Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Bali Trip - Day 1 & Day 2 :)

Salams, and hello to all! :)

I'm baaaacccckkk!!!

My apologies for the 2-week hiatus. As most of you would have known already, we were in Bali from Saturday 6th June, and only came back last Thursday. Sampai KL I was down with a really bad sore throat and demam tak demam, while Ayah was down with very high fever and a tummy bug. Syukur Alhamdulillah, the kids were fine. Nasib baik jugak we didn't have any fever on the day we came back. If not, ada chance kena quarantined at KLIA on suspicion of us having the H1N1 virus!

For the next couple of days after coming back, yours truly had been catching up on the much-needed sleep and rest and was walking around like a zombie for most of the time. Pantang nampak bantal, mesti tido tak ingat dunia :) And we had a water crisis after Sya*as did some maintenance work in our housing area - our water tank ran dry, and our master bedroom floor was damp, and water was seeping through the floor right through our living room wall. Something to do with a leakage in either our, or our next door neighbour's aircond drain-pipe...So, we had to put up at my MIL's place for 2 nights. Sigh...

Anyway, I will let the pictures do the talking on our Bali trip. For this posting, I will only share on what we did over the first two days we were there. And my next posting will be dedicated to what we did with the rest of our stay in The Land of the Barongs, insya Allah :)

Our Bali trip was organized by Dida of DiDance Cultural House where Hasya and Hilman have been going for traditional dance classes for the last 2 years. The trip was meant to be a fun/study trip for Dida's students whereby they would be taught basic Balinese Dance by the Primadona of Balinese Dance herself - Cok Ratih. The dance workshop was scheduled to be held over three days, leaving us with only 2 days to do the touristy stuff.

There were 11 junior students altogether (with Hilman being the only boy), 3 adult students/parents, 7 parents, 1 sibling (Hanna) and Dida, altogether totalling to 23 of us in the group.

6th June 2009 - We left the house at 7:00a.m, reaching KLIA just before 8:00a.m., only to be informed that our 9:50a.m flight to Bali was delayed by more than an hour. But we were okay about it as it meant we could spend an extra hour with Ayah who had to stay on in KL due to his work commitments that weekend.

The 2 hours 40 minute flight to Bali was smooth, and we landed at Ngurah Rai Airport at 1:45p.m. (there's no time difference between KL and Bali), but the immigration people really took their time to clear everybody through! The last person in our group only got through the system at 3:15p.m!

Once outside the arrival hall, we were greeted by Nyoman – our tour guide, and were driven straight to Diwangkara Holiday Villa, in Sanur. The kids and I were placed in a villa which housed 3 rooms – one for us, one for Ai*i and her daughter Ri*qa*, and one room was reserved for Ayah when he was to join us on Monday. It has its own plunge pool, lounge, dining hall and a kitchenette. I would highly recommend this place if any of you are planning for a family getaway in Bali. But, be warned - the food served at the hotel restaurant was nothing to shout about. The hotel has its own private beach which we didn't really have time to enjoy, unfortunately :(

We had our packed lunch upon arrival at the hotel, and the kids later went for a dip in the plunge pool, before we went for dinner at the hotel's Legenda Restaurant. After dinner, we were then taken for a night drive around Kuta and Jalan Seminyak – the most happening night spots in Bali, and only got back to the hotel just before midnight. I think all of us fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

7th June 2009 - the next morning, after breakfast, we headed off to Cok Ratih’s sanggar at her Puri (palace) for the first session of the kids’ Balinese Dance Workshop. Cok Ratih is considered as the Primadona on the island when it comes to Balinese dances, and she’s a Royalty. Her Puri was really amazing. Needless to say, the ladies in the group were in awe admiring the wood carvings around the place. Truly exquisite, I tell you… nothing like what we have here in Malaysia. Her Puri is divided into several quarters – the main family residence, the dance/practice hall, the main performance hall, their praying hall/temple, and the servant quarters at the back of the complex – all in true Balinese architecture.

The girls were taught "The Rejang Dewa Dance", while Hilman was taught the "Tarian Baris" - also known as "The Warrior Dance". The students spent a good 3 hours learning their steps and familiarizing themselves with the music and rhythm that morning, and the session ended at 12:30p.m.

After the workshop, we then proceeded to Restaurant Natrabu for our lunch. Apparently they serve the best Masakan Minang in Bali, and after tasting the lauk-pauk segala, I dare say, I would agree with that. And I'm sure Hilman would agree, too...because he finished 3 pinggan nasi that afternoon! Hehehe!

After lunch, we were dropped at Kuta Square/Discovery Esplanade for a bit of shopping, while some in the group opted to go to the nearby WaterBom (something like our Sunway Lagoon). No prize for guessing which option we (or rather, I) opted for. Hehehe! We were there until about 6:30p.m, after which we went straight to Restaurant Ketupat for dinner. We were made to understand that it's one of Mick Jagger's favourite restaurants in Bali, and it's very popular among foreign celebrities. The restaurant serves authentic Masakan Bugis, and has a very nice ambience. A must try for those who plan to go to Bali nanti.

We went straight back to the hotel right after dinner and the kids spent about an hour dipping in Teacher Dida's plunge pool, before calling it a day.

Another long day awaited them the next day...as they were supposed to polish their Rejang Dewa Dance before Cok Ratih started them on another dance - "The Legong Dance".

And the kids and I were especially excited because Ayah would be arriving from KL and joining us the next day!

YEAY!!!

Here are some pics of the happenings on the first two days of our stay in Bali.

Enjoy! ;)

28 comments:

Desert Rose said...

Kak Shana,

Welcome home. Semoga everybody cepat sihat....

Bestnye tgk ur pics, verangan la ni nak pergi lagi.

Neway, Natrabu tu tak penah miss la kalau pergi sana, yelah d only halal food in Bali kan ke Padang/Minang and Sunda je.

maklang said...

bestkan pi Bali...Nampaknya tempat yang kita lawati hampir serupa..esp tempat makan tu...

hope you are feeling bettert already:)

cekmekzue said...

Seronoknyer pi bali.. Kak zue tak sampai lagi..baru sampaii jakarta and Medan je. Get better soon.

ummisara said...

Kak Shana...

I blom pernah ke sana but planning to go...hehehhe

I just lov masakan padang...

desert rose...cepat bawak aku!!!!!

mr engineer said...

I am salivating......the nasi padang pics really tingled my taste buds...I am pretty sure the spread must have been good!

jabishah said...

Sudah pulang ya buk? I'm sure you had a wonderful time. The shopping was great kan?

Traveling with older kids makes life much easier right? Barulah betul namanye holiday! Ye tak?
;-)

If Im not mistaken there is a Natrabu in town. In Kg Baru. Not sure whether it's still there.

wanshana said...

Dear Desert Rose,

Thank you :)

Alhamdulillah everybody dah sihat now.

I pun dok tengok all the pics over and over again. Watch this space for slides of the rest of our stay in Bali, okay? :)

I pun verangan nak pergi lagi coz' this trip ni we didn't manage to do much of the touristy stuff because of the dance workshop.

The food kat Natrabu tu memang terangkat - especially its beef. Drools... :)

wanshana said...

Mak Lang,

Thank you, syukur alhamdulillah dah sihat :)

Memang seronok - especially this time first time we all pergi together as a family. The last two trips Ayah and myself went just the two of us ajer :)

Tempat makan yang Halal are quite limited, tu yang all the tempat makan tu quite well-known amongst us, kan?

Besides Natrabu and Ketupat Restaurants yang memang serve Halal food, the other restaurants we went to throughout our stay prepared Halal food for our group.

wanshana said...

Kak Zue,

You should start planning for your Bali trip from now. It's a very nice place and each of its regions offer different things for tourists with different interests.

Shana tak samapi lagi Medan and Jakarta. We plan to go to Bandung and Jakarta soon, insya Allah :)

wanshana said...

Edelweiss,

Somehow the Masakan Padang in Bali (and Indonesia for that matter) taste different from the usual Masakan Padang we get here. Lagi sedap makan kat sana, I rasa :)

Desert Rose pun dok verangan nak pergi again - you'd better sit down and plan your Bali trip with her cecepat. Ada gang lagi meriah!

wanshana said...

Mr Engineer,

Definitely. Yummy, yummy, yummy!!

One of these days we should plan an MT outing gi makan Nasi Padang kat KL ni. Amacam? ;)

wanshana said...

Ja,

Yes, it was a wonderful trip, and you're right - travelling with kids yang dah besar ni, dapat enjoy sikit, and kurang penatnya. BUT, having said that, I still have to pack and unpack and pick after them all the time jugak! Hehehe!

And yes, shopping was great, too, especially for Ro*y, Bi*la*ong, Ri* Cu*l and Qu*ck*ilver stuff. Memang rambang mata, and much cheaper there. Hanna shopping tak ingat dunia...

There used to be a Natrabu Restaurant near KL Sentral, but, dah tutup. If the Kg Baru one is their new set-up, I would love to go makan there once in a while.

Cheers!

ummisara said...

Kak Shana..

memang betul masakan padang kat sana lagi sedap...masa i kat Medan...aduhhhhh i sebatttttt semua...sedapnya. Kt sini so & so lah tapi better dari tak dapat makan langsung kan...kekkek

hehehe...tuh yang tengah dok plan dengan desert rose nih heheheh

IBU said...

aduh bukkkk..... nasi padang!

Jom lunch or dinner kat nasi padang, in dataran sunway ni jom!!

Calling2!!

p/s make sure you punya demam sudah baik b4 we go to the field rice.

wanshana said...

Edelweiss,

One of the lauk Nasi Padang yang susah nak jumpa kat KL ni is Gulai Otak Lembu. We were looking for it jugak masa kat Bali, tapi tak jumpa :( Some people cannot stomach it, but Ayah and I suka!!! (But, of course, tak boleh makan banyak-banyak lah kan...nanti fenin/muak! And takut dapat Mad Cow Disease lah pulak! Hehehe!)

Kalau nak gi Bali with Desert Rose, jangan gi Nov-January coz' musim hujan kat sana, okay? May is a good month coz' not that hot.

wanshana said...

Ibu!!!

I say, now that you dah mentioned nak makan Nasi Padang, WAJIB gi makan ni...Nanti meleleh air liur dok mengidam :)

Got at Dataran Sunway aaaaarrr? Which side meh?

Can. One of these days we tarik Ab*d sekali gi makan Field Rice. SET!!!

* I dah sihat wala'fiat, syukur alhamdulillah... :)

Naz in Norway said...

I love this entry and more so the pictures. The kids looked like they had tons of fun.
Insyaallah, we'll make return trip to Bali this December.

dillazag said...

Bestnya Bali... First and last time we went was in Dec 2004! Sheesh, dah 5 tahun. Wajib buat return trip ni..
Glad you are feeling better Kak Shana. need to update cecepat, ya?
Oh, and you still owe me a tag!;)

MrsNordin said...

If you want gulai otak, try Sari Ratu at Desa Pandan or Jln Bkt Bintang. They usually have that dish. We had that yesterday for lunch!

Waiting for more updates on the Bali trip!

ms hart said...

Hmm..bestnya, especially part the kids learning the dance. Very clever and interesting idea of their dance school! Sambil menyelam, minum air (p/s tak apa duit mommy pun keluar macam air sungai shopping saQan, haaa???!!) Glad you had fun, Shana!

Pi Bani said...

Thanks for the sneak preview before I go for my Bali trip in August. Tapi I gi seminggu pun more of my time will be for the Congress. (and I'm supposed to do a poster presentation, tapi posternya satu habuk pun tak buat lagi!)

I will really have to make use of the 1 1/2 free days I have to jalan-jalan...

ummisara said...

Kak Shana...

kat kota damansara ada restoran baru buka cawangan...hehehehheh

S*RI R*TU

wanshana said...

Hi Naz,

Thanks :) Yes, it was a different kind of experience for the kids indeed.

People say, when it comes to Bali, those who have been there will always want to go there again, and I tend to agree with that. We didn't manage to do much of the touristy stuff as a family this time around, and hope to return to Bali again, insya Allah :)

I'm sure you and the family will have a swell time in Bali nanti. How long do you all plan to stay, and which part of Bali? Take loads of pics, okay? ;)

Take care!

wanshana said...

Dilla,

Yup - time to return to Bali, alright. 5 years is too long already! ;)

I've not forgotten about the tag, dear (this also goes to Naz, and Amy :)). Insya Allah akan diusahakan soon...Hehehe!

Cheers!

wanshana said...

MrsNordin,

Thanks, dear. Memang macam kemaruk nak makan Gulai Otak Sapi :)

But, I guess I don't have to go to Desa Pandan or Bukit Bintang now to taste the Gulai Otak, as according to Edelweiss (and I think Ibu was also referring to the same restaurant), there's one branch of Sari Ratu sepelaung ajer from our house and Haizal's hospital. Nak pakat with Haizal, Ibu and Ab*d to try it out one of these days, insya Allah. Nak join us, tak?

Updates on Bali coming soon! :)

wanshana said...

MsHart,

Thanks! Yes, very clever of Teacher Dida. Apparently she organizes this kind of trip every 2-3 years for her students and parents. She spent quite some time in Bali learning Balinese dances dulu and she goes there nearly every year, and she knows a lot of people there. Tu yang dapat special rates for almost everything :)

I pejam mata ajer when it comes to shopping hari tu...Nanti bila credit card bills sampai, baru mata I (or rather - Ayah's) terbeliak! HAHAHAHA! Tak per...shekali-shekala... :)

Take care, you :)

wanshana said...

Kak Pi,

You're most welcome :) More sneak preview coming soon!

I'm sure you'll have a great time in Bali nanti. It has everything for everybody irrespective of what one is into.

Hmmmm...1 1/2 days to jalan-jalan? You have to really plan and prioritise on what you want to do/see and where you want to go nanti.

Ubud offers nice range of different types of Art and Crafts Villages, and there's also Pasar Ubud. Pasar Sukawati offers cheap stuff as it caters for the locals.

Kuta and Jln Seminyak offers exciting Night life and shopping. Sanur, Nusa Dua, Kuta and Legian have nice beaches. And of course - Tanah Lot, is a must when you're in Bali. The first time we were there we also went up to a Volcanic Mountain area - can't remember the name pulak!

Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll love it there.

All the best with your presentation, but don't forget to have fun, too! ;)

wanshana said...

Dear Edelweiss,

Thank you! Ibu must have been referring to that same restaurant kat Sunway Damansara/Kota D'sara tu. Ini sudah bagus!

Are you staying or working near the area? My parents are in KD, and of course Ayah's hospital, too, and our house in SD is not that far, too.

If dekat-dekat situ, boleh gi lunch, and can tarik Desert Rose sekali :) Amacam?