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We just came back from our longest trip so far – Singapore and Bintan, Indonesia. A total of 8 days with my family.

Will post more stories and photos soon. For now, check out our itinerary for the whole 8 days:

Day 1 (Dec 26) : Sentosa Island

Day 2 (Dec 27): Universal Studios Singapore / Dinner at Marche (Vivo City Mall)

Day 3 (Dec 28): Trip to Bintan, Indonesia by Ferry Boat

Day 4 (Dec 29): Bintan, Indonesia

Day 5 (Dec 30): Our trip from Bintan back to Singapore / Night Safari

Day 6 (Dec 31): Lunch at Raffles Mall / Shopping at Bugis Junction / Dinner at Barcelos Peri-Peri Chicken (Vivo City Mall) / NY Countdown (just stayed at the hotel)

Day 7 (Jan 1): The Hubby explored Sim Lim Mall and Funan Mall for gadgets! / Lunch at Lau Pha Sat near my brother’s office / Cotton ON Shopping at Orchard Road / Dinner at Lucky Plaza Mall

Day 8 (Jan 2): Explored Esplanade and Marina Bay / Flight back to MNL

This is what I’ve been thinking while checking out yakima roof racks for the house. I’ve been looking for options for roof racks for weeks now so when I saw this photo I took when I was on a trip to Jakarta with my Mom and sister.

Looks really yummy right? We ate this noodles at 2 in the morning! Yes, we were so hungry after our 2 hour flight from Manila. We arrived at Jakarta around 2AM, looked for a driver to show us the city then off we went to another flight to Bali. It was unforgettable.

We were lucky to have Novan (our driver) who brought us to the local restaurants that offer Indonesian food. If not for him, we wouldn’t know these spots and we wouldn’t be able to try the Indonesian food. The food that we loved so much.

We left Bali at 945 in the morning and arrived at 1025am. Bali and Jakarta has 1 hour time difference. Novan was already in the airport waiting for us. He brought us to the -style restaurant somewhere in the city. They offer fresh seafoods, rice, and drinks.

We ordered for steamed fish, crabs with garlic, and grilled prawns. We were so hungry that we finished the food in no time! It was sumptuous and affordable too. Definitely cheaper than the food in Dampa here in Manila.

After lunch we checked some of the malls in Jakarta – Plaza Senayan and another mall which I can’t remember the name.

Plaza Senayan was really nice. They had all the shops that you can think of – Coach, Gucci, Long Champ, and more! They also had lots of restaurants and cafes like Starbucks, Gloria Maris, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. We tried the ice cream from New Zealand which was really good.

The other mall was the more affordable one. This is were I bought the toys for my little girls.

I looked for the best eye cream for dark circles but couldn’t find it in this mall. I should have looked for it in Plaza Senayan since they had a grocery store there.

Anyway, we were already hungry so we crossed the street of the mall and tried the local food – bbq chicken, bbq beef and beef stew. The place was a karinderya type of place so it was a bit dirty and hot! But the food was oh so yummy! I was able to finished two cups of rice. Their beef stew was a bit spicy but I liked it. The bbq chicken and bbq beef were dry but surprisingly good. I highly recommend this place. But I’m warning you, this place is not comfortable and not recommended if you are traveling with kids. Check it out.

With our Driver, Novan.

Look at the tissues at the floor! LOL!

The view from the “restaurant”.

The food was good and it was cheap too. But the ambiance is not nice so don’t expect too much. But after having our dinner, we could say that we really love Indonesian food!

After dinner we went to the market to check out some fruits. Unfortunately our baggages were already full that we couldn’t afford to buy any more fruits. So we just bought a couple to eat on our way to the airport.

Our flight to Manila was at 1230 midnight. I was too sleepy by the time we boarded the plane so I slept the entire flight!

I will miss Bali so much. Even if we were there for a short while but I really fell in love with the place and I would want to go back there with Hubby and hopefully with the kids too.

While I was looking for some adhd symptoms over the web, I realized that I still owe this blog one last post about our one day trip to Bedugul.

In Bali, there are a lot of day tours to choose from. Since we were only staying for a couple of days, we decided to get the nicest which for us was Bedugul/Tanah Lot Day Tour. We called up Pak Ngurah to drive us for the day. He was recommended by an online friend. Good thing he was available that day. He was a really nice guy.

Our first stop was Taman Ayun Temple. Built in 1634 with an outside yard with open grassy expanse and meeting hall for meetings, dance performance and sometimes cockfighting.

Second stop was Bedugul (Bratan Lake). The temple dedicated to the Gods of lake or waters (Danu Goddes). This temple is used for Nyegara Gunung ceremony, nyegara (ocean) and Gunung (mountain). The visitor can rent speed boat to tour around the lake. Entrance ticket costs 10,000 rupiah/pax. This one was my favorite. The weather in this area was cold (just like Baguio) and the view was really nice.

After taking a few photos of Bedugul Lake, we immediately went to a restaurant for our buffet lunch.

The buffet lunch was cheap but the food was just ok.

Fourth stop was Candi Kuning Fruits and flowers Market. We did a few shopping here. Bought bags worth php75 for pasalubong and a few ref magnets for souvenirs.

Fifth stop was Fruit Bats and Monkey Forest (Alas Kedaton), located at Kukuh Village. It was a little bit west from Taman Ayun Temple, Tabanan regency. Monkeys were everywhere here. At first it was scary but after checking the monkeys out, we realized that they were nice and wouldn’t hurt.

Just a warning, do not bring plastic bags because they might think that you are bringing food. And watch your camera very closely.

Our last stop was Tanah Lot Temple. The best so far. The view was magnificent. It took my breath away. The temple is perched on a little rocky islet. It was built in 16th century by the Javanese priest Danghyang Nirartha who built many temple near the sea around the island such as Rambut Siwi Temple in west of Bali, Pulaki Temple and Ponjok Batu Temple in North of Bali.

My Sister in front of a temple in Tanah Lot

That’s me! In front of a temple in a huge rock.

We had so many photos that we ended up with a full memory card for our camera after this day tour. There are just so many nice things that we wanted to capture. Bali is such a wonderful place. What made it nicer are the people who are very friendly, nice, and helpful. Our driver Pak Ngurah was one of them. We will never forget him. And we even recommend him to friends who visit Bali.

With our driver Pak Ngurah. A very nice guy.

If you want to contact him yourself, you can call him at 08813654972.

As promised, I will share our unforgettable massage in Bali.

Before proceeding, I know things happening in Manila are not nice these days but just to shift our attention and by looking at the brighter side of things, I would like to reminisce on our most recent trip and continue posting about our most recent trip which was in Bali.

Bali is really a wonderful city. If only I could stay there for good. Shops and restaurants are everywhere and the prices are not too expensive considering that Bali is a very touristy place. One of our list is to make sure that we get to experience their spa. My Mom, sister and I love to go to spa here in Manila and when we heard that Bali is known for spas, we made sure not to leave Bali without getting one.

We actually had two massages while in Bali. One was by the local Manangs by the beach. It was unplanned. When we were finished shopping and were at the seashore waiting for the sun to set when the Manangs “forced” us to have a massage for PHP200.00. How did they force us? They gave us a sample by massaging our shoulder first. It was definitely heavenly. Their hands were very strong thus the grip was perfect. We couldn’t say no anymore. It was worth it even if we had to lie down in front of those people passing by. We didn’t care anymore since we were very tired and wanted massage badly. The ambiance was of course not something I recommend to those people who are after a great ambiance. For PHP200 it was definitely worth it.

Next was at Mandira Hotel.

This was the spa that I’ve been waiting for ever since we arrived Bali. We wanted the following package for the three of us:

- Papaya Glow (120 minutes)
Glow will definitely be the results after this treatment is completed. Rippened papaya will exfoliate your skin and acts as a natural skin booster which is full of vitamins that will nourish and replenish, followed by an Asian massage you are good to glow.

- Pure Pleasure (120 minutes)
Using natural ingredients your facial will leave your skin glowing by exfoliating, resoting, and hydrating, bringing your skin back to its natural state followed by a relaxing Asian massage with your choice of blended essential oils.

- Java Bean (120 minutes)
If you are a coffee lover this one is for you, delicately ground with intoxicating aroma this scrub is sure to not only exfoliate your skin but will arouse the senses, tagged with an Asian massage.

Unfortunately when we got to the hotel from our one-day tour to Bedugul, we only had 1 hour left. So we just got the Balinese Massage for 60minutes. It was still heavenly and the experience was really unforgettable. Check out the photos grabbed from Bali Mandira’s website.

This is where my sister had her massage.

This is where my Mom and I had our massage.

We actually took a few photos of the place but it was too dark already that some were blurry. I was hoping to get nice photos to serve as holiday photo cards but too bad the lighting was not too nice.

Anyway, the important thing is that we had a great time and that we get to experience one of Bali’s pride which is the Balinese massage.

Bali Mandira Hotel Resort and Spa
Jl. Padma No. 2
Legian, Kuta, Bali
Indonesia
+62 361 75138
www.balimandira.com

I’ve read so many things about Kuta Square. People would call this the shopping haven of Bali. You can buy almost all the brands here – lots of surfwear like Quicksilver, Billabong, Ripcurl, street wear like Mooks, Paul Frank, and branded stuff Polo Ralph Lauren, DKNY, and more! What I like about Kuta Square is that you don’t have to bargain for hours before you buy the item that you want. You know that prices here are fixed and that you are getting good quality stuff.

We were so hungry from walking and shopping that we decided to have snacks at Dulang Kafe.

They offer international dishes like Chinese, American, Thai, and Indonesian. We ordered noodles with soup, club sandwich, and iced coffee for me. The food was good and cheaper compared to Manila price. For PHP700 we had two main dishes and two drinks. Not bad considering that the ambiance was nice and that we were in Bali!

Dulang Kafe is located in the middle of Kuta Square. You won’t miss it. It is next to the main entrance oo the Matahari Department store.

Right after eating, we proceeded to our shopping spree! We realized that we couldn’t stop by every shop in Kuta Square so we just chose which shops look nice and then buy from there. Check out a few photos of the busy streets of Kuta Square.

I tell you, it was a tiring day considering that we haven’t slept for even one night yet. But, what the heck, we were all having a great time!

And what’s next on our list? MASSAGE!

Dulang Kafe
Kuta Square,
Kuta. Bali – Indonesia
+62361753389

We took the 6:30AM (first flight) to Denpasar from Jakarta through AirAsia. Their website was very easy to use and their rates were not too bad. I love their seats too, they were pretty comfortable compared to Cebu Pacific’s so I was able to sleep all throughout the flight! We arrived Bali with all smiles. We knew that this trip is going to be fun!

Inspite of having no sleep the previous night, we are still excited in what Bali has to offer! The weather was perfect! Perfect to shop, to swim, and to eat!

On our way to our hotel (Rama Garden Hotel) we had a glimpse of Bali for a few minutes. I was surprised that shops were everywhere here! Wherever you look, you would see something you can buy like fruits, shoes, clothes, dresses, local souvenirs and more. This made us excited even more!

We love how our room looked like. Check out a few photos.

This is how they arranged the face towel. Love it!

You would see this flower everywhere in the room!

After unpacking a few stuff in the hotel, we decided to check out the beach! At first it was not too impressive, probably because it was gray, but we totally fell in love when my sister and I swam the next day.

After checking the beach, we headed to the market where we found lots and lots of clothes! It was overwhelming, I tell you. But we got the hang of it and finally started shopping.

One tip that we got from a friend is to bargain at least 50% off the price. It was tiring at first to bargain and all but the longer we were there, we were having fun already! After having lunch and trying Babi Guleng, a Balinese food that is made of pork, veggies, rice, and spices, we went to Kuta Square where all the branded stuff are! No bargaining here though but pretty relaxing.

Coming up next, our meal at Dulang Cafe and how our shopping at Kuta Square went. For now will have to find weight loss supplements reviews that my friend has recommended. She said that the ones there were really effective. I better check it out now.

When I booked our flight to Bali, I realized that there were no direct flights from Manila. SO we had to drop by Jakarta first and then get a domestic flight to Denpasar or Bali. It was a blessing in disguise because at least we get to see two cities in one trip! We get to experience life in Jakarta even for a day and a half.

A day and a half. Because our flight from MNL arrived in Jakarta at 11PM their time. They were ahead for an hour against Manila time. I was a bit worried at first for our safety if we are going around the city on ourselves (considering that we are all ladies in this trip). When we arrived Jakarta, my Mom decided not to go out anymore but my sister and I insisted. Good thing we were able to find a really nice and accomodating driver who took us a tour of the city for IDR 250,000 (USD 25). We saw their National Monument at night.

There was no traffic too! So at least we get to see the malls that we are going to check out on our way back.

We also asked the driver to take us to the place where we can eat seafoods and Indonesian food. So he took us to Chinatown or known as Glondok. It was like our Divisoria. The place was dirty but the food was really cheap. We ordered for fried noodles (this was supposed to be noodles with soup but the waiter didn’t understand us. LOL!) and Nasi Goreng or fried rice.

I know it doesn’t look yummy but when we first tried it we were impressed. Not bad for a meal at IDR 40,000 (USD4) for four! Just by looking at the photo makes me want to go back there again and eat! I just love their food in Jakarta. I even need to take weight loss supplements from then on because I gained a lot ever since this trip.

After touring the city, our driver brought us back to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Terminal 3).

Our flight to Denpasar/Bali was at 6:35AM.

We arrived Bali at 9:20AM. And the weather was just PERFECT!

…was a blast! I went to Jakarta and Bali with my Mom and sister and we had a great time.

Here’s a preview of our trip.

I have so many photos to share. Some are blurred, some are ok. Ha!

The experience in Bali was the best! We only had 2 days in Bali and a day and a half in Jakarta. I wish to go back there in the next few years with Hubby and kids. Although the place is not too kid friendly for me. So I will have to wait for a few more years so I can bring them with me.

Coming up, my stories and photos. For now I will check on some dash kits that Hubby was asking me to find for the car. I know there are available online. Good thing because I don’t want to leave the house now since I got too tired from our trip.

Be right back! (*wink*)