"Holy"days

The dreaded year-end examination had successfully tormented every student physically and mentally, with no exception. I was definitely one of the pathetic ones to be sympathized. Though having disgorged thrice before the Chemistry papers, still, I had to stay awake in the dead of every single night, in order to pursue satisfactory results in my examination. Not having high expectation in obtaining glorious repay, I'd managed to have the 8th position in my pocket. Good enough! Not for my mom though. She's always wanted me to attend tuition classes, and since my results ebbed, surely she won't slip this chance off her hands to entangle me up for tuition classes. Pray hard!

The boring routine of holidays restarted. The computer, being my main companion are kept switched on throughout days and nights so that I can chat with my fellow buddies as well as weeding my plants on Facebook. The time seems dragging as creepy as possible and Yes! Boredom is able to kill me. Finally~~~ The days which I'd longed for arrived. OMG, A 4-DAY-3-NIGHT TRIP TO BALI ISLAND!!! Perhaps this was my first time to fly oversea. Yuhoooo~ On the very day, I woke up at 0330 and after having a reluctant farewell as if I wasn't going back to the motherland anymore, my family and I had had to leave to the airport. We boarded the airbus at about 9 o'clock and the journey to Bali Island took more than 3 hours. Guess what? Pei Yin and I were the first passengers to have brunch on the plane. Maybe that was because of our tired and bored faces we got the privilege. On reaching the destination, we met up with the tour guide named Bapa Suki(bapa means male in local language) waited for another period of time for the other 3 tour members before heading to get some spa treatment. My siblings and I did not get to feel the relaxation as my brothers and I were entrusted to take great care of my cute lil' sister. After all, the service wasn't that good for they did not really get their bones back to their positions according to my dad. It was already 6 and a restaurant named Sungai Sea Food is the place where we really had our deluxe meal which cost an exorbitant RM200++ per family. Fuiyoh! The day did not just end after that. We reached Mutiara Bali hotel and after checking in, my siblings and I couldn't wait for another second to jump into the awesome swimming pool with jacuzzi. ZOMG!!! Splashing water together at the pool was certainly an unforgettable warm night to be remembered.

Pei Yin acting cool

SiblingsThe huge airbusPosing for the camera Cloud 9~An unforgettable meal >.<Taken at Sungai Sea Food RestaurantBagpipe man in the houseDay view of the inside of the Mutiara Bali HotelNight view

The second day started off with some quarrels among puerile siblings at the dining table. Pei Yin cried and Wei Qin was delighted on seeing that. We checked out before Bapa Suki came and led us off. Firstly, we watched the Barong Dance as the opener. The Barong dance is famous because it stories the fight between Barong, a holy creature which is but a lion and Rangda, a sharp-clawed ugly-looking monster from the bad community. Maybe the dance is more or less similar to the ones in Malaysia, so we got bored easily and left without the dance finished. Next, we head to the Celuk Silversmith House to eye the pure silverware and decorative items which we do not know the purity of them. LOL! The items displayed were made artistically beautiful and I’d managed to picture them. Next, the bus had a hard time travelling along the roads to the hill called Mount Batur in Kintamani. It is a highland renowned for the Batur Volcano besides the highest mountain on Bali Island, the Agung Mountain, both separated by just a lake, the Batur Lake. The exact purpose of us being there was to eat our luncheon buffet at the Batur Sari Restaurant. It was a sheer pleasure having our scrumptious food indoor and feeling the cold atmosphere creeping onto our skin while viewing the undoubtedly amazing scenery from inside the restaurant at the same time. Cool~ After the satisfying lunch, we quickly went to the roadside to fight for the perfect spots to capture the perfect view. Flash lights can be seen shooting towards the 2 steady mountains unreservedly. Family pictures were taken and even the tour pictures! Cheez! Even after taking plenty of pictures, still, we were reluctant to move on to the next destination. We visited the herbal farm before settling at a coffee kiosk to enjoy the many types of native coffees and drinks. Among them were the Bali coffee, the Ginseng coffee, the Luwak coffee and drinks like the ginger tea, hot cocoa and lemon grass tea. Luwak coffee is definitely the most popular one and is made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet( Luwak) and other related civets. The civets eat the berries, but the beans inside pass through their system undigested. That actually means that we’re drinking shits solution. Hohoho!! Besides that, my cute dad and his cute friend mischievously tried out smoking. The smokes were made of tobacco wrapped up by small pieces of paper. Their expressions had caught my attention so I took my camera out to snap their photos so that I can show the photos to my dad one day in the future when I start smoking. Next, off to Goa Gajah! Before entering, we were dressed in sarong to show respect. At the facade of the cave is a relief of various menacing creatures and demons carved right into the rock at the cave entrance. The primary figure was once thought to be an elephant, hence the nickname Elephant Cave. The site is mentioned in the Javanese poem Desawarnana written in 1365. An extensive bathing place on the site was not excavated until the 1950s. At 6pm, we went straight for dinner to treat our pitiful stomachs. The Fortuin Café by the beach is where we had the delicious local dishes comprising grilled seafood, corn soup as well as “kangkung sambal”. Flapping of waves on the beach and chilling land breeze accompanied us throughout our meal making it a relaxing and comfortable dinner. During our dinner, a few performances were going on to entertain the customers. Customers were also given opportunities to take pictures with the dancers and certainly, we didn’t miss ours. Just right after the dinner, the beach band played some songs for us. Amazingly, they were able to sing “ The moon represents my heart” and “ Xiao Wei” for us with not much mistakes and they actually deserved our rewards. Congratz! Lastly, we checked in another hotel called the Oasis Kuta Bali after dinner. The day did not just end like this but we were on our foot to the popular Hard Rock Café on Bali Island. But, my family left after a while for it’s not a place suitable for family activities. Head back to the resort to have our supper. Wei Qin and I watched the rivalry match between Manchester United and Portsmouth. A 4-0 victory for Ferguson’s side ensured me a good sleep.

Bathroom-promotingA statue outside the Mutiara Bali HotelNice greeneryMutiara Bali HotelAt the theatre

Barong in actionProducing silverwareSilver ringsDisplays of silverwareSilver roosterThe pork shopMom & siblingsGroup photo in front of the Batur Volcano[Left:Batur Volcano] [Middle:Batur Lake] [Right:Agung Mountain]Wei Qin & Pei Yin with the coffee manWaiting for the drinksThe coffee ambassadorsVariety of coffees & teasThe smoke addictsSarong-dressedDinner at the Fortuin CafePosing with the dancers The local bandNight view of the swimming pool in Oasis Kuta Bali

The early breakfast was satisfying as it was a buffet meal. Fried noodles, cakes, puffs and sandwiches as well as healthy food juices like the pineapple juice and the mango juice made a wholesome breakfast. Yummy! Recharged, off we went to our first stop of the day, the Taman Ayun Royal Temple. It is set on the land which is surrounded by the big fish pond and look like a drift on the water. It owns the beautiful temple building with multistoried roof and Balinese Architecture and it makes a great spot for perfect photo-shooting of the remaining forbidden temple buildings. The wide beautiful landscape of the garden in front of the courtyard welcomes all visitors who come and visit this temple. Ulun Danu Temple was our next destination but this time, it gave a different sensation as the temple was set up just beside the Beratan Lake. It is a famous area of cool temperature comprising several temple buildings all set beside the Beratan Lake. The beautiful panorama of the Beratan Lake and the surrounding area has attracted tourists from all over the places. Later, it was time for lunch. The buffet meal comprising local dishes filled our stomachs. Before leaving, several pictures had been taken outside the restaurant where the lushly green panoramic view caught my camera. Many naughty monkeys could be seen once we entered the monkey forest which is known as Alas Kedaton. Pei Yin was definitely afraid of getting scratches which can be a phobia to her hence she begged me long before I nodded to lift her up to get rid of monkey assault. Later, we’d got to rush to Tanah Lot to catch an eye of the sunset on Bali Island before it’s too late. Before that, with the beautiful rock formation as the background, my family and I had snapped some photos to be brought back to Malaysian travel agencies for promoting purpose. Since it’s still early, we walked around and bought some Balinese-styled handicraft and clothes. Mom was very patient to chaffer with the sellers. She’s always persistent, thus she wouldn’t have bought the items if she did not get her so-called reasonable prices. People garnered at the site of Tanah Lot at about 1800 waiting to capture the romantic moment for memories when rays of sunlight spouted weakly, concealing inch by inch into the horizon. Dad had managed to record part of the process for we were quite late for the unforgettable moment. The trip ended after having a delicious dinner near a quite desolate place.

At the entrance

The garden at Taman Ayun Royal TempleTop view of the garden The forbidden temple buildings The multistoried-roofed building Great view at the top of the building Wei Jun Mom & dad Another ancient building The 4 musketeers One of the temple buildings at Ulun Danu TempleSome other buildings Amazing combination of building and sky My family Wei Kiat Pei Yin, Wei Jun & Wei Kiat Gonna take long time to reach its height Mom & dad Pei Yin the lil' garden fairy I love this With the BalineseThe ambassadors in front of Pacung RestaurantLunch time The green view outside Pacung restaurant MonkeysTanah Lot Wei Qin @ Tanah Lot What do you think ?! Awesome!!! The Ng's duo Perfect view Astonishing! Cool Another family picture with different feeling Love the waves Pei Yin, mom, Wei Qin & dad Halfway downCompletely swallowed

On the last day, we did not wake up late but headed to the Kuta Beach for a brisk walking session early in the morning as planned. When we reached there, there were already many people, each with different purpose. Some of them were seemed jogging, some selling surfboards while the others were just like us, toeing the soft sand with the eyes and ears ready to feel the awesome creations of mother nature, borderless sea with unstoppable waves. Well, let us just have the pictures to do the talking. We went back to the hotel to take our breakfast. It was also a buffet meal but the food differed from those prepared on the earlier day. The tour bus reached not long after we’d obtained our luggage and the checkout process went smoothly. Cheerio Oasis Kuta Bali! Since there were not any places prepared for visits on the last day, the many housewives decided to go shopping at the shopping malls and some handicraft shops. Certainly, they would not miss the chance to pay a visit to the duty-free shop to grab some grasping goods. The clock struck 1600 sharp when the bus was on its way to the airport after our lunch at a famous local chicken rice shop. The spicy chicken combined perfectly with the hot atmosphere, which had stimulated our sweat glands as well as the larynx when everyone started to complain. Bapa Suki accomplished his work when the last luggage was carried out from the baggage compartment. We were sad and reluctant when he was about to leave for he makes a good tour guide. Although he had a tough period communicating with us in Malay language, still, he tried his best to convey his messages and explanations in order for us to make things clear. He enriched us with knowledge such as the local tradition, tribal custom, religions, buildings, prohibitions and the related topics. One of them is that the students on Bali Island go schooling six days in a week and there is only one rest day for them which is on Sundays. Hardworking, huh! Perhaps one day the place will outshine our country merely because of their amazing perseverance. As a remembrance, we took pictures with him. After waving goodbye, we waited for two hours before boarding the plane back to Malaysia. Can’t wait for the SPM examination to end because the next destination is waiting for me!!!

Good morning!

Woots! Perfect! Indescribably beautiful! Anyone going with me next time ? Paid actors & actress in action Yo! Different sensation I miss the moment At Bali Airport Bapa Suki & us 2 Bapa's xDGoodbye Bali!