if you want to get great beach,this place is perfect to go to. White sandy beach,green garden and huge swiiming pool to relax after water sport activity. This not the only place to go in bali for sure, i pick this place to get close to water sport activity like banana boat,snorkling,kanoing ext. The worse is only we cant get easily out from benoa to the nearest food place like in sanur beach.To stay for 2-3 days is more than enough if we talk about access to the town for sure.But any way there's plenty black taxi (transport),formal taxi or walk bit to the luxurious area in bali called "nusa Dua" Cost also high in nusa dua area for foods,shoping ( bali colection shoping centre ) where you can find high quaility souvenir, restaurant,cafe shop ext but be a ware as cost for middle class up. Do not rush to buy souvenir or other thing in this area.Just take a time to walk to night market out side nusa dua gate or just stop taxi to take you to kuta or other shoping centre (matahari,centro,makro) as the prices far down from nusa dua area.

Alas Kedaton a Monkey Forest located in Tabanan, in Bali. This is definitely a place for MONKEY LOVERS! Even though the monkeys are more behaved and friendly compared to Sangeh and Uluwatu, it is a must to be escorted by a tour guide when you enter this place. The guide will instruct you on how to feed the monkeys and how to avoid too much Love from the monkeys! As at similar areas, the monkeys are always thrilled by the peanuts! You can buy peanuts at a booth provided in the garden for only Rp. 3000 approximately US$0.30 (30 cents). You are allowed to give the peanuts to the monkeys and they will play and climb on your shoulder, or actually, all over you! Sort of cool, if you like Monkeys, but still, be calm and careful! Be really careful when you are in very close contact with the Monkeys, because sometimes, if they don’t understand your “affection” they might scratch or bite you. Ask my fellow-traveler, RiJo! Fortunately, the monkeys are regularly injected; therefore they are tetanus-free.

Taking a tour in Ubud is advisable where many attractions are less accessible by cabs/taxis 1)The Art Galleries i- A very touristy sight, famous arts musuems - (neka Art Musuem) portraits drawn by local and europeans artists , in 1970s. 2)Temple- where ceremony of cremations is held every full moon to honour the dead. The entrance of the temple where there are two bells stationed at sides each is to honour the goddess,when entering the temple,it is advisable to wear Sarongs are when stepping in the sacred temple. u may have to pay $50,000 rupiah for renting the sarongs. some locals might insist on giving tour around the muesum or temple , of where they'll charge average of 50,000 rupiahs 3)There are cheapest spa and body massages in Bali-Ubud so ur into relaxin vacation ditch the thai authentic painful massage and fly to bali instead

We were in Bali for a business trip, visiting some students who needed the scholarships. After a long day of working and touring around Bali, we decided to go to a good place for sunset to enjoy. We came at the right time just before the sunset and got the best place to sit. We were lucky it wasn't too many people there as it was usually. While enjoying the sunset, my friend wanted to try his new camera, and Tanah Lot was the right place for that :) We went down to the beach from the hill while the water wasn't high and took some pictures there. We had this idea of making some silhouette shooting as the sunset and the place was perfect for that.

I like the pictures, thanks friend, more it was a beautiful place !

Today we were leaving Kuta and heading to Ubud. We decided to take a full day tour including Tanah Lot and Kintamani before heading to Ubud.

We left Kuta for Ubud and on the way to Tanah Lot we stopped by the Bali Nirwana Golf Club for a gift and also our main objective was to stop and see the temples at Tanah Lot.

Tanah Lot is one of the most popular places to visit in Bali. The temple is very unique in its ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in Bali. When we were there the temple was surrounded water as it was during the high water. The entrance fee was around USD 1. It was a nice place, and i think the best time to visit is during sunset.

Also saw a few other things like a volcanoe (Kintamani) on the way as well and stopped to try some coffee, hot chocolate, and tea at a roadside place back in the woods.

POSSIBLY MY FAVORITE DAY OF THE WHOLE TRIP - highly recommend people doing the same events if your there and have time

We decided to take a half day tour for the sunset at Uluwatu. We left our hotel at 2pm and went with our driver to the statue park (Garuda Wishnu Kencana) and ulawatu temple after we stopped by a fancy shopping and entertainment complex at Nusa Dua: Bali Collection (http://www.bali-collection.com) and the Nusa Dua Bali Golf Club looking for special gifts. We also stopped a while to take some pics of the statue at the entrance of Dreamland beach.

Arriving at the statue park, we had to pay the entrance fee for IDR 40,000 ($ 4.5) per person. They have a free show of traditional dance based on schedule. We bought sandals for Asri (Balinese Superman's sandals) from Jangkrik Shop there. For more info of the park, you can visit:  http://www.gwk-culturalpark.com

Then we were heading to Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur Uluwatu) catching the sunset. We had to pay the entrance for IDR 3000 ($0.32) per person included a sarong you have to wear if you are wearing pants/skirt above ur knees showing your legs, as this is a sacred place for Balinese. They also have a Kecak Dance show during the sunset facing the ocean, so u can watch sunset while enjoying the show, fee is IDR 50,000 ($ 5.5) per person. Watch out for the monkeys here, so many monkeys here who are not scary but are naughty and aggressive, they like taking your stuff such as glasses, books, small bags, etc. The guys at the entrance will warn you to keep your things safely in your bags, listen to them :), the warning's are even written on two boards in different languages (Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch and Italian). Monkeys there are sacred too, Balinese believe monkeys help them to keep and guard the forest and temple safe.

plenty to tell about this day :)

30 is a big number! I can’t believe myself I’m turning 30 today.

Make a list of achievements cure my anxiety. I feel a little bit better when I have long list of positive things I have done for the past 30 years. However, there are some silly things I have done and I’m not very proud of.. but it happened!

Life is simply a mix of sunshine and rain, laughter and pain.

Here are 30 things that make my life worthwhile :) They are not only good things that keep excitement in my life; immature judgments also have significant contribution to make me more mature and stronger in facing life.

POSITIVE THINGS:

• Study overseas • check!
• Got MBA degree • check!
• Work overseas • check!
• Work for a humanitarian aid organization (and will surely do it again in the future) • check!
• Work for an Oil Field Service Company • check!
• Join various community work activities • check!
• Published recognition for corporate community project • check!
• Sabbath School teacher for juniors • check!
• Worship dance teacher for youth • check!
• Visit Boracay • check!
• Visit Thailand, and again • check!
• Visit Bali, and again • check!
• Visit kilometer zero point of Indonesia • check!
• North Sumatra Road Trip • check!
• Watch Ramayana Ballet • check!
• Ride an elephant • check!
• Take picture with an elephant • check!
• White water rafting • check!
• Become a certified diver • check!
• Dive in Palau, Philippines and Sabang • check!
• First Runner Babe at Palau hash run • check!
• Proved to be a good tour guide or traveling buddy • check!

SILLY (but serious) THINGS:

• Failure love relationships
• Ended engagement
• Summer fling
• Flash boobies at wild hash run party
• Kiss drunk US Air Force soldiers  

Regardless, I realize there are only 3 things that keep me going and make my life worth living.   

• God
• Beloved family
•  Awesome friends - wherever you are guys!

After thinking of all these things that I’ve done for the first 30 years of my life, it helps me to figure out that turning 30 is not so bad after all!

Especially when you celebrate your birthday in the most exotic place, Bali! Can't complain! I have a great life!

It makes me more excited about what I can do for another 30 years..

Maybe find a prince charming, get married and have 12 babies. LoL!

Or.. voluntary trip to Africa.. that would be awesome!

If I get lucky, maybe even do more exciting things in the 30 years after that..

See, 30 years, so far, is not very long at all…

when you read this travel blog, please take a look in detail for the date and the time**

I saw there was a notification that Txnskr a.k.a Clay will be going to Bali at the same time with me! So I was thinking “why don’t I message him?”

If we could meet in Bali that would be great!

We were messaging back and forth and a day before I left for Bali I sent my last messages.

After finishing all my businesses with hotel check-in, I headed to an Internet Café.  Little did I know that I was actually heading to Kedin’s Internet Café. I just found out when I read the sign before entered in the place :)

So, I sent another message to Clay about my planning for the day.

Right after I hit the send button, I checked my inbox and I got a message from Clay!

I didn’t get any new messages in my inbox before I sent my message to Clay. So, I was thinking again.. since he’s staying at Kedin he would probably somewhere near me right now..

Then I sent 2 messages to him..

Not too long.. I got his reply..

I was looking around to see a guy wearing a black t-shirt and white boardshorts..

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……..

HE WAS SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME!!!!!!! It was odd and hilarious how we met!  We laughed, shook hands and chatted a bit.

If you plan to visit Indonesia, please be informed that you need a NEW, UNFLODED, CLEAN US$ Dollar Bill. It is recommended if the year stated on the bill is 2001 above. Otherwise, you would have difficulty to change your money at the bank or local money changer since they only want to receive the good bills. In case they accept your “shitty” bill, the rate would be lower. Shitty – dirty, folded, the picture is faded, something written or drawing on it. This reviewed is made based on the complaint from TB members that I met in Bali. Txnskr and CCarnavale. This is maybe useful when you go visit Thailand as well :)

The Alila Ubud Resort is simply amazing. It is in a lush jungle on the outskirts of Ubud along a gorgeous river. The views here are stunning. Conde Nast has recognized the swimming pool here as one of the top ten pools in the world, and it is breath-taking. It is a long rectangular shaped pool with a negative edge so that swimming out toward the end of the pool makes it look as if you are going to just continue out into the jungle and the river bottom beyond. Cocktail parties by the pool at night are amazing -- lights reflecting off the water, starry skies and exotic cocktails. Not much better than that! The rooms are scattered around the properties and have huge canopied beds, lots of windows and fantastic appointments. My favorite thing about the rooms though was the outdoor showers. They are enclosed, so you don't have to worry about being seen -- the the showers are completely outside with huge rain heads that make taking a shower an amazing experience. The restaurant and bar area are beautiful as well. Open air, expansive and great food. Highly recommended for relaxation, romance or both!

It was very hot and muggy on arrival at the Denpasar Airport.  I stood in line at the customs/immigration desk for quite some time-- only to find I was in the wrong line.  I should have been in the short line with the Indonesian Nationals, as I already had my visa.  Unfortunately, there was no way to know, as there were no signs.  I cleared customs and made my way outside.

It was very crowded -- planes full of Australians, Koreans, Chinese and others all crowding through the area toward baggage claim.  I got to bypass the baggage claim today, as my luggage was still lost.  I found the driver for my hotel, the Alam KulKul, and we were off in his mini-van for Kuta.  It was a crazy 30 minute drive though crowded, crazy traffic.  Pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks, and vans and no one seems to follow traffic signals or signs!  I saw evidence of American culture -- a Starbucks, a McDonalds and the Hard Rock Cafe. 

The Alam KulKul is a small resort hotel on Kuta Beach on the Legian side.  There was strict security to enter the hotel, with metal detectors, hand search of baggage and mirrors held up underneath the car to search for explosive devices -- all due to the Bali bombings a couple of years earlier.  The security actually made me feel more secure about staying here.

I had a nice room in the back of the hotel complex.  It has a nice king-size bed and a big shower.  I took time for a quick wash up, and then ventured out to get some clean clothes and something other than hiking boots to wear since I had no baggage.  I exchanged $100 for 850,000 rupiah and walked up to the "art corner" for some power shopping.  I got some rubber soled sandals labeled 'Nike' for 80,000; two pairs of shorts and a Balinese Batik Shirt for 300,000; and a stick of deodrant for 1,500 rupiah.  Good deal, I think.  They are hard bargainers here!

I walked around a bit more, then went back to the hotel for a nap.  I had a late dinner at the hotel -- a local beer called 'Bintang', and a salad with pepper crusted tuna and chicken curry.  It was delicious. 

I went back to the room and fell asleep while watching the end of a movie on the tv.  I slept very well on my first night in Bali.

The Alam Kulkul at Kuta Beach in Bali is a great boutique hotel that I would highly recommend. The hotel has amazing security, no doubt due to the Bali issues of a few years ago. I never felt in any danger whatsoever, in fact, I felt very comfortable walking around on my own while there. The hotel is across from a beautiful beach -- and has some amazing views of sunsets from the hotel restaurant, part of which is open air. The rooms are built around beautiful gardens and are an easy walk from the lobby area. My room was quite large, extremely clean and well appointed. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom area was large and had a great shower. The staff was very attentive and friendly. They helped with everything from helping me get my lost bags back to explaining new and unknown(to me) exotic fruit.

If you're planning to dive in Bali, I suggest you go with Bali Scuba. It has the service of 5 star diving operator. Bali Scuba will arrange your diving trip, makes you comfortable, safe, and welcome. They can arrange your hotel too, if you wish to stay with their recommended hotel, and sometimes they will give you discount (if you get lucky:D). If you stay in Kuta, Legian, and Sanur area, they will gladly pick you up for free! And for lunch, they will give you menu from hotel. Bali Scuba has it's own cafe for divers to hangout with free wifi. FYI, they have dive master who can speak German too. And for local diver, not to worry, most of the dive guide and dive master are local people from Malang:D I really recommend you to try:D Just log into their website or email them: letsdive@baliscuba.com

1st of May 2008, was my lucky day. First because Bali Scuba (dive operator in Sanur) gave 50% discount for 3x dives and

rental equipment, second I got special price staying at Sindhu Merta, a very good hotel located in front of Bali Scuba, and third because I met my friends down there in Tulamben. One of them is my friend who I haven’t met for a year and we coincidently met underwater! What a funny experience!:D

Very early in the morning ( I mean very…very…early), Bali Scuba picked me up at my hotel in Legian. I left my friends while their still sleeping. I only washed my face and brushed my teeth, later I'll go diving anyway:p

And so, me and the driver went to Bali Scuba headquarter in Sanur to have some brief before we went diving. After all divers gathered, we went to Tulamben and it took 3 hours drive from Sanur! Yes! I still have time to continue my sleep:D

We arrived at somewhat hotel (I forgot the name of the hotel) in Tulamben. This is our base camp to take a rest after every dive. I just realize that I was the only Indonesian diver, except the dive guides. Well…I got used to it, diving in my own country where everyone else is Bule or foreigner. My buddy is a girl from Singapore. Her name is Pixie (cute name) and she’s traveling alone in Indonesia to try all the dive sites from Bali, Lombok, to Bunaken.

After a quick brief again, we walked to the beach. It was stoney beach not sandy beach, cause there’s no sand at all only stone. Rather difficult to walk.

We enter from the shore and it was hard! The waves keep knocking us down. I have to struggle keeping myself up and walking to the beach with all my diving equipment in me. Fiuuhh…it’s a heavy sport indeed!

Before I continue about my diving story, I’ll tell you a lil bit about Tulamben dive site. Tulamben is one of the famous dive site in Bali and even in the world. This is where the USS Liberty torpedoed by the Japanese during the 2^nd world war. The wreck itself has become a home to various friendly cutie fish. 

1st Dive: USS Liberty Ship Wreck

Time in: 11.29 AM

Water temperature: 29 C

Mild current

Time out: 12.21 PM

We start from the Stern Gun of the ship, about 10 meters we could see the ship wreck. It was huge! Many fish and many divers too down there. I imagine it like an underwater playground, where we can play hide and seek with all the fish. It was very beautiful, this is my first time diving in Tulamben, and I felt like a kid in a playground. I began to make friends with Angel Fish, surgeon fish, bunch of large schooling jack fish, and others. I also met a shy but deadly lil Scorpion Fish hiding behind coral. And in the back of the ship, I found my ex enemy (but now we’re trying to be friend:D) a large Baracuda about 1 meter long. She seems soo scared and can’t hardly move because a bunch of me, I mean diver, were surrounding her. Hahaha usually I got scared meeting Baracuda and now she scared to see us:D

2nd Dive: USS Liberty Ship Wreck

Time in: 01.30 PM

Water temperature: 33 C

Mild current

Time out: 02.19 PM

When I took a rest, Arin, my friend text me a message, she said she’s in Tulamben with Eva. They dive with the local dive operator. I was surprised, and curious why I didn’t met them at the beach, cause it’s the only entering in Tulamben.

I went diving again. And this time we start from the Anchor chain of the ship to the bow gun.

On the second dive, me and Pixie were playing around, took some pics here and there. Playing another game of hide and seek with fishes. Dancing with schooling jack fish until someone touched my back and when I looked back, it was Arin!!! I was surprised, so I immediately hug her (yes in the water!) I smile and can’t help to laugh. Then Eva showed! She took my hand and we shake hands. Hahaha! I was laughing all the time, can’t believe I met my old friend down in the ocean:D We took pictures together (it was in Eva camera) and we rushed ourselves into the schooling jack fish. Hehehehe…what a cute experience:D

3rd Dive: Tulamben Drop Off

Time in: 03.52 PM

Water temperature: 29 C

Time out: 04.39 PM

We entered from the different shore and this time is a sandy beach. Visibility was great around 20 meters. The water was warm and clear.

The drop wall was beautiful! Colorful corals surrounded by thousand various fish. This is heaven for underwater micro photography for sure!

In this dive, I saw a garden of eel. Soo many eels came out from their hidden sandy paradise. Very cute to see:D

I think, Bali will always be my favorite place...i love the fact that this island is very laid-back, i love the fact that i can wear my shorts everywhere and anywhere hahaha...and i love the fact that many beautiful things in Bali...and here are the random pics i took 3 years ago...both when i was business trip or vacation...Enjoy!!