I have returned.........still sorting out my holiday/non-holiday senses.....and packages that arrived during my absence + silver findings that I acquired during my trip + a whole lot of other stuff to sort out - mainly my suitcase ......... first installment of our little trip to Nusa Dua, Bali!Now who goes to Bali for anything other than enjoying the beautiful culture, people, craftsmanship............me, I guess.....
We are fortunate that my husband has a school mate who is now a developer of resorts in Bali....photos of his resorts/villas in another montage but he 'loaned' us one of his chaueffeurs and car and first day there I visited their silver/gold village.....however, it was a sort of 'feast day' honouring metal - so all metal craftsmen were on holiday....any metal, autos, jewellery.....but then again, the shops/workshops/galleries are still open....and so I started my first day in Bali, celebrating the silversmiths of the island + being able to view/admire/acquire/all of the above, their craft!
Do I look foolishly happy? Yup....thats me with the Cheshire cat grin after having stumbled upon this cave of silver. Oddest part is this is manned, managed and run by Balinese staff but the owner???? An Italian! The rows and rows of 925 silver chains were definitely not Balinese silver quality - theirs being more ethnically inclined so I just had to ask who the owner is. Quality, layout, configuration of findings.....all European.
Lunch @ a local restaurant that my husband has been to previously with his childhood friend.
Villa cluster @ Bali Hills developed and owned by my husband's childhood friend.
Idyllic!
Golf course? Club house? Nope....this is the classmates home...several gardeners/drivers/servants live here in the little out houses.
Up on Gunung Batur. Stopped along the way to view the terraced padi fields.
Popular duck restaurant. Not a fan - in general I'm not a fan of duck because its too 'gamey' for me. Husband is very adventurous in general, and has been here and eaten this before so he suggested I order something else. I tried some of the duck meat from his order..... hmmm....ok...like I said, I'm not a fan of any meat that 'reminds' me I'm eating meat :(( Yup. I'm weird like that. I enjoyed the pepes ikan....akin to our 'otah' but the fish is chunky and coated in spices and wrapped with banana leaf and baked on an open fire.
I thoroughly enjoyed the short climb up this mountain and the subsequent picturesque view.
"Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali's kayangan jagat (directional temples) and guards Bali from evil spirits from the SW, in which dwell major deities, in Uluwatu's case; Bhatara Rudra, God of the elements and of cosmic force majeures. Bali's most spectacular temples located high on a cliff top at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean. Uluwatu lies at the southern tip of Bali in Badung Regency. Dedicated to the spirits of the sea, the famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple is an architectural wonder in black coral rock, beautifully designed with spectacular views. This is a popular place to enjoy the sunset. Famous not only for its unique position, Uluwatu also boasts one of the oldest temples in Bali, Pura Uluwatu. Most of Bali's regencies have Pura Luhur (literally high temples or ascension temples) which become the focus for massive pilgrimages during three or five day odalan anniversaries. The photogenic Tanah Lot and the Bat Cave temple, Goa Lawah, is also Pura Luhur. Not all Pura Luhur are on the coast, however but all have inspiring locations, overlooking large bodies of water" Copied and extracted from: http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/bali/uluwatu-temple.html
The above extraction says everything we read about on the little flyer we received whilst viewing the kecak dance at sunset.
In and around the hotel we stayed at.
PURA (TEMPLE)GUNUNG KAWI @ Garuda Village
Dinner along beach @ Jimbaran Bay. Nice waves + music + so-so food.....
Best part was the quartet being accompanied vocally by you know who....nope....definitely not me....only husband and daughter are blessed with singing voices....son does his own interpretations but me....nope....too shy ;p
This is the lovely Yohana (she looks really surprised at the little handcrafted gift I brought for her) who is employed by my husband's friend and works @ Bali Hills. She helped arrange for us to have the pleasure of being driven around by Agus (in batik shirt) who very, very patiently drove me from one shop/factory to another asking the right questions till we found what we were looking for. We invited him to join us for lunch on the first day but he politely declined and said he had his own packed lunch so on the 2nd day we brought him a bag of nice fruits which he was so thrilled about and after we finished lunch on the 2nd day he told us that the salak (snakeskin fruit)was the best he had tasted. The really good quality fruits would be beyond the reach of the average wage earner in Bali :((
Buah Salak (Snakeskin fruit)
Like all good things, each day must end. This is my amateurish attempt at capturing my Bali sunset. Taken from a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean, I depleted the batteries in the camera by trying to capture every second of the sunset. We were told the sunset from the BVLGARI Hotel (Currently the most expensive hotel in Bali)is breathtaking but since that wasn't on our itinerary, the view from the clifftop plateau @ Uluwatu is equally spectacular! BVLGARI and Uluwatu are on the same side - the southern tip - so same difference I guess.
In and around the hotel we stayed at.
PURA (TEMPLE)GUNUNG KAWI @ Garuda Village
Dinner along beach @ Jimbaran Bay. Nice waves + music + so-so food.....
Best part was the quartet being accompanied vocally by you know who....nope....definitely not me....only husband and daughter are blessed with singing voices....son does his own interpretations but me....nope....too shy ;p
This is the lovely Yohana (she looks really surprised at the little handcrafted gift I brought for her) who is employed by my husband's friend and works @ Bali Hills. She helped arrange for us to have the pleasure of being driven around by Agus (in batik shirt) who very, very patiently drove me from one shop/factory to another asking the right questions till we found what we were looking for. We invited him to join us for lunch on the first day but he politely declined and said he had his own packed lunch so on the 2nd day we brought him a bag of nice fruits which he was so thrilled about and after we finished lunch on the 2nd day he told us that the salak (snakeskin fruit)was the best he had tasted. The really good quality fruits would be beyond the reach of the average wage earner in Bali :((
Buah Salak (Snakeskin fruit)
Like all good things, each day must end. This is my amateurish attempt at capturing my Bali sunset. Taken from a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean, I depleted the batteries in the camera by trying to capture every second of the sunset. We were told the sunset from the BVLGARI Hotel (Currently the most expensive hotel in Bali)is breathtaking but since that wasn't on our itinerary, the view from the clifftop plateau @ Uluwatu is equally spectacular! BVLGARI and Uluwatu are on the same side - the southern tip - so same difference I guess.
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