Bali - A vacation to remember!! Day 2

While I hoped to wake up to see animals in front of our room, we got up in our huge room in Ruman Lewih with the sky overcast. However, we got to see the beach (dull because of the sky). 

We quickly packed and called the reception to check if we can go back to the lodge for the last opportunity of viewing the big cat (breakfast at the Tsavo Lion restaurant with a glimpse of the king of the jungle right outside the area). However, our bad luck still continues as we were informed that the electricity is still not back at the lodge and we need to wait for further updates. Around 9 AM, they informed us that the power has been restored and we can go back to the hotel for breakfast and freshening up. Though Ari was unwilling, I jumped at the opportunity so that we can at least have a glimpse of the lions from the restaurant during breakfast. We quickly packed and then took the lodge shuttle cab to head back. We went straight to the Tsavo Lion restaurant for breakfast. This is another example of an african themed restaurant and the decor really is beautiful.

The guys told us that the power is still not stable due to which the electrical fence are not working. Hence, they are unable to release the lions. Instead we sat next to the meerkat enclosure and had English breakfast with sausages, bacon and eggs. While we didn't get to see the lions, watching the meerkats reminded me of movies like Madagascar and Life of Pi. The way they sat and keep watching the surroundings is really interesting to see.

After breakfast we took a shower and got ready when the driver called to inform that he is already at the main entrance. During checkout, we decided to take a last look and to our joy, the lions were back. There were 3 lionesses resting on a stone wall right outside the restaurant wall. 2 were sleeping, however, one was sitting. Due to the hot sun, they were at the shade rather than walking around, however, for us it was definitely something is better than nothing and in Ari’s language “all the hassles of moving from there to here was not a complete waste”. We managed to click some pictures with them. 

After that we bid goodbye to Mara lodge and met our driver Putra at the entrance gate. This time we drove in a Toyota Avanza (not available in India). First, we went to Central Kuta Money exchange to convert $500 @ 16,850 / USD. Post that, we decided to take a short detour to the Kuta beach for a quick glimpse. The beach is beautiful with white sand and blue waters. There were a lot of foreign tourists either soaking the sun, taking a bath or enjoying water sports. The sand was so hot that it became impossible to step on it without our shoes. However, we still decided to spend some time sipping cool drinks and enjoying the view.

From Kuta, we started to GWK Cultural Center. On the way, we had lunch with local Balinese cuisine (special pork thali – crispy pork skin, grilled pork, roasted pork, port stew, etc.). 

We reached GWK around 3 pm. We had to walk slightly up to see 2 huge statues of Vishnu and Garuda. A 3^rd statue is under construction now and we were told, it will be bigger than the existing ones. All along the way, artistes were playing a local musical instrument called gambang. 

We had Balinese coffee and tea and purchased couple of souvenirs from the curio shop. We left GWK around 4.15pm to go to the Uluwatu Temple which is on a cliff. The temple is famous for the sunset and the Kecak dance that happens there. While our driver got us tickets for the dance, we took a walk around the temple which is beautifully made at the top of a cliff. The sunset view is pretty amazing and though the sky was overcast, I managed to click some pictures.

Eventually, we took a seat at the amphitheater for the performance. The sky was slightly overcast and hence, we did not have a very good view of the sunset. The kecak dance was enjoyable and we tried to record most of it on the tab. It’s based on the story of Ramayana – Marich luring Rama out dressed as a golden deer, Ravana kidnapping Sita, Garuda putting up a fight and then finally Hanuman setting Lanka on fire. The show was for 1 hour and the auditorium was packed with audience from all over the world. It was quiet enjoyable and everyone had fun.

Post the performance, the cab returned to Grand Mirage Hotel & Thalasso Spa at Nusa Dua. Since there was a bathtub in the room, I soaked myself for 15 min and then we eventually went for dinner. I enjoyed my dinner with grilled barramundi. After dinner, we returned to the room, did a little internet surfing before going off to sleep.

One more point to note was when we spoke to Panji for tomorrow’s plan, he vehemently opposed the idea of going to Besakih temple due to the unruly behavior of the local people there. That left us pretty confused as Besakih is the mother temple in Bali and very beautiful. 

Bali - A vacation to remember!! Day 1

The mere mention of Bali evokes thoughts of a paradise. It's more than a place; it's a mood, an aspiration, a tropical state of mind. Most importantly, it was our first international trip together after a grueling year professionally. We were both looking forward to a short and sweet vacation in this paradise.

After months of planning and reservation (hotels, car rentals, safaris, currency exchange and sim cards), we finally embarked on our journey on October 25th by Malaysian Airlines Flight MH 199 at 00:55 AM IST. A point to mention here is that as we were almost nearing the airport, I suddenly remembered that I left my camera bag back at home and the thought was completely heart breaking. Our first international trip and I forgot my trusted camera... How would I capture all the good memories? Hubby convinced me stating that we have smartphones and probably this would be the opportunity to soak in the place through my eyes and not through my camera lens. While I was still sad, I kind of convinced myself that I can't turn back and hence there is only one option - to move forward and enjoy what comes next. The economy class was really cramped, however, since both of us are not really tall, we managed. We were served dinner with biriyani and dal (surprisingly, this is the first place where I saw dal being served with biriyani). We slept through most part of the flight, considering the time of the night. Reached Kuala Lampur airport around 8 AM local time and immediately ran for transfer. Malaysian Airlines flight MH715 for Dempesar left around 8.50 Am local time. The flight reached Dempesar Ngurah Rai International Airport at 11.50 AM local time. 

My first glimpse of the paradise was from the flight window and all you can see clear blue water of the beaches. The airport was nice and there is visa exemption for stay within 30 days. So, we crossed immigration quickly and then got $50 exchanged at the airport for the taxi fare. 

Bali from the flight

Ngurah Rai International Airport Exit Gate

Our cab driver stood at the waiting area with our name board and we were easily able to locate him. We boarded our cab, Datsun Go Plus, with the driver Sudan starting our first leg of the journey to Bali Safari and Marine Park. Hubby was super excited to see all the known car brands on the roads - Honda, Toyota and Suzuki.

We stopped for lunch at Warong Legong, a local Balinese restaurant near Gianyar where they cook food on wood fire. I had Ikan Bakar (grilled fish in homemade barbeque sauce) while Ari had Iga Bakar (pork ribs in homemade barbeque sauce). The dishes were amazing and we thanked Panji (our tour organizer) for the suggestion. The restaurant owner also gave us a local dessert (crepes with coconut and honey) on the house as a compliment. The dessert was sweet for my taste but unique in flavor. We loved Balinese cuisine and decided that we will taste as many dishes as we can during the stay.

Ikan Bakar

Iga Bakar

Post lunch, we headed our hotel for the day, Mara River Lodge. Our cab dropped us at the Bali Safari and Marine Park reception and from there a safari vehicle took us to the lodge. The lodge was everything we saw in the photos – unique theme and African décor. On the way to the lodge, we got to see crocodiles, owl and dear. We were upgraded to the Twiga room in the first floor and from the balcony. We could see zebras, rhinoceros, nilgai and ostrich roaming in the compound. It was exciting and we both loved it. 

Mara River Lodge Reception

Twiga Room 202

Zebras in the compound as seen from the room balcony

We freshened up in the room and then went back to the safari entrance around 5.30 pm for our night safari tour. We were taken for a short walk around the park looking at macau, porcupine, comodo dragons, crocodiles and iguana. There was also a huge statue of Ganesha in the park and we also got a quick glimpse of the cock fight at the Bali Theatre. 

After that we had Barbeque dinner with chicken wings, beef, pork ribs, grilled fish and vegetables. We also watched an African themed dance.

This is where things started going south as due to some electrical problem, the entire park lost power and the entire area was in total darkness with only lights from candles illuminating the entire area. Eventually the cage safari which results in tourists having a close encounter feeding big cats also got cancelled. Trust our luck for losing such an opportunity and we were both extremely disappointed. We were eventually taken to a different hotel (Ruman Lewih) which is a beachfront hotel housed in a big colonial building for the night where we crashed for the night, being tired and exhausted after a long day.