Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport

Our first and last day of Bali, a place where we definitely go through is the Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Frankly, I was pretty amazed during the day we arrived at the night time. The high ceiling volumn, the vibrant carpet colour and the lighting ambiance really surprised me!

The airport is huge and clean. There were extra arrival immigration counters being opened when our aircraft arrived. The waiting time for our check in baggage was short and the terminal signs were very clear.

For our returning flight, we arrived the airport more than 4 hours before flight after checked-out from Novotel, we thought we might have a long wait at the check in area, but there was early check in service available for AirAsia. The check in counter staff was friendly and cheerful.

The airside is very spacious, with many duty free shops and restaurants. The airport lounges are available one floor above the departure level.

They still have that strange passage through the Dufry shop going out and in the transit area, but so do a lot of other airports.

There is a reasonable amount of shopping and dining that is to be had and gate seating is ample. And, we had all the time we have while waiting for the boarding time.

Despite the large number of tourists arriving and departing, the airport is pretty well maintained and queues in immigration, both inbound and outbound were reasonably fast moving.

The only thing that need to be improved is that some parts of the airport are hot, I could see many people fanning themselves.

But overall I liked this airport.

Novotel Bali Ngurah Rai Airport

It was the last day of our vacation in Bali, we checked out from Hawaii Bali Villa around 11.00am using Grab car.

That was the first time we were using Grab apps in foreign country and our first ever experience using Grab. Frankly, it was so fast and so efficient! I think we will use more if we were here again.

Our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was around 8.55pm, actually there was still a lot of time to visit a place or two if want. But we were thinking of may be just drop our luggage at the air port first, then only took a Taxi or Grab to the nearest place and walk around.

Unfortunately, during we reached air port we can hardly find one shop that can do the luggage storage and it really costs a boom just to put one luggage.

Plus seeing the weather was so hot, and we were thinking of may be just check-in to the air port hotel and rest before the flight tonight. And, here we went to the Novotel Bali Ngurah Airport.

The hotel is located within walking distance from the arrivals exit. It is well signposted, however is marked as "Airport Hotel" rather than Novotel. It took about 5mins to walk under a covered walkway.

We went up to the reception counter and asked about the rate as we only may be have few hours only.

Thus, the front desk staff is very helpful and offered us a 4 hours stay at the discounted rate and we shall check-out at 4pm. It was due to we have to check-in to the counter around 6.00pm.

Check in was friendly and we were given a welcome drink while they checked us in. The porter escorted us and our luggage to the room which was on the third floor.

The room was light and a bit small but it was sufficient enough for us as we just took a rest before our flight.

It was clean throughout and still had a new feel to it. The bed was comfortable. There was a safe. Tea and coffee making facility and the complementary in-room Wi-Fi was decent.

The bathroom was clean with a western style toilet. The shower was a large rainfall style one with view into the room. There is a privacy blind as well. Water temperature varied from cool to scalding during shower which was disappointing in an otherwise great room.

There is a nice pool in an inner courtyard with some loungers. Both children and Daddy went for a swim after put down our luggage in the room.

It was a great ‘short stay’ for us and it is really convenient for us to go to the check-in to the International Departure Hall with the special access  given.

This actually expedite the process of checking and clearing the custom of our luggage. The staffs are very friendly and polite. We would definitely stay again if transiting through Bali.

Hawaii Bali Villa 17-19 Nov 2016

Hawaii Bali Villa was the last hotel we booked among 3 hotels that we stayed in Bali.

We were considering  a few hotels and decided to book this hotel as we saw from the website review was good, even though it was only 1 review from Agoda website.

After our trip from Goa Gajah at Ubud, we asked our driver Yandi to send us to Hawaii Bali Villa at Denpasar as what stated in the address of the Agoda booking voucher.

Jalan Tukad Balian is a very long road, until we were almost end of the road, Yandi called the hotel to check the actual location of it. And it is actually at the end of Jalan Tukad Balian.

We were quite disappointed as we checked into the hotel with the room is not ready, and the room given is facing the main lane of the hotel.

It was so much difference from the Jati 3 Bungalows & Spa which we stayed previously at Ubud.

After which, we requested to change the room. The lady was kind enough to change for us the room which is facing the swimming pool. It was bigger and cleaner and the air-conditioning is much cooler.

Our deluxe room comes with 2 Queen size bed. Other than that, there are television, wardrobe with clothes hanger, complimentary Wi-Fi in all rooms, 24-hour security, convenience store, daily housekeeping, 24-hour front desk.

The location itself is not convenient at all, as it is located in the residential area, and it is either near Sanur or Denpasar. We need to call Grab whenever we went out, and if only by walking we merely can get to any interesting places!

There is no breakfast provided as the occupancy rate in this hotel too is very low. We have to walk out and satisfy with the Warung food in the village.

It is not an ideal place to stay for vacation. Instead, I am thinking this hotel have a good facilities in conducting team building or seminars.

The only thing about this hotel is its recreational facilities which included the outdoor swimming pool and garden are nice, and  simple gym which overlooking the entire hotel compound from the first floor.

The children spent quite some time swimming here as there is hardly any place we can go.

Personally, we would not stay here again if we have a chance to come back to Bali next time.

Afternoon at Sanur 19 Nov 2016

After the Seawalker experience at Hotel Santrian, we asked the driver to drop us at the Starbucks Coffee Sanur.

We had some non-coffee ice blended at the Starbucks. The place was cosy. We rested for a while and we continued our wandering.

Sanur has a slower pace at this side of Bali. There are quite a lot of tourists here but it is smaller than Kuta in many ways.

Only a handful of famous franchise shops are located here, like Starbucks and Havaianas, the rest of the town is filled with local shops and restaurants. Sanur is great for families and couples that like to get comfortable and relax stay.

We wandering along the lovely Jalan Danau Tamblingan which basically runs from Pantai Sindhu to Pantai Semawang.

It is about 5 Km long. It is really a hot sun day for us! And for us to walk under the sun really a challenging thing that we did.

We can see the street is filled with souvenir and clothing shops, bars, and restaurants.

We can see others shops like massage shops, diving centres and motorbike rental as well. There were a lot of foreigners rent the bicycle just to get a breeze from cycling.

The best part of Sanur is the Bolevard1 It was quite relaxing that we walked our way back to the Starbucks.

It is a shared road for pedestrians and cyclist, not for motorbikes. Along this road we can find many beachfront restaurants, bars and resorts. Beach massage and tours are offered plenty as well.

We decided to go back to hotel after 1 hour walk and due to the hot weather. We went back by the taxi and the taxi driver charged us Rp.150,000 and it was really expensive!

As we arrived hotel, all of us had our shower again and have a nap before we went out to the nearest eatery stalls in the nearby village. We did pack some local snacks back to hotel and eat. And, it concluded our day.

Seawalker Tour Sanur 18 Nov 2016

After breakfast that morning which we had in the morning nearby our hotel, the kids were eagerly waiting for the pick up from the Bali Seawalker.

We booked the tour through ‘Bali Activities’ before we came to Bali, as we found it is interesting activity and experience to try.

It was exactly the time which they promised to pick us around 8.30am in the morning.

Till then only I realised actually our hotel even though is at Denpasar but it is very near to Sanur, actually it is just across the main road of Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai to the other side.

The driver drove us to Sanur to Puri Santrian hotel where we were met by the hotel stuff and guided us down to the beach front for our activities.

We sat through a brief safety video about the sea walk then were given a locker for our personal belongings, a towel and a pair of beach shoes for the walk. We changed into our swimming suits and we were taken to wait for the small boat to a pontoon where we did the walk.

There were another American couple too with us. We were waiting at the beach front. Soon it was our turn. It was a quick walk to the beach and the awaiting speedboat.

Whizzing across the calm blue ocean was refreshing. Our speedboat pulled up to a pontoon-style vehicle and several shirtless, friendly Balinese men with wide smiles welcomed us aboard.

Again, the instructor briefed us the safety measures and the the sign languages which we would be use underwater. Finally it was time to go in.

After a few attempts, the engine running the air pump sprang to life and both the American couples, very graciously offered to go first. Then, would be Daddy. He slowly and calmly climbed down the ladder into the cool, clear water and an astronaut styled helmet was placed on his head. He then proceeded to sink, rung by rung, to the very bottom of the ocean. All was quiet. After it was Issac turn. His was smooth as well.

Then it was my turn. I took a deep breath. I started to descend the ladder and, when only my neck and head poked above the water, the very heavy helmet was placed over my head and onto my shoulders. The substantial weight was enough of a push to glide down the steps, almost in slow motion, the rest of the way.

I moved slowly as the pressure in my ears built up the lower I went. I was almost giving up as I cannot stand the pain inside my ears. The instructor showed me the sign to blow off the pressure through the ears by not breathing using the nose. It took me twice and finally I felt a bit better and can continue on.

At that point of time, I was thinking of Annabelle which she was just beside me at the other side of the ladder. I was afraid that she cannot make it as I am adult, and it was quite tough for me already. In my heart, I was hoping that she was doing alright and fine.

And, true enough this was too tough for her, and she went up and stay on the boat. Once I felt I had sufficient equilibrium I floated all the way down to the floor. Blinking to adjust my eyes to the ambient slivers of light wafting down from the surface above, I carefully surveyed the underwater landscape.

Our first walk along the ocean floor involved 5 of us remain holding a bar consisting of 6 connected rings, and our 2 guides directed us slowly around the coral. I was thinking that if it would be great if Annabelle was able to be together with us down here.

It was amazing, we were closely supervised every step of the way and encouraged to interact with the sea life including hand feeding the fish by hand and holding a star fish. Unfortunately the area, which is obviously a tourist freeway, did not hold as much colourful corals but there were plenty of tropical fish.

The guides handed us plastic water bottles filled with fish food that could be squirted out in bursts to attract the fish. It important to note you cannot bring bread or your own food with you. The fish food only costs a couple dollars extra, but well worth it.

It was quite extraordinary being under the water, walking around and breathing normally. The helmet works in the same way as if you submerge an upside down glass into water. The air stays trapped inside and then through a tube in the top it is constantly topped off via the air pump on the surface.

It was amazing, you forget your even underwater because your so engrossed in the surroundings. We had photos taken but we only purchased the video at the end of the day as we did not have our own underwater camera to capture anything. And, the individual photos taken is quite expensive for us. Thus, we opted for the video.

After a while, our instructor asked, using hand gestures, as it was time to return to the boat.

I cautiously climbed the ladder and as soon as I broke the surface strong steady hands lifted my helmet and helped me on board.

I immediately see Annabelle sitting there and waiting for us to come up. I was relieved as she was doing ok even she did not manage to go down the underwater.

I turned to watch my two big and little man climb out and we smiled at each other. Wow. What an experience we had!

It was a surreal journey back to the mainland and as the wind whipped through my hair I grinned lazily at the water passing by.

And, there were another group of people waiting to board our boat and start their seawalker tour.

We showered and changed and were seated for our lunch which was included in the price.

The food was very nice and the view from our table was just beautiful.

We were having burger with French fries for Issac, Bolognese spaghetti for Annabelle, club sandwich for myself and as for Daddy was Nasi Goreng as usual.

Drinks were extra and a bit expensive thus we did not order the drinks as we brought our own mineral water.

After lunch we were greeted by a staff member who escorted us back through the resort to our driver who returned us to our hotel.

But we asked the driver to drop us at the Starbucks Coffee Sanur as we would like to stroll down the streets and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

We left Puri Santrian around 1.00pm. Amazing day for everything for our family. Well worth it in our eyes. The Seawalker Tour was my favourite part of the day.

                   

Pura Goa Gajah 17 Nov 2016

After visiting Gunung Kawi, our next stopover was at Pura Goa Gajah, an archaeological heritage site located on the main road Ubud – Kintamani.

The history of Goa Gajah is not known surely and no one knows how old really the site is, but the cave and its surroundings are able to reveal some similarities to the structures that were built in the 11th century.

This cave is built on the brink of a meeting between two small rivers called Kali Pangkung and Petanu River.

The meeting area of two rivers is called Campuhan which is deemed to have a magical power based on concept of Rwabhineda or two differences, thus, Goa Gajah seems to be intentionally built in two rivers.

Goa Gajah Temple boasts stunning sceneries which enable people to enjoy walking over the bridges and along the rivers.

After we purchased the entrance tickets, we walked down quite a numbers of steps to the lower ground of the compound of the temple.

Approaching the front of the cave, guests can appreciate the beauty of the mouth of the cave carved with Balinese style.

At the façade of the cave is a relief of numerous ominous creatures carved right into the rock at the entrance.

These appear to have been built to ward off evil spirits and people away from the cave, or perhaps they represent the passions you need to abandon before entering the sanctuary.

Inside the T-shaped cave you can see disconnected remains of the lingam, the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva, and its female counterpart the yoni, plus a statue of Shiva’s son, the elephant-headed god Ganesha.

A widespread bathing place near the entrance on the site was not unearthed until the 1950s and six of the seven statues that stand guard around these pools are still in place and a number of the relics sturdily indicate that the site has a Buddhist as well as Hindu past.

There are two parts to this temple, the first being the Hindu, partly are the Goa Gajah and the bathing place itself which is on the upper portion of the temple ground.

The second is the Buddhist part which visitors can walked the stairs down to the Buddhist area of the temple grounds.

There was a statue which collapsed during one of the earthquakes, rebuilt and collapsed again. The remains are still there lying in a pool of water beneath a spring.

There is a huge ‘rain forest’ tree with the scrawled roots which made it so unique and natural beauty.

There was a guide gave us some explanation of the both temples and showed us around the temple grounds.

We were lucky as we were giving tips in Ringgit Malaysia as we were ran out of Rupiah – RM50.00.

It was such a great morning which we have for visiting 3 great temples.

I love Bali temples, in the sense of all of their temples were built within the beautiful greenery natures, be it surrounded by the sea, or in the forests, even next to the river.

It gave me a peaceful feeling and always reminds me of the Lord’s tender mercies and love towards me, whenever I see the beautiful nature which He had given to us!

And yes! You would want to live a harmony and peaceful life, whenever you are thinking of God’s love.

I think this is how the Balinese always have a cheerful happy and smiles on their face.

Even they are may be sometimes too superstitious in my opinion, but that is how they appreciate and celebrate their lives by always keep their God in their hearts and living.

After our 3rd temple visit, we headed to Denpansar to check in our hotel.

We stopped by a local eatery shop and have our lunch. We had the normal Nasi Campur and it is so delicious! Or may be because we were so hungry.

After our late lunch around 2.30pm, Yandi drove us to Denpansar, it was actually a long journey back to the town.

We arrived at Hawaii Bali Villa at 4.00pm.