Bali is much more beautiful and amazing than you see in Instagram feeds. I was also the one who was completely mesmerised by those feeds but when I saw it by my eyes I was awestruck.
Day 1 in Bali was quite tiring since we travelled from New Delhi to Bangkok where we had a layover of around 4 hours and then we reached Bali in the afternoon. It was quite sunny but then after 4 pm it became cloudy. Our private mini van picked us from the airport and dropped us at Khayangan village where we had booked a villa with a private pool. The villa is located towards the Ubud side. It is a very peaceful place. We grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant and took a short nap. In the evening we relaxed in our private pool and enjoyed a couple of drinks at the pool side.
We went to the Maison Restaurant which is nearby to have our dinner then we slept early as we had planned a lot of things for the other day.
Second day in Bali started off with a short visit to the Silver factory, volcano sightseeing, a bit of a adventure which included rope swinging in the valley of Ubud, having world's tastiest coffee and to view Balinese traditional dance.
In the silver factory, you can actually see the entire process of how various accessories are made using silver. You can also purchase the different accessories at a very reasonable price. There is a wide variety of jewellery available from gemstones, silver, platinum to pearls.
Kintamani volcano has been dormant since 55 years. The view is spectacular. The road to Kintamani is really good and the view from the hills gets better as we go uphill. This is the right place to relish the Balinese cuisine at the Kintamani Restaurant. There is a buffet system which includes traditional cuisines and desserts. Then, we headed for the Ubud tour where we saw the processing of the world's tastiest coffee known as Luwak coffee. One can grab a cup of Luwak coffee along with the normal Bali coffee to do the comparison. The Bali coffee and different flavors of tea is complimentary.
Rope swinging in the valley is a must-do activity. Swing in the valley and enjoy the amazing view.
Then, it was time to enjoy the traditional Balinese Kecak dance. Kecak dance is a dance performance along with a choir where a group of men just utter the monosyllable ''Chuck Chuck" in different tones and rhythms while the dance depicts the epic story of Ramayana.
I was really excited for Day 3 from the beginning of the trip. It was a fun-filled day with all the water sports at the beach. There are speed boats on the ports which move to and fro at regular intervals to the island. The preferred timing is in the morning so that you can enjoy all the sightseeing around the beaches and do sports all day long and reach back by the end of the day. We reached at 7 am at the port. You have to fill out a form it is basically a form with your basic details. Then we boarded a speed boat around 8 am and it took us half an hour to reach the Nusa Lembogan Island. The ride was a bit bumpy and really exciting. The view was a feast for the eyes. You can also see the Yellow Bridge during the ride. After getting off the boat you have to walk a bit and get into a open van/Jeep which takes you into the interior of the places surrounding the island to reach the most famous attraction of Bali - The Devil's tear. The view is absolutely breathtaking. It is situated at the corner of the island with huge rocks and the big waves lash on the rocks and it forms a rainbow everytime. Yes ! A seven colored rainbow. Greater the intensity of the waves the longer and darker will be the rainbow formation. You can also feel the water sprinkles on your face and the cool breeze. After that, we went back to Dream Beach where we had our buffet lunch and got a quick change of clothes for the sports activities. The restaurant is located at the side of the beach so that you can grab a bite at the sea-side. Being a sports enthusiast I did all the water sports. I started off with the banana boat ride. Then, snorkeling followed by sea-walking. Being a non-swimmer I was quite apprehensive about snorkeling and sea-walking. But believe me swimming is not at all required and you will enjoy alot underwater. The water sports are at a very reasonable rate and not at all expensive. Exploring the habitat under-water was the best part of my trip and I will never forget it. In sea-walking there will be a oxygen cylinder available and you will go under water and feed the fishes. You can also get yourself clicked underwater for FREE ! As a token of the memory. The last sport was canoeing which was also quite fun. It was a very tiring day and we went back and dozed off.
It was quite a hectic day as there was a lot of travelling involved on the second last day and we moved to a new resort Mutiara Boutique Villa near Seminyak.
Seminyak is the most happening part of Bali. You can locate a lot of open cafes, lounges, bars and pubs in the Seminyak area. There are several beach clubs which you should certainly pay a visit to. This day was basically kept to visit a few of the famous temples and do some shopping. Bali is quite famous for magnificent woodwork. So there are many wooden artifacts available at a very reasonable rate. So one can buy those and some souvenirs such as the Luwak coffee, chocolates, fridge magnets and many more. After shopping, we drove off to Bedugul (Ulandanu) temple. Tourists are not allowed inside the temples since one has to be in a proper attire to enter the temples so you can walk around the temple and the enjoy the amazing view. Since all the temples are located at the hill-top hence, the view is quite beautiful. Then, after a one-hour drive we visited the sea-temple known as Tanah Lot temple. The temple is located in between the sea. The view of the endless sea and the temple at one corner is very good and is a picture perfect place. This took us all day and we came back in the evening.
The second last day was kept to relax and to take away all the tiredness and feel refreshed again. Balinese massage is the perfect way. Massage parlors are present in almost every nook and corner of Bali. You can get a massage at a very reasonable rate. It is a 2 hour full body massage starting with a very relaxing foot massage. Then, after the Balinese massage it was time to sail in the beautiful ocean of Bali. The cruise in Bali is a must-go in your itinerary. The cruise had a pirate- theme and they gave bandannas and eye mask to set the mood. It is a very entertaining sail where there is a lot singing, dancing, performances such as Balinese traditional dance and a fire show. The cruise also had a buffet and a bar. You can enjoy the sunset with dinner at the cruise along with a couple of drinks from the bar.
The last day was kept to explore the nearby places in Seminyak. We enjoyed the sunset at the beach and chilled in one of the beach clubs. There was live music and you can enjoy a variety of sea food. It is a treat.
Bali should be on the top of your list if you want to just relax and chill in the summers.
