Bali: Beauty Beyond the Sand

Travel Date: 24-27 Oct 2010

I thought of using such a title because one of the many criteria of beach lovers lies in the pristineness of the sand. If that was only case, then Bali will be a total failure. But Bali is more than that. The place has its certain authenticity if you would drive away from where you can find the giant waves.

Disclaimer: I still do not adore Bali like any beaches in Malaysia and Philippines. It is still as overrated as what some travel books have claimed. But here are some questions:

1. Do you love getting yourself tanned while listening to the music of the waves?
2. Do you adore colorful fish boats and surf boards like you were inside a postcard?
3. Do you want to get yourself drunk (don't miss Bintang) and still have enough cash to shop or even drink some more?
4. Do you want to witness the naked sunset by the beach?
5. Do you want to feel like a celebrity? (ha ha ha)

Well one Yes is enough reason for you to be there (if you don't like the sun then go away!). And here are some practical tips:

1. Take a window seat if you travel daytime to Bali. You will have the chance to bird's-eye-view the entire shore line which is most likely your destination.
2. If you arrived in Bali late at night, make sure to take the airport cab. We paid INR60k from the airport to the Sunset Hotel. It's always safe to take the BlueBird cab.
3. Bali beach in the south is divided into four areas (with Kuta being the famous)...
4. You can rent a motorbike for INR15k a day. All you need is a passport. Fuel your own motorbike though which is certainly cheap. That way you can explore other sides of Bali than being a surfing destination. Also, Bali gets terribly traffic so motorbike is a better alternative to your impatience.
5. Do not get annoyed when almost everyone in Bali asks you "where do you come from". Just humour them. It's their fascination.
6. Careful with the money changer. Do not go to those who offer much higher rate than the usual market price. They are bogus. Or, avoid those money changers that are stationed inside a shop. You know why they're hiding!
7. Never get tired to bargain! Bargain! Bargain! Bargain! Leave the shop if you must but do not ever give in to their price! In fact, the more you walk away, the more they will lower the price. And never give them a price! Let them name their price first then start with almost just 1/3 of that. You will be amazed!
8. Befriend your tour guide because the next time you visit Bali, you can directly hire them and you will half the price of the tour compared to getting them from your hotel. You can contact our tour guide,he's a cool dude:

Name: Gede Wirya
Mobile: 081 236 71015

9. Stay away from any guys discreetly selling mushrooms! Imagine a pot session but only you eat cooked mushrooms. And the effect? Much much higher than marijuana. I interviewed some locals and that is how it was described. (defensive!)

- Where To Go -

You need a day to visit the following:

Sari Amerta Batik and Weaving
Celuk Village -an entire village of jewellery shops!
Sukawati - cheap market place
Ubud - a cheap and much bigger market place
Tanah Lot - temple by the beach

Although Ubud is famous for most shoppers, I suggest that you buy what you can in Sukawati because you cam bargain there more. Prices in Ubud is very tourist-oriented.

2. Uluwatu - Dreamland Beach - Seafood place

These are just in one side of the island so spending a day here is just right. You will end your day having dinner in those seafood area (my bad I forgot what's it called :( )

- Night Life - 4/5

Go to Legian or Kuta St. You don't even have to worry if you're soaking wet from the beach when going to the bar because some bars there do not have such dress codes!

- Accommodation - 4/5

We stayed in Sunset Hotel. It's cheap and clean! Although the only drawback was that it's 10mins away from the beach so if you want quick access to the sand, then better to get accommodations near the beach. But it will never be cheap!

- Food - 4/5

There is a variety of choices in Bali. A must try is the Babi Guling in Ibu Oka Restaurant. It's a roasted suckling pig as specialty of Bali. Ibu Oka is on the way to Sukawati. Most tours would stop there for lunch.

Into The Blue: Redang Island, Malaysia

Travel Date: 06-09 Aug 2010

The moment the island captured my sight from a fair distance, I knew that we are meant for each other. I am stunned. My world stops as the panorama continues to hypnotize me. Simply captivating. And there I was, setting my first step on its crystal clear water and my first footprint on the pristine white sand of Redang Island.

Apologies, that's what love can do with my words. Now for some cool facts and experience...

Being at the shore to witness sunrise is the best definition of the phrase 'brand new day'. Some guests have probably been staying there for quite a few days that they started doing their morning rituals, jogging, sipping coffee, or reading magazines in front of their villa.

There is nothing much you can do in Redang aside from swimming, snorkeling, diving, sunning yourself to tan, party all night like you own the dance floor, play with the fish near the shore, and witness fireworks if you get lucky. So if this doesn't sound fun to you, the island is not your place. Otherwise, pack your goggles, surf shorts, or swimsuits and revive your nearly boring days in Redang.

- From Dusk 'Til Dawn - Rate: 2.5/5

Sunrise is perfect because it wakes up right across the shore, in short, you are facing the east. Unfortunately, you don't witness dramatic sunset because it goes down behind the island and covered by the mountain. So don't expect any spectrum of colors in the sky, like what you can witness in Northern Territory, Australia.

- Accommodation - Rate: 3/5

Yes it's convenient. Yes it's safe. Yes it's cheap. I guess this is relative. We stayed in Redang Holiday and it wasn't bad. Well in fact it's good enough especially if you stay longer outside than being in bed.

- How To Get There - Rate: 3/5

(Thanks to Tengteng Ballesteros!)

Since we were on a budget and love long road trips, we opted to travel via coach.

Our Redang road trip started off at 630 pm on Friday, August 6 with an almost 3-hour, SGD 2.50 Causeway bus ride from the bus terminal along Queen Street in Singapore to the Larkin bus terminal in Johor Bahru. Note: 3-hour timing includes immigration exit & entrance procedures in both Singapore and Malaysia on the eve of a long weekend.

From the Larkin bus terminal in Johore Bahru, we embarked on the 9-hour, SGD 74 coach ride aboard the Adik Beridik coach at around 9:30 pm.

We arrived at the Kuala Terangganu bus terminal at around 5:30 am on August 7 and headed for the Merang Jetty at around 6:30 via the van provided by the resort.

From the Merang Jetty, we were whisked off to the b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l island of Redang via a 45-minute, RM40 ferry ride.

My long awaited beach weekend has officially started.

As the saying goes, "all things must come to an end" and so it was for our Redang vacation. At 830 am on August 9, we rode the ferry back to the Merang Jetty and from the jetty via the van service to the Terangganu bus terminal.

Our bus to Singapore via the Maju Express departed at around 200 pm. We reached home at around 200 am. i will not bother to vent out the details of the hellish experience that we had with the unprofessionalism we encountered with the management of the Maju express, the long queues in the immigration and the lack of public transportation.

You can also reach Terangganu via the 1.40 hours Berjaya plane ride.

- Food - Rate: 1/5

Again, this is relative. In Redang Holiday, they will make you feel like a prisoner less the shackles and the orange P shirt. Ok fine, thanks for the utensils, but the food and presentation is really terrible. The only reason this has 1 point is because I am hungry and when you are hungry anything you find edible you will eat. Since they have spoon and fork and plate, I supposed the ones they displayed on the long table are indeed food.

If you intend to stay here for more than a day, you are not dreaming if you would see same breakfast served every day. Even the cooks and waiters do not change. And if you think their juice is bland, change your perspective by thinking it's actually a colored water. You have two options, violet and yellow. I can't say it's orange because it would sound like a fruit.

- Water Fun - 4/5

No jetski, fine. No para sailing, fine. No banana boat, fine. You don't need all that in Redang or you will miss the beauty the underneath has to offer. Take a few wades from the shore and dive your nose below the waters and there you will find the majestic treasure of the beach. That's not even an official snorkeling activity you're doing. So expect more colors, more beauty once you boat out to snorkel and say hi to Nemo, Dory and their other unknown more amazing super fish friends.

And the Marine Park, it speaks for itself. It is suicidal not to see this wonder.

- Night Life - 3/5

Well, if will not add yourself up to the growing population of boring people in the beach at night, then Redang bars would make sense. I observed (and I don't expect you to agree) that locals are damn boring. Despite my attempt to encourage them to dance (I was literally dancing alone!), they choose to stay in the dark and drink. Feel lucky if your friends are as party animals as mine! It's a total entertainment!

- Not To Miss -

Take this seriously. Do not ever leave without tasting the most luscious, heavenly, what's-my-name drink the island offers - the Three-Layer Tea - and by it's name, you would know how satisfying it is. It is made of Tea with Milk, Evap Milk, and Palm Syrup from top to bottom. The weird thing is that, I searched Palm Syrup in town as much as I could, but it's nowhere to be found!