Departed from Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia at 4.30pm for Denpasar, Bali. On the flight had the fortune of meeting the head honco of Air Asia himself, Tan Sri Tony Fernandez. After a less than two- hour flight,we arrived at Denpasar to a gloomy evening. Took a taxi to the hotel and en route, stopped at a Nasi Padang Restaurant for dinner. Checked in into Hotel Nikko in Nusa Dua and spent a quiet evening at the hotel.
Day 2 : 22 January 2012 (Sunday)
After a leisurely breakfast, decided to spend some time at the hotel and the beach. This was my fifth time to Bali and my third time staying at The Nikko. I kept coming back here because of the beauty of the place. The hotel stands on a cliff overlooking a beautiful bay. The weather that morning was overcast but despite that I was still mesmerised by the breathtaking vista especially from the top levels of the hotel.Lazing by the beach with not a care in the world - ah.... this is the life for me, I can do this forever.
In the later part of the afternoon we decided to pamper ourselves to a spa session. Bali is famous for it's spa and no visitor should leave the island without visiting one of the many spas. We decided on a package that comprised of a foot spa,an aromatherapy massage, a body scrub and a floral bath. For the next two hours we had the luxury of relaxing to the sound of Balinese music.
All the pampering made us very hungry and we headed for Jimbaran Bay, famous for its seafood restaurants. We were fortunate that there was still a table on the beach.As we waited for our food to be prepared, we were entertained by traditional dancers and strolling musicians. We had a lovely dinner of fish,crabs ,prawns, calamari and mussels which was perfect when eaten with avocado juice.
Day 3 : 23 January 2012 (Monday)
After breakfast we took a stroll in the hotel's compound,admiring the sprawling gardens and water features.
Our guide then took us to our first stop - a typical Balinese house. It is surrounded by a high wall and the entrance features elaborate stone carvings and decorations. Inside the compound there were several small buildings ,each had its own function. There is a building which formed the living room,one for bedroom ,one for the newly married couple and so on. Each house also had its own family temple.
Our van headed towards Ubud inland and we stopped at an art gallery and a wood carving showroom. The road to Ubud is dotted with showrooms and factories making various arts and crafts. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant sited in the middle of a padi field and famous for its "bebek" (duck) dishes.
When we reached Ubud our van dropped us a short distance from the market and we walked along rows of shops selling various crafts and art pieces. We then explored the market which also sold crafts and souveneirs and had a lovely time haggling the price. We visited many art galleries and managed to buy a few paintings at a steal.
Visiting Bali is not complete without going for a Kecak Dance show. It was held on an open air stage and depicted fables from the Ramayana and Mahabrata. The highlight of the show was a dance performed on a burning fire.
Day 4 : 24 January 2012 (Tuesday)
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to spend the day by the beach, enjoying the sun, the sea and the surf.
After lunch our guide took us to Uluwatu Temple where guest were given sarongs to wear if their legs were not covered as a show of respect to the place of worship. We were given a guided tour of the vast ground of the temple which is perched on a steep cliff situated at the edge of a peninsula. Besides taking pictures of the temple buildings and beautiful scenery, tourists were seen busy taking pictures of the many monkeys that made the temple their home and are considered sacred by the Balinese who are largely Hindus.
From Uluwatu we stopped at The Pecatu Indah Resortthe before making our way to Kuta , a popular shopping town with its numerous shops ,restaurants and bars. We explored the many shops selling items from crafts to imitation clothing and bags. After an early dinner we headed to the airport for our flight home.
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