Bali, 28 - 31 January 2006

We took an organized tour with our colleagues' family. Destination: Bali. I was a bit shocked to see how Bali is suffering from recent terrorist attacks. So few tourists on the beaches. So few of them strolled along Kuta and Legian areas, which used to be the busiest tourist areas. So please, please help Bali recover. Visit this precious island, visit their beautiful resorts.

Anyway, we went to the following places:

Barong dance - one-hour barong and keris dance performance. The performance was beautiful, but unfortunately my seat was far from the stage, so I could not examine the details of the costumes.
Kintamani - a point in the slope of Batur mountain. The view to the crater and nearby Batur lake is breathtakingly beautiful. Best time to go there is in the morning, before fog or rain ruins the view.
Tanjung Benoa - from here we rent a boat to go to Turtle island. The boat has a glass bottom. The trip passed a coral spot where colourful fishes swim around it. Back to the mainland, extra activities such as parasailing, banana boat, and jet ski are available. In short, this resort is recommended for children and youngsters who like water activities.
Sukawati - a market selling Balinese handicrafts. Since I do not have much interest in shopping, I just stayed at the bus :)
Bedugul - there is a lake where we could travel along its perimeter using a boat. The place is about 900m above sea level so the air is cool and fresh.
Alas Kedaton - Freely translated as "the palace forest". It is a small forest, the palace for monkeys. You could buy peanuts for them. When you feed them, they will grab the peanuts from your hand. Occassionaly, they will also climb on your shoulder and play around.
Tanah Lot - a temple standing on a rock just across the beach. Best time to visit: late afternoon, because you could see the sun sets (weather permitted).

Hotel: we stay at Adhi Dharma, a 3-star hotel in the Legian area. Modest accommodation. Though it is not written in our tour package, the receptionist told us the rate is Rp 370.000 per night. A bit dearly for such room quality. Room quality is average. Service is quite good. Food is average (not much variation, though). The hotel also has a big swimming pool. Domestic TV channels only.