Back to Bali

It was only six months ago that I visited Bali, and now I am fortunate enough to visit the God’s Island again. This time around, I went there with my work colleagues, as this is where our office held its annual outing.

Different to my previous visit, this time we went to Sukowati Market, Ubud, Tampaksiring and Kintamani. We also stayed at Kuta, where we also spent time walking around the city. Here are some of the highlights of our journey:

Sukowati Art Market

Located in Gianyar, this market is one of the must visit place, if you plan to shop for handcrafted items, arts or souvenirs. One thing to note when you visit this place is that the price is not fixed. It means that you have to haggle with the sellers, and also you have to bring cash, as most of them only accept cash.    

 Ubud

We went to Ubud with only one purpose, that is to have lunch. Still located in Gianyar, Ubud is actually well known for Fine Arts, Galleries, Museums, Monkey Forest, Rafting and some good eateries. We had our lunch at Bebek Bengil (“Dirty Duck”). The restaurant is surrounded by Rice Fields, so it has a country feel while you eat. I ordered their speciality, the “Bebek Bengil Crispy Duck”, yum! Then we went to the Rice Field….  

For those who want to visit the restaurant, here’s the contact information and the address:

Bebek Bengil Restaurant
(Dirty Duck Dinner)
Telp. 62-361- 975 489
Padang Tegal – Ubud

 

Kintamani

From Ubud, we drove towards Kintamani for about 1.5 hours. As soon as we get out of the car, we can feel the fresh breeze. The view of the Danau Batur is beautiful. But the beauty was ruined by the street hawkers, who were being very pushy. They tried to force us to buy their stuff.

One tip I have received before our journey is that if you don’t have any intention to buy their items, don’t try to haggle with them, because they will follow you until you buy, if you start conversation with them.

Tampak Siring-Tirta Empul

From Kintamani, we drove south to a place called Tampak Siring. We actually didn’t go to the palace, but we went to the Pura located just outside the Palace, Tirta Empul (meaning, the Holy Water). Balinese believe that the water can heal their body and purify their mind.

Bleganjur

Bleganjur is traditional Balinese maching band like gamelan ensemble. On our way to dinner, we were entertained by a small group of Bleganjur. We watched them with sunset at Kuta beach as the background. 

Pia Legong

It was 5.30 pm and we arrived at a small shop called Pia Legong. Every one has been talking about this Pia. Some say that it is the exclusive version of the famous Bakpia Patok. When we get there, the door was still opened. On the door, it says that the opening hour is from 9 am to 5 pm. We asked the shopkeeper, whether there is any Pia left. She said they are sold out. If we are to order, the earliest we could get our hands to those Pia is within five days, which by then we have left Bali. She advised us to come early in the morning, but she cannot guarantee that all flavours will still be available. The morning after the next day, I came back to the store at about 8.50 am. The shop was not officially opened yet. The same shopkeeper suddenly popped out of nowhere, and told me that the flavours available were mixed (chocolate and cheese) and cheese. So, I bought 2 boxes, at Rp 40,000 each, which is a bit pricey for me. For those who are curious to try these Balinese Pia, here is their address and their website:

Kitchen House of Pia Legong
Jl. By pass Ngurah Rai, Ruko Kuta Megah 12/L Kuta-Bali
http://pialegong.com/