Ah, actually the photo shoot didn't end with that funny looking trollish deco statue, since my computer compartmentalise pictures by dates taken, some of the photo went to the other day... so here are still some pics from the outing I mentioned earlier, that few Bintangs at the convi store...
This is just a funny sign board saying FREE POOL CHEEP BINTANG BLOODY COOL. I'll explain the usage of the term 'bloody' later...
Miro, Malte, Florien's friend, Florien and myself in front of a convi store.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The next morning, I got my things packed for Ubud, and I had brunch one last time before going on my own way. It was kinda sad to separate ways now, but the gang would go back the next day and I have to stick to my Ubud plan. They did Ubud as a day trip, but later I would realise that one cannot do Ubud as a day trip and claim that he/she has seen Bali's culture at its best...
Goofing for the camera
arteo, Ateng, Malte, Sabiqa, Ayu and Aiza
(thanks guys, my Bali trip was so much more fun with you guys around!!)
After checking out of the hotel, I was set to find my way to Ubud - there are several ways one can go there, by taxi (remember not to ask to be charged by odometer) or the bus (few connecting buses in between cities or rather towns) or of course you can drive yourself there. At first I wanted to try the local transport and go by bus (m load was lighter anyway, I left most of my luggage at the hotel) but learning that it was too much hustle, I decided to go with the taxi for Rp60.000.
Few more pictures of Kuta before I leave for Ubud.
The word 'bloody' may sound rude or harsh in some culture, but not the all-Australian Bali, where bloody is used as an amplifier of an adjective to make it more extreme, and the usage is just as common as our usage for words like "super-duper" when we were young (i.e: the show was super-duper fantastic) or "giler-giler" in a more local context (i.e: uui, mi goreng mamak kat warung tu, sedap giler-giler tauuu...) or something closer to my home "si-beh" (i.e: ei, thau seng wa kua oo chi geh cha bo, si-beh swee eh....)
The banners and buntings outside the pubs definitely suggest that they do have bloody hell of fun time inside, haha...
Isn't this a fungal infection?
The same street buskers with their drums still performing.
Ah, not deterred by the hunting failure last night, I went on my own hunt for the famous Babi Guling and determined to have it for lunch. I went along the street past Kuta Market, and further.
Nope, this place seems to have something similar, but not exactly. Babi guling is babi guling. haha.
And further.
I was getting hungrier, but nothing else would do for lunch. I was a tourist on a special mission - like that fat bald guy from Bizarre Food, heh.
Until suddenly, from afar, I spotted a little emblem...
Yep, the feeling is almost like what Chris Columbus felt when he found America, I'm sure, maybe more. Well, maybe he wasn't that hungry.
I didn't really know how to go about it, seeing the ingredients on the table wasn't really something I would consider fine dining... but I had to try it, maybe just once.
Yea, the sight of Babe decapitated wasn't cute at all.
A close up of what I had for lunch, clockwise from top left: Baked pork-blood in banana leaves, sambal, minced pork satay on bamboo stick, innards in sisig style, skin from the head with some fur still attached for that extra gamy sensation, dried roasted liver, dried roasted intestine and deep fried piece of lard. Cholesterol count: don't mention, just eat...
And of course it came with a serving of pork soup. I think the most healthy bit of the meal was the Bintang.
Bloody meal, literally.
After that exotic lunch, I headed to Ubud in a cab, happy and fulfilled.
The cab driver was quite chatty and instead of taking the direct route to Ubud, he gave me a tour on the villages on a detour. So it took us about nearly 2 hours to reach Ubud. Just before I got off, he told me, to have the best Babi Guling in Ubud, go for Ibu Oka's. Damn, now I'm on my hunting mode again.
Ubud town.
Rangda.
Statues carved from Poros stone - of volcanic origin.
Local kids playing.
I stayed at a place promising paddy field view and hot shower - not knowing that every other accommodations also promise the same... But since the worker was very kind and hospitable, I don't mind the place here... except for my roommate - I'll show you later.
The balcony.
Antique feeling to the whole ambiance.
Here's my roommate I was talking about - this statue of Garuda stands just next to the bed... I just hope I don't have nightmare at night - which I didn't, anyway.
The sight of a hot shower definitely makes me alive again.
This is how I keep myself locked in the room... seriously.
The bed.
My roomate next to my bed. The place costs more per night but the operator charged me just Rp100.000 even without me asking for the discount. He said this price usually is for Indonesian, but for Bule (caucassian) it is Rp120.000... Now I passed as an Indonesian even without trying! Later he showed his surprise when I took out my Malaysian passport to register.
One of the many cultural stages that will hold performances at night. They traditionally have performances in a temple, or Pura, but this one is not a temple, but a school for cultural lessons.
Some nice landscapes in Ubud.
Even at the highlands, the surfers culture stil find its way into the market.
The bookshop where I got my Ramayana book, I thought I would enjoy the theatre better if I know the story line a little.
Didn't know Yuni has a house here... But Yunee bah kan spelling nya...
One would not have to worry about getting tickets for the shows as there would be numerous students like this selling tickets to the night performances, you'll find them everywhere starting in the evening. No extra comissions charges for buying from them. But my hotel operator was even more effective, he showed me a schedule of the week's performances and got the tickets ready for me, also at no extra charge.
The center of Ubud town, is the market.
One of the prize shots for this trip...
Inside Ubud market.
Streets were relatively relaxed except for when school is over, and the traffic builds up exponentially.
Vendor selling balloons on a motorbike.
The first evening I bought ticket to watch kecak dance. Wanting to get a good seat, I went about half an hour early. They were not ready to admit yet, so I went out to see if I can find Ibu Oka's famous BG.
One of the kecak dancers in front of the pura where the show was held.
Found it not far from the pura. Yea, I have to agree Bu Oka serves much less disgusting BG comparing to the one I had in Kuta. But for more expensive though...
Clockwise from top left: Fried innards in batter, fried lard, pork meat with special sauce on it, sauteed gourd (I think), and roasted pork parts (I think it's home made sausage - innards stuffed in intestine) or I rather not know, heh.
This meal costs Rp40.000. Hefty but tastes much nicer I have to say. I know I'm not being conned, the price was stated on the board.
Went back after dinner. In every town there has to be 3 pura, or temples. I can't remember the other 2 but Pura Dalem is usually meant for death / cremation services. I think the reason also they are showing the fire dance in this pura. Every temple is built as a devotion to one of the 3 Hindu major dieties.
Blessing of the stage and of the fire before the performance.
Right after that, 50 odss topless male dancers in sarong and udeng came out. The name kecak comes from the sounds they chanted throughout the show "kecak kecak kecak kecak, woosh woosh woosh, pheew pheeww, kecak kecak" or something like that. Its origin may not be originally Balinese, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before.
The story was taken from Rama and Sinta's sutra.
After that, the fire dance - an old man apparently in a trance holding a straw horse going around kicking the mound of coconut husks on fire, sending some women audience screaming. I was more amused by the screaming audiences, really.
Me and my udeng.
My late supper on my way back to the hotel. Bakso. Not nice. Rp10.000. Ubud is a dead town after the performance, so there's no where to go but to go back. Luckily too, because it started to rain right after I got back. So I had to sleep, watching MrGaruda, while the lightning flashes and the thunder rolling outside...
One of the greatest mistake I've done in this trip was to have left my charger in my main luggage in Kuta. I've posted the most pictures in this entry (85!), but for the next day (supposedly more exciting day) I was left with a dying camera... sigh.
This is just a funny sign board saying FREE POOL CHEEP BINTANG BLOODY COOL. I'll explain the usage of the term 'bloody' later...
Miro, Malte, Florien's friend, Florien and myself in front of a convi store.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The next morning, I got my things packed for Ubud, and I had brunch one last time before going on my own way. It was kinda sad to separate ways now, but the gang would go back the next day and I have to stick to my Ubud plan. They did Ubud as a day trip, but later I would realise that one cannot do Ubud as a day trip and claim that he/she has seen Bali's culture at its best...
Goofing for the cameraarteo, Ateng, Malte, Sabiqa, Ayu and Aiza
(thanks guys, my Bali trip was so much more fun with you guys around!!)
After checking out of the hotel, I was set to find my way to Ubud - there are several ways one can go there, by taxi (remember not to ask to be charged by odometer) or the bus (few connecting buses in between cities or rather towns) or of course you can drive yourself there. At first I wanted to try the local transport and go by bus (m load was lighter anyway, I left most of my luggage at the hotel) but learning that it was too much hustle, I decided to go with the taxi for Rp60.000.Few more pictures of Kuta before I leave for Ubud.
The word 'bloody' may sound rude or harsh in some culture, but not the all-Australian Bali, where bloody is used as an amplifier of an adjective to make it more extreme, and the usage is just as common as our usage for words like "super-duper" when we were young (i.e: the show was super-duper fantastic) or "giler-giler" in a more local context (i.e: uui, mi goreng mamak kat warung tu, sedap giler-giler tauuu...) or something closer to my home "si-beh" (i.e: ei, thau seng wa kua oo chi geh cha bo, si-beh swee eh....)
The banners and buntings outside the pubs definitely suggest that they do have bloody hell of fun time inside, haha...
Isn't this a fungal infection?
The same street buskers with their drums still performing.
Ah, not deterred by the hunting failure last night, I went on my own hunt for the famous Babi Guling and determined to have it for lunch. I went along the street past Kuta Market, and further.Nope, this place seems to have something similar, but not exactly. Babi guling is babi guling. haha.
And further.
I was getting hungrier, but nothing else would do for lunch. I was a tourist on a special mission - like that fat bald guy from Bizarre Food, heh.
Until suddenly, from afar, I spotted a little emblem...
Yep, the feeling is almost like what Chris Columbus felt when he found America, I'm sure, maybe more. Well, maybe he wasn't that hungry.
I didn't really know how to go about it, seeing the ingredients on the table wasn't really something I would consider fine dining... but I had to try it, maybe just once.
Yea, the sight of Babe decapitated wasn't cute at all.
A close up of what I had for lunch, clockwise from top left: Baked pork-blood in banana leaves, sambal, minced pork satay on bamboo stick, innards in sisig style, skin from the head with some fur still attached for that extra gamy sensation, dried roasted liver, dried roasted intestine and deep fried piece of lard. Cholesterol count: don't mention, just eat...
And of course it came with a serving of pork soup. I think the most healthy bit of the meal was the Bintang.
Bloody meal, literally.
After that exotic lunch, I headed to Ubud in a cab, happy and fulfilled.
The cab driver was quite chatty and instead of taking the direct route to Ubud, he gave me a tour on the villages on a detour. So it took us about nearly 2 hours to reach Ubud. Just before I got off, he told me, to have the best Babi Guling in Ubud, go for Ibu Oka's. Damn, now I'm on my hunting mode again.Ubud town.
Rangda.
Statues carved from Poros stone - of volcanic origin.
Local kids playing.
I stayed at a place promising paddy field view and hot shower - not knowing that every other accommodations also promise the same... But since the worker was very kind and hospitable, I don't mind the place here... except for my roommate - I'll show you later.The balcony.
Antique feeling to the whole ambiance.
Here's my roommate I was talking about - this statue of Garuda stands just next to the bed... I just hope I don't have nightmare at night - which I didn't, anyway.
The sight of a hot shower definitely makes me alive again.
This is how I keep myself locked in the room... seriously.
The bed.
My roomate next to my bed. The place costs more per night but the operator charged me just Rp100.000 even without me asking for the discount. He said this price usually is for Indonesian, but for Bule (caucassian) it is Rp120.000... Now I passed as an Indonesian even without trying! Later he showed his surprise when I took out my Malaysian passport to register.
One of the many cultural stages that will hold performances at night. They traditionally have performances in a temple, or Pura, but this one is not a temple, but a school for cultural lessons.
Some nice landscapes in Ubud.
Even at the highlands, the surfers culture stil find its way into the market.
The bookshop where I got my Ramayana book, I thought I would enjoy the theatre better if I know the story line a little.
Didn't know Yuni has a house here... But Yunee bah kan spelling nya...
One would not have to worry about getting tickets for the shows as there would be numerous students like this selling tickets to the night performances, you'll find them everywhere starting in the evening. No extra comissions charges for buying from them. But my hotel operator was even more effective, he showed me a schedule of the week's performances and got the tickets ready for me, also at no extra charge.
The center of Ubud town, is the market.
One of the prize shots for this trip...
Inside Ubud market.
Streets were relatively relaxed except for when school is over, and the traffic builds up exponentially.
Vendor selling balloons on a motorbike.
The first evening I bought ticket to watch kecak dance. Wanting to get a good seat, I went about half an hour early. They were not ready to admit yet, so I went out to see if I can find Ibu Oka's famous BG.One of the kecak dancers in front of the pura where the show was held.
Found it not far from the pura. Yea, I have to agree Bu Oka serves much less disgusting BG comparing to the one I had in Kuta. But for more expensive though...
Clockwise from top left: Fried innards in batter, fried lard, pork meat with special sauce on it, sauteed gourd (I think), and roasted pork parts (I think it's home made sausage - innards stuffed in intestine) or I rather not know, heh.
This meal costs Rp40.000. Hefty but tastes much nicer I have to say. I know I'm not being conned, the price was stated on the board.
Went back after dinner. In every town there has to be 3 pura, or temples. I can't remember the other 2 but Pura Dalem is usually meant for death / cremation services. I think the reason also they are showing the fire dance in this pura. Every temple is built as a devotion to one of the 3 Hindu major dieties.
Blessing of the stage and of the fire before the performance.
Right after that, 50 odss topless male dancers in sarong and udeng came out. The name kecak comes from the sounds they chanted throughout the show "kecak kecak kecak kecak, woosh woosh woosh, pheew pheeww, kecak kecak" or something like that. Its origin may not be originally Balinese, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before.
The story was taken from Rama and Sinta's sutra.
After that, the fire dance - an old man apparently in a trance holding a straw horse going around kicking the mound of coconut husks on fire, sending some women audience screaming. I was more amused by the screaming audiences, really.
Me and my udeng.
My late supper on my way back to the hotel. Bakso. Not nice. Rp10.000. Ubud is a dead town after the performance, so there's no where to go but to go back. Luckily too, because it started to rain right after I got back. So I had to sleep, watching MrGaruda, while the lightning flashes and the thunder rolling outside...
One of the greatest mistake I've done in this trip was to have left my charger in my main luggage in Kuta. I've posted the most pictures in this entry (85!), but for the next day (supposedly more exciting day) I was left with a dying camera... sigh.
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