The whole month of October had been a very busy month. I was working almost everyday. And a week before November, my husband asked what my schedule was the coming week and I said, none. I didn’t quite believe him when he told me to tell my manager to block off the last week because we were going to Bali!

Bali!

I was super excited because my husband said, he’ll be paying for everything! (Kuripot ng asawa ko, kaya big deal ito) Also I have never been to Bali, Indonesia and was looking forward to sleeping and sunbathing by the beach! Yes, I thought Bali was all beaches and sun, so when my husband said 6 nights and 5 whole days- I told him, that’s too long and we’ll be too sun burnt to be recognized after 5 days!

But I was wrong, Bali- is more than just beaches… there was so much to do, so many places to explore, so much food to try and eat eat eat.. and best of all so many opportunities to experience and share God’s love to others!

Day 1 (Oct 26)

We (Marco and I and two of our friends- Gino and Reyson) arrived in Denpasar Airport at around 1am via PAL flight PR537 (left Manila, Oct 25 at 9PM) almost 4 hours flying time.

We exchanged money at the airport (as we’ve read about scams in small money changers around Bali) plus we need money for taxi. We were suddenly millionaires after exchanging just P10,000 (the exchange rate at that time was 1 PHP = 269.35 Indonesian Rupiah.) so that’s equivalent to 2,700,000 IDR!

Because it was late and there was not much taxis around, we agreed to pay the taxi driver 300k IDR fixed rate ‘according to him’. We later found out that we were scammed and we could have insisted on using the meter.

Transportation tips:

•  Always ask the Taxi driver that you want to use the meter.
• Uber and Grab taxi is available but not reliable as there are a lot of places that they are not allowed to drop off or pick up passengers
• You can also book drivers beforehand if you are arriving during the day and plan to tour around. 8-10 hours = 500k IDR
• Or you can rent scooters (there are many rentals available near most hotels) for 70k-150k IDR)

We stayed at the Tijili Hotel in Seminyak which is only 20 minutes away from the airport (we booked online through Agoda.com) please check my previous post about Tijili Hotel

We woke up at 9am to have breakfast at the hotel and decided to explore the area. It took us just 5 minutes to get to Seminyak Beach.

You can choose to walk by the beach or the side walks where you can find lots of interesting things to see and take pictures of.

We then met with Reyson who was making preparations for his wedding in Uluwatu, Bali this January. He hired Ketut for the day and we tagged along with him. We had lunch at Campur Campur

  

We then went to Reyson and his bride’s wedding venue, Tirtha Bridal and were able to take some pretty pictures there too! it was such a lovely place by the cliff.

Uluwatu temple was the next stop. And we all had to wear a sarong. There were available sarongs you can borrow as you enter the area of the temple,(but you can imagine how many people have already used it) So if this is going to be part of your itinerary, please make sure you bring your own.

Our Bali experience will not be complete without tasting the most expensive coffee inthe World. Kopi Luwak or Civet coffee is made from coffee cherries excreted by Civets or Luwak then roasted and grounded and that gives it a unique, rich aroma and smooth flavor. Yes it’s poop coffee. Surprisingly good and strong. Marco was hyper for hours!

After ‘Coffee Poop’ Tasting we went back to Seminyak for another authentic Balinese for Dinner at Warung Made in Seminyak and took a stroll through the shops on our way back to the hotel.

Day 2 (Oct 27)

We woke up early to have breakfast and decided to just take a metered taxi to Ubud. It took us about 2 hours and paid almost 300k IDR.

On our way to UBUD, once in a while we would pass by little temples and little Rubultos and then we saw a big one and I Sharing about God in the taxi ride when we saw a big rebulto

We checked into Bakung Resort and Villa (also booked through Agoda.com). It was quite far from the main road where the stores and shops were, but it was a very peaceful area as it was near rice fields and local villages. We rented a scooter (which costs 70k IDR for a day) and went to see Tegalalang Rice terraces (20 mins by scooter from Bakung Villa)

  

If you plan to visit this place, make sure you’re prepared to do some hiking (wear sneakers) bring bottled water, a small towel and lather on lots of insect repellant lotions and make sure your cameras are charged and have lots of memory.

We then went back to our hotel, had a quick shower and decided to try an authentic Balinese massage. (The Spas usually close at 9 or 10 PM, so make sure to go early and book beforehand) We then had a light Balinese Dinner.

 

Day 3 (Oct 28)

The next day we woke up early, had breakfast, hired a van for the day that took us to the Tegenungan waterfalls and then back to Tijili Seminyak (600k IDR)

The falls was worth the exhausting down-up-down and up again trek. The water was really cool and refreshing. The view?- marvellous! We were just in awe of God’s wonderful creation.

  

Went back to Seminyak. Checked in back at Tijili, met with reyson and then Capt. Cha (who we just met at the plane flight to Bali) We had dinner at The Breeze, Samaya and we talked about Papa P., Governor, everything else and best of all God’s amazing love for us all.

Day 4

It was just the two of us as our friends left the night before so we decided to just chill and took pictures around tijili hotel. Lounged at the pool and then hired Nyoman to bring us to Padang Padang aka Julia Roberts Beach and then to Single Fin to watch the sunset, then ended the night with romantic Dinner by the beach.

  

While stuck in traffic, our driver Nyoman shared with us stories from his days working in a cruse ship and we somehow got to talking about religion and he told us that the new Governor of Jakarta- Ahok is a Christian who is very much liked by the people of Indonesia because he is very fair and just and not corrupt (our driver is a Hindu) and

I felt that God is going to do something amazing with Indonesia.

Truly those who follow Christ shines like a bright lamp in a world of darkness and people regardless of religious background can see the difference in our lives. I was able to share about Jesus to Nyoman, even though he seemed a bit upset and the subject was changed. I thanked God for giving us divine opportunities to share His love and I will continue to pray for Governor Ahok, Nyoman and the people of Indonesia.

Day 5

We decided to keep our last day relaxed and decided to look for La Plancha Beach Club to have lunch, so we walked by the beach hand in hand, (we were told to look for colourful beanbags and umbrellas that would point us to La Plancha) so we did… kept walking for 30 minutes (I think more) – only to realise we have probably already missed it. Tired, thirsty, hungry and sun burnt- uminit na ang ulo ko at na direct kay Marco lahat. (it’s a good thing I have a very patient husband)

 

So off we went, walked back some more (another 20 minutes) to find out it was actually just 8 minutes away from our hotel!

They don’t bring out the colourful bean bags and umbrellas until late afternoon which was how we missed it.

You can rent beach chairs for 50k- 150k a day (depends on the season) for two or you can bring your own towel or blanket if you don’t want to spend for beach chairs.

Spent our last few hours in Bali at La Plancha Beach Club- people and sunset watching. With a choco milk shake for me and Bintang beer for Marco we reflected on how good God has been for allowing us to enjoy such a precious trip.

Terimah Kasi Bali! Ba-BALI-k kami 😍

 I hope you enjoyed reading about our Bali trip. If you have any questions about anything regarding this trip, do let me know!

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