Clovers & Roses

Found myself with a window of free time so I decided to work on a post about my Bali holiday again. I know I am taking a long time to post my entire holiday but I have a lot going on at the moment so bear with me please? For those who actually read this little blog that I call mine. Thanks :)

Day 2: Sea Adventures and Exotic Cuisines

The second day of our trip was focused more towards the sea and beach. Bali is after all famous for being a water sports hub as well as having beautiful beaches. 

As usual, we had an early start of the day. Had breakfast at the hotel restaurant again and I indulged in their egg station. The sweet female chef made the best omelette ever and she was so nice to me. Major love. 

The first place we went to was Batara Dive & Water Sports which is located on a stretch of beach called Tanjung Benoa. This beach is located in Nusa Dua which apparently is really popular for water sports/activities. This stretch of beach does not have powdery fine sand, instead it has really coarse sand. The water is not crystal clear but you can still see hints of greenish blue in the water. This does not come as a surprise to me seeing as there were multiple water sports "companies" (couldn't think of a better word, vocabulary fail wtf) on the stretch of beach. All their boats were docked by the beach along with jet skis, bobbing on the water so each time the engine starts, a little more of the water is polluted. The side effects of the tourism industry. Anyway, I digress. Read on or rather look on. Lol

Selfie with my brother in the van.  He's a cool bro because he is willing to selfie with his vain sister. HAHAHA

When we reached this place, it was drizzling slightly which was not the ideal day for water sports but since we were already there we decided to purchase some of their packages. We rented one of their boats with a "window" on the floor to look at the corals (they call it glass boat I think), bought a snorkeling package for 3, a visit to the nearby Turtle Island and a jet ski ride for one.

Morning OOTD with the sister before leaving for our activities. Aren't we just twinsies, we even posed the same way, sort of :D

The first activity our guide brought us was snorkeling. The 3 who went for it were my sister, brother and aunt. I did not go for it because I have a fear of the ocean which I could not overcome when I was at the beach so it was a no go for me. Our guide brought us to a diving/snorkeling spot about 10 minutes away from the beach and marked by a circle made by other boats. They provided some bread which we can feed while snorkeling. I sat and watched from the boat while my brother and sister floated in their life vests with their faces down in the water, occasionally coming up for some air. I did what I do best on the boat:

I selfie, naturally.

From the boat, the water looked pretty murky but my sister and brother both said that the view was spectacular when they snorkeled. At this point, I regretted that I had this fear of the ocean. I wished we had an underwater camera so we could have some pictures but we didn't.

Group shot in the boat

Moving on, our guide then brought us to the nearby Turtle Island. It was approximately 20 minutes away from where we snorkeled. It is quite a hit with tourists and throughout our boat ride there, I saw many boats heading in the same direction as well as leaving from that direction. The weather was still gloomy and wet when we reached the island but I was excited nonetheless. I was so excited to get to see turtles! Like actually living breathing turtles. I always hear and read stories about turtles and hoped that I could one day see one for myself. They are really amazing sea creatures, probably one of my favorites in fact.

Fam-bam at the entrance of Turtle Farm

Group shot with the extended family

After paying for the tickets to enter the farm, we entered and the first thing that caught my eye was the huge pools which had small turtles swimming around. By small I do not mean the size of baby turtles. These turtles were bigger than my palms. Visitors were not allowed to carry these small turtles, we were only allowed to take pictures of the small turtles and watch them swim energetically in their pools.

Little turtles

Not so little actually

The main attractions were the bigger/adult turtles. We were allowed to carry the adult turtles and take pictures with them. Mind you, they easily weigh 7 kilos or more! But it was so exciting to be able to hold it in my arms and feel it's weight. The turtle does sometimes struggle as it is passed from one random arm to the next but a calm hand and gentle stroking of it's head will calm it down.

Hey there, big guy.

Me carrying the turtle. Heavy enough to be an arm weight for lifts. Lol

Walking deeper into the compound, there were larger pools for fully grown turtles. These turtles were definitely not for carrying because they are HUGE. Visitors are allowed to walk into the pools and be close with the turtles. The water level is quite shallow; up to the knees for an average height adult. Kids will require the company of an adult. It is a little scary at first because the pool is quite murky and the turtles are dark as well. We could see the curves of their shells poking through the surface of the water as they swam. The feeling when they swim past your legs is really something. You are either tickled by it or completely freaked out. I was the latter naturally.

Forgot which species were these.

With the sister. Grabbed her arm because I was still a little nervous.

The compound also housed some exotic animals such as some species of snakes as well as some birds. I wanted to take pictures of all the animals but the crowd was too big to get any decent shots. I did however, take some pictures with a small eagle.

Me and the eagle. I guess something caught it's attention instead of me?

Mini porcupine shoo cute!

After everyone took all the pictures they wanted, we found our tour guide and headed back. I kind of wish I bought some souvenirs from here but it is way too expensive. The weather started drizzling again as we left the island.

Look at the amount of boats! The water is ice cold btw.

Next on the agenda was my brother's jet skiing lesson with the trainer. Me and my sister opted out because the training is one-on-one and the trainers were all guys. We were not really comfortable with the fact that the trainers needed to ride on the back with us. I get that it is for safety purposes but on the other hand, I am totally not okay with the trainer grabbing my waist or worse, butt. I am not saying that they will do it or they did it but the thought was on my mind while I was there. Mind you, their trainers are really, really young. Again, this is totally just my opinion and you are completely free to have your own.



After wrapping up all our water sports activities, the tour guide brought us for lunch at a local restaurant called Warung Babi Guling Rahayu. We decided to try the famous local food there which is called "Babi Guling". It is basically like a spitfire roast pig. The skin of the pig is roasted till a crispy brown. Whether the meat is juicy or succulent I have no idea because I do not eat pork. Instead, I ordered their chicken meal.

(Scroll pass the pictures if the sight of a cooked animal head bothers you or if you are bothered by pigs.)

The head of the roasted pig.

Their roasted pork meal comes with several slices of pork with a side of vegetables served with white rice. Their chicken meal is basically their version of chicken curry with a hard boiled egg and a side of vegetables and two sticks of chicken satay served with white rice as well.

Looks pretty good.

The sides of vegetables and satay.

According to my relatives and family who ate the pork meal, it was actually pretty good. Not as good as the Chinese style roasted pork but it was still tasty. As for my meal, the curry was actually pretty good too. Taste wise it is not the same as the typical Malaysian curry we have here. They cook the chicken curry using some lard so there was the pork taste in the curry. I ate only the chicken meat and left out all the gravy.



The price for lunch was slightly pricey but I suppose it is normal in Bali. It is such a commercialized tourism place that it is very clearly stated in some places the price differences for locals and for tourists. Naturally, if you are a tourist you will pay the higher price.



Next, our tour guide decided to bring us to a beach that the locals call "Dream Beach" because the sun was shining really brightly when we left the restaurant, I was so excited to see the sun and ready with my sunnies :D Throughout the ride to the beach I was smiling and praying hard that the sun stays shining until we reach and get to play on the beach. Oh btw, the "official" name of the beach is Pandawa Beach located in Desa Kutuh.


The sight as the van approached the beach is something I will never forget. The sight of the clear blue sea water was breathtakingly beautiful. I wanted to take a picture but since the van was moving, I couldn't get a clear shot.

Already crowded when we arrived.

This beach was the kind of beach that I always expected to have in Bali. One where the water is a blue or turquoise so pretty you cannot even believe in yourself and the sand is a powdery texture as you walk along the shoreline.


In this beach there was only one water activity which was kayaking. There was no boats in sight. That explains why it is so clean. Along the beach, there are several stores for people to purchase little knick knacks and some snacks. Several sun loungers are also provided for people who want to get some tan.

I love the beach

One lone kayak and a whole lot of sea

Sadly after taking a few pictures and splashing around in the water, the rain clouds returned and it started to rain again. We had to leave the beautiful beach and move on to the next location before it started to rain really heavily.

One last shot of the beach before we left

We had a discussion and we agreed to head to another one of Bali's famous temples, Pura Luhur Uluwatu or Uluwatu Temple. This temple is famous for being the temple on the edge of a cliff and overlooks the ocean. According to some of the reviews I read online, if you are lucky and visit this temple at the right time, you may see dolphins in the ocean. I don't know how true is this because when we arrived, it just stopped raining heavily and the sea was quite rough (is rough even the right adjective to use in this case hahah),

The one opening on the trail to the the top of the temple

Look at the crashing waves

Those rain clouds though

The one thing that the people in charge of the temple will warn you about are the monkeys. They will warn females with bags to be extra careful with their bags and for those wearing glasses to take off their glasses if possible. There are also signs warning tourists not to feed the monkeys although there are some locals selling bananas outside the temple entrance.


When we were walking along the trail, which btw are lots of stairs going up and down, we had to be extra careful because the rain made the steps really slippery and the last thing anyone wants is to slip and fall when they are on the edge of a cliff. We had to stop a few times because monkeys appeared and we had to walk slowly pass them so we don't startle them.

At the peak of the temple

By the time we left, it was already time for dinner. Something many recommended we try when we in Bali was their seafood. Apparently there are some really nice places in Bali that sell really awesome grilled seafood. The tour guide brought us to a restaurant which is by the seaside so we can actually dine by the beach. How romantic is that?!


The restaurant was located in Jimbaran and is called New Moon Cafe. The restaurant has quite a rustic feel to it because of the wood paneling in the restaurant and also the wooden furniture. They had a few tables set on the beach and had candles lit on each table. I found that really nice because I am sucker for candlelit tables or meals.

The view outside

Before we can order our meal, the waiters insisted that we move inside instead because it was going to rain heavily again. At that point, I was so disappointed because I had only 15 minutes of sunshine the entire day and it was going to rain again.


Anyway, the more important part is the food. I have to say the food was delicious. The seafood was fresh and cooked beautifully, I didn't get to take pictures of the food because everyone was starving.

I really like how they decorated this candle

Last picture of the day with my sister

And that is the end of Day 2.

It was a long and wet day. I was so happy to be back in the hotel room to have a hot shower and then bury myself under the thick duvet to sleep.

I AM BACKKK!

This is my long overdue update on my life. Well, parts of it anyway. In this post, I will be sharing pictures and some info about my December holiday at the island of Bali, Indonesia. I have been pretty caught up with other things that I never had enough time to work on this post. The editing or watermarking of this trip's pictures made me curse from here to Jupiter. I had to do them in many, many batches because there were just TOO many pictures. Which brings me to my next point, I will not be uploading all of them. Probably just the ones that are really nice. Also, I will have 4 separate posts for the 4 days I was there. Seems less confusing that way and I get to have more updates without needing to think of what to write and figure out my material. Heh win-win for this lazy bum! :P


So let's begin!


Part I: Pre-departure

Flight was scheduled to be on the 20th of December at 1800. As per all international flights, we had to be at the airport at least 2 to 3 hours ahead. However, my dearest mum made this tiny error of booking her own flight ticket under the wrong name. Instead of the name in her passport, she added in her first name. Because of that, we had to make our way to the airport 5 hours ahead just so amendments could be made on time for the flight.


 I left from TTDI with my relatives at noon and reached the airport at around 1 something in the afternoon. We were flying AirAsia so that naturally meant that we have to be in LCCT. I completely forgot how ridiculously crowded and hot that place is. The congestion there was basically insanity! My outfit for the flight were a spaghetti strap top paired with skinny jeans and flats. I brought along a jumper just in case it was cold but obviously it was not needed at all. I was so tempted to change into shorts when I arrived at LCCT but the queue for the toilet was bananas what with the insane amount of people so skinnies stayed put.


While my mum and relatives went to sort out the ticket issues and check in their luggage, I proceeded to find a place for us to sit and kill time before the flight. The sister wanted Starbucks so we went there and unsurprisingly the place was crowded and only a small table in a tight corner was available. We had a crowd of 9 people so that wouldn't do. Next stop was Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. We managed to get a table and (stole) three chairs from other tables which were not in use. After ordering drinks for myself and my brother, we took a sit and waited. Eventually we secured two tables and 8 chairs for everyone. The AC there was busted but at least we had coffee/tea and chairs to sit while waiting for our flight.

Me with the cuzzie, Christianne.

Selfies ftw!

SIDETRACK: Gosh I miss my hair color. I had highlights done a week before my trip which was either a dumb move or smart one. I requested for a reddish-brown and my initial selection was turned down by my colorist because apparently the color does not suit my skin tone. But I was pretty persistent on having some red in my hair so my colorist came up with this gorgeous auburn-plum-brownish-coppery (colorist actually DID mix plum and browns to specially make this shade for me!) color. It was not what I wanted but man, this color is just so me. At the moment, most of the red is washed out so it's not as vibrant as per the above picture but under sunlight I still have a gorgeous shade of reddish brown hair. Best part, it looks so natural and not chunky like how most highlights would look. Freaking love my colorist's job and mad skills.

The family bunch! [Left to right: Mummy, Aunt Cindy and her daughter, Christianne, Grandma, Aunt Moi Choi, myself, the brother, Aunt Mooi Yoke]

Another shot. It seems not all are prepared so this is a semi-candid shot?

With the sister! We were confused as twinsies at the customs counter ;)

The cliched passport and boarding pass shot.

Our flight was actually delayed for 40 minutes to an hour because of the rain. When we actually did take off it was almost 7 already and we still had another 3 hours on the plane before arriving at Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali.

Spent 3 hours in the airplane listening to music on my iPod and wondering what would Bali be like. Upon arrival the captain announced that the weather there was wet and rainy as well. Gah rotten luck. But I have to admit this, Bali's airport in Denpasar is way, way, way better than LCCT. It's fully air conditioned with carpeted floors and high ceilings and a cross between modern architecture on the inside and traditional Balinese culture on the outside. I regretted not taking a full shot of the airport's entrance. 

Just over an hour setting foot on Bali ground, there were issues already. Apparently my mum had arranged with the hotel for airport pick up under her name. So the hotel driver came with their mode of transport and waited for us at the arrival hall. When we walked out, we started searching for our driver and couldn't find him. His colleague who was there to pick up another entourage said he had left. After making some calls, both of them brought their transports. One was an Advanza and another was a van. In the van there was a family of 4 so we had to split up. I ended up in the van with the other 4 people and we left for the hotel. 

Along the way, I overheard the father of the family of 4 asking the driver if his hotel named A is the same as ours. Upon hearing that, I realized that this family had apparently hijacked our transport with this ridiculous understanding that his hotel, Hotel A, is the same hotel as ours. It is a really stupid understanding because the names of both the hotels weren't even similar to begin with so how can you an educated adult think both hotels are the same or affiliated with each other? The driver told him that they weren't affiliated with Hotel A but was nice enough to drop the family off at Hotel A. This family (from Penang btw) did not even bother to pay the charges of dropping them off. How much more cheapskate can you be? First you faked confusion with regards to the hotel name and now you are thick faced enough to not pay for a ride which coincidentally you hijacked? I have never met a more disgraceful bunch of Malaysians. 

Anyway, we reached the hotel and immediately got our room keys. We were split into three rooms and I had a room with my sister. I actually like their hotel room. It was not a fancy hotel but it was comfortable. 

Cute wallpaper eh? Oh the hotel we stayed in was called Kuta Central Park which is nearby Kuta town area. The hotel on the outside looks pretty rundown because it's actually situated in an old shopping area which has shut down but the interior of the hotel is really quite pretty. 

Part II: Day 1 of touring Bali

First morning in Bali and already my mum had us wake up at the crack of dawn. She arranged a full day tour for us and we had to be ready to leave by 9 AM. It wasn't much of an issue for me to be awake at dawn since I was having insomnia for the past few months. The issue was STAYING awake for the rest of the day after not having any sleep at night. Thank God for the hotel's amazing breakfast buffet and also their freshly brewed cup of coffee. 

First stop for the tour was a batik making place called Sari Amerta Batik Collection. There we watched ladies work their magic with the cloths. How thread was spun using traditional machinery to make batiks and also how the patterns were traced with melted wax. 

Next stop was a jewelry store called Yan Yan Gold & Silver Gallery. Apparently in Bali it is really popular to have silversmiths and occasionally goldsmiths too. I guess they sell it at relatively cheap prices compared to here in Malaysia? I didn't pay much attention there because A: I am allergic to silver and B: the designs weren't exactly my taste. They do however have awesome skills at designing silver decor pieces. 

While traveling from one location to the next I had plenty of time to observe Bali life. The place is similar to our country except there are less signs of development in certain areas whereas some other places modern development is rather obvious. Another thing I liked about the surroundings is that at almost every traffic light, they have a flowing water feature which I think is really pretty. 

I drank their Roselle instead and also tried out their Balinese coffee. Their Balinese coffee is REALLY REALLY bitter and strong. My grandma who ran a coffee shop for the past 60 years of her life couldn't take it because it was too bitter for her. I am pretty sure that after finishing that one small cup of Balinese coffee palpitations and hyperventilation will happen. 

They also sold cocoa beans and vanilla pods there which was really cool. I wanted to buy the vanilla pods back so badly but my mum said it would be a waste because I rarely bake at home :( 

Next stop was a temple. This was the first temple we visited in Bali. The weather at this point was still okay with occasional showers now and then but they were scattered so that was pretty good news for us. When we arrived at the temple the rain just stopped and there was a weak but still there ray of sunshine. The temple is called Pura Tirta Empul. Translation: Tirta Empul Temple :) 

Here's a fun fact: Majority of Bali's population is actually Hindu and not Muslim. 

Although the people there tend to look more like our typical Malays but they are actually Hindus. Which is also why most of their temples have statues that are similar to what you would find in a Hindu temple. Even the architecture there has lots of Hindu influences. 

Like most temples, visitors need to wrap a sarong before they can enter the temple. Especially females wearing shorts and short skirts. In some case, if the pants or skirt is long enough then they will ask you to tie a sash at the hips/waist without needing a sarong. 

For females there are more rules compared to males. Those with long hair have to tie their hair up before entering the temple. Also, those who have your "monthly visits" may not enter the temple. 

While we were visiting the temple, it happened to be a holy day so many of the local people came to the temple for some rites and prayers I think. Both male and female queued up to enter this pool and stand in front of that jet of water. I assume this should be like holy water to them. I am not sure where the water comes from but it is really clean. 

Another section of the temple had a large koi pond and visitors had the option of feeding them. It was pretty zen and peaceful to be in the area of the temple. There was also another section that had electric eels or maybe they were just regular eels. But this section was surrounded by rather high stone fencing so we could only peer in from the top. It was basically a mossy and murkier pond and if you looked carefully enough you'll see the eel swimming in there because of the ripples they make.

The next few places I did not bother to take pictures because I was dead tired. The next stop was Iwayan Mardiana Painter which was basically a sculptor's gallery. My relatives went down to see the statues but I decided to stay in the van because it was pouring buckets by then and I was so sleepy. 

Dinner was at this Thai restaurant called Asian Tamarind and it was the most disappointing dinner ever. The food was average, the portions were so small and the price was sky high. Totally not worth the money. 

Last stop before heading back to the hotel was some souvenir shopping at this huge outlet called Oleh-Oleh Bali. Here I bought some small souvenirs for them girlfriends and also a simple dress for myself. It was actually really cheap the things sold here. The conversion rate at time was approximately 3000 rupiah per ringgit so basically everything there is divided three times. 

With that, it is the end of my first day touring Bali. I will find time to write about the next 3 days there. I totally did not expect this post to end up so long but apparently I did visit many places in just one day. Lol

Day 2: Coming soon

Time for shower now