Friday, May 7 After cross checking between the tour brochures that we grabbed from the airport and my must-visit list on a night before & discussing with our driver, we finally come out with the following itinerary for our day 3 in Bali. It turns up to be the most hectic day during our 6D5N trip. Need womens vitamins to recharge back.

Leave Kuta // gold & silver, Celuk village // wood carving, Mas village (NOT GOOD) // Bali Zoo (NOT GOOD) // Monkey Forest, Ubud // rice terrace, Tegalalang (pass by only) // Batur volcano and lake, Kintamani // Kopi Luwak plantation // Pura Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring // Goa Gajah (NOT GOOD) // Kecak dance // back to hotel in Ubud

#1 Leave Kuta // gold & silver, Celuk village // wood carving, Mas village

After breakfast, we check out from the hotel, leave Kuta around 10am and off we start the journey. As a warm-up, we do the typical travel-tour thing by visiting Mas village – famous for the gold and silver crafting and Celuk village – famous for wood carving. We come out from the shops empty-handed; wood carving is expensive while gold silver got nothing nice. We skip batik, painting, and stone carving.

#2 Bali Zoo – USD24/person

Next, our choice is in between Bali Safari & Marine Park or Bali Zoo. The driver said that safari isn’t completed (read: not much animals to see) yet so we choose Bali Zoo, which turns up to be the biggest mistake ever. Entrance ticket is super duper expensive, USD24 per person! With that kind of rate, they still place a donation box inside the zoo. =.=” We probably lose our mind already. Some more there isn’t much animals to see inside if compare to Zoo Negara in KL (which is so much cheaper – RM10 / USD3 only). Bali Zoo is more like Melaka Zoo.

Note:
1) just found out from Bali Zoo website, link here, foreigner USD24 while domestic & KITAS holder only IDR60,000 / USD6.50 ! Super duper cheat tourists one! Never write the rate on the counter. Only got a man standing nearby the counter and tell you the price if you ask. Big mistake to speak in English, cause the fellow starts conversation in English.
2) We didn’t even know that in Bali they charge foreigner and domestic differently – get to know about this only after several visit to Balinese temple. Ugh.

Here comes the best part of Bali Zoo. This is not just any tiger cause he only has 3 legs! It’s amazing to see how he still able to make a small run just like normal tiger with 4 legs.

#3 Monkey Forest, Ubud – IDR20,000/person

Next destination is the sacred monkey forest sanctuary in Ubud, open everyday from 8am – 6pm. Having read a lot of unpleasant stories of monkeys who snatch visitors’ belongings, we opt out the option to feed them food and keep our eyes closely. Don’t want to look for trouble.

The place is huge, so green and monkeys everywhere. There is 3 temples inside if I not mistaken, but we discover 2 only.

#4 rice terrace, Tegalalang
We pass by only, choose not to stop and take picture cause it’s just rice terrace. But the scene is super nice, go Google it.

#5 Batur volcano and lake, Kintamani

We continue to drive up the hill and arrive at Kintamani. Cool weather and overview the active volcano of Batur Mount and wide Lake of Batur, reminds me of Simalem Resort overview mountain and Lake Toba back in my hometown Medan.

Have a buffet lunch at Grand Puncak Sari, IDR80,000/person – I suppose they charge based on nationality cause they will ask where are you from. =.=” Total IDR194,000 include tax 21%. Nothing fabulous with the food, its the view that counts. After lunch there isn’t anything to do at there already so we headed back to Ubud.

#6 Kopi Luwak plantation

We drop by some small coffee plantation and get to test some coffee for free; ginseng coffee, ginger coffee, etc. My fave is the hot chocolate as I’m not a coffee person. Anyway, we get to see the famous and expensive Kopi Luwak – 2nd pic from bottom right. Need to pay for the sample, so we choose not to try it.

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.

They have a shop selling those coffees, cigarettes, body care, aromatherapy, etc. Expensive price, probably need to bargain also.

#7 Pura Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring – IDR6,000/person

Here’s the holy spring water temple, with a big water source in the middle of it. The local resident believes that the clean and holy water can cure some disease, all sort of good thing. Can see they are showering in the holy water on bottom right picture.

Two rules before entering Balinese temples :
1) Woman during period time is not allowed to enter the main temple as temple is a sacred place. So, either schedule or use pill to delay your period (i.e. Norcolut/Norethisteron)
2) Visitors need to wear decent, i.e. long pant/skirt. Else, they’ll help you to wear sarong at the entrance area.

#8 Goa Gajah – IDR6,000/person

Boring place, nothing interesting to see. The cave is so small one. Better skip this destination.

#9 Kecak dance – IDR80,000/person

Bali is famous with the traditional Kecak dance which doesn’t require any music instrumental. They basically yell/sing “Kecak cak cak…” during the one hour performance. We watch half way and walk away already cause traditional dance just isn’t our cup of tea. Eh it isn’t us only. There is one angmoh sitting in front of us, he is busy trying out his Canon DSLR with and without flash but picture turns up not so good. During the performance he just plays with his iPhone and abandons the camera.

We go back to Jati 3 Bungalows in Ubud and have late dinner around the area. After go back the room only we realized that there isn’t any TV in the room and decide to switch back to Kuta before die of boringness.