DAY 6

27th September

Frangipani Essential Oil

This was the worst day of my whole Bali trip because I didn't get enough sleep the night before haha. Today was the day we're going to Nusa Penida which I had quite high expectation towards it because of the photos I saw on instagram.

I booked the tour from Klook.com at RM197 per person. It included pick-up and drop-off at hotel, boat transfer back and forth to Nusa Penida from Sanur Habour, private driver at Nusa Penida and lunch. Wanted to add RM77 for snorkeling with Manta rays tour but it's not suitable for my parents so I didn't go for snorkeling.

The driver picked us up from our hotel on time at 6AM. We checked out from our hotel and brought our luggage along because the driver said we could put our luggage at their office. We traveled in a van to Sanur Harbour. It was drizzling and I was worried that the weather would affect our Nusa Penida trip. We reached Sanur about after an hour.

However, the driver gave us chairs and asked us to wait outside their office because it was not opened yet. We saw other tourists arrived in groups one by one with their drivers and also waited with us outside the office.

Outside their office Rhonda Bali

Kintamani dog that we met while waiting outside the office, Kintamani dogs are so gentle!

After the office opened, we gave them our luggage and they asked us to wait again coz the boat was not departing until 8.30 AM. I was soooo sleepy and moody. I tried to rest my eyes while waiting.

Finally around 8.30 AM, we were asked to walk to the harbour to board the boat. We had to take off our shoes and put them inside a big baskets together with others' shoes because we had to cross knee-high sea water to get on the boat.

Getting on the boat

I slept during the boat ride which was around 40 minutes.

We arrived at Nusa Penida where our private driver (different from the one who pick us up from hotel) was already waiting with a board that had my name written wrongly on it. We got on his MPV car and started heading towards our first destination --- Crystal Bay.

Our driver was not a talkative one or maybe coz we had language barrier. The car ride was so bumpy because of the uneven and rocky roads in Nusa Penida. The island was underdeveloped after all. I slept every time we were in the car coz I couldn't help it and my head kept knocking on the car window hahaha. Besides, there's not much view to see along the road because Nusa Penida just looked like a deserted place.

Finally, we reached Crystal Bay after a ride that felt so long to me. The moment I saw the beach I was disappointed. It looked nothing like its name. Not pretty at all. Didn't know what to do there except people-watching. I guess if I opted for the snorkeling tour it would be better. They said it's quite easy to see Manta rays in Nusa Penida. Awww I really wanted to see Manta rays with my own eyes! It would be so cool!

Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay

We were given 1 hour to chill at Crystal Bay, then we're off to eat lunch.


Our lunch was simple and quite tasty in a restaurant called Warung D'Coconut, but the portion was pathetically small. We got to choose a dish and a drink.

Warung D'Coconut

Lunch

After lunch, we headed to Angel's Billabong. Not as amazing as claimed by others. It was very crowded too I couldn't get a nice photo without human. And the sun was already very HOT! Luckily I brought my newly-bought sarong to cover my skin to prevent getting sunburn.

Angel's Billabong

Then, we went to Broken Beach. Again, a lot of people but we managed to get some good shots under the hot sun. The driver also helped us to queue for photography spots and helped us to take photos too. However, his photography skill was not good haha.

Broken Beach

Broken Beach

Broken Beach

Broken Beach

Can see my mum and sis from afar

Broken Beach

Accidentally took a couple photo for some random strangers lol

Next, we traveled in car again to our last and the most famous destination --- Kelingking Beach (AKA T-Rex's Head). Again, SO HOT and CROWDED. We queued up to take photos and our driver climbed up a tree to help us taking photos.

Kelingking Beach

Kelingking Beach

Kelingking Beach

We stopped by a cafe to have a coconut drink although it was pricey because it was too hot. The cafe was located at a high point so it was windy up there. I think drinking coconut juice at the cafe was the best part of the Nusa Penida tour lol. At around 3.30 PM, we traveled back to the harbour to get back to Sanur. We reached Sanur harbour around 4.30 PM.

We asked our driver (the same one who pick us up from hotel) whether he could send us to our hotel at Seminyak instead of the one he picked us up from. He agreed to it. A day before, I did send an email to the local operator of this Nusa Penida tour to ask about this and they asked me to deal directly with our driver. When we reached our hotel we gave him a little tip to thank him.

Our hotel for the night was Liberta Seminyak. It was a very modern design hotel with summer beach vibes that's very suitable for youngsters or those who's young at hearts. We enjoyed our stay here although it was just one night. The price was RM 222.85 per night. Although it's quite pricey but their facilities were good. They had a lot of foreign channels on their TV. The location was also really convenient as it's nearby good restaurants and markets.


Liberta Seminyak Hotel: https://www.agoda.com/liberta-seminyak-hotel/hotel/bali-id.html?site_id=1826364&tag=22437368-7921-4e24-839d-e8f9373002bd&device=c&network=g&adid=362031061900&rand=2571782525918965457&expid=&adpos=1t1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA89zvBRDoARIsAOIePbDDqXphfQpxPJO9Zz2EoBqnZaSevPBgfcDi2--ndVBrzFZUxFHNS78aAo3xEALw_wcB


Initially, I planned to have dinner at Hotel Mexicola, which was a very famous restaurant for its Mexican food, instagrammable interior design and the happening atmosphere. However, we were so tired so I was lazy to take a taxi to there and also I was worried that we couldn't get a table because it's so famous. So, I changed my plan last minute to Taco Casa, which was also a Mexican restaurant with good rating but within walk-able distance from our hotel!

I did not regret choosing Taco Casa. The food was good, especially the guacamole!

We ordered Crispy Chicken Tacos (IDR 69.000), Sizzling Beef Fajitas (IDR 84.000), Regular Taco Salad Bowl (IDR 61.000), Passion Fruit Juice (IDR 35.000) and Banana Juice (IDR 35.000).

Taco Salad Bowl

Sizzling Beef Fajitas Wraps and guacamole that came with Beef Faijtas

Crispy Chicken Tacos

Banana Juice & Passion Fruit Juice

It felt fresh because it was our first time eating Mexican food. The atmosphere and service there were nice too.


Taco Casa Seminyak: http://tacocasabali.com/


After our dinner, we walked back to our hotel. After showering, my sis wanted to go to the Pepito Market nearby to hunt for souvenirs coz she haven't bought any yet. So me, my mum and sis walked to Pepito Market. Too bad this Pepito Market was smaller than the one we went near Sunset Road that day and they didn't have a handicraft section which my sis was looking for. I did buy some Bali chocolates as souvenirs though.

Cau Cashew Chocolate Milk (IDR 65.000) and Cau Organic Dark Chocolate 73% (IDR 39.000)

Then, we walked back to our hotel. I booked our private driver to the airport for the next day through Klook.com. I've researched the prices and found that Klook offered the best price for airport transfer at RM43. Usually, the airport transfer provided by hotels cost IDR 250.000.

It was very easy to book airport transfer through Klook and you can even book it as late as 3 hours before pick up time. I just needed to key in a SIM card number for verification purposes so you need to have a SIM card that you can receive test messages. I paid online through my credit card without the need for verification through my home country's phone number.

I must say this day was the most enjoyable day for us throughout this whole Bali trip.

When I was researching about things to do in Bali, I read in someone's blog that this cycling tour was a must-try in Bali. After reading a lot of great reviews on TripAdvisor's page, I decided to go for it. Although it's quite pricey at it's early bird price of USD 40 per person (RM 165) , I thought we should try it because it would make our trip more interesting and less monotonous. And it didn't disappoint!

I booked from their official website: https://www.baliecocycling.com/ and paid fully online. Then, I received an email of confirmation and receipt.

A day before the tour, I received a reminder email and they asked for our hotel room number.


On that day, the guide came pick us up on time at 7.45 AM. Our tour guide, Dewa greeted us with a big smile and enthusiasm. Our driver was also very friendly. We hopped on the van and went uphill to Kintamani. During the car ride, Dewa would explained to us the places or the events that we passed by on the way to Kintamani. He is a humorous young guy who speaks good English.

We reached Kintamani after around 45 minutes of car ride. We had our buffet breakfast at a restaurant with a view of Mount Batur volcano.

The food was quite good but the best part was the view! The restaurant had an open-air dining area where we dined in a chilly weather while enjoying the majestic Mount Batur view.

Breakfast at Kintamani

Chilly weather with Mount Batur view

Volcano and the lake

After the breakfast, we were brought to a coffee plantation sort of place that's made for tourists. They grew some local plants and also rear luwaks for the educational tour. We saw aloe vera, coffee tree, cocoa tree and cinnamon tree. Dewa explained to us about the uses of all the tropical plants we saw. Then, we came to a spot where we were shown the process of roasting coffee and we also got to see the poop of luwak.

Aloe Vera

Coffee beans

Old lady showing how they roast coffee beans

Luwak's poop

Then, we were brought to a cafe where we had a coffee / tea tasting session. We also tried the luwak coffee with IDR 50.000.

Different types of coffee and tea

Luwak Coffee

After we're done with the coffee tasting, we were brought to their souvenir shops where I bought a pack of mangosteen tea (IDR 150.000) and luwak coffee (IDR 300.000). The prices were quite expensive considering I could find these items at half the price at Bintang Supermarket but when I tried them at home, their taste was really better than the ones I bought from Bintang Supermarket.

Mangosteen Tea and Luwak Coffee

We took some photos around that place and left.

Mum & Dad

Next, we headed to the starting point of our cycling route. Here we saw some cute Kintamani puppies. They had tiny bodies with old dog's faces which made them very adorable. According to Dewa, their dog just gave birth to these puppies few weeks ago. Kintamani dogs would dig a hole to nest their puppies. We played around and took photos with the puppies. Surprisingly, the mummy dog wasn't aggressive towards us when we touched her puppies.

Kintamani puppy

Kintamani Puppy

Kintamani dogs in their hole

After some briefing from Dewa about simple cycling rules and signs, we started our cycling through the rural areas of Bangli! Our first stop was a villager's house where Bali Eco Cycling made some donations to them regularly for them to provide their house for tourism purposes.

Dewa told us interesting traditions and daily life of Balinese family and we really learnt a lot. The house was like a museum but with real life people.

Villager making a basket from bamboo to sell and make money

Sleeping Kintamani dogs

Roosters kept for cockfighting

Cockfighting is only legal if its for religious purposes in temples

Then, we walked to their backyard where it's actually a small family farm for tourism. The owner of the farm was very friendly and sincere.

We saw Trigona bees that produce medicinal honey, played on the swing, tried Trigona bee's honey and some tropical fruits that we'd never seen before and played with a SPIDER. We also took some photos as they made some photo spots with colourful plants. The nephew of the farm owner was very friendly to me although e had language barrier. We even added each other on our instagram accounts. And of course, they're selling things too at the end of the tour. They're selling Trigona bee's honey and also the coffee / tea that we tried. We didn't buy though because my parents thought the honey was expensive. But after we left that place, I felt a bit guilty that I didn't buy anything from them to support their small family business as I really appreciated their hospitality. They really seemed like a bunch of genuine and sincere people. The nephew kept asking me on instagram to visit the cafe that he worked part time at haha but I said no because it was quite far from our hotel.

Beehive of Trigona Bees

Bee house for Trigona Bees

Parents were so happy playing the swing. That's our guide there helping them.

Dad following the farm owner

Mum with the SPIDER

Forgot the name of this fruit. It tasted like passion fruit

After that, we carried on with our journey. Throughout the cycling, we passed by paddy fields, tropical forests, old balinese house compounds, balinese hinduism decorations, temples, balinese villagers, balinese cats and dogs. The weather was so great. It was very comfortable to cycle in a windy weather. The cycling was 90% downhill so everyone managed to cycle through the whole route. In case someone couldn’t cycle anymore, there’s also a staff with a tandem bike who followed us from the start to the end.

There were many structures like this where the Balinese people put their offerings to God.

Duckssss

It's quite dangerous to take photos while cycling I almost lost control of my bike once haha

Passed by a big ceremony

A beautiful temple

Paddy field

Walked in the paddy fields while our guide explaining the farmer's daily life to us

Bali dogs

Doing something with the paddy

We also learnt about rice harvesting process and also witness wood carving process.  I came to know that the village we were cycling through was Dewa's mother’s village. So he knew some of the villagers there and he knew quite a lot about the places and the villagers' tradition and culture there.

Wood carving

Dewa's uncle was a pro in wood carving!

Dewa's cousins were also good in wood carving too!

Harvesting paddy

Kintamani dog looking for something in the river

End of our cycling tour. Happy faces!

We ended our tour with Balinese style buffet at a warung with tropical forest view. We reached our hotel back around 4.30 PM.

Lunch with tropical forest view

Balinese buffet

I would say this was the best part of our Bali trip. We all enjoyed it more than visiting temples and other touristy places in Bali.



After we reached our hotel, we went out again to Bintang Supermarket for some souvenir shopping since we didn't have time that day. We decided to walk from our hotel to Bintang Supermarket because we wanted to save on taxi money. Besides, it's just 20 minutes walk away, wouldn't be that hard right? It's certainly not a problem for me and my sis but it may be tiring for my parents. I did ask them if they want to walk and they said okay. So, we walked through the streets to Bintang Supermarket. On the way, we passed by a bridge where when we looked down from the bridge, we saw there's a religious ceremony being held at a river.

Cute doggie we met on the small road that lead to our hotel

Ceremony at a river

We spent like around 1-2 hours in that supermarket. There's an art and souvenir section at 1st floor and groceries section at ground floor. The stuffs were considered cheap and with good quality.

I bought a Dreamcatcher (IDR 75.000), a Batik Sarong (IDR 75.000) and a Bintang Beer logo fridge magnet (IDR 25.000) form the souvenir section.

Dream Catcher

Sarong

Bintang Beer Fridge Magnet

As for groceries, I bought Kupu-kupu Bola Dunia brand coffee powder 250g (IDR 19.600), Kupu-kupu Bola Dunia brand Wild Luwak coffee powder 8 x 8g (IDR 145.000), Kupu-kupu Bola Dunia brand Bali Organic coffee powder 50g (IDR 16.500), and Mangosteen Tea 20 sachets (IDR 21.300). Most of these were souvenirs for friends.

Kupu-Kupu Bola Dunia Wild Luwak Coffee

Kupu-kupu Bola Dunia Coffee Powder

Kupu-kupu Bola Dunia Bali Organic Coffee Powder

Mangosteen Tea Sachets

BTW the Bintang Beer sold here was the cheapest price we found in Bali --- IDR 33.300 for a big bottle.


Bintang Supermarket: http://bintangsupermarket.com/



After the shopping, the sky had turned dark and my parents were lazy to walk back to our hotel. So we took a cab for IDR 60.000. We just took any taxi that's already waiting at the entrance of Bintang Supermarket and the taxi driver gave us a fixed price instead of using the meter. We asked him to drop us at Alam Pizza which was nearby our hotel because we wanted to have our dinner there. The car ride from Bintang Supermarket to Alam Pizza took around 10 minutes only so it was quite expensive but we were also lazy to haggle price.

Again, we chose this restaurant because it's near to our hotel and it also had a good rating on Google. And it turned out we liked their pizza better than Umah Pizza! Their crust was thicker and their topping tasted nicer overall. However, their food was served really slow compared to Umah Pizza and the environment was not as good as Umah Pizza. Their prices were also slightly higher than Umah Pizza.

We ordered small Pizza Alam (IDR 47.000), Pizza Gorgonzola (IDR 48.000), Pizza Bolognese (IDR 45.000), Pizza Seafood (IDR 42.000), Beet Root Juice (IDR 22.000) and Mango Lassi (IDR 23.000).

Drinks were nice. Couldn't remember which pizza I liked the most though.

Beet Root Juice and Mango Lassi

Pizzas by Alam Pizza, can't remember which was which haha

Alam Pizza: https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g297701-d12955412-Reviews-Alam_Pizza-Ubud_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html



After our dinner, we walked back to our hotel. Before we slept, we packed our stuffs for the next day because we checking out and also had some Bintang Beer. OMG I couldn't sleep that night until 3 AM I think because I drank too much coffee during the coffee tasting in the day time. I didn't even drink that much of coffee! It was just two coffee tasting session!