Bali Bali Bali
I cannot say enough good things about this amazing place.I did complete justice to my vacation by planning my trip here.This place will certainly grow on you.
Just put parties, serene beaches, shopping, the adrenaline rush of water sports, other activities, beautiful temples, waterfalls, coffee plantations & much more into a grinder & imagine what the outcome would be.....THAT'S BALI!
I know you guys will enjoy the pictures & videos more than my write up.So come explore Bali with me...
A getaway with my lovely fiancé got me to Bali where we cleared immigration(Visa for Indians is free, you don't need to take any document from the airport or anywhere else) & was received by a personnel who handed us the final itinerary with a local sim card. (personnel from the company that my travel agent & also a family friend booked our reservation for all the activities & stay as well, it was worth the investment made by Mr Amit Pacheriwala who planned the itinerary according to my wish, for more details visit http://www.tridentholidays.in/ )
We then checked into Sofitel hotel in Nusa Dua, a luxurious & an amazing property with of course its private beach (Check out my video of my entire tour on my youtube channel).In the meanwhile look at this gorgeous property.
DAY 1 - BALI COLLECTION
Since we landed in the afternoon we rested & left for the market in the evening followed by dinner.This place is 20 mins away from Sofitel.You can use a rented bike or book a cab or walk to this place.We preferred to walk & trust me you'll do the same if you stay here.As we were walking towards this market we were taking in the scenic beauty of the beach.
This place has almost everything for everyone, from souvenir shops to sportswear, salons, some designer labels, great restaurants, live music, etc.
P.S. Don't take ladies with you if you don't want to get bankrupt..just kidding!
Day 2 - Water-sports & Bali Hai Sunset Dinner Cruise
We are too intelligent, so we thought of combining water sports with our cruise dinner so that we get day 3 off to explore Bali on our own (just kidding it was suggested by our driver & that's what we did).
Our package had scuba diving & snorkelling but we added flying board & parasailing as well.Of course, a GREAT DECISION!
Soon after we were done with our water sports activities we stopped by an Indian restaurant "Queens of India" for our lunch.
I can't say anything bad about food especially Indian.
Later we rushed back to the hotel to get ready for our SUNSET CRUISE DINNER.To our surprise, there were some performances which were really entertaining.Overall it was a 2 and a half or nearly 3-hour programme at the cruise.We started at 1800 & came back by 2100.
Day 3 - Exploring Bali
We left by nine in the morning to visit Coffee plantation, Bali Art Souvenir, Batuan Temple, Tegenungan Waterfall & lastly Tanah Lot temple.
Coffee plantation - I must say I was pretty amazed by this place.I drank 7 different types of tea & 7 types of coffee purely made in that plantation.It was definitely not the regular tea or coffee that we drink in our daily lives.it tasted really nice.
Luwak coffee is named after this animal Luwak.His best poop is collected & then garnished & processed to get this coffee.The food that he eats in the plantation gets fermented in his digestive track naturally..For more details check my youtube channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf8j1bIkAPnSNy368_eXiJA
After our much informative tour of this plantation, we went to Bali Art Souvenir Shop located near to this plantation from where we got some great Balinese stuff.As the name suggests it had souvenirs, clothes, home decor, handmade Balinese bags, Balinese Tea/Coffee, Soaps, creams & the list is endless.And we shopped like crazy.
Next stop was Batuan Temple locally referred as Pura Puseh Ian Pura Desa Adat Batuan.It's a focal landmark in the village known as Batuan, known for its traditional Balinese paintings & art.The Hindu & Indian influence in the region is pretty evident from the carvings of this temple.
The most notable landmark in the village is Pura Puseh, an ancient structure of 11th century.The pillar that you see is a Throne shaped shrine dedicated to the supreme god.The depiction includes a Bhoma head overlooking the main gateway, Lord Vishnu astride a bull, great elephants on the central stairway & Lord Shiva standing amongst the skulls.
Since I'm a water baby I was drawn towards Tegenungan Waterfall.This place is a paradise for every romantic person or a nature lover as well.This attraction also has a viewing point to the jungle & the waterfall at the main entrance.
Our final attraction was Tanah Lot Temple."Tanah Lot" means "Land in the Sea".The temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously for years by the ocean tide.It is one of the seven sea temples around the Balinese coast.At the base of this island, venomous sea snakes are believed to guard this temple from evil spirits & intruders.
Pura Batu Bolong is another Temple near Tanah Lot.
VIEW OF PURA BATU BOLONG TEMPLE NEAR TANAH LOT
Our day ended with an amazing dinner with an amazing view.We went to Rockbar in Ayana Resort & Spa.This place is a must to visit if you are in Bali.But make sure to book your reservation at least 2 days prior(you'll know why).Just google this place & you'll see how it looks in the day.
Day 4 - White Water River Rafting in Ayung River
Adrenaline rush alert!!! An extremely adventurous day as we did rafting in Ayung River. (For videos head over to my channel).Let me warn you, there's a lot of walk involved so do your cardio one day prior.
Day 5 - Kuta And Sofitel Beach
We left for Kuta in the late afternoon as we were coping with the muscle pain from rafting.We rented a bike & rode to Kuta.I sat on the bike after a millennium.
This beach has a lot of activities & is slightly more crowded as it's a public beach.The suitable tides of Indian Ocean (depends on the season) serves a good place to learn surfing, which you'll find a lot on this beach.
We left for our hotel after experiencing a good relaxing time at our hotel's beach.
Day 6 - Adios Bali
With a heavy heart, we left for the airport but I also learnt that I reached up to 1K followers on Instagram which made me really happy, don’t judge, it’s a happy moment for me (Instagram: @sumeira_sufiya).There were so many places that we wanted to go but due to limited time, we couldn't, however, there's always a 'next time'.
I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it.DO MAKE SURE TO VISIT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf8j1bIkAPnSNy368_eXiJA
I would love to hear all the questions from you guys, so keep them coming.Until then I'll see you on my next destination.Safe Travels everyone!