5D4N Magical Bali

The rest of Taiwan posts shall need to wait a little more. Since Taiwan is a backpacking trip, my itinerary was very detailed with all the location and fees + how to get there.

So for Bali trip, I went with my Mum. My Mum is already 50 years old and I wouldn't want her to go on crazy backpacking trip with me. So in order to go on the Mother-Daughter trip, I went to the tour agency!

The agencies we used are: Sarawak Holiday Travel & Tours (Kuching based) and confirmed by Explorer Tourism Network (Bali based). So basically we communicated with the Kuching based agent and they helped us arrange everything with the agent in Bali.

Before that I have heard many good feedback of Sarawak Holiday Travel & Tours from my parents friends who went on holiday using this agency. After looking at the places to visited, we took the 5 Days 4 Nights tour. You can always ask your agent to buy your flight but to save some money, we decided to book our own.

Our flight using Air Asia was approximately RM400 round trip (KL-Denpasar Bali) each. Since we didn't want to miss the noon tour on the first day, and no point for us to stay in KL again (since we fly from Kuching), we decided to land in Bali a day earlier and slept at the hotel near the airport, which is "The Airport Kuta Hotel & Residences", located in Denpasar, really close to the airport that you can even walk! But they provided free shuttle so of course we just took it. Hotel staff are also super friendly! And, breakfasts were provided! The cost only RM40 for a private twin room! Too bad it is far from the city and beach.

So our tour route:

Denpasar> Uluwatu> Kintamani> Ubud> Tengalalang> Tampaksiring> Bedugul> Mengwi> Beratan> Tanah Lot> Turtle Island> Discovery Mall> Coffee Factory

Since it was not a private tour, another family & friends of 5 joined us. Thank God they are really nice people so the tour went smoothly! This is what I hate about sit-in-coach (SIC) tour, if you happen to be unlucky, your whole trip will be affected. 

Our tour guide: Mr. Wayan is also recommended, can email me for his contact. His children are all currently in university (like my age) so he felt fatherly to me. He is quite flexible, patient and really informative.

We paid around RM1600 for 2 person tour, including a 2 star hotel, transport and all the food (3 meals a day). So total sum up to approximately RM1000 per person for the whole trip including round trip flights.

Most of the time the journey itself takes so long so 7 days would be perfect for a relaxing tour in Bali. We didn't enjoy much at the beach because this is more like a sightseeing tour, and 5 days was just nice! If you plan to go to the beach, extend your stay on your own! I don't think you will need a guide for the beach right? Lol

So in order to make my page loads faster with all the photos heavy travel log I decided to make them into collage! Though it does seem more ugly but for less detailed (non backpack) trip like this, I'm sure it will do!

The itinerary given to us:
23 NOV   Airport Transfer In + Uluwatu Tour
24 NOV   Kintamani Tour + Ubud + Sukawati + Padi Field Tengalalang + Tampaksiring Temple
25 NOV   Bedugul Tour + Mengwi Temple + Taman Ayun Temple + Beratan Lake + Tanah Lot         
26 NOV   Turtle Island Tour + Discovery Mall + Coffee Factory       
27 NOV   Airport Transfer Out    
But of course we did some changes based on our interest and time constraint. 

Day 1 (23 November 2013)

This is our hotel! It's called Ibis Style Hotel, 

under the same management as Pullman and Novotel (by Accorhotels) 

We arrived hotel around 2PM so right after we took some time to relax, 

around 3.30PM we started our tour to Uluwatu!

Here we had to beware of the monkeys!

With the help of our tour guide it was okay but there was a group of teenagers,

from their talks I think they are from Singapore.

One of the girl in their group got "molested" and she was crying in shocked quite badly.

So be careful of your camera and sunglasses, and don't feed them eventhough it looks tempting.

At first they will be tame but when you run out of food, they will still keep following you!

For the dinner on the first night, we had fresh grilled seafood on the beach!

At a restaurent called Bali Cafe 21

And of course some Indonesian dance performance~

Day 2 (24 November 2013)

The first place we visited on Day 2 is the batik/ textile shop and next to the jewelry shop (silver is famous in Bali). Me and my Mum are not fond on these kinda things so we didn't get anything, our travel mates did :)

Since we are all non-Muslim so we requested the tour guide to bring us to the famous Babi Guling! 

This is not included in the itinerary so we had to take-away to our actual lunch place.

Babi Guling is a must have in Bali! 

This is where we had lunch, at Kintamani Restaurant. 

Kintamani is somewhere like Cameron. 

It is highland and slightly chilly, the weather was perfect!

Didn't take any food photo because they are almost typical Malay food,

only attracted by the Mango+coconut+Malacca sugar, I like it!

Our lunch here was buffet style Indonesian food!

After lunch we went to view the Batur Caldera volcanic crater! 

As a geology student, of course need to take photo with a cart on Geology of Batur Caldera!

After visiting the volcanic crater we went to the Holy Spring!

Or better known as Tampak Siring or Tirta Empul Temple.

There are so many temples in Bali that we actually had to skip some due to time constraint,

however this temple is a must visit!

Totally forgotten what was dinner for Day 2, it was one of those super hungry days. sao kao liao (eat everything) before I remember to take photos Lol.

Day 3 (25 November 2013)

Day 3 we went to a temple. So sorry because based on our itinerary there were a few temples but we canceled out a few. This was my first time following a tour so I kinda didn't bother much, just wanted to relax and follow the flow. Plus I was seating on the most back seat of the van and others were all Aunties. Ok so the point is, I don't know the name of this temple Lol

Lunch was at another highland overlooking the rice tarraces~

Forgotten to take the name as well Lol

After lunch we went to the famous Tanah Lot!

Because it is famous and we also queued for blessings so it took the whole day Lol.

After Tanah Lot we went to the Rice Terrace for a short visit because it was getting dark.

Day 3 dinner was at Kemangi! So many dishes the table was so full! This tour definitely worth it, every dinner meals were like table full of dishes! And this one also came with free Legong Dance performance from 6.30PM-7Pm and 8PM-8.30PM.

Day 4 (26 November 2013)

 Actually this was what I was waiting for, the Turtle Island tour, but it didn't turn out as expected. Both me and my Mum thought that the turtles are taken care while they are on their natural habitat, on the beach, the sandy beach. But it turned out that they have these pools for them. As much as I feel heartbroken that they are in cages, at least they are well taken care of and not exposed to dangerous predators (eventhough that is nature). The beach looks so nice but it actually smelt of benzene (engine oil), just look at the amount of boats.

Toom lunch at Pawan Pasundan, which served special Sunda dishes. Small portion but this is one of my favourite! And I really love tempe. One of the aunty with us doesn't eat raw food (this dish is filled with raw vege) so I think she ended up eating only the rice and chicken, while I sapu everyone's tempe. Used to hate it but I think I ended up liking everything edible Lol

Final stop before discovery Mall, was the Coffee Factory. Bali is famous for Kopi Luwak, but it was so very the expensive, they let us try the normal coffee though. If you don't plan to buy better don't go here. Because none of us are coffee drinker, end up buy nothing and the sales person face so black and towards the end a lil rude, we quickly rushed out wtf.

And also the Bali bombing at Legian Street back in 2002, this is the memorial Ground Zero Monument.

Discovery Mall, biggest mall in Bali, for now.

I saw one coming up nearby but not sure whether it is as big.

The end!

I hope to tour Indonesia's Java Island soon!

Final push, but not the end

Since this is my Final Year Final Semester for my Degree, I figured I would blog a little more frequently now that I am free of events and organizations, except the piling lab works and reports. In case one day I would be too busy to even remember I have a blog. Just recently I felt old, of course being the most senior for Undergraduate studies maybe among the factor but I just figured what wonderful time I had been through all these (almost) 5 years.

I experienced many things which shows me the values of life. For the life I have lived thus so far, I have no regrets. Given this chance I will try to live an even better life and create more memories after leaving the University. 5 years is not very short, neither it is long. For all the things I've done and learned, I truly surprise myself when I look back.

5 years ago I remembered how much I wanted to leave home, create my own adventure. The furthest I have been on my own was probably my grandparents' 'Kampung' (village). Even during that time I used to beg my parents to let me stay. I am the eldest and the only daughter, probably instead of my 2 younger brothers, people who I can linger well are most probably my female cousins. This adventurous inner me, comes from my Mum :) My Dad who has aerophobia (phobia of flying, probably because he was sent away to Canada alone) would always prefer staying at home. Just recently he got better due to frequent flights he had to take for the sake of his children ^^ Mum like me, has always been the one who wants to explore places even when her health might not permit.

Both my parents came during the registration day. When they finally left, I didn't cry at all. I was not scared, for quite a very long time I was not homesick. I look forward to many adventures ahead. Dad was particularly worried, for first few months of Foundation Studies he called everyday, but he will always let me know how much he trusts me to be independent haha. Being on Scholarship is a blessing, I get to be home every semester, with my flights sponsored. There was once I bought my flight without my parents knowing, asked my cousins to fetch me from the airport and arrived home as a surprise for my parents, it was for Mother's Day. Imagine how surprised my parents were, they thought I was actually my cousin. Mum's expression when she saw me that night, I will never forget :) It was probably during my Second year that I got so sick of this place, this university in the middle of the jungle, looking at the same people, same buildings. I missed home so much, I flew back home during study week, for the whole week I stayed at home and didn't step out. After that, rather than being homesick, most of the time I was only constantly worried about my parents' health. For my parents who always wish the best of me, I am grateful. For this final push, I will try my best ^^

When talking about University, your friends are like your family, especially when you are far from home and the University is isolated :D Throughout all these years, I met many people. Coursemates, Events colleagues and other Affiliations. For having the same roommate for 5 years though we've never met before, are not coursemates, having nothing much in common but stayed in harmony for all these years, I shall consider both of our tolerance levels are quite high (pun not intended) :D For friends I have made throughout this journey, and people who I neglected due to conflicts. Whether or not our paths will cross again in the near future, I hope we all learn from mistakes. For those who I have not remembered for only having a glance, for those who we have been avoiding each other, I hope you live your life well and I have never got any hatred towards anyone. For all the misunderstandings and those moments when I had to take my position in between two sides, I would like to remain neutral. Throughout these 5 years, I made new friends, lost some and learned about people who really care. Even outside the university, due to my other commitment, I've get to meet people from all over the world ^^ 

Heard about the term CC (Campus Couple)? Learning about the importance of family after I've been away, knowing the value of friendships and learning about the human behavior, of course I also fell into the trap of love. Being in love, being out of love, being in love with the wrong person, destroyed friendships due to love. I am not a perfect person, no one is. But being able to experience all those at this age, I have seen enough heartbreaks. Love is not simple and before you plan to care for someone else, it is best to care for ourselves, for who would love you if you don't love yourself. Perhaps I have came to temporarily forget about this love towards man but use it to appreciate my family and friends more. I still believe that when there is fate, when it comes, it will just be the right moment. These tests, I have learned from them :) 

Other stuffs I've experienced throughout these 5 years? Not that I skipped uncountable lectures (which I did), not that I failed any subjects (which I never did), not that I've cheated in quizzes, tests, exams (I guess we all did) but there are just things that not many of us will experience. Interesting things we did at the UTP lake, illegally climbing into the Swimming pool, dropped a subject just before the final exam, flew to Korea when all my coursemates where doing their 10 days Fieldwork, attend to a trail in UTP court as victim, wrote an email to UTP's Rector and the email was forwarded to the Department Heads, handling Malaysia's sole fansite for an idol and many other bittersweet memories, for me to keep & for you (not) to find out :)  

Alright back to my assignments, sorry for the abrupt ending :D Might just post up some photos on my next post, this lengthy wordy post surely bores you :) 

 

Cheers to more memories and experiences ahead! ♥

With love,

MeiLin

South Korea Day 8-15: WWOOF Korea #1

안녕하세요! Wanted to type a bit in Korean but without Hangul keyboard it is so tideous to use the online keyboard. As expected, I am back for more posts on Korea. As you know, my trip to Korea is not merely an ordinary travel plan. Well, we did travel like tourists for 7 days or so. Here is Day 7, where links to other 6 days are included. In my way previous post, I wrote about me and my other two friends who joined me for our first WWOOF experience. This will be a post on the first farm, which is located at Gangwon-do 강원도, a province next to Gyeonggi-do 경기도 (where Seoul is located).

The first farm is named Naetgang Village 냇강 마올. Since it was our first farm, we were quite surprise that we were not involve in farming much, despite the WWOOF program. Most of what we did was community services. Maybe cause our host is the village head and we were there when there were many events. We lived with our host Mr. Lee 이원희 씨 and his family. One thing to emphasize, his whole family is good looking. ㅋㅋㅋ Alright so here are photos of what we did at Naetgang Village. I only captioned some because there are way too many photos (even though I have already sorted them twice).

The view there there was magnificent! It is located at the foot of mountain ranges and we were lucky to have it as the first farm because we could have froze ourselves if it was to be our last. Eventhought it was still late Summer, the temperature here goes below 10°C during early morning and late nights. Since it is the North-est province, it is also the first province to get snowy during Winter.

To get there, we sat a bus from DongSeoul bus terminal in Seoul to Wontong 원통 bus terminal. 원통 is the nearest town to the village, which is actually still a distance away. Maybe 30minutes. 이원희 씨 picked us up at the terminal when we arrived at Noon and brought us to eat Jajiangmien 자 장면 for lunch. We totally forgotten about 자장면 when we were in Seoul and Busan.

이원희 씨 brought us to our accommodation, which was a fully furnished penhouse. Complete with attached bathroom and kitchen. Refrigerator included, heated floor and television (though all of the channels  are in Korean!) We stayed with a Taiwanese lady, Shawna, who did WWOOF with us together with her mother. It was awesome knowing new people. She is truly our idol because she travels around the world while joining such program and working part time while travelling. Before Korea, she had just came back from a working holiday in Australia. Currently she is still reciting in Korea, working at guesthouse and helping tourists (she speaks much better Korean than any of us!!)

The first thing 이원희 씨 asked us to do is to visit the stream. The view totally wow us because of the mountains around us and the small river/stream. We put down our stuffs and went to the stream straight!

이원희 씨's wife actually owns a restaurant where we spent most of our time at. Usually we just help do the dishes, help to serve the customers or just make ourselves coffee (using automated coffee machine!) LOL Koreans do love coffee a lot. You have coffee machines in almost all restaurants, even at the hotels. And coffee vending machines. They drink coffee after every meal. I am not so much of a coffee lover but their coffee seemed exceptionally yummy!

 Some traditional items displayed in the restaurant.

Since 이원희 씨 is the village head, he is rarely around. We only see him during breakfast and sometimes during dinner. And during the day, there are not many customers at the restaurant (usually only for bookings)...so we do whatever we want. Shawna 언니 loves walking and traveling so during our free time, we walked to 원통...

We even walked past a military training base LOL

Had our "luxurious" meal in 원통~ Super yummy but their yummy food are mostly spicy! Which makes me upset because I can't really eat spicy food...

And other times when we cannot afford walking for an hour or so over the hilly roads...we just sat around, fully utilized the Wifi LOL or study Hangul 한글...

Our busy time came when there was a visit to the village from UNESCO volunteers. We had to prepare meals and some activities for them. We prepared everything at the village hall.

We witnessed the making of Kimchi김치!! After that there were more to come but we never remember the recipe cause they used so many types of sauces. (◎_◎)

Took a break and took picture with my coat. I love red coats!! I wonder when will I be using it again...

The process of making Tteok 떡, which is an ingredient for Ddukppoki 떡볶이, the spicy korean rice cake! It can also be eaten as it is or with sugar. Yummy!!

And to our surprise, quite a number of the volunteers of UNESCO was from Malaysia! They thought we are Koreans and they were also surprised knowing we are from Malaysia. ᄏᄏᄏ

And towards the end of our stay at 냇강 마올, we had the opportunity to take part in a community event to welcome Autumn where all the villages in the area where given a booth during the event to promote items from your village. Before that, 이원희 씨 taught us on how to make some handcrafts!

We spent 2 days at the event. The temperature at the event side was even colder because it was located nearer to the mountains, like it was already somewhere on the foot of the mountain. Took lots of pictures during the event because it was the highlight of our stay at the first farm!

We had bibimpap 비빔밥 and Tteok 떡 for lunch!!

This Korean ajussi 아저씨 love my handcraft and requested for a photo LOL

And we learned to make Popcorn 팝콘 the traditional way...

Do you feel Autumn 가을 is near? (my post is so bad-dated, it's now approaching Summer in Korea LOL)

Another village invited us to make some perfumes!!

At the end of the day, there was a game where u need to throw fishes into the jar. LOL And of course those who manage to throw will get prizes :)

These two are toilets. Ain't they cute? But super dirty and smelly. I prevented myself from drinking or eating too much because I was afraid I need to go to the washroom. I later found out there were toilets nearby for the staffs and sneaked in LOL

These are...I think fermented seeds, which makes healthy natural wine. It was quite pricey when we saw the price. Took a few sips and found out it was more concentrated than it looks and I think the alcohol level is like Vodka or something.

This is me, already feeling tipsy...LOL

Our haraboji 할아버지who helped us a  lot during the event. Taught us lots of stuffs too though we only partially understand because he spoke in Korean >.<

The day after the event ended, 할아버지 invited us to his house. He brought us to visit his farm as well.

If you watched Family Outing 1, the scene where Chun Hee and Hyo Ri were collecting these and Chun Hee clumsily stepped on these, then you'll remember Chestnuts. I didn't know it was really spiky until I had problem picking it up. The spikes looked soft but in fact they are hard and really sharp!

The day before we left, 이원희 씨 brought us to his farm and we had our first farming experience on WWOOF. LOL. Did some harvesting of potatoes 고구마, fruits and some weeding.

Bottles and bottles of Soju 소주, for those who never tried it before, it tasted like Vodka Original. Which I definitely don't prefer Makkeoli 막걸리 (Korean rice wine)compared to 소주 and mekju 맥주 (beer). No I am not an alcoholic, Koreans just love drinking so we enjoyed with them :D

Phew, that is the end. We stayed at 냇강 마올 for a week. Overall, it was an amazing experience! We met new people, learned new cultures and had fun! Our 2nd and 3rd farm were also so much of adventures so stay tuned!