Bali 6th April 14 to 12th April 14; Day 3: Mount Batur Hiking, Gunung Kawi Temple, Bali Pulina Agro Tourism,

Began Day 3 really early!

Woke up at 130am but I am excited!!

Finally my trekking trip!! Woo Hoo!

Quickly chop chop, we got ready and made our way down.

At 2am, heard Uncle's alarm. He too has set his alarm just to see us off. So nice of him...

So, the journey to a meet-up point was like 1 hour 30 mins, because we sped through the wee hours, we could go faster. Once we reached there, we were handed over to the local guide, who cannot speak English. Madan and the driver then stayed on to wait for us to finish our trek.

Halfway through the journey, driven by the female mountaineering guide, I wanted to use the toilet. She drove us to an inn where there were so many men standing around. There were also 2 ferocious dogs barking at us. I froze in terror. So afraid that the dogs would come to me. They kept barking non-stop. Thankfully, the men shooed the dogs to another path and then I hugged Xinyi as both of us made our way behind the female guide with people asking which country we were from.

Then it was time to go off.

The guide maneuvered around the mountain trains under low light visibility. Xinyi and I both talked about the dangers of entering into something so unknown, so foreign.

Then we reached the venue. No photos because it is still pitch-dark.

We got out of the car as we saw hordes of hikers, almost all Caucasians loitering around the compound. We were introduced to our guide, who told us to call him Kadek.

The Trek

Terrain initially was okay. Then slowly as we went on further, it got steeper and it got more rocky. We made stops every now and then. Xinyi was new to trekking and I must say she has done really well!

Halfway through, we witnessed a group of 4 Caucasians who decided to head back. 

If you do not want to get a guide, actually it is fine. You can always follow closely behind a particular group of your choice.

Halfway through, Kadek made offerings to their God.

We continued climbing. Was already perspiring but still it means just putting one foot on top of another.. Just for that awesome beauty at the top. I was so worried that we would miss the sunrise. Kept urging them not to rest anymore :X

And then we made it! Top was flooded with people. Kadek asked if we would like to climb on to another peak. Of course, we jumped straight at the chance.

Hell yeah, a little quieter, lesser obstruction. 

This is the Mount Agung which i wanted to climb. But this is really dangerous and it is only for the really experienced climbers.

Selfie with the selfie stick!

Kadek took this but his face was chipped off.

This is the breakfast set served for us. It consists of 1 banana, 2 eggs and 2 slices of bread with homemade banana jam each. They also sell hot drinks up there for quite a significant amount I guess. I told Kadek I did not bring along my wallet which is true and he didn't coerce me into making any purchase.

This bugger stayed near me after it caught sight of the eggs I'm peeling. In the end, the guides chased it away. While we were there, there was this guide whom I thought was a ji ko pek. Initially thought that he was quite friendly and then he started making us uncomfortable. Thank God our guide was not him.

I love trekking. Always makes me ponder about life a little deeper, once you are on the top losing yourself in thoughts :)

“我站在靠近天的頂端，張開手全都釋放，用月光取暖~給自己力量” (Taiwan, Taroko Gorge, 2013)

“才發現關於夢的答案，一直在自己手上，只有自己能，讓自己發光。” (Bali, Mount Batur, 2014)

No one understands you more than yourself :) So...Believe yourself :) You really don't need anyone's approval :)

.....

Irritating! I spent so much time sharing my thoughts for the entire day and my internet has to fail on me....

So once we were ready to go, Kadek showed us around. The volcano now lies dormant. The last eruption occurred in 1963, wiping an entire village altogether. What remains is the black volcanic ash.

Nice place! :D

The kind of terrain down.

Perhaps because it has become brighter, I feel that the descend is harder. I had more inhibitions as I tread gingerly downhill. 

Along the journey, there was no conversation. And then I decided to invoke more emotions. Hehe. Blasted my playlist. So, when Price Tag was played, Kadek suddenly started singing. He even commented nice song. I love the lyrics as well.

"Seems like everybody's got a price...

I wonder how they sleep at night?

When the sale come first and the truth comes second,

just stop for a minute and smile...

Why is everybody so serious? 

Acting so damn mysterious..

Got the shades on your eyes and your heels so high,

you can't even have a good time...

Everybody look to the left, 

everybody look to the right.

Can you feel it yeah?

We're paying with love tonight...

It's not about the money, money, money.

We don't need your money, money, money.

We just wanna make the world dance..

Forget about the price tag.

Ain't about the cha-ching, cha-ching,

ain't about the no, ba-bling ba-bling,

wanna make the world dance..

Forget about the price tag...

We need to take it back in time..

When music make us all unite..

When it wasn't low blows and video hoes..

Am I the only one getting tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?

Money can't buy us happiness.

Can we all slow down and enjoy right now,

Guarantee we'll be feeling alright....."

All of a sudden, I overthink and I realize...I could feel him... Although separated by a different identity, a different language, deep down, we are all human beings...Did the incident uphill spur him to think a little more? Well actually there was some commotion on top of the hill, between a foreign couple and the ji ko pek guide.

Well, actually if you humble yourself and be open to experience, we learn a lot don't we? Children of the world, we are constantly allowing experience to change our perception of reality.

And this is our victory photo!

Along the Way

Along the way, I was awoken by Mada. There was a traditional Balinese wedding taking place, and Mada just ushered us in although we do not know the couple. 

Nice Balinese. I feel the warmth. They welcomed us and we chatted a bit. Even offered us food.

I felt a little self-imposing but my inhibitions were lifted after I saw the drink. Hehe. Too thirsty already.

Our next destination was supposed to be the infinity pool in Ubud. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. Hehe.

Gunung Kawi Temple

Came to the same temple like 10 years ago.

Bali Pulina Agro Tourism

Besides coffee beans, they grow a variety of other plants such as vanilla, ginger and so on.

And then, there was luwak! Luwak coffee is especially priceless. They are basically fed with the coffee beans and then after enzymes in their bodies acted on them, the beans came out even more aromatic. Heh.

We tried roasting the coffee beans the traditional way.

We offered a cup of luwak coffee for SIN 6 bucks, and then we were served with a complimentary set of other coffee, which includes ginger tea, vanilla coffee and so on.

Looking at the scenery before us must made us really grateful for such a getaway :)

Next, we had lunch nearby.

Then we watched Captain America. 

And we were done for the day! Haha.

Bali 6th April 14 to 12th April 14; Day 2: White Water Rafting, Kuta Beach, XO Buffet

Day 2!

Rested well for the night. Woke up to a feast prepared by my Jiu Ma :D

And then we were good to go!

Our local guide, Madan, who is also the wife of Si Jiu's secretary came to welcome us, and off we went in the car with the driver.

Madan has never taken any English-speaking clients but I thought she was pretty alright! 

White Water Rafting

We were given a locker to keep our bags. And also a waterproof bag to keep our valuables. Then the instructor kept our waterproof bag into his even bigger waterproof bag.

Our white water rafting gear! 

The walk down to the river was quite a long run. Look at the elephant's butt hole in the photo below. Hahaha.

And then with some effortful push, the contents are out! Elephant's shit! I have never seen before hahaha. Actually looks like durian lo hahahaha. Can really see the fibre strands. 

Us with the elephant riders behind haha

And then we finally reached the start point! The guide had the inflatable boat pumped once more and we are set to go!

There was an official photographer on duty, who took some photos before and after the initial start off. You can purchase your photographs at the end for 100K rupiah I think. Our guide offered to take for us instead, using our phones. And the photos are even more priceless.

So there was cliff diving again. It was a really short jump down. I completed the 2-storey challenge in Taiwan. But I froze again this time. Taking the leap of faith is really something I fear so much. Even when it was lower....Really want to conquer this fear...

The guide asked if we would like to swim and I agreed, so he towed the raft slowly behind while we swam on, stopping by a tent but didn't get any drinks.

One of my favourite emojis haha.

So, we walked barefooted back to the cliff diving spot. Haha.

I chickened out again. Sighs. But in the end, I did jump clumsily once more. Oh wells..

So white water rafting adventure finally completed! Besides rafting and elephant tour, you get to ride on jeeps, otherwise known as ATV also. They charge by USD. Place is between Bangli and Klungkung.

Our raft capsizing. Hoho.

Our last photo. The next cliff diving spot was so much higher. We didn't want to try.

Then, we were taken via a lorry to the start point. A very rusty pick-up. Along the way, we witnessed a funeral burial. A lot of people came over to pay their last respects.

We had buffet lunch at the first floor - all part of the package. Quite alright. Then we went to bathe. Towels and soap were provided, just the basics. Don't expect too much. And you have to pay to use the shower facilities.

After which, we set off for our next destination.

Kuta Beach

Alright, so there was a shift in the itinerary which we weren't aware cuz basically I was working so mad hard weeks leading to the trip. We were planning to go surfing. Reached there around 1 plus? And the weather was so god damn bloody hot and I decided that I wouldn't be able to learn surfing in a day. So we skipped that :) Just lazed around on the arm chairs over there; you got to pay for its usage. I plugged in to my headphones, and then got tired, so I read a book, looked at my surroundings, and continued losing myself in my world. Ahhhh. Brilliant. All would be perfect if not for the touters, who would come periodically because of Xinyi's false hope. Haha. She spent quite a bit there. 

We had our tattoos painted there. Haha. Seems like a lot of people have allergic reaction to the paint so if you have sensitive skin, better skip those. There are also touters selling souvenirs like bracelets, ice cream, paintings and massage services. So, be firm, don't give in too quickly and try to haggle as much as possible.

All taken using selfie sticks haha.

So chillax as I let my thoughts run wild. About life. About work. About relationships. Xinyi at the back, was forced to take up the massage haha. Hope you have learnt something. Be firm when you say no. Hehe.

There was this ang moh who tried to talk to us! I was too engrossed in my book and sounded really unfriendly. Hahaha. He asked if we were from Korea, just from our back views. Haha. Would have been a great fun if we managed to make friends with him. :(

And.. They sell Havaianas in vending machines!

XO Buffet

And then, it was time for dinner! The driver drove us back home first, where we washed up, before Uncle drove us and his family out for dinner.

It's something like MK hot pot, not the buffet style kind of hot pot.

Uncle ordered roasted duck for me :D :D :D Had a really great meal. And then I looked at the clock. Omg. We only have 4 hours worth of sleep as we need to wake up at 130am the next day for the hiking I have been thinking about...

So that marks the end of Day 2! Will be back soon!