Bali Getaway Part 1 : Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (Bedugul)

Hellow, everybody!

Yes, after procrastinating to no end (as usual), i finally succeeded in forcing my lazy ass to blog about my little family's Bali getaway :). Unlike usual, i won't be blogging about it per day since the last two days were spent doing practically nothing, instead i'd be blogging per place hehe. We went on a total tourist mode too, visiting lots of touristy places. I guess we were over-compensating our last trip to Bali (which we spent to none of those touristy places but roaming expensive and luxe eatery instead. You can read about my December 2012-January 2013 Bali vacation in my January-February archive)

Starting with Pura Ulun Danu Bratan on Day 1. In case you're not aware, Indonesia has the biggest Moslem population (in a country) in the world, but uniquely-Balinese are mostly Hindu (and that makes this exotic island even more special!) and they are very religious, you can find Pura/temples in every nooks and crannies of Bali

But of course it won't be exclusively talking about that one place but also other stops we made along the way, etc. And complains, and moanings. LOL. In fact i'm gonna start with one. Or two. First was about our Air Asia flight. There are currently only two flights from Surabaya with Air Asia, morning flight (which we couldn't take because Baby Boy still had school-we left on Thursday, we already pulled him out of school for a total of three days as it is) and late evening one. It was supposed to be around 7.30 PM so i figured we'd be at the hotel around 10 (flight from Surabaya to Bali's only 55 minutes, but Bali time's one hour ahead of Surabaya)-plenty of time to rest and get comfortable. 

Fat chance. A few weeks before the D day (we booked the flight months before), Air Asia sent a confirmation e-mail about the flight's delay. ZZZZ. Instead of 7.30, we'll leave at 9.15 now WTF. And to make matter worse? When we were already in the flight's gate waiting to be boarded, the flight was postponed even further. We ended up flying around 10 PM ZZZZ. L and her husband were in Bali at that time as well and they kindly offered to pick us up in the airport (because they were also staying in Nusa Dua area, which is a more secluded area quite far from the airport) but we had to call them as soon as they announce the added 45 minutes delay (EFF delays) coz we definitely didn't want to be a burden! It was getting late as it was! 

In the end we arrived in Bali at midnight-local time zzzzz. Took a taxi to Nusa Dua (which was almost 30 minutes away from the airport) and checked in to Mercure Nusa Dua (in case you're a new reader, we got free hotel vouchers from their New Year's lucky draw) at 1 AM on Friday 27th November instead of the 26th *LOL*. Bad lucks still hovered around us, because even though they kinda upgraded our room (which was supposed to be a Junior Suite Room to a VIP one. It was really spacious with extra parlor and all that had a couch that could be pulled into an extra bed. We ended up pulling off the huge mattress from the couch to our bedside and it became Baby Boy's comfortable bed for three nights), the air conditioner was broken! 

We called for them to fix it and they did try, it was almost 2 AM and they thought they solved the problem (they didn't) and left, and i ended up not being able to sleep almost the whole night (i even moved to the parlor and slept on the couch because the air conditioner in the parlor worked better than the one in our room). Didn't help that hunny snored like a lumberjack-hard-at-work on my ears. Thank God Baby Boy slept soundly through the night!

I woke up pretty early in the morning with a jump because Baby Boy was hovering around me scarily (i am a light sleeper *sigh*). We called receptionist again and demanded for them to fix the air conditioner, and they finally did, hallelujah! (and the next two nights i spent shivering in cold *LOL*, the irony!) We then went to get ready to finally go out *Baby Boy was very excited and kept on asking when we're going out*, and then the air conditioner flooded! LOLOLOL. Thankfully they managed to completely fix the air conditioner by the time we got back. Now, i am not angry or anything, and i am thankful for the free room, but seriously. It was a pretty horrible start for our little holiday *LOL* (Btw, i didn't take any pictures of the room, but it looked a lot like our room old room back in December 2012, only much bigger)

We managed to have a lot of fun ever since, but that didn't mean that our luck was not still making fun of us because our stupid rented car's AIR CONDITIONER also decided to go bonkers on us! It started off very fine, but suddenly it blows only hot air! WTF. In the end hunny realized that it works fine whenever he's speeding, but there were quite a few jams we encountered that day and that's when the air conditioner would stop working! Before he figured out the problem, i told him the air conditioner was bipolar (being hot and cool simultaneously) and made US bipolar (happy one minute when it's working, and angry the next) FOL. Hunny managed to keep us cool (by stepping on the gas continuously) ever since he realized what the problem was and we get a new car latter that day *sigh* so everything did went well in the end.

LOL, so typically me-6 paragraphs before actually starting to the point of the entry hahahaha. Complains pretty much finished (for now) though, i promise. So, we didn't have any plan on where we wanted to go like, at all (i only know i wanted to have dinner at Bubbagump at some point because it's like our must-go restaurant whenever we're in Bali, it's a bit of a special place for the two of us. We went there for the very first time on our first real honeymoon years ago :) and it holds a special place in my heart ever since) and we thought we'd just wing it. Of course, it didn't work that way and we ended up confusing ourselves so we did some Googling in the end and pretty much worked out a little (rough) itinerary on the spot haha. I guess being educated in Tourism did have a factor in that! 

Decided to go to Bedugul (or what's known as "the cold place" in our family haha) in the end, and while passing Denpasar-we passed by Babi Guling (Suckling Pig) Candra, one of the well known BiGul (and so far probably the best-for us) in Bali. And if i only have Bubbagump in mind, hunny only had BiGul Candra in his! So we abrubtly decided to stop by and have lunch there because we don't know if we're ever gonna pass it again in our trip *with our messy IT and all*.

Hunny, looking decidedly happy at the prospect of having a yum yum BiGul hahaha

Just feed Baby Boy cold medication (just like his momma, he eternally suffers from flu zzz) so he was very sleepy, but one mouthful of BiGul (that's apparently very spicy for his standard-which i didn't realize because i eat chillies like candies) his eyes popped wide open FHL

I don't understand why everything seemed to be so spicy for him now because we ate there once before and he finished everything on his plate, so we had to order plain pork meats (which arrived in HEAPS, we were pretty stunned. Ended up da bao-ing half of it, but it turned BAD when we unwrapped it later that night! Moral of the story, don't buy the plain meat by itself maybe? It was pretty pricey too, but there were a LOT of meats there) and i had to force fed him *LOL*. 

I don't usually have breakfast and lunch seperatedly (i have brunch instead coz i usually wake up pretty late when i'm at home hehe) so i was still very full from our earlier breakfast at the hotel, plus i am not a huge fan of BiGul like hunny so i just ate a few spoonful of Baby Boy's left over. Another one of mummy role *LOL*, i rarely order food during this trip because i'm always worried Baby Boy would hate his meal (happened a lot) and i'd have to eat it instead *sigh*.

Continued our journey afterward, and it was pretty far! Took us about two hours? And we already had a very late start (but then again, we have a late start everyday because we always took our time to relax in the hotel and get ready. Isn't that the perfect holiday anyway?) with lots of detour, we arrived at Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (which i couldn't remember ever visiting even though i must've at least once or twice when i was little. I always go to the resort/water sport area (read this) whenever i go there with my family so i wasn't even aware of this Pura (temple) in the same area.

It is now rainy season in Indonesia, and Bali's weather's been quite perfect for us (but if, like most foreigners, you go there for the sun and warmth you might want to come in summer instead. I know we keep on saying we have summer all year round, but that's not 100% true) because it was never too hot, cool enough for me to constantly shrug on that chiffon outer wear in that picture above, everyday! And i brought my sunnies for nothing because the sun was always hiding behind the clouds :).

But even though it was not super hot in all of Bali, Bedugul's another matter altogether. It's COLD (at least for tropical creatures like us) there! Pretty much similar to Europe's spring weather when we went there in May :p. It was just finished raining (but it rained again when we left! That's what i meant about the weather being perfect, it kept on raining whenever we're inside the car and stopped whenever we arrived at our destination!) so it was very misty and foggy! Super pretty and surreal, i didn't even feel like we were in Indonesia haha.

I just kept on thinking of how this place (and the aura) seemed to be very Twilight-ish, like it wouldn't be too out of place if suddenly Edward dashed through the trees hahaha

There's a sign (and it's also a well-known rule) forbidding women who are having their period (my period decided to show up on the day we're leaving for Bali and stopped just a day before we left FML) to enter the Pura itself so i was forever panicking if i'm stepping on the forbidden part already! I wasn't alone, stumbled into another lady who's voicing her own concern as well and her family told her it's the Pura (the one surrounded by the walls) that was off limit for her (me as well!) and not the park itself

As usual, unfocused eyes GAHHH so annoying

Hunny told me it's super pretty without the fog when you can see the beautiful lake stretches out immediately after the temple, but in my opinion it's even more beautiful when it's half hidden (actually you can't really see the lake at all beside the tiny part seen in this pic from all the fogs) because it then looked super mysterious, mythical and even more special!

Then hunny saw this little fella. It's so cute, it got embarrassed every time its got food inside its mouth it'd run away backward *there's an open door leading to a big and closed park or something at the back part of the cage, i guess the cage itself only works as their feeding place?*

Baby Boy got so excited when he saw this huge fish, began climbing it and insisted on cam-whoring with it

I oso wan. Originally planned to "kiss" the fishie but its so low down, i can't do it without throwing myself on the ground (and i was already so embarrassed because it was quite crowded and people kept on watching us zzz)

Baby Boy kept on asking to ride the water bike (the horror!!!) but it was not operating, the ticket selling booth was not even open! It'd be crazy to ride it in such heavy fog anyway!

Baby Boy then saw a little path leading further in and kept on calling me to go in. It's the less visited part of the place *i guess, i could be mistaken* that we probably wouldn't even think of setting our foot in *not even sure if it's off limit because of the very small entrance-but it's not because once we got in, more and more people also went in. Or did we cause that? LOL* and i'm glad we did coz it's so beautiful!

When hunny was busy taking our pic, a friendly local (errr, aren't we locals too?) approached us and asked us in English (people refused to believe we're Indonesian in Bali, they were determined that we're Japanese/Korean, even Koreans thoughts we're Koreans and tried to speak in Korean to us *sigh*-this happened in Vietnam, Macau and even Singapore too...) "Do you want to take pictures? Three of you?". We were so stunned and i was afraid she'd be embarrassed if we replied in Indonesia so we just stammered "Errr no..." and scurried off with an apologetic smile. She probably thought we're super shy Japanese or something *LOL*

There's a swamp or someting in the further corner of this place and we spotted some little sampans, when i tried to take some pictures hunny scared me by pointing out a sign of "Women who are having their period are forbidden to enter" in front of another entrance. I'm 100% they meant another (i guess) Pura further back and not the whole meadow! Alas, he scared me so much i insisted we leave the secluded part as fast as we could.

And continue cam-whoring at safe spots. Why do i look like a geisha/Chinese lady ghost so much in my pictures whenever i'm wearing flowy materials? *sigh*

Ribbit!

It was starting to drizzle again by then, but Baby Boy really didn't want to leave the place yet *he's having a lot of fun, and he wasn't ready to go back to the car after more than a two hours drive even though he was sleeping most of the time hehe* and kept on finding excuses to prolong our stay.

Like insisting on taking a pic with the giant eagle, pretty far away from where were standing zzzz

And then insisting (after i said no already) on trying out the jungle gym nearby for a little bit, so i gave up and let him be

While i cam-whored a little bit more

I guess the rain *it was more of a drizzle but still...* started to chase the mist away because everything seemed a little clearer then

Look how beautiful the scenery was. And everything's taken with a half-broken pocket camera teehee

I guess i am quite taken with floral photography now, ever since Gardens by the Bay!

Then Baby Boy called to us because somehow he got tangled and stuck in the globe-like monkey bars -____- how did that happened??? And then we dragged him to the car because the drizzle started to intensify (plus we have a plan to visit another place, and it was around 4 already!).

But of course when he saw this weird fishie statue (s?) he insisted on taking a picture first (he's every bit as narcissistic as his mummy)

And that was our little visit to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan! Stay tuned for the next place!

#Pink

PS : I'm in a fantastic mood right now, because we've just booked our tickets for our next trip! Yes, the three of us once again, to Hong Kong (in February 2014) this time! Can you believe we scored IDR 4.600.000 (that's less than USD 450) for return tickets to Hong Kong for 3 pax??? Fantastic or what! That was only possible because Tiger Airways' having an IDR 1 promotion (to Hong Kong, have to pay for the return tickets that's why ended up paying IDR 4.600.000, including baggages etc!). We also scored IDR 750.000/pax tickets for my parents to Singapore! So if you're interested to go to Singapore/Hong Kong, you might want to check out this promotion! Lemme know if you booked your next trip because of my tip :D!