Monday, December 29, 2008

Travelling around Bali from Kuta

It is easy to find transport in Bali. We live in Kuta during our 5 days trip but one can easily get a driver who will bring you to sights around the island and back for a very reasonable price.

Here 's what our estimate cost and travel time to the places we visit:

1. From Kuta to Jimbaran bay for dinner and back
Cost : Approx $5 SGD
Traveling time: The guide says it is 5 mins but a more realistic time frame is 15 mins each way.
Tip: Hear say is that the guides will bring you to certain more expensive places. If you have your eye on a certain restaurant, try calling them to see if they will pick you up from your hotel and send you back.

2. From Kuta to Uluwatu
Cost : We hired the driver for the day and he bring us to other places besides Uluwatu for the whole day from 11:00 to 8:00 for 350000 rupiah (about $50 SGD)
Traveling time: Our trip back to our hotel from Uluwatu is about 45 mins
Tip: The monkeys here are aggressive! It took our water bottle that is at the side pocket of our haversack. Make sure your things are sercured or hidden from view.

3. From Kuta to Ubud
Cost: This is included as part of our travel package but hiring a driver for a full day cost about the same each day.
Travelling time: It is about an hour drive from Kuta to Ubud. It is good to plan the trip so that there is stops along the way.

4. From Kuta to Kintamani
Cost: Our guide charge us the same price as the day previously.
Travelling time: It took us almost 2 hours to Kintamani. The road is a little narrow and we went up the mountain.

5. Around Kuta and nearby places like spas.
We saw plenty of taxis and horse carriages round. Spas from as far as Sanur will come and pick you up at your hotel and send you back FOC (Free of Charge). Call and check to see if they have that service.

6. From and to the airport
Kuta to the airport is only 10 mins. But if you are getting off your flight at say 3:30, cater for more time at the check out in the airport. We took about 30 mins. By the time we got to the hotel and settle down, it's 5:30.

Our Friendly Driver and Guide

We ran into our guide and driver by chance while looking for dinner on our first day.

Mas'ud is very accommodating and nice. His rates are good at only Rp 350,000 for bringing us around from 10:30 to sending us back to our hotel at night. His Toyota MPV is new compare to the tour vans we had for our hotel tour. He took his initiative to show us places off the beaten path and time our visits to places for us.

Here's his contact :
Mas'ud Pribadi
Area: Tuban Kuta Bali
Mobile: 62 (0) 81338543633
Email : masoudpribadi@yahoo.com

Day 3 - Waves and beautiful beaches

On our third day, we pondered on whether we should take up the tour by the hotel to see kechak dance at the temple on the cliff or hire the guide we met on our first day.

We decided on the guide, which is great! For 350,000 rupiah, he drove us around for the whole day on a new car, gas included and show us more places than we have in mind. Here's our itinery for the day:

1. 10:30 Guide came to pick us up at our hotel.
2. Beach and Turtle Island
3. GWK
4. Dreamland
5. Nyang Nyang Beach
6. ? Beach
7. Uluwatu Temple and Kecak Dance

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Day 2 -Ubud

It's the day of our complimentary tour to Ubud. Our hotel guide pick us up at 9am in the morning and off we go. Our destination is a complimentary lunch of the famous bebek dish at Ubud and a visit to the monkey forest. Along the way, we will visit the various arts and cultural offerings that Bali is famous for. Here's our itinery:
  • Batik
  • Temple Visit :Pura Puseh in Batubalan,
  • Celuk, village famous for silver craft. We got a 80% discount for what they want to sell us...hmmm.
  • Art Shop -Semar Kuning
  • Lunch is Crispy Duck Rice at Padi Prada
  • Monkey Forest Padangtegal

Monday, December 1, 2008

Day 1 - Arrival and Kuta

We arrive at the airport at 3:30pm. By the time we check out, get to our hotel and settle down, it is already 5:00pm. We took a nice walk around Kuta and start looking for food. We walk to the waterboom park, one of the places we were planning to visit to find that it is close for renovation.

We were asking a person on the street about Babu Gum, a sea food restaurant which was on our watch list for good restaurants to try when he share with us that we should go to Jimbarang bay for good sea food and introduce a driver who will bring us there and back for 50,000RP.

It took us about 15 mins to reach there and the driver drop us at a place called JWT - ambience and food is nice but expensive. It cost us about 50 USD for a grilled fish and a crab, two bottles of beer and a coconut.