1st of all, I want to apologize if I do many mistakes on writing the right language. I must admitted that I’m not a writer nor photographer, I just want to share what I see with my own language (sometime it’s hard to understand) and also with the picture I captured.
I’m a traveler and I do really like to travel around and meet a lot of peoples also see a lot of places. Sometime to be able to see the place more is by taking bus or train instead of plane. Anyway, I do really scare to fly. But what to do, to come to certain places to shorted the time I must take plane to be right on time in the destination I want to visit.
I know I’m considering lucky coz so far; I often able to grasp my dream by going around and mostly of it nearly cost less for me.
Vietnam and Cambodia, two countries I would like to visit and I put it in my traveling list. So when my friend Richard Richert (Richie) agrees when I gave the idea to visit those countries for his holiday and also his son’s (Eric) summer holiday I did really happy.
After we found that two countries to visit, we start searching all info which might needed for the tourist. Richie started to apply Vietnam visa for him and Eric. Lucky I don’t need to apply any visa to go to Vietnam. But for Cambodia, both of us need to make visa on arrival.
I don’t really have idea how Vietnam will look like, ok…one of my friend Rita (Rie) living there and she told me more or less about Vietnam. But still, I know that I need a lot of information before finally I fly there.
On my short discussion with Richie by phone call and skype, finally we booked the ticket for me to go to Vietnam by Airasia and for him, of course by Air France. We found the date to visit and it come from 10 – 20 of August (Richie and Eric have arrived in Vietnam one day in advance – 9 of August). I start to calculate the date, plan the place to visit and hotel for us to stay. I was thinking if 10 days of holiday we just stay in Ho Chi Minh City that will be quite boring and also we won’t see much. After discussed again, finally we decided to make short visit to Cambodia for a few days. We choose the date to go to Cambodia from 12 – 15 of August. I found the information that we can go to Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh City by bus. What we like to see in Cambodia is Angkor Wat temple. So we need to go to Siem Reap instead going to Phnom Phen. Yes…I choose bus coz except it’s cheaper than the flight ticket, I feel it’s also safer than to fly. Also, I know by that we can see a lot of things along the road.
10 August 2009
Ready to go. I live far away from the Sukarno Hatta airport and it takes me about 2 hours from my home to the airport. This morning I will fly to Ho Chi Minh City with Airasia. I woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning and prepared my self then finally I left home at 4.30 am. I got phone called from airasia the night before that they changed my flight to earlier. Ok…so I don’t want to miss my flight.
My flight to Kuala Lumpur departed at 08.35 and I used airasia with flight number AK 381. Unfortunately, my flight wasn’t that pleasant flight. I’m a freak of fly…and after several bad experience I had during this flight….its make me freaky even more.
I’ve arrived in LCCT at 11.30 local time. Still in shock, I just collected my luggage and sat for sometime. I was really grateful that I finally land safely after several times we had turbulences and also hit air pocket. I was also thinking…What will happen for my next flight to Ho Chi Minh….oh…That so hard!! I started sending short text message to Richie in Vietnam asking about the weather there. I know this could be happened anytime in any airplane, a moment I have little bit worry that I won’t be able to land my butt safely.
Lucky my friend in Kuala Lumpur (Mr. Rahmat Husein) pick me up and we had lunch together with his family in Pan Pasific hotel near the airport. Yummy…the food was delicious and I had oyster. Great…all those foods can reduce my stress of flight even just for a little bit. Thanks for Mr. Rahmat family for the welcome during my short transit in Kuala Lumpur. After my lunch finished and I had to back to the airport again, the nervous of flying comes again.
At 15.00 Mr. Rahmat sent me back to the airport. His wife and he tried to relieve me by telling me if the next flight will be better. But still…I was really nervous.
With airasia, I had to do check-in again. So after did check-in luggage and go to immigration counter, I waited for my next flight to Ho Chi Minh with little bit fear in my heart.
Finally at 17.40 my flight heading to Ho Chi Minh with
airasia flight number AK 884. Along the way I can’t stop praying and I feel so
lucky coz the flight to Ho Chi Minh was better than the flight from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur.…And finally I arrived in Ho Chi Minh at
about 19.00 local time.
I saw Richie, Rie and Eric in the airport waited for me. Oh…it feels wonderful to see the peoples you know in the new country you just visit. This night, Rie brought us to Mojo and we had dinner there. After dinner she sent us back to the hotel. Richie, Eric and I stayed in Sophia hotel and we share family room. The room is not that big but ok…not bad with two beds, one single and one double. We shared the room. I took a shower then we walked again and tried to discovering little bit more the area around the hotel. We went back to the hotel around mid night and prepared for the next day.
11 August 2009
I forget what time we start to wake up, but during this trip, I always take the 1st place in the morning to take a shower then those two guys. We had breakfast in the hotel and feel little bit disappointed with the menu there.
We were waiting in the hotel for the next program planed by
Rie for us. She told me the day after that she will be in the hotel at 9 am.
After sometime my phone rang and Rie told me that she had a lot of things to do
and she will then pick us from the hotel to have lunch in her house at 1
o’clock.
So this morning, before Rie come, again we just walked around then we went to the Saigon River. Some Tuk tuk come to as and offer us to go around with them. There are a lot of motor bikes in Vietnam and it’s really difficult to cross the street. I remember what Mr. Rahmat and wife told me, that I don’t need to see right and left to cross, just move forward and those motor bikes will try to avoid us! But…well…I’m not blind and I can’t pretend to blind hik hik…Ok, so I normally love Richie more by holding his arm so tight when it time to cross the street hehehe…typically me!
Rie picked us at 1 o’clock. We go directly to her house. There we had really wonderful lunch. Yes…I must say that one of the best foods I ate during my stay in Vietnam!! The Pho was really delicious and the mussels were drop death delicious! Rie said Chi Bich who prepared all those things for us. Chi Bich is Rie’s maid, she still single. Rie told me that Vietnam men don’t like big women to marry with. For me, Chi Bich is not big nor fat at all…so if they think like Chi Bich is big and fat, then how about me ?? I think if I live in Vietnam I will never married hehehe. Anyway, thanks to Rie for wonderful hospitality and thanks to Chi Bich that prepared the good foods.
After lunch, Rie brought us around. We went to Notre Dame
and also went to other side of Saigon.
Before she drops us to the hotel, we went to buy bus ticket and she sent us to Mailihn ticket office. Unfortunately, the bus ticket from the Phnom Penh to Siam Reap on 12 August was finished already. So we only can get ticket from Saigon to Phnom Penh
With a little bit worry by what will happen to us, I tried to convinced Richie and Eric that we will find solution about the transportation which going to bring us from Phnom Phen to Siam Reap. Anyway…we can’t postponed the trip coz we already booked the hotel in Cambodia from 12 – 15 of August. So for me, the show must go on in any case I know that I will find solution. We finally bought return ticket from Saigon to Phnom Penh then one way ticket from Siam Reap to Phnom Penh. The ticket cost about US$ 12/person one way from Saigon to Phnom Penh (it will be cheaper if you can buy return ticket) and about US$ 7 from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap.
After we bought bus ticket Rie sent us back to the hotel. We plan to have dinner together so we still have a time to take little bit nap to be fresh for dinner.
Around 7 pm, Rie came to the hotel with her friend Nanang. We had dinner in Barbeque Garden. Then we went back to the hotel by walk. I felt sorry to Rie coz she felt tired after we walked several block. I do really need sport after eat coz I’m fat hehehe but she isn’t fat at all. Before Rie left us, I asked her help to put our bags in her house. So we just left necessaries things inside those bags and bring some important things to Cambodia for the next day. Coz we will travel by bus, we must tried to pack as efficient as we can.
After Rie and Nanang left, we stayed for sometime in the lobby to book the hotel after our return from Cambodia. This time, we know more of less about Saigon and good hotel location already. We finally choose Rex Hotel and Rex Suite room for our place to live in Saigon after the return from Cambodia.
12 August 2009
We left the hotel at 5.45 in the morning and going to the MaiLinh bus station. We skip our breakfast since the breakfast in our hotel just start at 6 am. We waited for sometime before we finally left Saigon heading to Cambodia at 6.30 am. The bus drive really slow, I just know that in Vietnam we can’t drive more than 60 km/hour. After about 3 hours we finally reach Moc Bai and everybody must go out from the bus and bring all their belonging to do custom clearance to exit Vietnam. Moc Bai is the exit and entry point in Vietnam from and to Cambodia by land.
The bus driver took our passport to faster the process, but still, it took quite sometime till everything done. We wait for about 45 minutes before we continue across the border to another enter entry point Bevet in Cambodia.
After about 5 minutes by bus, we had to go down again for the visa and custom process. The bus crew asked us to give him US$ 24 for the visa to enter Cambodia. We saw there are several visa prices from US$ 20 for the tourist and US$ 25 and none of it is US$ 24. So I guess they took profit US$ 4/person. The visa process in Bevet little bit faster than in Moc Bai. After 30 minutes we finally left and voila….I’m in Cambodia!!!
The face of Cambodia is really different than Vietnam. I saw a lot of empty land and several building Cambodian style. I saw beautiful view along the road, their traditional house, their temples, palm trees and also the pond full of lotus flowers.
Traveling by bus allowed us to have stop in several places. We need also to cross the river (seem like it is the only way) by ship in Banam – Cambodia. We had stop also in Cambodia and it was totally different than our stop in Vietnam. In Vietnam, there is no body offer us the fruits or water of any things, if we want, we can buy in the shop at the place we stop if we don’t want there is no body will bother us. But that won’t be happen in Cambodia. Once the bus stop there are a lot of kids comes offer you many kinds of fruits. They put those fruits peel in plastic bag already, from pineapple and many others tropical fruits.
“One dollar for two mister…”
“sister, you are beautiful…please buy the fruits from me ok…” Hehehe…It put smile on my face when they told me that I’m beautiful, well…at least there is somebody in this trip told me that I’m beautiful!! Well…that’s rare!!
After I back from toilet, some of those kids still followed me. And they started asked a lot of question.
“Sister, where are you come from ??”
“Sister, you look like Cambodian”
Oh well…they start to guess from where I’m, but none of them think that I’m Indonesian hik hik…seem not a lot of Indonesian going to Cambodia especially by bus like me.
Those kids will always in my mind. Also that bus stop where you can see fried spider, ok, maybe I better say that’s not spider…that’s tarantula!!
In 3 hours later we finally reached Phnom Penh. I tried my luck to ask to Minlinh bus counter if there any chance for us to have the bus from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap. They said they don’t have it anymore. Rie ever told us if there is taxi from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap, but unfortunately once we reach Phnom Penh there is no taxi at all!! We just saw Tuk tuk everywhere but no taxi! Gosh, seem like I have big trouble!
Then one of the guy who follow us since we go down from the bus came to me, “Where do you want to go ?” his is the Tuk tuk driver in that area.
I told him that we would like to go to Siam Reap and unfortunately we don’t have bus yet to go there. Then he told me if there are a lot of bus from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap, “I just want the good bus” that’s what I told him. What I like in Cambodia, there are more peoples can speak English and I understand what they said more than in Vietnam.
He finally sent us to another bus station with his Tuk tuk. We pay the Tuk tuk US$ 3 for about 15 minutes drive to another bus counter. In Cambodia, even though their money currency is Riel, but they also accept Duong and US dollar. Actually, you can just prepare your dollar and they will gladly accept that.
Once we reach another bus counter (forget what the name is…and it’s really difficult to read the name of the bus with Cambodian script) we bought the bus ticket for three of us. The ticket fare here is US$ 10/person for one way. It is actually little bit more expensive than if we buy ticket in Saigon with the same bus company Mailinh. I must admit, for the peoples, I like Cambodian people more than Vietnamese in term of the friendliness. They smile more even I can still see the pain from their past in their face. We were told that the last bus heading to Siam Reap that day was in 1.30 pm. We try to find time to have lunch. We almost didn’t take anything since the morning. So having sandwich or croissant was better than nothing. When we back to the bus counter again, one of the guys asked us where we would like to go and where we will stay in Siam Reap. I told him and started the conversation with him since I saw Richie was already pissed off with the long journey (hehehe sorry honey hehehe). This guy finally told me that he can contact his friend in Siam Reap to pick up us in bus station once we reach there. Ok…thank’s God I still can use my charm to get a help hehehe…
The journey from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap was faster than what I expect. And the view a long the road…really fascinate me! Ohhh….I suggest you to see by your self!! It was splendid!!!
We reach Siam Reap at about 7 pm. It was dark already. The local time in Vietnam and in Cambodia is exactly the same like in Jakarta. So, I didn’t need to set my watch again.
I saw somebody outside the bus showing the board with my name ASTRI. Well, seem he didn’t know yet if Astri is man or woman (Richie told the other guy in Phnom Penh bus counter that his name is Astri when that guy asked his name).
We went to the hotel with Tuk tuk. Again…we didn’t see any taxi in Siam Reap. But we saw a lot of good car there…mostly of them Lexus and Camry. WOW!!
When I was this city, my memories bring me back to few years ago. How can I say bout this city ?? hmm…it’s not poor if we see how the car there, but well…they are different. From the bus station to our hotel took about 15 minutes. We are quite happy to see the hotel. The hotel Angkor Borei Hotel was nice and the room also big with three singles bed and big private terrace. And not to forget, they have fabulous bathroom! Oh…splendid!
Before left us in the hotel, I told to the tuk tuk driver to pick us up the day after and bring us to Angkor Wat temple. He was agreed and we got deal for the trip with him. I just think the way how to know the people are from the origin country is by trying to live as they are as possible as we can. After about 12 hours journey, we were really exhausted. We just had dinner at the hotel and luckily the dinner was good! If in Vietnam we can find Wi-Fi easily and fee at the hotel, that not the case in Cambodia. We have to pay US$ 12 for 24 hours connection and it just access able from the 1st point we buy the access pass. So…we just thought that bed was the best destination after the dinner. Sleep tight…
13 August 2009
We made appointment with Lem (the name of our Tuk Tuk driver) that we will wait for him at 9 o’clock in the morning. Again, we must in hurry and in tight schedule. Well…we made the schedule our self to be efficient and can visit some places effectively. We changed the money in the hotel, but then the hotel person said that we can still pay in US$ coz we going to have one box of money if we change it to their currency (Riel). So we just changed the money to small note and I changed of my US$ 5 to the Riel...wow…I feel suddenly rich!! Beautiful and a lot of money in my hand hehehe…
This day we planed to visit Angkor Wat. It took about 20 minutes from our hotel to the complex of the temple. We bought for one day ticket which is cost US$ 20/person for one day entrance fee. There have two entrance fee ticket price; US$ 20/person for visiting complex for one day and US$ 40/person for visiting complex for three days. Anyway, we choose for one day only coz we will just have short stay only. After we purchased the ticket, they took our photo then put it together in our ticket and each person of course then having their photo on their ticket. I think it is a good idea so no body can steal the ticket.
After entrance gate, we must go to the Angkor Wat area which is took about 10 minutes by tuk tuk. I just knew that the complex is really big with many temples spread around and the distance from one to each other is quite far. Well…yes, it is really big temples complex.
Once the tuk tuk stop near the temples, I heard many peoples started to call us and offered us the souvenir to sell. We just start the journey, so no reason to buy the souvenir that time. Still far to go and we didn’t know yet how long we going to turn around and we didn’t know yet how big this complex is.
After go around to the “front part” of the temple, we went to find something to drink. The weather in Cambodia is really hot!! I was melted like ice cream close to the fire. But this ancient place really fascinate me with it beauty. In Cambodia, there is no place without somebody come to you and offers you something. We actually just want to buy drink, but then many of kids and adult start to come and selling something to us. Well…it’s really hard to resist, we then finally bought some souvenir also there even before we started to really enter the Angkor Wat temple! We put those souvenir plastic bags some in my camera bag and some Richie hook it in his belt. At least we still have free hand to do some photo shot hehehe…cleaver enough hihihihi
I think this Angkor Wat is the biggest temple in that complex; it took us about one hour to go around. In this place I met two guys who using same camera as me, Nikon. One of them from Japan and the other guy (couple) from Germany. We discuss about lens and about camera for a while (Richie still using his Canon at that time). Feel nice to share bit knowledge during the trip.
It was nearly lunch time when we finally meet Lem again in the place where we left him. He suggests us to try local food in the restaurant inside the temples complex. Ok we agreed, anyway we have to know and to try the local food to enrich the experience. Eric and I ordered the same things, egg plan and beef and Richie ordered the mix vegetables. When they started serving the food, I was bit surprise by what I ordered; well…it’s seem not really like my expectation hehehe…
After lunch we continue again exploring other temples around. It is a lot of temples to visit one by one till we finally back to the hotel at about 5 o’clock. This time I started to have some conversation with Lem more. I was bit surprise coz I saw he put his clothes inside the compartment under the seat of the tuk tuk. He told us that indeed he is living in his tuk tuk and he is orphaned. Yes…a lot of orphaned in Cambodia and also a lot of disability peoples the victim of the war. The stories about that really touch my heart. That time I just know how hard life can be in Cambodia.
After long journey at the day after then had quite tiring day going around all temples in that complex we decided that we will just stay in the hotel that evening and enjoying the swimming pool. Also after had known that maybe we can’t find food outside the hotel as our desire, we then finally decided that we will just take dinner in the hotel. The day after Lem suggest us to visit fishing village and the country side in Cambodia.
14 August 2009
This morning Lem came little bit late to pick up us. I was bit worried if something bad happened to him. Lucky after 10 minutes more he finally came. As the planed, this day he brought us to the country side of the Siam Reap. It took about one hour by tuk tuk to reach that place. Then we finally had stop in the place near the huge river. We bought the ticket to have tour along the river and it cost us US$ 15/person. We went a lot the river, visited fish farm and also school there. All are floating in the river. The guide told me they eat everything for survive. We saw one house put the snake meat on the top of their roof and the guide told us if they eat the snake meat also. He said mostly of snake which live inside the water is not poisonous but the snake live in the water surface is normally poisonous. I don’t know how to tell about this place, I just feel…sad. This place is really poor and I saw a lot of kids lost their arm. Our guide told us that happened coz that kids there become beggar and they had accident fall down to the river then the big boat hit them…sorry…you can then try to imagine your self about that. I saw a mother slaps her son front of me coz he talk something in the language I don’t know. Our guide told us not to give money to them, he said better to give charity by give them book or something more useful to the only one school there. So on the way back to the meeting point, we had stop in the shop near by school and bought some books and pencil for those kids to study. The mortality in this place is quite high, it often happens that the baby fall from the house and since they can’t swim yet, they are finally sinking…drown and die. Well we have feet and legs to walk on the ground, God made us not to live in the water.
If you go to Cambodia, I will highly recommendation this place to visit. It’s just something difference about Cambodia…the other side of Cambodia…if you lucky enough, the guide will tell you the stories about Pol Pot…the fact…the true stories about that…black side of it. It was explaining me much why a lot of orphaned in that place.
We just had short tour this afternoon. Then after we choose to be back to the hotel and promise to Lem that we going to have Apsara show in the other restaurant in the evening with him. The short visit to the river area of the Siam Reap, really made me tired…not my physic, but I feel really mentally tired by what I saw.
After napping and stay in the hotel, we had to prepare for the Apsara show. Lem pick up us at the hotel at 6.30 evening. He told us that the orphaned that do the dance shot that night. So we went to the restaurant with the show included in their package. We have to pay US$ 12/person for buffet dinner and entertained by the Apsara dance show. The show started at about 9 pm after the meal was nearly finished. They made several dance show and it took about one hour for all those show.
On the way back to the hotel, I made stop front of the palace in Siam Reap and took night shot there. We must be ready to go back to Vietnam the day after…another 12 hours journey again.
15 August 2009
Lem pick up us in the hotel at 6.30 am. This time we managed to have fast breakfast. This time we already have bus ticket with Mailinh from Siam Reap to Phnom Penh and also from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. We waited for sometime then finally the bus left right on time.
All the way I just slept hehehe…I just awake for a while to change the song on my ipod then slept again.
Like on the way go, on the way back also we had stop in the same places. In one stop place, I go down from the bus latest after Richie and Eric go. When I stood at the door, I saw Richie surround by the kids who offer him fruits and seem like they had conversation about me. I ignored them and went to toilet…well…nature call hehehe.
On the way back to the bus one kid approached me, ”Sister, I remember you”
I just looked at her and smile. Can’t stand with the kids voices offering some fruits, finally Richie bought two bags of pineapples and I bought one bag of another fruits (I don’t know the name…but it sour) then we back to the bus.
Inside the bus Richie told me that those kids remember us hehehe…they recognize him as the guy who have Thailand girl friend. So when one kid come to me and asked me where am I come from, Richie told her that I’m from Italy hehehehe…Well…I’m not Thailand for sure and I don’t think I have the urgencies to tell to everybody strangers about my relationship with him.
We reached Phnom Penh faster than what we expect. So we decided to change the bus to 1.00 pm instead of 2.00 pm. We just bought the sandwich in the restaurant near by and run to the bus and ate it on the bus.
Again…another long time to go. We had the last stop before we reach Bevet custom point. In this place, there was no kid come surround us like the other bus stop along Cambodia. Suddenly Richie asked me “honey, do you want turtle?” I didn’t get what he mean before then I suddenly saw there is one plate full of turtles…cooked!! Oh noooo gossshh….
This time the process to exit Cambodia and enter Vietnam took long time more than before. Anyway, we are finally reached Ho Chi Minh city really late and we were really exhausted! Lucky we were quite happy when we saw our room in Rex Hotel. It was big! Yes…Rex Suite room is big enough for the three of us. Just pity I can still the smell of old building…hmmm they should put air freshener if they know that they going to put guests there…just suggestion…
This evening we just took dinner in street food at Ben Thanh market. Again, communication break down every time we try to order the food, they will come out with another different food than we expect. But ok, we already exhausted after long journey…what we need just eat.
16 August 2009
We were waiting for Rie to come in the morning then we planed to go to Mekong Delta, unfortunately latest I got news from her that she is sick. Ok…so we had to change the plan and thinking fast. Richie told me to ask tour from the hotel, and then we finally go to Mekong Delta by the hotel tour. It was really late when we started the tour, nearly 10 am. The guide told us that it took about 2 hours to go there coz of the traffic jam and also the country regulation about the speed. Our guide, his name is Thanh is the funny guy with full senses of humor. He told us many stories about the custom in Vietnam and also about the rice wine mix with snake or scorpion which they believe can give more power to the men. We had stop in one of traditional Vietnamese restaurant to have lunch before we went to Mekong Delta. Well, the food was nice but I don’t want more.
Mekong Delta. So far I just know the stories about that river during war time from the book with the title Mekong. Since I was in junior high school I was dreaming to see how Mekong River look like. And this day, all my dreams come true. We stop in small port for the boats which will bring us to the. We sail along the river…it is huge river. As before, the guide Thanh explains us about the island there. Yes, there are islands in the middle of that river. The one I remember is Coconut Island with the coconut temples on it. Yes…Coconut temples. No it is not made from Coconut, but it is the name of the religion they believe. Thanh told us that Mekong girls are more beautiful than the girls from another part of Vietnam and also the peoples there live more relax than other peoples from another part of Vietnam coz the weather among the Mekong river is good.
We stop in one place and we went up to the island. We visit house industry to make coconut candy and also went to the house that have bee farm and produce bee pollen and honey. I tried banana wine there and wow!! It is really strong!! Except walking (well, the island is not so big) we also use kind of tuk tuk but using horse instead of motorbike. After we walk again for sometime before we took small traditional boat to go along the river headed to bigger boat we used before. The view along that small river was splendid. I don’t know…it just different. Oh well…I won’t suggest you to go there if you don’t really like adventure and walk far…
After we arrived in our big boat, we left that island and prepared to go back to Saigon.
Again another two hours from the Mekong Delta to Saigon. We arrived in the hotel was quite late already. We just take a shower and tried to find Pho restaurant near by. Well…still trying to find Pho as good as in Rie’s house. Finally we found Vietnamese restaurant near by, sorry…I forgot what the name is. We had dinner there. Not really good food compare with what I ate in Rie’s house, but not bad when we are already starving.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. We were really tired, but still everybody busy with internet using I-phone and IPod. If in the morning I always took the 1st place to take a shower, that not the case in the evening…I always the last one to take a shower hehehe…lazy!!!!! Anyway, during that trip, none of those guys complaining about my smell. Well, I’m sure I always smell like a roses hehehehe…love you guys!!
17 August 2009
Indonesia Independence Day!! Well…I was in Saigon and far away from the hectic we normally have during our independence day in our country. Before I planed to celebrate it in Indonesian consulate in Saigon, but then since I don’t have properly clothes for the ceremony, I choose to follow another heroic tour to Chu Chi tunnel.
One of freelance tour guide picks us up from the hotel at 7 am to avoid the traffic jam. Yes…now I have partner to work with in Vietnam!! Book your tour to Vietnam with me and I’ll give you special price! Hehehehehe…
We were reached the Chu Chi tunnel after about three hours drove from Saigon. The 1st impression when I just arrived…well…it is jungle! The guide tried to explain me about how the tunnel is, but still, I can’t imagine yet in my head how it looks like. I can see almost nothing around; all are flat and only have some rubber farm along the road.
During this tour the guide show us some trap Viet Cong’s use to trap the American soldier. They have a lot kind of trap using the simple material like bamboo and also steal. Here also we can try how to shoot. Well..I hate even to hear the loud sound of the gun, so I didn’t want to try.
In this area, we can also going down to the tunnel which already made larger as the size of the tourist. But still, even thought they said they made it bigger, I must still crawled to walk inside the tunnel. I can’t believe how those peoples can live there during the war time!! That must be really really really hard!!! Well…no body likes war…and I hate war!
The guide told us that during the war, the Viet Cong also made kitchen inside the tunnel. They cooked very simple food and only tapioca and rice. They must cook very carefully to prevent the smoke come out and attract American soldier’s attention. So they cooked smokeless.
I saw a lot of big hole there and it is written if that hole is the hole of the boom. Oh…Gosh…that must be really hard that time. I know that we can die anytime and in any condition even when we are sleep we can die still. But imagining those people at that time still eating then suddenly they dies because of boom…oh…I can’t imagine that longer.
After from Chu Chi tunnel we had stop in Ben Thanh market. Richie asked me if maybe he can find camera with GPS in Saigon. Well, since I don’t know how to use his Canon, so I asked him to buy new camera….Nikon same as mine. So we went to Saigon Center and Richie finally decided to buy Nikon D90. Yuppy…I’m so happy!! Now I can attach my lens to his camera too. Better to have two than one, but anyway, better to have one than nothing. We had nothing to do that evening except going around and finding Pho again. Thanks to iphone, we were finally found the Pho restaurant near by, Pho 24. Ok…it was better than the other Pho I had tried in another Pho restaurant, but still…the best Pho for me was made by Chi Bich in Rie house!!
18 August 2009
Yay!! We will go to Mui Ne this day. Rie told me that we going to have long journey again. It took about five to six hours from Saigon to Mui Ne. Well, in the 1st place I just thinking hopefully the trip we going to do are worth enough with the things we can see there. Rie told us that we must be ready at 9 am and she going to pick up us at the hotel. We check out from Rex Hotel and waiting for her in the lobby. Not for so long Rie finally came. There was Chi Bich also inside the car. So the trip to Mui Ne was really the trip for the whole family. I finally decided that I would like to change my flight with Garuda instead of with Airasia. Well, I had return ticket of airasia already actually. But remember the experience I had during my flight Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur, I think I’d rather change to something else bit better. So Rie helped me to contact the general manager of Garuda in Saigon and book the flight ticket for me. I think everybody knows if one way ticket is always more expensive than return, but anyway, as long as I feel comfortable and I know that I can land my ass safely in Jakarta…I will take that chance!
We arrived in Mui Ne at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I was bit surprise to see our room at the hotel Sunny Beach. It is too small to put one extra bed on it. Yes, again I share the room with Richie and Eric. Coz of the room is too small, so by putting extra bed more the bed seem like one big bed instead of three single beds. Hmm….try to imagine sleep between two guys in one bed….it just WOW!
We took photo of each other on the beach and had lunch at the hotel. The lunch well, I can say not well at all, but the view of Mui Ne, I must admit it is really beautiful! After we finished our lunch, we did photo shot again and again before we finally went to Sand Dunn at 4 o’clock. Again, this place impressed me much! It’s not only because the Sand Dunn impresses me, but the view facing that place also spectacular. We went back to the hotel after sunset, just put our belonging to the hotel and made some “private shot” at Rie’s room then went out again for dinner.
After dinner Richie and I went to the swimming pool and swam there till 10 o’clock. The water was nice and warm. Hmm…it was wonderful...especially coz there is no body in that swimming pool but us.
That night I slept between Eric and Richie. Eric was in my left side and Richie in my right side. I can’t sleep almost all night long coz sometime Eric’s leg doing invasions to my bed and after I tried to sleep again, Richie started made his own “concert” oh mamamia….
19 Agustus 2009
I woke up at 7 o’clock in the morning when my body alarm asked me to wake up. I took a shower then after Richie prepared him self and the last one was Eric (well…that’s the bathroom order every morning…). This morning we have to leave the hotel at 9 o’clock to be able in Saigon before 4 o’clock to collect my flight ticket in Garuda office.
Along the road we made several stop to take picture or only for rest and going to toilet. This day the weather was better than the day before and the sky colors was splendid blue with little cloud as accessories. Again…another six hours drove.
We reached in Saigon at 3 o’clock and we go directly to Garuda office to pay and to collect my ticket. After the ticket was already in my hand, we went to Rie’s house to send her home and to collect our belonging we put in her house one day before we went to Cambodia. Then we went back to the hotel since she has another plan in that evening and can’t accompany us.
We had dinner in Lemongrass restaurant at Palace hotel. The view from the hotel was really nice and we can also see the river and the port in the night. Bout the food, well…it was also nice. Hmm finally…
After our dinner we went to business center to transfer our photos to each other. But unfortunately the connection was really slow and they business center at Rex Hotel is close at 10 PM. So after transferring the photos from Richie’s Nikon D90 to my camera, we decided just back to the room and continue to transfer the file the morning after.
When we went back to the hotel I had mix feeling in my heart. Mix between nervous for my flight on 20 August, also sad coz I must apart again with Richie and Eric. I was lain down on the sofa in our room and lost in thought when Richie asked me to move to my bed and sleep there. Well…the holiday will offer soon. I’m sad coz it must offer but also I’m happy coz soon I will back to my country again…
20 August 2009
Time to leave Vietnam…Time to say goodbye…time to see my country again. Yes, finally somehow I must leave Vietnam. As always the holiday with Richie and Eric is still and always will be unforgettable holiday. It’s always sad when the time come and I must say goodbye. My alarm rang at 7 o’clock in the morning. Normally I always woke up in the 1st beep my alarm rang (even when Richie said he hear nothing), but this day I seem had deep sleep and wonderful dream (don’t ask me what was that, I forget once I opened my eyes).
Then I hear Richie voice “Honey, wake up”. His voice seems louder than the sound of my alarm. My hand searched my mobile phone on the side table “ok” that the only things I said before I turn off my alarm and still laying on the bed for a few while.
Then I know that I must take a shower soon coz we need to transfer the rest of the photos. I have about 500 photos in my camera and all of that must be transfer to Richie’s external hard drive since I always have bad internet connection at home. So better do the things from the camera than must upload then download it again from internet.
Surprisingly, this time we just took about 15 minutes to transfer the photo from my camera to Richie’s external hard drive. Well…that’s better coz I must going to the airport at 10.30 to catch my flight.
We had the last breakfast for this holiday at Rex Hotel then after did some check for my belonging and last packing, we left Rex Hotel at 10.30. Richie and Eric sent me to the airport then they went back to the hotel. Slightly I feel my heart numb for a while. But ok…somehow we are going to meet again.
My flight with Garuda was I can say really smooth. We had stop over in Singapore for about 45 minutes before then fly again back to Jakarta….on my country, I do really miss the smell of you…
To Richie and Eric, thank you so much for the wonderful holiday and wonderful time during my stayed with both of you everywhere.
I can buy tooth paste and tooth brush
I know peoples said that I have sweet smile
But what I know
You the person who can make me laugh and smile often
I have a lot of memories about our togetherness
About the laugh we had
And also the difficulties we must faced during the trip
But still, the time I had with you was really wonderful time in my life
Thank you for those things which I can’t buy with all money I have…
Last weekend I just back from my hometown in Lampung. Because of the short time I had, so I did travel to some places there and supervise my family’s clinic which is still under construction. Well…I think leisure, hobby and responsible to my family and to the people around me can walk together side by side.
I left Jakarta on Friday evening and after finished some other things, I headed to Lampung by car. I arrived at my home in Sekampung (the name of the small village in Lampung where my mom making the clinic) at about 4 am. I took a rest for a while before the sun start to raising and the workers who works on the clinic started to come and I did checked for this that before I left my village then going to Bandar Lampung.
I arrived in Bandar Lampung at 3 pm and my brother and I went to my friend’s house to pick him up to go to the Island. My friend’s friend was there. My friend name is Yeyek and his friend name is Dodo. Dodo is one of the best divers we have in Lampung. That evening Yeyek brought us to the Tegal island. Actually that was the 2nd time for me to visit that island, normally 1st impression is important but often we fall in love more on 2nd impression. I saw clear blue water with white sand along the island….it was only spectacular! Maybe coz I went to that island this time with several peoples, I feel that I enjoy more to be there. Unfortunately the 1st purpose is not to go to that island, so I wasn’t prepared the things to have camping with them.
On this short trip, I met two girls from France. And thanks to them that I finally have somebody to speak and practice my French language again. Well…after about two years, slowly I do really forget how to speak French hehehe and my ears not use to hear somebody speaking French anymore. With these new friends I discuss some travel knowledge. And from one of them I know, for some of us…including me, the most important is the process to reach the place we intend to visit.
I’ve doing some observation for some tourist who visit the tourist area and for the peoples who traveled with me.
1st group is the group who willing to spend some money for their travel cost and gets the fullest services and accommodation and less effort to do some adventurous things during their travel period.
2nd group who just have limited budget and willing to visit some places with more effort and do some adventures things. For this group mostly of them the most important is not the destination it self, but also the way how to reach the destination they want to visit.
For my self and from my own experiences both way of traveling are funs. I’ve been traveling to some places in some countries (till now I’ve been to 10 countries hopefully will be 12 countries in this month after I visit Vietnam & Cambodia). I know the plus & the minus from the both way, but again….it’s all about choices. I know how to traveling in business class and stay in 5 stars hotel or just stay in home stay with the local people and taking bus to go traveling around. Staying in 5 stars hotel sometime it’s good, but stay with the local in their house isn’t bad either.
Now, I just know that I would like to go traveling all over the world as traveler, not as a tourist. Feel the experience as the local live…well…my story now still far from what I dream about, but I hope slowly I can make my dream come true.
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Dernier week-end
que je viens de revenir de ma ville natale de Lampung. En raison du peu de
temps, j'ai eu, donc je n'ai Voyage à certains endroits, et de superviser la
clinique de ma famille qui est encore en construction. Eh bien ... Je crois que
les loisirs, les passe-temps et responsable de ma famille et pour les gens
autour de moi peuvent marcher côte à côte.
J'ai quitté Jakarta le vendredi soir et après avoir fini d'autres choses, je me
suis rendu en voiture à Lampung. Je suis arrivé à mon domicile de Sekampung (le
nom du petit village de Lampung, où ma mère de la clinique), à environ 4
heures. J'ai pris une pause pendant un certain temps avant que le soleil
commence à augmenter et que les travailleurs qui travaille sur la clinique a
commencé à venir et je ne l'ai vérifié avant de ce que j'ai quitté mon village,
puis allez à Bandar Lampung.
Je suis arrivé à Bandar Lampung, à 3 h et de mon frère et moi sommes allés à la
maison de mon ami pour prendre de lui pour aller à l'île. Mon ami, l'ami était
là. Mon nom est Yeyek ami et son ami le nom est Dodo. Dodo est l'un des
meilleurs plongeurs, nous avons à Lampung. Ce soir-là, qui nous a amenés à
Yeyek Tegal l'île. En fait, c'est le 2ème temps pour moi de visiter cette île,
normalement 1ère impression est importante, mais souvent, nous tombons en amour
plus sur 2nd impression. J'ai vu le bleu limpide de l'eau de sable blanc le
long de l'île .... Ce n'est que spectaculaire! Peut-être coz je suis allé à
l'île cette fois, avec plusieurs peuples, je sens que je bénéficier de plus d'y
être. Malheureusement, le 1er objectif est de ne pas aller à cette île, si je
n'étais pas préparé les choses se camping avec eux.
Sur ce court voyage, j'ai rencontré deux jeunes filles de France. Et grâce à
eux que je me suis finalement quelqu'un de parler et de pratiquer mon français
à nouveau. Bon ... après environ deux ans, lentement, je ne suis vraiment
oublier la façon de parler le français et mes oreilles hehehe pas utiliser
d'entendre quelqu'un parler en français plus. Avec ces nouveaux amis, je
discuter de certaines Voyage connaissances. Et à partir de l'un d'eux, je sais,
pour certains d'entre nous ... moi y compris, le plus important est le
processus pour parvenir à la place, nous avons l'intention de visiter.
J'ai fait une observation de certains touristes qui visitent la zone
touristique et pour les peuples qui ont voyagé avec moi.
1er groupe est le groupe qui prête à dépenser de l'argent pour leur coût Voyage
et obtient le maximum de services et d'hébergement et de moins d'effort pour
faire de l'aventure de choses au cours de leur période de Voyage.
2ème groupe qui vient d'avoir un budget limité et désireux de se rendre dans
certains lieux avec plus d'efforts et de faire des choses aventures. Pour ce
groupe, la plupart d'entre eux le plus important n'est pas la destination
elle-même, mais aussi la façon d'atteindre la destination qu'ils souhaitent
visiter.
Pour moi-même et de mes propres expériences, les deux façon de voyager sont
funs. J'ai voyagé à certains endroits, dans certains pays (jusqu'à présent,
j'ai été à 10 pays l'espère, sera de 12 pays en ce mois, après que je visite le
Vietnam et le Cambodge). Je sais que le plus et le moins de la façon dont les
deux, mais encore une fois .... Il s'agit de choix. Je sais comment voyager en
classe affaires et de séjour en hôtel 5 étoiles ou simplement rester en famille
d'accueil avec la population locale et prendre le bus pour aller voyager
autour. Rester en hôtel 5 étoiles, il est bon parfois, mais rester dans le
local dans leur maison n'est pas mal non plus.
Maintenant, je sais simplement que je voudrais aller voyager dans le monde
entier en tant que voyageur, et non pas comme un touriste. Sentez-vous
l'expérience que la vie ... mon histoire ... et maintenant encore loin de ce
que je rêve d', lentement mais j'espère que je peux faire mon rêve.
Everything starts from about one year ago when my friend and I planed to go to Bali coz there was cheap ticket from airasia from Jakarta to Bali return. And after that, one of my friend from Bali gave me the idea to make World Flickr Gathering where photographers from all over the world can have gathering, reunion and share knowledge in Bali.
After all of those ideas fix enough, I started to made announcement everywhere for this event. But unfortunately, close to the due date, some of the plan wasn’t going well and I had to changed some of planed I made before.
Anyway, the show must go on. Even in the last minutes some peoples cancel their trip coz of the health reason, but still, I must go to Bali and complete the plan I’ve made before. Well…I feel responsibility with this and I believe, if I can’t do small simple task, then what is the reason I can’t do big task ?
Day 1 – 15 July 2009
I left my home in the morning and I remember I have two things to do before I went to airport. I need to cancel the hotel booking at Jayakarta belong to Robertus & Anita can’t attending the trip and also I need to go to Nigerian embassy to ask about the regulation of making working visa to Nigeria for my friend Syukri. After I took my lunch I went to Gambir to take bus to go to the airport. The cost of the bus from Gambir to airport is Rp. 20.000,- and I think that will be cheaper rather than if I must taking taxi. Well, I’d rather to saving money for buying something else in Bali than using it for the taxi while I can use bus and arrive in same direction.
At 3.30 PM I met my friend Tessa in the airport. Luckily we arrived almost in same time so none of us waiting longer than the other.
The flight which brought us to Bali departed at almost 6 PM and we arrived in Bali around 9 PM Bali time (it is +1 hour from Jakarta time). My friend Wayan was already waiting for us at the airport with the other friend from flickr Rafeek. This day we just had chit chat in my hotel at Jayakarta resident coz the day after Rafeek must leave Bali and back to his home country; India.
Day 2 – 16 July 2009
Since it was only Tessa and me at the hotel, so the plan to go around and doing photography hunting must be canceled. This day I met my friend from flickr Jessy, Maria, Nadia, Wayan and we had gathering at the hotel before we went to capture the sunset at the double six beach. And in the night…well…it was great time for me to enjoying the swimming pool and feel the fresh water on my skin.
Day 3 – 17 July 2009
This day will have 3 families will arrived in Bali. I know exactly one of them, but the other two I never see their face yet. The 1st couple who arrived was arrived at around 10 AM, I wrote their name on the paper so they can find me easily. After I drove them to the hotel, I must pick up another two families more at 1 PM. This time, everything was ok….except the bad news I heard from TV…boom in Jakarta. After check in to the hotel, we had lunch at ACC restaurant. This restaurant serve the food from west Sumatra and it’s well known as good Padang food in Bali.
This evening we went to Tanah Lot and spending evening there before we went to Jimbaran to enjoying the food restaurant there.
Day 4 – 18 July 2009
We woke up in the morning and took breakfast together at Pak Cik Rahmat & friend’s room. What make me love to stay at Jayakarta is because they have kitchen and since I love to cook, I do really enjoy staying in apartment with these kitchen equipment.
This day we went to Ubud and since we rent two cars, so we separated to two groups; ladies and gentlemen. For the ladies group we went to Ubud art market and did shopping almost a half day. And for the gentlemen, well…honestly speaking I’m not really sure where they went hehehe…
We had lunch at Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) at Ubud and in the evening we had dinner at Warung Italia. This day only Pak Cik Rahmat and Pak Ghani family who stay at Jayakarta, the family of Pak Fritz was already move to Ayana Resort.
Day 5 – 19 July 2009
I didn’t have the fix plan for this day yet. Coz everything still trying to fit with condition which still change every time. As other day, we had simple but good breakfast at Pak Cik Rahmat apartment. This day everybody except me and Tessa, move to Ayana resort.
In the morning the ladies went to shopping around the Legian road and the gentlemen went to Ayana resort to check in there. Afternoon we meet together in Ayana Resort and had lunch together there.
Pak Fritz asked me and Tessa to stay at Ayana, but I booked the hotel at Jayakarta till 20 so it’s pity just to leave like that without anyone staying there.
That evening was quite sad evening for me when I must say goodbye with them after all wonderful moment we had together during our stayed in Bali. It was really fun to have gathering and vacation with those wonderful people and having them as I have mom and daddy around me.
Day 6 – 20 July 2009
This day I have to move from Jayakarta and going to Lovina. Maria came in the morning with her kids; Claudia & Russel and we manage to have breakfast together. After Nadia came also with her kid; Clarissa and took a shower at the hotel coz she had problem with her bathroom’s door. Around 12 noon we left the hotel and going to search something around Legian street before we went to Ayana Resort and had lunch there with Ibu Rahmat and Ibu Evie.
Before we were heading to Lovina, we stop in several places to meet friends and also not to forget to take some shot of Bali.
We were arrived in Lovina around 9 PM and we were stayed at Aditya Beach Resort.
Day 7 – 21 July 2009
Wayan woke up us at 5 am with the hope that we can see wonderful sunrise in Lovina and then to capture it. Unfortunately, the weather was not so good so we can capture almost nothing.
We spend half morning in the hotel and just swimming. We left the hotel at 12 noon and heading to Echo beach to meet photographers friends and also hunting photo there.
That evening I had creepy experience. I booked the hotel about two weeks before the trip to Bali, also for the hotel in Sanur the place I intent to stay this night. I booked the hotel by internet and coz they not give us refund even if we cancel it, so I think we have to stay in this hotel even it was only me and Tessa who left. This hotel name is Ratna Beach Resort. We arrived at the hotel quite late and everybody was already tired and exhausted after long journey from Lovina and after all day activities. So I just check in to the reception and Wayan left us (Tessa and me).
Once I left the reception, I was bit surprise coz the hotel look empty. I asked to the bell boy who helped us carried our luggage, is there anyone else in this hotel or only us? And he answered only me and Tessa who stayed in that hotel. Wow!! Can you imagine??? The big hotel (3 storeys) and only me and Tessa who live there?? Oh no! So I just took the shower fast and asked Tessa to move to the other hotel. I left Ratna Beach hotel at about 11 PM and move to the small hotel Puri Angrek near Jayakarta Resident (Legian Area) and just stay there.
Day 8 – 22 July 2009
After the freak evening we had before, this day I just want to stay longer on the bed and enjoying the situation that I was able to sleep enough the night before. I must admit, Puri Angrek is not the best hotel I ever stay in, but somehow, I do really grateful that between tiring and fear I can still find this hotel .
Not to far, Wayan called me and 5 minutes after he arrived with his son Neo. I made quick packing and about 10 AM we left the hotel heading to airport.
The airasia flight which brought us back to Jakarta was just on time. Again, I must leave Bali and friends and a lot of memories there. I don’t know when I will back again. But all stories and experiences during my stay, I will remember forever.
Day 1 – 15 July 2009
Arrive to the hotel (Kuta or Legian) Street photography around the hotel, Chit chat bout photography, share our knowledge and discuss about the program. Exploring the sunset kissing the sea around the hotel (Kuta & Legian area).
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
Day 2 – 16 July 2009
Capturing wonderful beaches shots of scenery in Candidasa then we will go to the Water Palace or Tirta Gangga as is called. And we will have dinner at Legian.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
Day 3 – 17 July 2009
At this day, we can start our activity a little bit later. In the morning, we can take the beach scene around the hotel. We will go to take a lunch at Warung Made before continuing our trip to Besakih Temple. After, I’m sure we won’t miss the great sunset kissing the wave in Tanah Lot. Then having dinner at Discovery mall will be our option to close this day.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
Day 4 – 18 July 2009
Enjoying the entertainment of traditional dance in Bali (Batu Bulan – 9.30 am for 1 hour) & seeing the rice fields in Ubud. Enjoying lunch in the famous restaurant in Ubud at Bebek
Bengil restaurant. Take the picture of the great temple at Tampak Siring (Tirta Empul). This evening we going to enjoying our dinner at Jimbaran.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
8 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 5 – 19 July 2009
This day we will go to Elephant Cave located in Giayar not to far from rice field in Ubud. After we will going to Uluwatu to take a picture of beautiful cliff with wonderful view. This evening we will have dinner at Kuta.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
Day 6 – 20 July 2009
Taking natures photos in West Bali. We are going to stop in a wonderful spot where you can choose from all types of nature on the island of Bali to shoot. Would you like to go jungle trekking or discover the beauty of all the sea life around Bali by diving or snorkeling in Menjangan Island? Well we will if you like.
Accommodation: Aditya Resort or Melka Excelsior – Lovina
7 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 7 – 21 July 2009
Creating pictures of nature in their natural habitat isn’t easy. You will be challenge to take the photos of the dolphins from the boat in the middle of the sea in a traditional fishing boat. Then we will go to the Git Git waterfall so you can see the life giving water. After that we are going to enjoy the beauty of Buyan Lake and enjoying the panorama views of Bedugul Lake. Before resting our mind and share the stories of the day in Sanur.
Accommodation: Laghawa Beach inn or Ari Putri in Sanur
Day 8 – 22 July 2009
On our last day we are going to take in the sunrise on Sanur beach and discovering how life in Bali truly is. We will take to the streets for photography of ordinary life near the hotel.
5.30 am local time start to take shot of sunrise.
Please contact baligoddessisland@yahoo.com for any further question and more information bout this trip (such as the price of the trip etc).
See you there…
Falling in love at the 1st sight. Yes that what happened to me. That what I felt when the 1st time I went to Kiluan Island in Lampung Bay. Beautiful small island surround by the mountain and some rock pop up from the sea made me freeze in the wonder of the world.
For this reason, I plan to make trip to Kiluan again for end of this month. And the itinerary for this trip is:
Friday, 29 May 2009
22.00 – leave Jakarta heading to Lampung by car and boat
Saturday, 30 May 2009
06.00 – Arrive in Lampung
06.30 – 07.30 Shower
07.30 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 Leave Bandar Lampung heading to Kiluan
11.30 Arrive in Kiluan Island
11.30 Free leisure
Sunday, 31 May 2009
05.30 Preparation for Dolphins tour
06.00 – 09.00 Dolphin tour
09.00 – 10.00 Breakfast
10.00 – Leave the island heading to Bandar Lampung
13.00 – Arrive in Bandar Lampung
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 Leave Bandar Lampung back to Jakarta
22.00 Arrive in Jakarta
The cost for this trip will be Rp. 850.000/person (US $ 85)
The package includes:
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- 5 times meal
- Dolphins tour
The fact that you need to know:
- Kiluan is virgin island, there haven’t hotel or any villa yet. We will just live homestay with the family who live there (the only one family who live in that island).
- You can do snorkeling in this island and also diving. But, please bring your own equipment since they don’t have any rental equipment yet in this island.
- Do not forget to bring your personal medicine (if you need any) and your personal toiletries (towel, tooth brush, soap, shampoo etc)
- Do not forget to bring your camera. I’m sure you won’t miss the sunset or the sunrise while we playing with dolphins in the middle of the sea.
- Please prepare insect repellent to prevent any insect there.
For any further information for this trip, do not hesitate to contact me at baligoddessislan@yahoo.com
See you soon…
Yes!! Finally I knew that I’ll have tour trip again soon. That my reaction when Mr. Richard Richert told me that he will come to Indonesia with his son Eric (they are from France) few months ago. So from that day, I started to arrange the trip for us. Since we went to Bali for several times already, so I gave him some options to visit some other places in Indonesia. Sometime it’s not easy to become tour guide and arrange the trip for someone. We must think the peoples interest and also not to forget bout the budget which must be fit with them.
Finally after giving some option, we decided to go to Bromo (east Java), Kiluan bay in Lampung (Sumatra) and then we’ll end the trip just to go around west Java.
Sunday 19 April 2009
Mr. Richert and Eric arrived in Jakarta. I booked hotel in Grand Melia hotel already. Normally, I always show my present if my client check in to the hotel or even pick them up. But this time since I was ill and they arrived really late and also we going to leave to go to Bromo very early for the next day (Monday 20 April 2009 flight at 6.50 am), so I decided to check in to the hotel for them 1st and left the things they need in the hotel then I left. Around 11 PM I heard my phone rang and Mr. Richert told me that he has arrived to the hotel already.
Monday 20 April 2009
I left my house exactly at 4 am in the morning. I ordered taxi from the night before with very reliable taxi company; Blue Bird Group just to make sure that I won’t be late to reach airport. I picked up Mr. Richert and Eric in the hotel 1st before we were going to the airport. This time, was the 1st time for me to take the flight from terminal 3 Sukarno Hatta Airport – Jakarta and honestly speaking I was quite impressed by the condition of this new airport. Nice, clean and tidy even the facility isn’t completed yet and I hope isn’t like this because it’s just new. We took AirAsia to fly us to Surabaya. The trip was nice and smooth and we reached Surabaya on time as schedule. That time was the 1st time for me to took the flight from Jakarta to Surabaya (Juanda Airport) and I just knew if the airport isn’t located in Surabaya but in other city near by name Sidoarjo. It’s took me one hour from airport to the city centre.
Thanks to my friend Tiwi who living in Surabaya, she informs me all the condition and gave me all the necessary information before we went to Bromo.
Its have two ways to go to Bromo. One by Pananjakan and the
other one are by Probolinggo. All those way will bring us to Bromos just we
will arrive from different direction. Since I already booked the hotel in
Cemoro Lawang area (Bromo Permai Hotel I) we supposed going to Bromo from
Probolinggo, but as my friend’s friends recommendation we took “wrong” way and
arrived in Bromo through Panajakan.
Sometime being lost isn’t lost at all. By going from different direction we were able to saw a lot of beautiful places and incredible view where we can only find it if we go to Bromo through Panajakan. Even the difficulties of the road we must past, but still its worth with the view we can see. Even thought like that, I’m not really recommendation this road for somebody who not familiar with this place coz as my driver said, this road is quite dangerous (and unfortunately because of that he not dare to stop just to let me to take photos of the view).
Finally after long road and some difficulties we found the entrance to go to Bromo. Unfortunately this wasn’t the way to go to our hotel. After asked to the guard who guarding the Bromo tourist area he told me there are two option for us to take; go around back again and then entering Bromo by Probolinggo or we can hire guide to lead us to across the ocean of the sand which is quite dangerous for the new comer who don’t know the save road. I finally choose the 2nd option. Even though quite difficult, but finally we manage to across to other side with the bonus of wonderful view which is quite rare see by other tourist.
After long and tiring journey, we finally found our hotel in Cemoro Lawang. It was raining and the weather was cold, it was bout 150 C. I booked also for the jeep which can bring us to go to the top of Bromo to see the sunrise for the next day. The jeep cost Rp. 275.000,- and they will leave from hotel about 4 am so we must ready to wake up before.
Tuesday 21 April 2009
The hotel bell boy woke me up at 3.30 am. I know my
condition still not fit well. But I also exited to see the beauty of sunrise in
Bromo. Exactly by 4 am we went to Pananjakan with other jeep which was rented
by the group who stayed with us in same hotel. Unfortunately, that day was
cloudy. We can’t perfectly see the sunrise coz covered by fog and mist. After
the sun had rise, we went to Bromo to see the sulfur crater. The jeep dropped
us to nearest point to go to top of Bromo. We can walk after or take the horse
rent. The horse rent cost Rp 50.000 – Rp. 100.000,- / person return. Just for
your tips, keep the ticket they’ll give and just pay them after you reach back
to your jeep. With my condition (I felt ill more than before) I was choose to
take the horse to ride me to the stair of sulfur crater in Bromo.
We just stayed about 30 minutes there before we go down then heading back to Surabaya at 9 am.
In Surabaya we stayed in Somerset hotel. That evening we went to the biggest red light district area in Surabaya, Gang Dolly. Honestly I want to take pictures of that place but due to the security reason, I was not allowed by my driver to go down. We took the dinner in Sampoerna place. Sampoerna is one of the biggest cigarette producers in Indonesia.
Wednesday 22 April 2009
This day we went back to Jakarta. We took the flight in the late afternoon (3 PM by AirAsia). We reached Jakarta around 4 PM, after taken our lunch and dinner (we joined it together) in Pisa Kafe, we went to the bus station in Gambir to bring us to Lampung. The bus left on time at 9 PM. For me, taking the boat in the night is just normal. But not for Mr. Richert and Eric. Fortunately the weather was great. We can saw a lot of beautiful stars shining on the sky like billion diamonds.
Thursday 23 April 2009
We reached Lampung very early in the morning (3.30 am). We went to my mom house to take a rest there for a while.
The agenda of this day was just to visited Tangkil island and Pasir Putih beach. After rested for a while, we went to the Tangkil Island at 9.30 am. I rented the boat from Muthun beach just to bring us to the island. Eric was happy coz that day wasn’t public holiday, so the island we can say just belong to us. After we snorkel around the island and sunbathing we back to my mom’s house to take lunch there.
At 3 am we went to Pasir Putih beach. Actually my plan was to do another snorkel in the snorkel spot near Condong Island. Unfortunately the weather was bad and the waves were big and unsafe for us to do that activity. This evening I introduce Mr. Richert and Eric Indonesian cuisine. We took Nasi Uduk for dinner in small restaurant near my mom’s house. After all long tiring day and trip, we finally went home and resting at home.
Friday 24 April 2009
The schedule of today is to see village side and going to Kiluan bay. We started at 9 am and went to the little village in Sekampung which still have rice harvesting. After went around take token some photos we heading back to Bandar Lampung to go to Kiluan Bay and spend the night there to see the dolphins in the next morning.
To go to Kiluan bay, we need high wheel car and special guide who can show us the road. The road to go there is still under construction and a lot of broken road so we need to have special skills to drive the car just to pass this road. After about 3 hours journey, finally we reached the Kiluan bay at 6 PM. Unfortunately the sun had already set. I just saw the rest of wonderful colors left on the sky. We need to took the traditional boat which just enough for us (we were 6 persons) to bring us to the Kiluan Island. After 15 minutes on the boat we reach the small island which just occupied by 5 peoples (one family) who lived there.
We lived in very simple accommodation and feel the life like Indiana Jones. There is no electrical in this island, we just use conventional lighting also solar power which just enough for few hours in the evening to light up bit the dark night. Also no signal for any kind of mobile phone yet in this island, so if you want to have bit signal, you need to stand up near by the beach to have Telkomsel (the name of the provider) signal. If you want to feel to live and life back to the nature, this island is the perfect place for that.
Saturday 25 April 2009
I woke up at 5 am and saw the view around. I did really
impressed by what the nature serve for us. We stayed in small island which is
surround by the rock in the sea and also mountain like the wonderland. I just
saw all of that in the morning since we reach the island when was already dark.
At 6 am we went to the middle of the sea. For the safety, we took two boats for 4 or us. After sailing for about 20 minuets and waiting for bout 10 minutes I saw the groups of dolphins swim toward us. It was mix feeling I had, exited and impressed by all of that. We spent bout two hours on the boat running from one other dolphins groups to another. I saw maybe bout thousands more of dolphin there. We toke a lot of photos and the moments which maybe just come once for a while.
There are two kind of dolphin in this bay and in the late morning (9 – 10 am) all those two kinds of dolphins’ joint and reunion together just in the front of us. What the wonder of the world. After the dolphins tour we went back to the island and swimming on the beach and did little bit jungle trekking there.
We left the island at 2 PM and heading back to Bandar Lampung (the capital of Lampung).
That evening we still bring all those wonderful and unforgettable memories in our mind. Bring back some lovely stories to my family which waiting for our return.
Sunday 26 April 2009
In the morning we were ready to leave Lampung and went back to Jakarta. My brother sent us to the bus station in Bandar Lampung. Exactly at 10 am we left Lampung and back to Jakarta.
We reach Jakarta around 6 PM, not a lot of traffic jam because it was Sunday. I sent Mr. Richert and Eric to Grand Melia Hotel in Jalan Rasuna Said before we went to had dinner in Louwie in Oakwood building – Mega Kuningan area. After dinner I went back home and just prepared my self for the trip the next day to west Java.
Monday 27 April 2009
This day the trip was the easier for me rather than the other trip we had before. The plan for this day just will go to Cilember Waterfall then going to Bandung (the capital of west Java). I left home at 8 am and reach hotel bout 10 am. We went to the Cilember waterfall directly. I took a shower there….the water was cool and fresh, great enough to woke me up. After bout one hour there, we went directly to Bandung through Cipanas. We didn’t taken toll road just to see around and planed will take toll on the way back.
We arrived in Bandung at 6 pm and stayed in Grand Serela hotel. Nice boutique hotel in Bandung in Marthadinata street (Riau Street). This hotel surround by factory outlet and very suitable for whom love shopping.
Tuesday 28 April 2009
Actually this day I planed to bring them to White crater in Ciwidey. Unfortunately, Mr. Richert has had a problem with his feet so he can’t walk properly. So after walk around the hotel for a while with Eric (we left Mr. Richert in the hotel room), we went back to Jakarta at 12 noon. This time, we took the toll road Cipularang and arrived in Jakarta at 2 pm. I brought them to my house to have lunch and I cooked for them. Well, I love to cook and they love the food I cooked too.
After we had our lunch, I sent them to the Grand Melia hotel to stay until the next day and going back to France.
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Sad moment, I must say goodbye to Mr. Richert and Eric. I arrived in the hotel at 12 noon, after we check out; we went directly to the airport. It took bout 45 minutes for us to reach airport. Actually they flight was at 5 pm. But they need to meet their friend 1st.
It was always sad moment for me, but when ever we meet, we must ready to say goodbye. I just hope that one day we can meet again…and spend great moment again.
Au revoir…
Day 1 – 15 July 2009
Arrive to the hotel (Kuta or Legian) Street photography around the hotel, Chit chat bout photography, share our knowledge and discuss about the program. Exploring the sunset kissing the sea around the hotel (Kuta & Legian area).
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
Day 2 – 16 July 2009
Enjoying the entertainment of traditional dance in Bali (Batu Bulan – 9.30 am for 1 hour) & seeing the rice fields in Ubud. In the evening we are going to the Uluwatu Temple in Uluwatu.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
8 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 3 – 17 July 2009
Let’s discovering Bali island by the boat! Bounty Cruises will answer all our questions about the great island of Bali. We will go to Nusa Penida Island and enjoy the sunset kissing the waves in Tanah Lot, then have dinner on the famous Cangu Beach.
Accommodation: Jayakarta Hotel
8 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 4 – 18 July 2009
Taking natures photos in West Bali. We are going to stop in a wonderful spot where you can choose from all types of nature on the island of Bali to shoot. Would you like to go jungle trekking or discover the beauty of all the sea life around Bali by diving or snorkeling in Menjangan Island? Well we will if you like.
Accommodation: Aditya Resort or Melka Excelsior – Lovina
7 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 5 – 19 July 2009
Creating pictures of nature in their natural habitat isn’t easy. You will be challenge to take the photos of the dolphins from the boat in the middle of the sea in a traditional fishing boat. Then we will go to the Git Git waterfall so you can see the life giving water. After that we are going to enjoy the beauty of Buyan Lake and enjoying the panorama views of Bedugul Lake.
Accommodation: Hotel in Kintamani (www.kedisan.com)
5.30 am local time starts from the hotel
Day 6 – 20 July 2009
Our next tour to Kintamani, Besakih Temple and we have lunch at Mahagiri resort. After that we will enjoy our evening and have dinner at Candidasa.
Accommodation: Puri Bagus hotel – Candidasa
5.30 am local time start to take shot of sunrise
Day 7 – 21 July 2009
Capturing wonderful beaches shots of scenery in Candidasa then we will go to the Water Palace or Tirta Gangga as is called. Then travel to Tampak Siring Palace (Tirta Empul) before enjoying evening in Jimbaran.
Accommodation: Laghawa Beach inn or Ari Putri in Sanur
Day 8 – 22 July 2009
On our last day we are going to take in the sunrise on Sanur beach and discovering how life in Bali truly is. We will Take to the streets for photography of ordinary life near the hotel.
5.30 am local time start to take shot of sunrise
Budget:
Single $725 USD
Twin share @ $520 USD
The price includes:
- Buffet lunches
- Accommodation. Breakfasts will depend on the hotel regulation.
- Transportations.
- The Bounty cruise package
The price does not
include: Any entrance fees to the sightseeing place.
The latest confirmation and the booking for this tour is 30th June 2009.
For further information please contact us: baligoddessisland@yahoo.com
Are you searching for a way to ring in your New Year? Bali Goddess Island Travel is offering you and your friends a celebration like no other! We have put together a New Year’s vacation package to the beautiful vacation destination of Lampung, Indonesia.
The trip will be begin in the city of Jakarta were we will meet you as you get off the plane. We will take you or a group of you by car to see wonderful view’s of Sunda Strait The Gateway to the Spice Islands or “Selat Sunda” as it’s know by the Indonesian people were we will take a boat ride to get to Lampung.
Trip Itinerary
30 December 2008 – 1 January 2009
To reach Lampung we need to go to the City of Merak and crossover by boat to the Port of Bakauheni in
Lampung, the boat journey will take just about 2 hours. When we dock we will take you to where we have booked you into the Travellers Krakatoa Nirwana Resortso you can rest from your long journey a bit and the get ready to toast in the New Year and party by the poolside. This resort has much to offer travels and we have worked with the resort to plan and make sure your stay and New Year’s Party will be one to remember so bring your camera and your friends for a trip to remember.
Then we will take a scenic picturesque trip out to Travellers Krakatoa Nirwana Resort where we have booked you to one of the newest most luxurious resorts in Indonesia.
This resort is sits right on the beach and faces the legendary Krakatoa Volcano in the Sunda Strait, this unbelievable resort has so much to see and do you will be amazed. After spending time at this resort you will be able to tell all your friends and family about the world renowned hospitality of the Indonesian people and truly know what “catering to your every need” means. (www.krakatoa-nirwana.com/home.htm)
1st January 2009
On our first day of the year after ringing in the New Year’s with your friends and family we will head to the capital city of Lampung to glimpse and experience how the people live. You will be able to see, taste, smell and shop to heart’s content and see all this historic city has to offer.
2nd of January 2009
We are going to visiting one of the most beautiful islands off the coast of Lampung. The Island of corals is a small virgin island where you can do some snorkeling around the island and see some of the most unique sea life you will ever see. Or maybe you can take a leisurely day of sunbathing on the beach with whitest sands you have ever put your toes in and just play in the surf. (www.bukitrandu.com)
3rd of January 2009
We are going to leave Lampung and travel to the Tanjung Lesung Resort, this resort is another jewel in the crown of Indonesian resorts. The beaches in west Java are something you just have to experience for yourself and at the Tanjung Lesung Resort they have spared no expense so you can have a memorable time. How does snorkeling and scuba diving, sailing, sport fishing, jet skiing or a day at the spa and try a traditional Sudanese massage sound as a good start? We guarantee once you experience the relaxing lifestyle of the Tanjung Lesung Resort you will remember it for the rest of your lives. (www.tanjunglesung.com/hotel.html)
4th of January 2009
On this day we will be able to see one of the natural wonders of the world, we have arranged to take you and your group to the Krakatoa Volcano for a tour and day of adventure. We will travel by boat to the Krakatau Island National Reserve to have a day of snorkeling and hiking around the island reserve.
After we are done at Krakatoa we travel by plane to Bandung in West Java so we can see the Kawah Putih or (White Crater) in Mantane Ciwidey. We will stay at the Strawberry Resort which is named for its location in the middle of the strawberries farms of Java. So be prepared to try some Javanese mountain strawberries and try some drink of Bandrek, the traditional Sudanese beverage made from ginger and brown palm sugar.
5th of January 2009
Have you ever walked into the mouth of an active crater? Well we have arranged for you to do just that. We will take you to the Kawah Putih or (White Crater) in Mantane Ciwidey and let you walk right in the streaming creator. Nestled up in the mountains this natural creator has awed visitors for years, and you can see for miles at the top of this mountain as you take off your shoes and soak you feet or wade waste deep in the warm natural milky white sulfur water that is legendary for healing all sorts of ailments.
After rejuvenating yourself in the waters of Kawah Putih we will take you to Bandung city to visit some factory outlet stores to and let you satisfy your shopping desire by buying well known products at reasonable prices, you won’t believe the deals you can get.
As the evening approaches we are going to travel to our next destination, the city of Puncak and the Novus Puncak Resort & Spa. Tucked away up in the green lush mountains this resort takes advantage of the natural surroundings to make you stay a relaxing one. (www.novuspuncak.com)
6th of January 2009
After we take our coffee or in the morning and enjoying the spa and the unbelievable local Indonesian food at the Puncak Café we have even more planed for you to see. Our next stop is the Taman Safari Park to see how various wild animals live their natural habitat. So we hope your camera still has room for more amazing shots of animals like the White Tigers, Red Pandas and the Long Horned Watusi. There are 2500 different kinds of animals along with many rare types of animals you can only see in Indonesia.
When the Safari is done we will take you all the back to where our journey begin at the airport so you can get back home or continue your adventure. As with all of our adventure tours are guides are professional and accommodating and will be able to address your needs on the trip. If you have any special requests we ask you please tell us ahead of time so we are sure to plan properly for it. We at Bali Goddess Island Travel hope you will join us and start the New Year in a new and exciting way.
The tour package price is:
USD: 1200.00 per person – Single
USD: 1000.00 per person – couple/twin sharing
This price includes:
- Your room bookings at all hotels listed, rooms are booked with twin beds unless otherwise asked for different accommodations.
- A morning buffet breakfast at all hotels.
- One of our experienced tour leaders with you during the whole trip to answer all of your questions and see to your needs.
- A professional driver to take care of all vehicle safety and needs.
Special Considerations:
- Airfare, entry fees to all tourist attractions are not included so please remember to bring your spending money.
- Travel medical insurance is mandatory and is not included.
- Our tour will be limited up to 30 people. Any other travel will have to be negotiated in a separate agreement with www.Baligoddessisland.vox.com.
- If you need any further information about the trip or if you need to arrange a special request from our group please do not hesitate to contact us in Baligoddessisland@yahoo.com.
- Our flickr photo is : http://www.flickr.com/photos/baligoddessisland/
Spend six days in a food lovers paradise during a culinary tour of Java
Join Bali Goddess Island Tours as we take you on an exploration of the culinary tastes and cultural traditions of Java Island in Indonesia. You will visit homes and world renowned restaurants to learn from the very people who keep the culinary culture alive and well. Java Island is unique in the way food has evolved into very different tastes and experiences depending on which island you are on. We have split Java Island into 3 parts East, Central and West so you can get the full understanding of the culture, its people and what has influenced the foods enjoyed in each province.
You will prepare authentic Javanese and Indonesian dishes under the guidance of traditionally trained artisans to create regional menus and then take part in the feast you have created. They will teach you how to pick out and prepare the ingredients for each dish as we take you through the local markets where you can buy from local food artisans and growers. As well as cooking at each destination we will also eat at local restaurants so you can develop a taste for this truly wonderful food, and of course take in the local time-honored shows and cultural events so you can see for yourself the true beauty of Java and its people.
At each stop your every need will be taken care of, we have booked you at hotels with a full list of luxury accommodation and amenities. We will pick you up each day at your hotel and take you to each destination on our culinary route thru Java, we will be stopping at the local sightseeing places as well so you don’t miss anything. Don’t forget the camera! Please contact us Bali Goddess Island Tours as soon as possible. We like to keep the group smaller so everyone can learn from our chefs.
Bali Goddess Island traveled to Bali once more with a group of people from July 26 thru 30th and it was defiantly adventurous tour group that came this time. Even thou the tour are just for four days it was quite different than the other tours we have taken our tour groups on.
We arrived in Bali at Ngurah Rai Airport on Saturday about 1 p.m. local Bali time and seeing as our next destination was a 3 hours journey from the city center and the airport we decided to take our lunch in one of the restaurant at Discovery Mall in Jalan Kartika plaza. After we finished our lunch we were ready to start our journey, but we caught the aroma of fresh baked bread so we stop by the Bread Talk store to buy some bread and then pop next door to Galael candy store to buy some water taffy and other yummy candy’s, now we were ready for the trip.
This time, the journey was feeling really far because we met several traffic jams on the way. And seeing at it was a holiday season we expected to see several religious celebrations along the way but we unfortunately got stuck in some places but it wasn’t to bad and just made getting to our first stop in Lovina all that much more exciting. We arrived in Lovina at about 6 p.m. and checking in to Melka Excelsior Hotel which is just about 5 minutes walk from the beach. That night we didn’t really go anywhere, we just went to the beach to take some photos then back to the hotel where we had a wonderful dinner. The tour group was anxious for the next day because we plan to see the dolphin’s that live nearby out at sea, and dolphin sightseeing normally starts early in the morning about 5.30 am.
The 2nd day, we woke up early morning and prepared for spending the day with the dolphins in the middle of the ocean. When we headed down to Lovina beach and rented a boat to go play with the dolphins but the only boat available to us can only be used by a maximum 5 people at a time, and on this tour group there were 24 people. Lucky for us I knew the people who rented the boats having working with them in the past and we all got out that day to see the dolphins. Except for us, there were a lot of people waiting in line to go dolphin sightseeing. In Lovina seeing the wild dolphins in their natural environment is the main attraction and my tour group was so pleased I booked the boat from our hotel to see this dolphin on the sea. There are a lot of people and companies offering this dolphin show outside the hotel and they offer very competitive prices and some were lower than what hotel offer, but not all are experienced at piloting a boat so I pick a group that I know and trust and could insure the group’s safety.
I never realized it before but you need a lot of passion for the animal just to go and see them. After all they are wild creatures in the natural environment and we can’t expect them to give us the show like what you can see at a SeaWorld or a big aquarium. The trip was from 6.30 am when we started to sail out and meet them and we finished the sightseeing trip about 9 am. There had to be more than 30 boats out there with us and one of the guides explained their behavior to us like this. Dolphin love to come out and play in the warm early morning temperature, so if the sun is already high and it’s already really hot, it will be less likely to see the dolphin’s in their environment.
After we chased the dolphins out on the sea, we went back to the hotel to have some breakfast. Unfortunately, the breakfast wasn’t so good, there weren’t many choices for a good breakfast buffet and some of them were already all gone.
After breakfast, we continue our journey to West Bali….one of the best place in Bali for snorkeling and jungle trekking. We stayed at the Mimpi Menjangan Resort which has really beautiful and well done landscaping at the resort, it’s very tranquil place to stay. If you hope for the fast pace of a big city Bali is not the right place for you, coz this place will offer you the calm and peaceful atmosphere you can expect from the paradise island of Bali.
After we checked in to the hotel, we went to rent a boat to
go snorkeling around the Menjangan
Island. This island is
approximately about 30 minute’s journey by boat from the main island. This was the 1st time I had ever
been to the island so I was just as excited to go as my tour group. I was so
impressed with the panoramic view of this island, it was truly splendid. We
spent a lot of our snorkeling time discovering and exploring the coral reefs
around this island with a local reliable tour guide who specializes in
snorkeling around coral reefs. It was really an incredible experience I have
had in my life. Around 5 pm we headed back to the hotel with the many great
memories of the things we saw under the water in our minds. We had dinner in
the hotel restaurant because we couldn’t find any restaurant nearby still open
or had a short waiting to get in and we were hungry. So the only one choice was
just to eat at the hotel or like some of the group just went to the store and
took it back to their rooms to relax and snack.
The 3rd day we woke up very really early at 4 am, mostly because we need to send some of our guest in the group to the airport to catch the flight at 11 am and the distance from our hotel to the airport is about a 3 hours journey. On the way to the airport, we made stop over in some places just to take snap shot or two of the views around us.
We reached airport early with plenty of time to spare, but not enough sleep yet and we still had a full day of activities for Ragil and I. We went and picked up some coffee at Starbuck at the airport to jump start us. After that we checked in again to the hotel in Kuta (Kuta Lagoon Hotel) then that we went to Pasar Sukowati to buy some souvenirs to bring to UK then back again to the hotel just to spent time out by swimming pool in the hotel. We were so tired we just had diner outside and went to bed early to bet enough rest to prepare to explore Bali the next day.
On the 4th day we rented motorbike from Pak Putu, that’s a automatic scooter which is really suitable for the women. This time was the 1st time for us to discover Bali by scooter, and it was really fun. We had no real or exact destination; we just hit the road and stopped where ever we felt to have some drinks and just to have lunch. For lunch, we finally choose a place called Warung Italia, a nice place and quite affordable food prices. I recommend this place for the tourist who stays for quite sometime in Bali. It’s the perfect place to have a good meal at a good price.
At around 4 pm we met our Flicker friends group in Bali, by the way for those who don’t know Flicker is an online photo sharing site where I post some of my photography work. Our group had a gathering at the double six beach, were we took some photos. After the sun went down, our friends invited us to visit one of their friends home. They are really nice people and we had dinner there and we had really wonderful time.
We got back to the hotel at 9 pm and prepared to have long night from one club to another having fun dancing the night away. This time we tried new club The Living Room. But this club didn’t really live up to our expectation. So then we went to a night club called Déjà vu were we danced till 4 am. We had a blast and recommend it to people if they want to try it. We then headed back to the hotel to crash and sleep.
After very long night of fun we woke up really late and at around 10 am thanks to the phone call from Pak Putu. Lucky we already finished packing from the day before and we just have enough time to take in a fast breakfast and a shower then hurry to the airport to catch our flight with Mandala airline.
Our wonderful time in Bali was finished and we have plenty of memories and pictures of our trip. We just hope that one day we can back again to Bali….to meet the people there…to discover new things…and to experience more.
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Goofy said:
Wow... this blog entry makes me longing to be there.... read more
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