Bali in 6 days~ Day4

After our yummy in the Villa breakfast...sigggghhhhhhhhhh!!! 

We headed to the Chill...the reflexology spa at The Villas for our complimentary treatment.

Was a relaxed one hour of head and back massage.

Breakfast at the Villa~ <3

After the Spa, we headed to Kuta. The beach and the area around. There are some nice surf stores to do a bit of shopping. Billabong has a huge store with great buys for the beach and stay in Bali!

I picked up these love slippers ( they had a few and picking one wasn't easy!)

My slippers from Billabong :)

Other than the high street market, there is the street market in Kuta. where you can find all kinds of stuff!

From "I love Bali" bags to wooden toys, lil mementos of Bali- magnets, key chains etc...

Fun to explore and just walk through.

We ate at the lovely Poppies restaurant...it's like a lil oasis once you enter the gate.

A wonderful escape from the heat after all the walking!

They also have a boutique hotel close by, in the same street. It looked beautiful too. Very green and very Bali! :)

Pix from around Kuta area and the Poppies restaurant

After lunch, we headed back to the Hotel to leave for our sunset cruise. Part of the package we booked at the Hotel.

It was nice but not great!~

And also, the camera battery ran out on us at the wrong time, so I hardly have any pix from it :(

The cruise was organized by Bali Hai cruises and they conduct them everyday, starting at 5:45pm and return to the bay at 8:45pm. 

After enjoying the beautiful sunset on the deck, there is a buffet dinner on the lower deck. Followed by a cabaret dance on the bridge deck, continuing with some live singing and dancing till you are back at at the harbor.

Had it not been part of the package, I don't think we would have really taken it....would have preferred so something more private! :)

Precious few pix from the cruise

Bali in 6 days~ Day3

The Barong dance



Barong is probably the most well known dance in Bali. It is also another story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. The second dance we saw after the Kecak, which was my personal favorite!The Barong's costume is impressive though. And the dance overall is entertaining.


The story goes that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the tenth century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the leaks and the demons, to come after Erlangga. A fight occurred, but she and her black magic troops were too strong that Erlangga had to ask for the help of Barong. Barong came with Erlangga's soldiers, and fight ensued. Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers all wanted to kill themselves, pointing their poisoned keris into their own stomachs and chests. Barong casted a spell that turned their body resistant to the sharp keris. At the end, Barong won, and Rangda ran away.
Somebody can die or get seriously injured in a Barong dance. It is said that if Rangda's spell is too strong, a weak soldier may not be able to resist it, even with the help of Barong. He may end up hurting himself with his own keris.
The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerrings must be presented.


We saw the performance at the Batubulan Village. It starts each morning at 9:30am.

The Art & Craft Centre


After the Barong dance, we headed to the Tohpati, a small village famous for it's Batik.  There are a couple of shops here and depending on which one your taxi driver prefers(!) you will be taken to one. They are all really similar...so it's alright. They have a variety of products in Batik, from sarongs, slippers, bags in all shapes and sizes. Can make great gifts to take back:)
From there we headed to our next stop...to Celuk, the Gold and Silver smith Village. We went to the store- Sari Dewi. You can see a few craftsmen working on the silver and glod to turn them into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Remember you have to bargain!!! Depending on how good you re ...you can easily get even unto 50% lesser!
After the silver and goldsmiths, we headed to the Art Centre in  Batuan for Balinese paintings and in the end to Mas for Wood carving.
Not only are the products beautiful but so are the locations and the stores.
Especially loved the art centre, with beautiful orate walls and stone carvings.
Picked up things from all the places! Little remembrance of Bali and of our HoneyMoon.

In and around the four crafts centre-batik,silversmiths, paintings & woodwork

 A box in a box in a box~! Picked up from the batik store

Two pairs of earrings I picked up at Sari Dewi

Kintamani volcano & the Batur lake

We reached Kintamani around lunch time and were very lucky to have clear weather to be able to get a beautiful panoramic view of the volcano and the Batur lake. The volcano is still active and has erupted around 24 times since the 1800. The black sand is used a lot by the Balinese in construction. The temperature here was much cooler than the south. You can start feeling the difference in temperature along the drive up hill.

After a nice traditional buffet lunch at on of the restaurants we headed back.

Since we were staying in the Seminyak area of Bali in the south, it was about a hour and half of a drive through a very picturesque Bali.

The panoramic views of the volcano & the lake

Coffee Plantation

On the way down from Kintamani, we stopped at a Coffee plantation site. And not just any coffee!!!

This is the "poop" coffee....:D

Now don't giggle...it is after all the most expensive coffee in the world! The Kopi Luwak or Luwak Coffee.Kopi is the Indonesian word for COFFEE. Luwak is a local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra. Kopi Luwak or civet coffee, is coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, having kept their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness. Kopi Luwak is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago.

The area is beautiful, much like the rest of Bali! Beautiful green view from the quaint lil cafe that has been set up. You can try the expensive Luwak Kopi here.  You are also served complimentary cups of - Mocha, Ginger tea, Ginseng, Bali coffee, Lemon tea!

There is also a shop where you can buy not just coffee, but also different spices, from cardamom, vanilla pods, pepper, locally made tobacco for those who like rolling on their own and lots more. 

Also , there are cute lil wooden civets handmade and hand painted! Couldn't resist picking up one :)

Pura Tirta Empul Temple

(The Holy Spring water Temple)

Our last stop for the day was the Tirta Empul Temple. Another one of the beautiful ancient temples of Bali. There is a natural spring water here which is considered holy by the Balinese. Legend has it that the sacred spring was created by the god Indra and has curative properties. His forces had been poisoned by Mayadanawa, so he pierced the earth to create a fountain of immortality to revive them. A tradition which has continued over thousands of years. One can always see people dipping themselves in the holy spring water. Purifying themselves and bringing goodluck upon them!

An inscription dates the founding of a temple at the site to 926 AD.

Above the temple is the Governer's house spread across acres of land with lush green gardens, built in 1954. Our driver Krish ( who we were lucky to get...a Balinese man, who knew Bali inside out and was very helpful whether it was with readjusting our plans for the day or taking pix of us and generally just telling us about Bali!) told us that in the early years, the governor used to like meditating in the gardens overlooking the spring water, with the view of the woman bathing!!!

Some meditation that! :P

At the Tirta Empul Temple

Bali in 6 days~ Day2

The Uluwatu Temple

(Pura Luhur Uluwatu)

South Bali

A must visit when in Bali.

The Uluwatu Temple, perched on the edge of the cliff, above the roaring waves of the Indian Ocean. The temple itself is out of bounds. Understandably enough, with the number of tourists Bali gets and considering that the temple was made in 11th century.

But the views around are rewarding enough. And the sunset is not to be missed.

There is a nominal charge to enter the temple. You are given coloured sashes to tie around your tummy.

I figured later that they were tied to cover your navel( Tied mine way too hight the first time! )

Also, if you your legs are bare you'll be given sarongs. They do look quite lovely, the brights coloured fabrics on everyone around.

The monkeys can be bit of a menace. There are warnings saying as much, at the entrance of the temple.

Our driver warned us in advance, so we were careful with the camera we were carrying and also my husband took of his glasses. And we were unharmed.

After admiring the views and exploring the area around, we headed to watch the Kecak Dance.

{Views of and from Uluwatu}

The Kecak dance

The Kecak dance is performed every evening at the Uluwatu Temple.

Just the location of the performance make it special and worthwhile.

The dance begins with a group of men walking in saying "Kecak (pronounce kechak) Kecak Kecak" in a continuous rhythm. They continue the chanting all through the dance performance.

The dance is a story from the Ramayana. The story of Sita's abduction by Ravana and Hanuman reaching to save her. And in the process setting "Lanka" to fire.

The timing is just perfect, with the burning of the "Lanka" starting just around dusk.

A lovely way to initiate kids to the story of the Ramayana.

A must watch!

{Stills from the Kecak dance}

Dinner on the beach at Jimbaran Bay

After the lovely Kecak dance , we headed to Jimbaran Bay for our dinner on the beach.

It truly is dinner "on" the beach! It's beautiful and totally romantic a setting.

Since we'd opted for a package for our trip to Uluwatu and the dinner.

We had a set menu of a sea food platter. When the waiter walked in with our plates, we just looked at each other and went "wow"!!!

For folks like us, for whom sea food isn't an everyday thing...it can be a little overwhelming!!!

Crab, lobster, prawns, fish, mussels...there was everything!

Served with a bowl of rice along with the yummiest greens...

And it was great...other than the fact that I was just too queazy to do all that breaking and tugging out the meat!

But my husband was sweet enough to do all of that:) The darling he is.

With the cool breeze blowing, sounds of the waves...it was one of the most romantic meals ever!

And we even had a band serenading us ...a very Mariachi type band was going around from table to table singing songs of request :)

To end it all with a bang, there were a series of fireworks which went up!

Guess a part of the plan by the restaurant owners to make it all the more special!

Another must do when in Bali!!!

{Romantic dinner at Jimbaran Bay}

Bali in 6 days~ Day1

We flew Thai Airways from New Delhi to Denpasar, with a stopover at Bangkok.
Comfortable flight and good service.

After a foot massage at the Suvarnabhumi Airport :), we arrived at Denpasar at around 2pm.
The car was there from the Villas to pick us up and we headed straight to out home for the next few days in Bali.
The Villas, Bali

We were greeted by a yummy welcome drink.
We decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing in our villa and enjoy our private pool!wooweeeeeeee :)

 Getting there~

The Villas, overall was a nice experience. Nice big and well made villa. Only a few things could have been m ore thought of, considering it was our Honeymoon. The romantic dinner at the villa they organized for us, as a part of the package, could have been better. Little things really....a few more candles....set up before we got back, considering we had already told them, we'd be back at around 8...
Also, asking preference for food...setting the table a lil better....Little stuff really, but can make a big difference!
One of the things which I will surely miss is the breakfast of choice cooked every morning at the villa!
What a way to get spoiled!
The food at the Villas is wonderful.
The breakfast alone deserves a separate post! ;)

Views of our Villa at the Villas, Bali

Bali, March 2011

Honey & the Moon in Bali...a place I almost immediately fell in love with.

The people, the smells, the colours, the views...

Just beautiful.

Had an amazing, action packed 6 days. 

Will share in the next few posts to come, what I saw, what I loved, where I think you must  must go...and all my other other musings of this beautiful province of Indonesia.