walk along the beach until I see only the seaweed farmers harvesting these jewel sea plants, and nobody but me, my sarong, and my Eat,Pray,Love book..(and Bart moving discretly and peaceful snapping shots, I barely realized he was there with me).

But hey yo’! As I’m revealing a private spot at Geger Beach, I hope you don’t think that this is a group invitation for invading this supposed to be a Me Time spot. Please, enjoy the pictures…Peace…

On this occasion I would like to thank all of Beeamazing.com readers from all the corners of the world, for your kind and amazing support during last year, endless thanks from my grateful heart to you as it will keep me motivated to share all Bali has to  offer to its lovers..<3 And speaking of the year of 2009, I have to share with you the best highlights of Bali, and it’s not the hidden beach findings, but the BEST EVENTS IN BALI of 2009! YEAH! Buckle up, guys!

1. Bali Arts Festival 13 June – 11 July 2009
Pesta Kesenian Bali or Bali Arts Festival is an annual event not to be missed.This is a full month event of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty (source : http://www.baliartsfestival.com )

2. Bali Triathlon 28 Jun’09
The fourth annual MRA Bali International Triathlon took place on June 28, 2009 at the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay. The International Distance Triathlon features a 1.5 kilometer swim in the calm waters of Jimbaran Bay, a challenging 40k course through the hills and villages of Nusa Dua and the Ungasan peninsula and a flat, fast 10k run through the crowds of the fishing village of Jimbaran Bay.(source : http://www.balitriathlon.com). And Bart participated on the 5K Fun Run, cool!

3. Sanur Festival 12-16 Aug’09
Initiated by community of Sanur through the Sanur Development Foundation, at first Sanur Village Festival was held to revive tourism sector and to attract more tourists to visit this area and the island of Bali.Taking theme “Marine Life” which is in line with the extension of our national program Visit Indonesia Year 2009, this 4th annual event was packed with cultural activities such as traditional performances, parade, music, collaboration show, water sports and food festival (yay!my favorite!) as the main attraction, also not to forget their green program : under water festival with its coral reef plantation (source : www.gotosanur.com). Highlights of the event : Kite Festival and Sucking Pig Festival :p

4. Kuta Karnival 19-27 Sep’09
Initially, this event was established and organized as a response to the terrorist blast that devastated the island of Bali and the international community in October 2002. The event marks Kuta community’s commitment and thus a tagline of “A Celebration of Life” is established for Kuta Karnival. The nine-day-long Kuta Karnival consists of traditional art performances such as the favourite Sunset Dances, sports on the beach as well as in the water for young and old plus rows and rows of culinary displays along the one kilometre of sandy beach (source : http://eventsinbali.weebly.com/kuta-karnival.html)

5. Soundrenaline 15 Nov’09
It’s the biggest music (aka: pop & rock!) festival for me, in Bali, it didn’t come to Bali every year, but their 2009 ‘LEAD THE BEAT’ was a huge success!! And BALI was the only venue for SOUNDRENALINE being held! The first SOUNDRENALINE was held in 2002, each year they have different theme, and touring to different cities in Indonesia, this huge show with multiple stages playing at the same time!!, involves a lot of musicians, big crowd, big stage, big sound system and lighting and many more attractions as the supporting programs such as : Sing a song booth, Mix your music corner, DJ booth, Express yourself booth, photography contest with the festival theme. Each stage featured different artist with different genre of music.And the FOOD? YES! YES! off course! With these variants and flavours to choose you will end up with a dizzy head like me.

My suggestion : if you’re a ‘pop in heart’ , don’t ever think about sneak a peek at the Festival areas where most of rock and punk and those sort of heavy metal music groups play, if you don’t want to be ‘attacked ‘ and ‘crushed’ with thousands of SID (Superman Is Dead) fanatics-Bali most favorite punk group who left the area right after SID performance finished..

6. Denpasar Festival 28-31 Dec’09
Street Festival in Downtown Denpasar to Close the Final Days of 2009, featuring a range of exhibitions and activities to close out the year. Centered at the newly gentrified Jalan Gadjah Mada and Catur Muka monument, the four-day event is open to the public.The streets and public park areas will be transformed for exhibitions, public entertainment, and cultural shows (source : www.balidiscovery.com). Best highlight of the event for me (what else) : The FOOD FESTIVAL, off course!!

Related posts:
- Bali Arts Festival 2009
- Sanur Village Festival 2009
- Bart and his Bali 10K addict

…From Day 3 – Monday 26 October 2009

Purwokerto for me is a city with memory of my childhood visiting grandparents house, this means : lots of good food and laughter. I still have my aunt living in this city today. Like any other city in the country, the javanese culture moves parallel with the modernity and development. It is the capital of Banyumas Regency, Central Java region, Purwokerto is located near the base of Mount Slamet, the highest volcano in Central Java.

The city is bisected by the Kali Kranji (Kranji River), and lies near two major east-west roads, Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Gatot Subroto (source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purwokerto), it’s a very small city, the local people loves to hang out at Alun-alun (town square), and you can circling this town in just 30 min, you will find yourself back to the same point of departure : Alun-alun. And beside its typical culinary delights such as : Soto Sukaraja, Es Baltik, Tempe Mendoan, etc…Serayu River is one of the main nature scenery not to be passed (actually it’s more for a nostalgic reason for me, where my dad spent his afternoon childhood, biking and playing on the river of Serayu!).

I should’ve stayed more than just one night here, but Bandung, the flower city, the Parijs van Java, just couldn’t wait to see me..

Day 4 – Tuesday 27 October 2009
09.40  Left Purwokerto to Bandung
16.00  WELCOME TO BANDUNG (again!), BEE !!

28 October – 6 November 2009 My must have annual holiday ‘Chez Mes Parents’, I’ve written some blog posts about Bandung and Jakarta, the two most frequented towns in my life – having lived & worked there – so for fun things to do, I will just list here What’s HOT and What’s not HOT in Bandung compared to Bali

Hmm..starting from What’s HOT first and What Bali DOESN’T HAVE! Yay!

1). Multi cineplex (minimum 8 screens of cinema!) giving more choices of movies, with HD surround sound system complete with other entertainment facility, such as restaurant, cafe, live music performance! digital music store, game center, pool, karaoke, function room, merchandise store, a very chic lounge, and lots of beautiful trendy fashionably people…my oh my…

The way Bandung spoils movie lovers..I wish Bali had this..

Gee..and I'm on my way to the rest room! Luxurious touch in cinema..<3

2). Malls and great malls…and more malls

The most artistic & tasteful mall in Bandung : PVJ (Paris van Java)

Where in Bali, can we find a mobile wifi internet cafe like this?

3). Good yummy food with hundreds of price & flavor variation all over the city! The battle of New innovative culinary vs Classic legend food that never ends.

Since 1953, guys....

It's mobile era now...so does SUSHI...yum!

4). Old historical buildings from Dutch colonial period that are still being functioned as international conference building, Post Office, or trade centers.

Asia Africa Building

Post Office Bandung

5). A cutey little pie coquette niece with three dream jobs in one life time : Singer,model, pediatrician & a nephew who thinks he’s Spongebob the Squarepants and a card collector.

6). A large backyard and beautiful garden – with the crazy high land price in Bali, there’s no way people could easily afford a house with a big garden..(they’re lucky to have one actually)

7). Best friends

What’s NOT Hot in Bandung :
1). Traffic Jam almost everywhere – typically big cities in Java

2). Bike Riders who just couldn’t wait and queue on a train railway portal, they have this ‘good habit’ crossing the opposite line to get in the front line, nice…

3). Two different world : The Slum surrounding or just behind a nice glamorous shopping center

Til my next adventure and crazy trip, hopefully one day : Tour d’Indonésie ! Thanks to @bartcatapult for the great pics, love ya’!

Related Post
- ONE WEEK IN BANDUNG – PARIJS VAN JAVA
- Bandung & Jakarta so far

She had lived in Bali for 6 years, worked for some majors multi-national companies, one of them is : Quiksilver (Surfing industry) where she really found her new improved Gita among her party goers fellow workers, got tons of new friends and made her life on the island so much enjoyable, until one day her Prince Charming came to pick her up and brought her into a whole new world of fantasy she could hardly imagine : A mother…She is also a blogger (who has abandoned her blog since breastfeeding and changing diapers took her time and energy away…J ), and a photoshop junky , and lives now in the busiest city of the country, Jakarta! Let’s find out how exciting her new life is !

Hi GEE! What you’ve been up to?  : Oh, Hi! I’m doing a best job in the world now : A happy house wife and a MOTHER, yay! 

That’s amazing! But I noticed  you are blogging as well ,right?: Yes! My blog is www.savageetha.wordpress.com and am trying so hard to get back on blogging when my beautiful daughter, Princess Kai situation would ease a little bit, knowing that her mom desperately need to update her blog, write and write..!

Tell us in brief about your current job and what do you like the most about it, and things you prefer to avoid in work : Being a full time mother is something I could never imagine before. In the last one year I experienced a changing status transition!

I used to be a single career woman. Now I am a Housewife! Since I got married and had a baby girl, I decided to quit from my last job. Stay at home, focus on delightfully taking care of the baby.

This quote became my motto: “The secret of joy in work is contained in one word: EXCELLENCE. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it” – Pearl S. Buck. Yes, always enjoy my job and work with heart whatever it is…whenever it is…both in office or at home.

When I used to work on an office job, these are 3 (three) things that must be avoided: Stressfulness, procrastination, and conflict with colleagues or Boss.

I noticed your passion is : playing with Photoshop. Tell us what’s so fun about it! And show us one of your ‘masterpiece’, please ! Playing on the Photoshop has become my hobby since 2005. It began with a bunch of low quality pictures (Blur, unfocused, or Pics which I look so ugly on) kept in a trash bin. My sense of art “whispered” me to take a responsibility not to let those useless pics deleted permanently from the trash. Then I started to find a way how to recycle it into something new and  creative. I was so lucky to be surrounded by friends who work as graphic designer. I learned how they play and work with Adobe Photoshop, ‘stole’ the techniques and started to practice doing it by myself.

Here’s one  of my ‘masterpiece’

How long did you live and work in Bali? I lived in Bali for 6 years (2001-2007)

Will you ever think about going back living in Bali? Why? Absolutely! Bali is a second home to me. It’s quite different from other cities in Indonesia. I love the sceneries, the culture, the people, the atmosphere. It’s so beautiful…It’s like living in a paradise;-)

What’s your favorite place/spot in to hang out in Bali?
Beach : Blue Ocean Beach, Halfway Beach, Dreamland, Padang-padang.
Club/ nightlife: Sky Garden, Double Six, Hard Rock Cafe
Culinary: Soho, ESC, Papa’s Café, Rumors, Zanzibar, Lanai Café, Warung 69 Benesari, Bakudapa, Café Sendok (Beer time with friends!),Warung Itali, Warung Nikmat, Warung Nuri Ubud.

Name one place/area in Bali you are picturing your dream house/villa built on and why: Balangan or Pecatu…Peaceful and has a great sea view!

What do you like most about Bali? The people, the beach and the sunset

What do you dislike the most about Bali? Speedy motorbikers (they can’t read the street signs), Wankers, Gigolos, vendors around the beach offering fake tattoes, sarong and ‘kepang’/plait hair! Discrimination or some sort of racism by our own people:  Clubs that applying charges to local but free entrance fee to westerners, da’!

What’s your favorite activity to do in Bali? Biking on the weekend or after work to see the sunset at Blue Ocean Beach or Halfway Beach

What do you want to see in Bali in the next decade? F1 International Circuit!

What does BALI mean to you? Bali is a place of memories. It’s really Magnetic! Always make me want to come back. 99% of my soul is attached to this island! (Oh wow, then you should really come back living in Bali,Gee! – beeamazing.com)

What would you like to say to www.beeamazing.com readers who love Bali as much as you do? If you love Bali, respect and love it as you love your own land. Bali will love you back! J

Thank you for the nice chat, GEE! Keep blogging for us!

Follow Gita on Twitter !

Friday, 23 October 2009
Final preparation : While I was still struggling with packing problem : what to bring and what’s not! and this has been an area I haven’t mastered yet, and at the end Bart is  always the one who wrap up everything for me..:p , well Bart had done his final check list in making sure our maid knows what to do during our absence, and bought mineral water in gallons bottles, gas supply for cooking, left our contact details and some money for emergency, etc..Unfortunately something bad happened to me one day before our departure to Java : I had my back tendon twisted right next to my spinal bone, it hurts sooo much, I couldn’t barely walk, and here I was at Bali Galeria Mal, had to do one last groceries shopping for our trip snacks, with a limp walk, and had to drag my feet super slow, the security at the mal gate starred at me with this strange (and mean) look! I could only say one thing : Why me, and why now?…:)

Day 1 – Saturday, 24 October 2009
03.25 Pray to God that our trip will be a safe & fun one, Amien! Most importantly : JAVA MAP : checked! (like most women, often I don’t understand how to read map…it took 10 min for me to find Madiun, and Bart shook his head several times, I noticed that!), I still couldn’t believe we’re really going to Java by car and not by plane!

It was Kuningan Day in Bali, I noticed some balinese people  were already on their way to the temple to pray and bring offerings, the women, in their best Kebaya and traditional costumes for the men! Woww…! There’s a little bit sentimental feeling as we’re leaving Bali, our beloved island, and Bali in the dawn was awesome..There is no way for Bart to let some great photo moments pass in front of his eyes, we stopped every time he spotted one stunning view of nature or an object, and I knew from the beginning I would find a hard time to choose the pics among all gorgeous ones he always takes..but here are some for you..

06.05 A ferry boat was ready to welcome our car in their ‘garage’, to bring us across  Bali Strait, departing from Gilimanuk Harbour to Ketapang Harbour in Banyuwangi city, East java. It takes about 45min to 1 hour to arrive in…JAVA land!!! Very soon the air, the atmosphere, the accent, the people got changed drastically…I knew it’s going to be one crazy long trip ahead, but we’re excited.

07.30 – 10.30 3 Hours driving. Our first stop destination is to have lunch at Pasir Putih (means white sand) Restaurant in Situbondo, East Java, I remember with my university student trip back in 1996, this place was great, with direct beach access and indonesian buffet lunch, and a chance for us to refresh ourselves: take a shower (actually, it’s indonesian bathroom, so a water bucket shower is more precisely) and change cloths. Surprise, surprise…there were literally only me and Bart at this almost lunch hour, and they didn’t have buffet lunch if it’s not a school holiday season, and their sumatran food (Padang) was…sooo disappointing, speechless…

Our next destination was Surabaya, the capital of East Java,and I’ve NEVER been there! Bart’s cousin would be our host there.

13.44 – 14.48 Stop over in Probolinggo City, known as Mango City. I was thinking if I could stand this road trip as my bum felt : so hottt!!! for sitting for hours in the carrr…Hang in there,Bee, still a long road to go…

Probolinggo, East Java - the mango city !

I realized (just realized) that it was the moment for me where I could get very emotional with some little stuff like : traffic jam, wrong road taken, hungry stomach, tiredness, and I couldn’t help it, as the syndrome comes every month..:(( I also realized that driving a car from Denpasar to Surabaya is not like from Jimbaran to Candidasa in Karangasem, and the highway road in the evening is so much dangerous for us with these bl***y big overland buses that were trying to kill us. It got to the boiling point where I could not take it anymore, with a loud scream from the top of my lung, I said to Bart that we would just skip Surabaya, and go straight to his mother’s place in Madiun, East Java and spend a night there. I’ve even said : “Let’s just pass these Java cities, forget about Solo & Yogya too (which were our main nostalgic cities), and go to Bandung, strraight!!… But Bart, my man, the most patient guy on earth I’ve ever met, just gave this lovely smiles that cooled my nerf down…and we were on the way to Madiun then.

The same question hit me back : why me, and why now…Because when it’s my turn to take the wheel, in Gempol, East Java, there was this most crazy lunatic traffic jam I’ve ever experienced! 2 Hours stuck in the car, and literally : not moving anywhere, and that’s not all, folks! Apparently the bumpy road has been like that since more than 2 years, and nobody knows why the local government does nothing about it…

When we asked one guy next to our car if we’re going on the right direction to Madiun, he shocked as much as I did afterward that we took the WRONG ROAD….#feelslikebangingmyheadtothewall100times# and the great thing was : there was no turning back unless we follow this road till the end …of nowhere…Dear God, I thought I’ve prayed enough for the last 7 days before this road trip day, that we need Your guidance…in every street and road we should take (yes, I was hoping God send His angels to say to Bart and me : take this street, turn left, turn right, etc…).

We were supposed to arrive in Madiun around 8pm, but with so much dramas going on (my drama queen side, actually), we landed at Bart’s mom/grandma house at 11pm, with the rest of my energy on that crazy long day, I tried so hard to give my best smile to her..oh forgive me, Tante!..Bart’s family was awesome, and I couldn’t get a much warm welcome more. His grandma is the oldest person in this Wayut Village, 94 years old, still walking without a stick nor any help, and still making her own Tempe (one of indonesian most favorite food made from fermented soya bean, and the ‘best friend’ of Tahu/Tofu) !! Amazing!! And I couldn’t stop laughing as people here talked to me in javanese language, east java accent that I could barely understand, but it was fun and I will be back to this lovely city!

Day 2 – Sunday 25 October 2009
I usually am not that easy to get a good sleep when I arrive in a strange and new place/city, but the road trip from Bali to Madiun really took all of my energy, I slept like a baby, and woke up feeling good about a new exciting day I’d have.

09.53 – Left Madiun, destination : SOLO, Central Java, the most important city of this trip, as it was the place where Bart and I met <3 . It took about 3 hours less to get to Solo, and we passed some beautiful cities in East Java. Pasuruan, for example, they called it : Furniture city, as they produce lots of wooden furniture and send across the country.

13.00 Solo, at last! Even if it’s just one short night, I enjoyed touring this city, My God, it’s been long time I haven’t visited this place. The city develops like any other big cities in Indonesia : big malls and amusement park, tall high rise building for hotels & business centre, not to mention : apartment/condominium – does Solo people really need to live in an apartment now? Hmm…it’s probably the jakartans people who own most of the apartments, like the case in Bali..

Solo was called Surakarta in the past, the modern culture is mixed with a strong javanese culture, and you can see the international chain hotel or bank, but it still has lots of traditional and cultural sights to offer. They recently launched the one and only Steam Locomotive called Sepur KluthukJaladara as a city tour train, circling around the main city attraction for visitors. A visit to Surakarta Royal Palace is also not to be missed.

Too bad I didn’t have much time to visit the famous Pasar Klewer-a traditional market selling Batik, at a very affordable price! And starting tonight, I’m officially sick : bad cough, flu, sore throat…If we didn’t stay in a nice and clean hotel I would’ve been worse..

Day 3 – Monday 26 October 2009
Yogyakarta, here we come!
12.11 Left Solo for Yogya. I remember taking this express train from Yogya to Solo, cheap, clean and fun. But by car, I had a fun time too. Same as Solo, Yogyakarta is a city that still keep its strong javanese tradition and culture in their people’s everyday life, and the tourism lives from these two elements too, main thing they have to offer for visitors.

On the way to Yogya. They have special line for motorbike, woww I want one of those in BALI!!!!

But a bit different from Solo, I could still feel the strong presence of old traditional life even at the center of tourist place such as Malioboro Street, the famous street to get everything about Yogyakarta souvenir. The ‘Becak‘ (traditional push cart) driver who speaks javanese to us (to Bart, actually, as he speaks perfectly the language), all the street names are written in both latin and old javanese scripture, and I didn’t see big malls or condominium or hypermart like in Solo. Everyone seems like dressing in Batik in my eyes, or is it because I spent hours in Pasar Beringhardjo (Beringhardjo Market) where they sell everything in Batik : shirt, dress, bags, sandals, etc.

Oh I wish I had more time to explore this city.

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED HOTELS

Solo : IBIS HOTEL
Jl. Gajah Mada no.23
Solo 57131
Tel +62 271 724555
Fax +62 271 724666
www.ibishotel.com/asia

More photos on our Java Road Trip 2009 on http://www.beeamazing.com/gallery/

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