Monday, July 9, 2012

BALI, The Goddess Island {travel photo diary | part 1}

so..after so long, now finally...a travel photo diary post of my short holiday in Bali.

when i first stepped out of the arrival area in the airport, the first thing i noticed was the cool air that day. so unusual. so not Bali.
but i liked it that way. and we were lucky enough because the weather stayed the same until our last day there.
as soon as i left the airport, my mind automatically changed into the holiday mood. took pictures of everything. so touristy ;P


the first picture that i took with instagram when we just arrived in Denpasar, the capital of Bali. we rented a car along with the driver. it is the most convenient way to travel around in Bali with reasonable cost.


from the airport, we went straight to Jimbaran for dinner. for you who haven't been to Bali, Jimbaran is a gorgeous area with a lot of restaurants along the beach..where we can watch the beautiful sunset at the seashore, go all crazy eating deliciously cooked seafood (my whole family is a big fan of seafood!), listening to the street musicians singing, and looking at the waves at the same time...life at the fullest.
lobstersssss
 
oh..one thing, because the restaurants are always packed, so there's always a long queue for tables. we have to be patient, 'cause trust me, it's worth the wait. but to be honest, the wait didn't feel that long since we could play on the beach while waiting ;)



with the city and the sea as the background, this area looks best at evening..the lights of the city looks really pretty. we went to our hotel after dinner.

after few hours of sleep, we had to get up early in the next morning to a full packed schedule for the day. the first site that we visited was Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave). it is an ancient site and is considered holy. so when we go inside, we have to wear proper clothes, not showing too much skin, especially the legs part. it is to respect the spirits that live in the area, they said.

 

this is the cave, we can go inside to have a look around. and for the tourists who wear shorts, usually at the entrance they will lend you sarung, a wide piece of cloth to be worn to cover our legs part..wear them just like a long skirt (like in the photo above).




lunch time. it was one of many buffet restaurants in the mountain area. the design is half opened, so we can see the beautiful Mount Kintamani just right in front of our eyes while we are having our lunch. the food was average, not bad. but it was quite pricey. the popular dish is grilled fish with the special Balinese seasonings. yummeyy..



this is the mountain that i was talking about. Gunung Kintamani (Mount Kintamani). isn't it an amazing view? i love it!





next stop was Istana Tampak Siring (Tampak Siring Palace). this is the palace where our first Indonesian President used to live.








Pura Tirtha Empul, a holy area., still around the palace site.
 
 
this is the natural spring inside the Pura Tirtha Empul, which is believed as quite magical. people believe that if we bath in here, or drink from it while saying some prayers, all diseases in our body and the burden in our heart will heal. well, it's superstitious, but it doesn't hurt to do it. i did it for fun ;)

mother and daughter praying.


my younger sister and i.

 



now this is my favorite part. the traditional souvenir market. it's still located in the area. when you're done with the palace, there is a pathway that leads to this market and finally the exit.

handmade wooden sculptures

see.. heaps of amazing handmade stuff there. truly pretty! but for tourists, we need to be extra careful when shopping. they usually offer such a high price for their stuff, so we have to bargain. yes, we can bargain..sometimes until half of the price they offer. but i'm not the expert in bargaining, sometimes i feel bad, so i need my mom to help me :D and also, after you bargain a lot, you better buy the thing. if you just walk away, the shop owners will get upset and angry..lol. it never happened to me though..but our tour guide kept on reminding us before we got off the bus. DON'T BARGAIN UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED AND HAVE AN INTENTION TO BUY ;)

another younger sister. they're different people, but look like twins. and look nothing like me. xP

look at those beautiful things!!

even though it was the 4th time i visited Bali, but its beauty never fails to amaze me.
besides the incomparable beauty of the natures and ancient sites it has, i pay more attention to the strong culture of people there, their behavior and their strong beliefs in life.
they believe so much in karma and for them life is all about balance. the original Balinese people are very kind and always leave with peace. their belief is so strong that you can even see and feel it everywhere when you come there. the atmosphere is so different.
and in this modern life, that is one of the rare things to experience. Bali is where you can see the modern life and the strong superstitious traditional life combined perfectly.
we can still find crimes happen there, but most of the time it's started by the migrants from other islands..not from the original Bali people. it's become quite a big problem nowadays, it kind of destroys the reputation of Balinese, because the Balinese won't even dare to hurt animals..they are really really honest and kind. so yea..too bad. (to me, it kind of explains why some of the shop owners here are quite 'aggressive', lol).

...to be continued...

60 comments:

  1. Beautiful indeed.. love your dress deary, & I would love to visit there someday. :)
    xx shey
    feel free to check my blog too and follow if you like.:)
    http://thelittlebearcub.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wowww ...beautiful photos! Amazing place, it looks like the paradise on earth. And you dress is lovely :)
    Thank you so much for stopping by & following!!!! I’m following you back now on GFC :)
    If you're interested in following each other on bloglovin, if you do, let me know, so I can follow you back! it's really easier to keep in touch ;)
    Have a happy week<3

    x♥x♥

    "Saúde & Beleza - Health & Beauty"



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi maria, i have followed u in bloglovin too now :)

      Delete
  3. Hello dear! Are you Indonesian? I'm Indonesian. Yeah. Bali is one of favorite places in Indonesia. It has beautiful views!
    come by and lets fllw each other if you love to do dear:)
    miss-monaaa.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. These are beautiful photos. Looks like it's a nice place to visit. :)


    Much love from the SABO SKIRT girls!
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  5. Wow. Jaw-dropping! BALI is such a heaven though I've never been there but just looking at your photos I can really tell how good Bali is! Soon, I'll go there! :))

    Following you now! :)


    Daney
    http://daneyrecabe.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you dear.. i have followed you too :)

      Delete
  6. Such beautiful photos!:) Looks like you had great time in Bali! And I love your outfit, you look so pretty :) I'm following you now, hope you'll do the same ^^
    xoxo Helmiina
    http://secretuntiltomorrow.blogspot.com

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  7. Such great photos! You look so pretty in that dress. Thank you for stopping by my blog, of course I'd love for us to follow each other! :)

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

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  8. Such great trip!!! oww Bali!! i wanna go there too!!...by the way, i really love your sweet print dress!!
    Yu*
    http://elsusurrodelaazucena.blogspot.com/

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  10. what an amazing trip, i just love these photos! great blog, wanna follow each other? xx

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  11. amazing photos! :)

    I have internationally giveaway on my blog!
    Come and join! :)
    http://moonlightdreams-miadra.blogspot.sk/

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  12. amazing photos from your vacation!
    what is the name of the restaurant in jimbaran that you visited?

    xoxo
    style frontier

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for the late reply, Hun..
      The restaurant is called Menega. But my friend told me that Ramayana is pretty good too :)
      They are many restaurants in that area, a lot of choices ;)

      Delete
  13. Wow, that is so pretty!! I would love to go there!!

    I'm a new follower now!
    If you have time, could you check out/comment/ follow my blog too please?
    http://mindy13579.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow the outdoor restaurants alongside the beach look amazing! I can tell that it's a really popular spot with tourists haha. and the cave looks incredible! now I reallly want to go to Bali haha. A lot of people I know have been but these photos have put it on my travel map! :)

    metallicpaws.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for your lovely comment too ^^ following you as well.

      Delete
  15. you have nice photos:) following your blog
    please do check mine thanks:)

    ReplyDelete
  16. whoa, these photographs are amazing! I have wanted to go there for ages! <3



    My Random Thoughts

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  17. WOW! such a nice photos! they made me follow you :) please check out my blog, hope you like it and follow me back! please see you soon, i really like your blog <3

    http://thefrench-fries.blogspot.pt/

    keep in touch,
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. have you ever been to bali?
    damn, i wanna go there bad.. :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. bali is amazing, aren't it? ;) seems like you enjoyed bali so much!

    xx,
    Missing Bee

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  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  21. Woah, these pictures are breathtaking! I've wanted to visit Bali so badly since I read a book which was located in there. :) You look also very pretty!<3 Would you like to follow each other? I'm already following you via GFC and on Bloglovin' too :) Keep in touch!

    xoxo Eeva
    eeva-theapple.blogspot.fi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Eeva, i'm already following you on both too ;)

      Delete
  22. I love these photos! simply gorgeous. I've been wanting to visit Bali, and now I just might have to. Plus I love your floral maxi! perfect vacation wear.

    www.pinsneedlesfashion.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Amazing pictures,lovely destination.You look great.
    I wonder if you would like to follow each other : ).

    http://www.glossylala.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  24. Gorgeous pictures! Thanks for the lovely comment you left on my blog :) I'm following your blog on Bloglovin :)

    x
    Fashion Readings
    http://fashionreadings.blogspot.com.au/

    ReplyDelete
  25. already following and happily so! xx

    ReplyDelete
  26. So pretty! Everything looks really amazing!

    PS. We’ve a $100 Giveaway to Skinny Bitch Apparel on our blog! Check it out, if you’d like :)

    ox from NYC!
    davie+erica

    LPFashionPhilosophy

    ReplyDelete
  27. Looks like heaven on earth!
    http://violetcatstyle.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  28. your dress is just stunning.
    love your pics.

    http://www.trendsection.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I really know how you feel! i've visited Bali 3 times already and i never feel enough of it!
    the places are gorgeous there, the parties are hype there, everything just feels relaxing and awesome there!
    Anyway, love those photos, taken beautifully :)

    allthelusciousthings.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lovely pictures, and that dress looks gorgeous on you!

    I just followed you, hope you have time to visit my blog and follow back if you like it too <3

    sartorialconnoisseur.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. WOW great photos - looks like you had a really great time :) make me want to run away to Bali!!

    Following you now dear, if you like to check out my blog - maybe we could follow each other?

    Jess XO

    www.mindbodyshop.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  32. have been there too! amazing place! i just love it!
    beautiful pics!

    xxx
    www.cristeene.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. I love your blog! This post is awesome!
    Check out my blog, write your opinion and maybe...follow?
    Where are you from?

    ReplyDelete
  34. love all your pics! XoXo

    www.shoesandbasics.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Beautiful photos, dear! It seems that you have a great time there! :) Lovely blog!

    xx

    http://mademoiselle-s-blog.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  36. Wow I would love to go to Bali someday... SO FREAKING GORGEOUSS...
    I always hear of Korean celebrities going there to take photoshoots on its beaches, but now I see so much more of the locale :) thank you for this post

    NingNing

    ReplyDelete
  37. amazing pictures & great blog

    Pls look also at my blog and become a friend too :)

    XO, Carmen
    www.mydailyfashiondosis.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Incredible photos, I love travelling so much! Really lovely dress& blog! Would you like to follow each other? :)

    Have a lovely Sunday!

    Kisses, Mary
    http://teenfashiondiary.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thank you for visiting my blog,I`m following you as well.

    http://www.glossylala.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  40. great this photos, i love them!

    nice to meet your blog!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  41. thanks dear I follow u back

    XO, Carmen
    www.mydailyfashiondosis.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. It seems like a wonderful experience!
    I would love to go there!
    If you want, check out my blog:

    http://thescentofglamour.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  43. These pictures are so beautiful.
    I really want to go there again.
    Like your outfit to with your sunglasses and nice vest.
    Nice post!!
    xx nonnatiwow.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete