Mr & Missy in Bali Day 2

We were up at 7:30 am and I went for a swim before our breakfast. But someone felt the water was too cold for his liking and chose to continue lazing in bed! Hahaha

What is the use of a private pool if you don't swim in it yeah?

While I was enjoying an early morning swim, 2 ladies came into our villa and prepared breakfast for us.  The kitchen in the villa was well-equipped to whip up simple breakfast like fried noodle and fried rice for us.  Sure, the meal is not fanciful but it was really nice to be pampered like this once in a while. People preparing your meals by the pool while you take a swim, that kind of stuff, you know?

Since there is no public transport and we did not register for any tour, the only options of transportation were renting a motorbike or a car.  Since Mister was not very familiar with riding a motorbike and we wanted an air-conditioned shelter, we chose to hire a car and a driver for our Day 2 & 3.  The rate was 350,000 Rp per day and we booked through emails with Mr.Bagus gelo82181@yahoo.com.  We read some reviews online and several people recommended his services. However, he was not the one who met us at the hotel as he was not available. So another guy came on his behalf around 9+am. We were supposed to meet at 9am but the driver ended up in another Khayangan. 

Oh well, we just decided to skip stopping by at souvenirs villages like Celuk & MAS. Both these villages are situated along the way from Seminyak area to Ubud.  Celuk is famous for its gold and silver jewelries while Mas is well-known for its intricate wood carvings. Even if we want to buy, where can we display those beautiful items yeah?

Waiting at the hotel reception area (:

Our first stop - Sukawati Market

This market is known as a one-stop shopping paradise for all the Bali souvenirs!  Plus, you can get them at cheaper prices compared to all the other markets on the island. But you MUST bargain.  We did try our best but somehow, I felt that we could have done better. Anyway, as I told Mister, there is no way for us to know the true price since we were there for just 3 days. So buy it if we like the item well enough and the price seems about right in our opinion. Of course, you should also walk around and ask prices first since many shops sell similar items.

We wish we have a place of our own to hang those beautiful paintings!!!

If you are into tribal prints and beaded bags, you would be ecstatic here ;p

There are several handicraft made from rattan as well as lacquer.  While I'm not a big fan of lacquer, I love rattan! When you are surrounded by items made with rattan, you just feel like you are at a island paradise, don't you?

Of course, we cannot forget wood carvings.

And more wood carvings!

Do you see any funny-shaped item in the above picture? :D

Among all these amazing wood carvings, something which stands out is wooden penises! White, Brown, Black, long, short, key-chain or just a display - there are various versions!!! You can get a set of 4 key-chains for about 15,000 Rp.  Have fun shopping haha 

I was resisting from buying so many items BUT I couldn't stop myself from picking up rattan place mat set for 4 people.  The set includes place mats, coasters, chopsticks, complete with Frangipani to give off that Balinese vibe! The asking price was 75,000 Rp and we bargained it down to 50,000 Rp.  I am not very sure if we could have gotten it for cheaper but I'm happy with my purchase (: Let me emphasize that you must bargain though.  When we saw the exact same set at another shop, we asked for price out of curiosity and guess what the asking price was? 120,000 Rp!!! Even if it was sold at 50% off, it would still be more expensive that what we paid! Plus, not all of us have the guts to insist on 50% discount right? So yes, bargain bargain bargain!  

After Sukawati Market, we decided to have early lunch at the renowned Ibu Oka Babi Guling Restaurant! We wanted to avoid the lunch crowd so we were there as soon as Ibu Oka opens at 11 am! 

Bali Guling means Roast Suckling Pig and while it is a well-known dish in Bali with a couple of restaurants serving it, Ibu Oka is the most famous of them all.  I read on the Internet that due to the shop's popularity with both locals and tourists, they get through about 30 suckling pigs each day! Since we wanted to try everything (meat, skin, sausage, intestine), both of us ordered a Special each.

Determined to try local beers of all the places he has been to, Mister ordered Bintang Beer. Unfortunately, he didn't really enjoy the drink!

I, on the other hand, decided to enjoy coconut drink to remind myself again that we are at beautiful Bali for a holiday!

Our Special

Both of us didn't really like it? Maybe because of that spices sauce and vegetable of unknown origin. Probably because we are not use to all these herbs and spices? 2 Specials, Bintang Beer & Coconut set us back for only 110,000 Rp, including all the taxes! 

Our third stop was Goa Gajah / Elephant Cave.
Entrance fees was 15,000 Rp per pax.

The Holy Pond

Both guys and girls need to wear sarong if their legs are exposed and sarongs are available for free rental at the entrance.

If you are uncomfortable with using those free sarongs, you can bring your own like I did!

The Holy Pond with fountain statues

Facade of the cave was covered in rock carvings of various menacing creatures with the most prominent figure thought to be elephant. Thus, it is also known as Elephant Cave. 

 Did you know that this ornately-carved cave dates back to the 11th century?

Other than the Elephant cave & Holy Pond, there is nothing much to see in this extensive compound! Considering the size, we thought there would be more sights and ended up spending about 45 min at this place.  My advice is to entirely skip this place and go to more picturesque temple like Pura Ulun Danu at Bratan Lake.

By the time we left Goa Gajah after a 45 min stop, it was 12:45. We were feeling the effect of lunch and quite sleepy so we moved on to BAS coffee farm.  The traffic going towards the coffee farm was quite bad that I thought we would waste so much time there. I thought overtaking was not an option since there is only one lane going towards BAS. Oh how wrong I was! Our skillful driver drove on the other lane!!!! Mister couldn't help but take video of our car's direction in amazement.  Lucky for us, such daring drive lasted for 45 min and we were at BAS coffee farm by 1:30 pm!

The main reason for going there is try Luwak Coffee - the most expensive coffee in the world! Wild Asian Palm Civets eat the ripest coffee cherries whose digestive system add a uniquely rich aroma and smooth flavor to the coffee beans. These beans are then excreted by the little civets, and are cleaned and roasted to create this famed Luwak Coffee. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing but if you are a coffee lover, you should give it a try! Mister loves it so much that we bought a box of 10 packets of Luwak Coffee for 300,000 Rp. 

Luwak Coffee ready to be brewed!

You can get about 2 cups of coffee from one serving of Luwak Coffee (60,000 Rp).

For 60,000 Rp, you not only get Luwak Coffee, but also all 11 different coffees and teas to try! I tried all the teas while Mister tried all the coffees.  Some tea like lemongrass-flavor tastes very strong for my liking though.

loving the view from the coffee farm!

There is a souvenir shop where you can purchase all sorts of coffee and tea to bring back home! We did buy luwak coffee for Mister to drink on special days. 10 packets for 300,000 Rp (around 40 SGD) means its just 4 bucks per packet. Although its expensive in Bali-standards, I guess its still cheaper than Starbucks? So if you like the taste, just buy it.  Otherwise, you will only regret not buying it! 

After spending for about 50 min at BAS, we moved on to the viewpoint of Mr. Batur and Lake Batur. Initially, we were considering for a tea break at one of the many restaurants located on the cliff, overlooking Mr. Batur and Lake Batur but we were pretty full.  So we just strolled around the viewpoint area from 2:40 pm till 3 pm.  It was truly a beautiful sight to behold with blue sky and fluffy cotton candy clouds as its background!

Spectacular Volcanic Mr. Batur and its deep crater Lake Batur

Near the viewpoint, there are several restaurants where you can enjoy tea break with a breathtaking view, overlooking Mt. Batur.  Make sure to request for an outdoor table and negotiate for a price if it is a buffet spread. 

There were many people selling souvenirs and they would keep approaching you to ask you to buy their offerings.  Usually, they are more expensive than what you would pay at markets. So be firm. If you don't want to buy, politely reject them but remember, be firm.

Moving on to our last sight of the day, we ended up in Tegallalang around 3:45 pm. Simply put, its just a paddy field.  So why is it so special? Well, the land becomes more undulating outside Ubud town and so, locals have to grow rice in Terrace which resembles steps. These terraced paddy fields provide a great background to your Bali photos and it is actually one of the most popular tourist attractions.  Of course, there were street hawkers selling souvenirs but they were not as aggressive as those at the viewpoint of Mr. Batur & Lake Batur.   

Mister with our driver

When we left Tegallalang, it was 4:15 pm and we headed back to Ubud town for dinner. We reached Bebek Bengil  (Dirty Duck) after less than a 30-min drive.  Don't you find the name "Dirty Duck" strange? So I searched for a short story of how the name came to be! Just before the restaurant was opened to public in 1990, a flock of ducks from the neighboring rice fields marched into the restaurant, quacking and squawking along the way. In their wake, they left muddy footprints all over the place. Nonetheless, these "Dirty Ducks" were the restaurant's first-ever guests!  And guess the diner's specialty? DUCK! 

Refreshing iced lemon tea is just what we need after a full day of sightseeing in a tropical weather!

Hummus - a food dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic among others. 

THE highlight!

This crispy duck was so so yummy!! You can even chew the bones! Plus, all the spices added a rich flavor to the duck.  No wonder its the diner's signature dish since 1990.

We also ordered Nasi Campur - a dish of rice topped with crispy duck (of course), vegetables, satay, peanuts, egg and crackers. There is no exact recipe of what makes Nasi Campur.  Ingredients vary based on regions. Even eateries and restaurants in Bali have their own versions.  Anyway, it was great for us since we got to try so many different things with just one dish!

Dinner for 2 of us cost 254,000 Rp (~ 32 SGD).  Sure, it's comparable to Singapore. But I would still recommend you to go there.  The food there is delicious. The ambiance is fantastic. You can even make reservations to dine at traditional bamboo raised huts where customers sit on cushions on the floor!  If you are lucky, you would be assigned a table looking out over the rice fields.  It's not a everyday experience for us city folks right?

After an enjoyable dinner, we left Ubud around 6 pm and reached back to our villa around 7+ pm.  Just before 8 pm, 2 Masseuses came to our villa for our 60 min Balinese massage at the outdoor pavilion! Wow my first experience enjoying a massage outdoor! Thank God the fence are so high for maximum privacy! 

Me lazing around after our massage :D

Mister was hard at work, writing postcards.

He bought 2 sets of postcards for 40,000 Rp.  I think each set has 10 cards. So I guess its worth it?

In summary,

Day 2

Sukowati Market

Lunch at Ibu Oka

Goa Gajah

BAS Coffee Farm

Viewpoint for Mt. Batur and Lake Batur

Tegallalang - Rice Paddy View

Dinner at Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck)

60-min Balinese Massage at our villa

We really enjoyed ourselves. The only regret was that we should have gone to Pura Ulun Danu at Bratan Lake instead of Goa Gajah. With traffic jam and time wasted going to Goa Gajah, we missed out on the beautiful temple by the lake!  If you are following our itinerary, I would suggest you to skip Goa Gajah and go to  Pura Ulun Danu at Bratan Lake after Mt. Batur.

Adios!
xoxo  
Miss N

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Itinerary
http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2014/01/mr-missy-in-bali.html

Day 1

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2014/02/mr-missy-in-bali-day-1.html