Nusa Lembongan Nusa Ceningan, Piece of Heaven on Earth

The happiest thing in life is when your plan meet right person to make it happen.

So thank you Damara for being super fancy companion during my trip. Nusa Lembongan was actually her idea. One of her friend from France came to Bali for getting his diving license. So I came with them too for snorkeling, paid back what Gili Trawangan didn't give me when I went there.

The trip was started from Sanur Beach. Again, I met the sensation of fast boat smack. But God blessed me, it was only around 30 minutes trip. Paying for itinerary ticket, IDR 150K, we stopped in Jungut Batu Village. Then, walk along the street.

I couldn't deny that this place s so quiet and nice. And I could imagine what happened with this place when the night comes. Probably as calm as silent night moment. We stopped in a shop nearby big temple, something delicious was there, TIPAT!!!!!

It s Bali traditional food made from steamed rice covered with coconut leave. If you're Indonesian, it s actually ketupat. It s served with sprout, steamed vegetables, and peanut chili sauce. The price was super cheap, IDR 8K. Yumm!!!

Many homestays re there in the village,  you can choose one place which fits to your budget. I came there not in the peak season, so I didn't book the room, just go show. I got IDR 250K per night in a new place called Made Home Stay (if I am not mistaken). The rest, motorcycle renting for IDR 100K include fuel, since no gas station there. What I was thinking, if you really go to this island and plan for roaming around, no option, rent a motor. Even it is just an island, the distance between one to another is not kidding yaar (borrow Indian accent).

One more thing, bring enough cash! I told you my [a bit] suffering story about that.

There is no ATM in heaven, right? Dudududu...

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Gili Trawangan, When Dumb Girl Got Time Disorientation

Let's talk about Gili Trawangan trip. The most ridiculous trip I have ever planned in life. I was so dumb in arranging something, sometimes. And that day was the day I tortured my own trip plan.

I went to Poppies Lane I in Kuta to order shuttle bus - fast boat ticket to Gili Trawangan. I personally think that this is the most comfortable way for my self to go. Yes, if you want to, tou can go with another public boat to Gili, or even plane and stop in Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) airport. But having trip with fast boat is something new. By purchasing this ticket, I didn't have to think about how I can go to Padang Bai port from Kuta. I got easier choice than pushing my self to go with low budget style.  I wasn't that poor at that time. Hahaha...

Marina Srikandi boat would depart at 1 in the afternoon. It takes 2 hrs to go there from Kuta. The trip was quiet nice, the weather is great as expected, and the wave wasn't high.

Gili Trawangan is a small island in the northeast of Bali, part of NTB province. My friend told me, I can roam around this island in two and half hours by riding bicycle. We can rent it there anyway.

My friend recommended me a bungalow to stay there. From the port, I turned left and passed The Art Market. Then, turn right to the street right beside the market. There is a bridge to the beach right in front of that street so you won't get lost to remark the way back to the bungalow.

It's called Bintang Bungalow.  They only have three rooms and the rent price is quiet cute. Everyone offers you 500K IDR for the first time, that's the minimum starting price. I got 350K IDR for the bungalow and I thought it was good enough. It consists of one bed with fine bathroom,  they only have shower water without water heater. This place is super cute since you can feel calm and relax here, again, this is island bro. Hahaha...

Anyway, if you miss Indonesian food, go to the front of the bungalow and get the nice price for all menu.

What was happened to me at that time actually about disorientation of date. I was suggested by my friend's sentence before heading to Gili: you go there,  find the bungalow, have a good eve, and tomorrow you can go to snorkeling spot before going back to Bali.

I obeyed her, without checking my booking plan that actually for two days. Not one day.

So everything was in rush.

Gili was a cute nice quiet calm island un the morning and gone bad in the evening.  There is a pub called Rudy's, one of outdoor cafe, or we can say beach club. The ambience was quiet nice,  one of good place to spend your night in the air of beat.

I packed my bag in the afternoon,  and ran to Marina Srikandi office to confirm my departure to Bali. I said good bye and see you soon to the bungalow officer and move there.
"I confirm my departure," I said nicely to the officer while giving the ticket.
"But Miss, it's for tomorrow, "
"What?!?!?"
God damn stupid!!!
What I was thinking, I won't come back to bungalow and told him I got fucked by the date. That's so embarrassing.
"Really?  But I asked to go today. There must be a mistake while issuing my ticket by your officer! " I told him and blamed their side to secure my face.
"Can I check your payment confirmation?"
"I threw it to the trash bin. I thought you won't need it anymore," another lying drama had been stated.
"Alright,  that is okay as long as you don't switch your schedule, because it's not allowed," he started writing and gave it back to me and let me in to the boat.

Dear Sir, I am sorry for that. I accidentally changed my schedule because of my stupidity.

So Gili welcomed me only for a day. That's quiet sad. Hope to see you again Gili.  I even didn't get chance for snorkeling 😭

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Fucked Up By Train Service

Thank God for one more chance to feel the adventure in Bali. The grand theme of this trip was: in the name of experience.

Well it wasn't really about Bali but also Nusa Tenggara Barat trip! Yeyyyy!  Everything was started from Gubeng Railway Station.  I didn't know why i really love to have train trip to Bali. Even it takes super long way to be passed.

I took direct ticket from Surabaya to Denpasar. The Damri bus would pick me up on the station once the train arrived to Banyuwangi,  the last station before accessing ferry in Selat Bali.

But what happened was a bit annoying.  The officer said that the bus would wait in Gilimanuk Port in Bali, so the passanger must moved to the port (it was actually super near, 5 mins on foot) by themselves (the officer took us to the public car with uncomfortable seat to the port). What supposed to be happened was: after arriving station, we ll go to the bus,  and jumped to ferry, and move back to the bus to go to Denpasar.

I was so disappointed by all this thing. Particularly when the officer explained us that there was miscommunication between bus officer and train officer about the amount pf passanger who would go with bus. They thought they won't go to Banyuwangi only for 10 passengers.  Then an old lady angrily shouted him: "So if we just people of 10, you won't pick us up? But how about your service to us? That's what you promised us, so we purchased the ticket. I promise to write this to the newspaper.  You didn't know to whom you speak to!"

Well I guess it represented all pasanger's feeling.  Thank you,  Aunty.

For you guys who wants to go with ferry, as I explained before, you can stop in Banyuwangi station and move to Ketapang port on foot.  Just walk out from the station gate and turn right. Walk along the left side and you ll see very big sign of the port.

Go grab your ferry ticket for 6,500 IDR. After arriving Bali port, Gilimanuk; you can go with small bus in the  bus station after going out from the port for 35,000 IDR. Enjoy 3 hours trip to Ubung Bus Station in Denpasar throughout southern side of Bali. If you go with big bus, you will be dropped in Mengwi bus station and you have to continue to Ubung by other public transportations.

After arriving Ubung, you can go with motorcycle taxi or ojek in our local language for 20-25K IDR to Kuta or somewhere else.

To be continued.

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When Trip is About Eating! Bali Motel Mexicola & La Plancha [3]

In the morning, we woke up late. And it happened almost every day when we there. The girls were busy with hair dressing and make up rituals. The one who woke up early was Andi the advisor. He was the one who said “Good morning” to us with the poker face mode. And we never said sorry for waking up late.

As I said, we stayed in a low price hotel called Arthawan in Poppies Lane. They served breakfast, yeah at least it helps you from starving in the morning.

We moved to Discovery Mall on Kartika Plaza Street. You can walk along the coast line and you can find this building easily. What was good about this place was the back yard of it. They have Kuta Beach scenery with white stone road in the edge of the building. We just had lunch and moved to another culinary destination in Seminyak.

Guys, trust to Google Maps from now. It helped us a lot in Bali. But yeah, it delivered us to the wrong direction too, but just forgave it. Locals are kind. They will help you when you get lost. That was I got from this trip too. Always think positive, because happiness is in your mind, right? Everything will be okay when you believe it.

Anyway, that’s our next destination. Motel Mexicola. Welcome to the colorful place with the sense of Mexico city. I won’t talk too much about this place. Just look into the pictures below. This is one of the perfect place to take pictures in your vacation.

The sun went down around 5 pm, we moved to Seminyak beach. We looked for La Plancha café. It has outdoor concept, with colorful umbrellas, colorful seats, and faces right to Seminyak Beach for perfect Sunset experiences. Oh God, that’s heaven! Anyway, they have nice Potato Wedges, and nice sisha too. No, I didn’t smoke sisha [at that time] due to high price. Indeed, it was not for me. But over all, it was head and shoulders above any outdoor café there. Have fun all.

Last stop was Stadium Resto in Kartika Plaza Street. It was 5 minutes only from Discovery Plaza on foot. The price was on the average rate in Bali. They have tasty mushroom cuisine. That was what I order for dinner. The most important thing about this place was the toilet. In the toilet were the pictures of ancient Balinese outfit.

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Bali Sky Garden [2]

Honestly, nothing can change the excitement of vacation with best friends. Laugh together, eat together, crazy together. Nothing can replace these moments.

There was a café called Gong. Do you know Poppies Lane 2? Yes, you can access the road from Billabong Ground Zero and then turn left. It is only 5 minutes from Ground Zero. I definitely love this place. It was just small café with variants of food, and the price is definitely… cheap!!! Gong was the place of us to have lunch or dinner during Bali trip. Yes we ate cheap meals for lunch, but we revenged for dinner.

We started chopping money like a millionaire in the evening. Seriously, we just a bunch of people who loves to enjoy our life while young and having enough money for make it true.

First move was  Kuta Beach Walk. Nothing is good here, just a mall with roof top garden. What we looked for was Churros. Have you heard about that? Spanish doughnut style served with sugar or dark chocolate. It’s [too] sweet for me. If you have problem with diabetes, better you avoid this cuisine.

Churros

Second move was Sky Garden Premier Dining and Night Club Complex. It was a building of clubs and resto on its roof top. What is good about this place for us? It was a promo of All You Can Eat with different themes of menu every day, from 5pm to 10m (last order 8.30pm). We pay only 50K IDR for eating till die in 2 hours. At that moment, we got barbecue menu. We ate like disaster victims, really. They provided us a big plate so we can maximize our performance in eating. Anyway, if you want to continue your night by having fun in the club, just stay inside the building after dinner. Because they will charge you when you go out to the building and come back again for night club party. But if you have enough money to have good party in an exclusive place, better you throw it there. No offense, but best place offers best experience.

I give up I give up I give up

Eat everything here

The wind blew too much and the ants from the tree were perfectly landed to our table. We were done, because they started biting us.

Lesson learned: outdoor could be the best place for everything, and it will be perfect without wind and ant attack.

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Bali 2014 Surabaya to Denpasar [1]

Hello again,

Finally I have long enough time for wrapping up my Bali journey a week ago. And I tell you about the conclusion of this trip: DAEBAK!!!

I went there with four of my friends and met up with another one there. Our big achievement is about visiting popular spots in Bali as many as we can in five days. My friends did a research by utilizing blogs, iInstagram, website, and many more for searching favorite places to be visitied.

Let’s talk about how I reach Bali from Surabaya. As we know, both Surabaya and Denpasar are connected by international airports. Because we wanted to spend much money there for enjoying many places, we tried to decrease the cost for accommodation. Then, train was chosen. The most suitable one was KA Mutiara Selatan, departed from Gubeng Baru Station at 10 pm and reach Banyuwangi Baru Station around 4 am. 

The station provided the passenger the ticket price for reaching Denpasar too. Yet, the cost is a bit higher than the ticket to Banyuwangi Baru. From Banyuwangi Baru, we walked to Ketapang Port for crossing Bali Gulf by ferry. It was 5 o’clock when we departed from the port. Luckily, we got sunrise pleasure on board. We arrived Gilimanuk Port after thirty minutes journey. Then, the next step was about to find the bus to Denpasar. Anyway, for those who passed Gilimanuk Port, you have to show your ID Card to the officer before leaving the port. Never left it home or your journey will be ruined.

The Bus to Denpasar

The port officer suggested us to find the bus to (I don’t know whether Mengwi or) Ubung from the exit gate of the vessel. Yet, it is not as easy as he said. The main problem was about we didn’t know which one was the person in charge of the buses. Another factor was about we just too tired for thinking about how to find the best bus for reaching Ubung Bus Station in Denpasar. So we just moved to the port after arriving Gilimanuk Port. 

A guy of 30s with dark skin, messy hair, and Bali accent in speaking came to us and asked where we gotta go. We ended up with him. We surrendered and follow him to the bus that he told us. YES we expected big bus with airconditioner. And shit happened.

A minibus with super small seat space and no airconditioner welcomed us, and brought us to Ubung for three hours. Let’s forget about it, because the backache represented everything about our feeling during the trip. I felt like a standing banner with stiff legs. Two of my friends were busy with headbang motions during the trip. And one of them tried so hard for not falling asleep after his seat was taken by an old woman the conqueror. Thank God, the cost line along the road came as a medicine for this struggle.

Lets talk about the smart traveler. I borrow this term from my friend, Andi. According to him, it refers to those who manages every single step of the trip for getting the best plan for it (CMIIW). He is smart, in my opinion. At least he was the role model for me on this trip. For God sake, he was like the answer for all obstacles we faced during the trip. Andi, you must be blushing for this compliment. Hahaha…

First brilliant thing about him, he had initiative for finding a rent motorcycle nearby the terminal so we didn’t need to suffer for many more dramas after reaching Ubung Bus Station. Since, we need to reach Kuta, about 20 - 30 minutes from the station. The rent fare everywhere in Bali was same, 50K IDR per day. And thank you Brother for that.

The Legend of Arthawan

Kaskuser, Travel Blogger, I believe you guys know what is Arthawan. Yes, that's one of the most favorite low budget hotel in Bali. It was so famous around you guys and that’s why we stayed here during the trip. Located in Poppies Lane 2 with super cheap room fare, Arthawan becomes the legend among travelers who need low price for room rental. No reservation procedure available there. Who comes first gets first. They count the guest, not the room.

We estimated low budget for room rental, because we wanted to spend more for culinary experience. So, when you come to Bali, I hope you can make a priority for your trip. Whether you seek for pleasure, or you look for anything else. Manage your budget well, and day by day will be shiny.

[1]

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Quarter of Life

Thank God, for this age. Finally I reach this number. The number when most of young ladies decide to marry a man. The number when most of my friends have their first child. The number when I still have many plans to be done. The age when I still have many travel plans in my wish list. The age when I pray for my blessed career, adventure, romance, and prosperity in life.

Thank God, I born in the same day with Angelina Jolie. She inspires all the time. This is how she looks in 25. Gorgeous.

And this is me...

Thank God, this is the real time to manage everything by myself. Mom and Dad are no longer control over my decision almost in everything. Super glad for having this border, finally...

Thank God, my boyfriend keep sending me birthday cake. I wasn't with him in his birthday last year, and I only sent him birthday cake. He did it too in my birthday. Thank God, distance is not a big issue.

Thank God, this is how being wise is a must. It is the time to not to be too careful but be more careful.

footage.shutterstock.com

Thank God, I learn how to dress up and make up in a right age. Not too young or too late.

Thank God, I still too young to be the President. It is a learning path to be the best version of me as human.

www.sunnewsnetwork.ca

Thank God. Young lady must go on...

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