We planned for this trip back in late July this year. We actually had a lot of obstacles to go through to finalise the destination. The reason is because when we first started the planning, some of us aren't sure if we can make it or not or we can save as much money when the time comes. One of the biggest challenge that we faced in finalising the destination is that one of the volcanos in Indonesia was going to erupt soon so all flights that are travelling to and from Bali had to be cancelled. We booked our flight with Jetstar Airways and as days goes by, one by one, the flights to Bali get cancelled but thankfully, about two week later, the volcano erupted and everything was all fine. Meaning, our trip wont get affected! Thank god!
Since we do not want to waste any time in Bali and wanted the trip to be as productive as possible, we took the earliest flight to Bali by Jetstar. The flight was from 0405am-0645am on 25th of September 2015. By the time we cleared the customs in Bali, it was already around 7.30am in the morning.
Our hotel, Grand Ixora Resort, which is located in Kuta is around 10 minutes drive from the airport. We went to our hotel to check if our room was ready or not, unfortunately it wasn't so we decided to leave all our luggages at the reception and start with our activities! We had breakfast at one of the stalls around the street and we had Nasi Padang. I ate maggi noodles instead because rice was just too heavy for me that morning, haha. After breakfast, we drove up to Kintamani Volcano. The total journey up was about 2 and a half hours, including the traffic jams and whatnots. First stop, we visited the Tegalalang Rice Padi Plantation/Field.
The view from the top was so amazing. The temperature at the top was soooo good that i kept on saying "omg if the temperature in Kuta is like this, i dont want to go home at all. Haha!" We then head on to Kopi Luwak Plantation and had a spread of hot and different types of Balinese Coffee. There was Lemon Tea, Ginger Tea, Cinnamon Tea, Chocolate Coffee, Vanilla Coffee and the famous Balinese cofee, Luwak Coffee. What exactly is Luwak Coffee? Google it for yourself! I had a love and hate relationship with that coffee! Loved it because of the sweet smelling aroma of the coffee, bad because of the powdered coffee that isn't filtered out hence when i drank that coffee, it feels like i have one big lump of sand coming down my throat! Yuck! But, i eventually bought one of the Chocolate coffee from the shop to bring home and drink!
We had lunch at one of the restaurant opposite Kintamani Volcano and the view from the restaurant was just... MAJESTIC! I was in awe all the time! As this is my first time experiencing all these beautiful natural landscapes while travelling, i just couldn't concentrate on my food and all i wanted to do was to just take photos of the beautiful landmark.
Mount Batur - we actually wanted to hike that mountain during the planning of our trip but we decided not to because of the recent volcano eruption at Mount Raung. We decided not to take the risk but i wish i could hike that beautiful active volcano one day.
The view at the top was just too amazing plus the cold weather, makes everything so perfect. Perfect for selfies and group photos! Its a must to come and have your lunch here. No regrets! After a heavy buffet lunch, we drove back down to Kuta and it was time to check in to our rooms! Our hotel is located near Kuta Beach, Discovery Shopping Mall, Lippo Mall and the airport. So it was damn easy to move and get around!
We had a 2 hours rest because the last sleep that all of us had was about 24 hours ago. Yes, i did not sleep before the trip! We ended off our day one by having dinner at one of the local Ayam Penyet restaurant that our driver drove us too and the food was good that i did not manage to capture any photos because i was just too hungry to do so! Heh (: After dinner, we went to the grocery store and bought drinks, cup noodles to stock up in the mini bar in our room. That's the end of day 1!
Stay tune for the second part of this post as i travel and adventure more things in Bali! As for now, enjoy reading this post and watch the vlog that i did in Bali here!
