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Bali Island Drive (Kuta, Bersakih, Ubud, Kintamani, Gunung Batur, Lovina Beach & Bedugul)
We arrived at Bali's International airport in the afternoon and proceeded to the famed Kuta Beach area where we put up the night in one of the numerous budget hotels. The next morning we picked up our pre-arranged Toyota Kijang (Unser in Malaysia) , for which we paid Rup 9,000 or Rm50 per day and left for Bersakih, about 3 hours away.
Bersakih houses the biggest temple in the island of Bali and is located in the foothills of a mountain range. This temple is also the most important shrine in Bali, which has a Hindu majority. After that, we headed for Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali and arrived by about 5pm. Here, we spent two nights at Nick's Pension chalets which us surrounded by padi fields.
After breakfast, we were at the town museum for a barong dance, performed by shcool going children. Other attractions we visited included Goa Gajah and the Monkey Temple. Around Ubud, one finds numerous workshops and galleries of intricate Balinese wood carvings and paintings. We manage to catch a 'kechak dance', one of many many cultural dances performed in this town on a regular basis. Later, we had dinner at a recommended but expensive raztefel at Cafe Wayan, which consisted of an array of Balinese food finely presented in the traditional manner.
We left Ubud the late morning and headed to Sukawati for shopping, This is where the wholesalers congregate and prices are very reasonable. After loading up on some shopping, it was off to Tirtha, on the edge of Lake Batur. There is a very nice complex here with hot spring pools and an olympic sized swim pool overlooking the lake and mountains.
In the morning, we went on a half day trek up Gunung Batur 1717m. One can not only see the smouldering craters but hear the angry rumblings, which was pretty scary. There are also numerous vents where eggs are cooked. The magnificent view from the top is not to be missed. After the walk, it was back again to the hot springs pools for another pleasant soak. In total we spend two nights here.
Next morning, we moved on to Lovina Beach, situated on the Northern coast of Bali Island. Here the beaches are black because of the laval sands. Despite that, the water visibiltiy is very good. This place is well known for its dolphin tours, costing Rm30 per pax on a small perahu which is a real bargain. We encountered more than a hundred dolphins on our short two hours boat trip. The snorkelling for corals viewing was also good and different because of the black sanded sea floor yet clear waters. We stayed two nights in Lovina.
Next we were off to the Cameron Highlands of Bali, which is the highland town of Bedugul. On the way there, we dropped by to visit the Gitgit waterfalls. Bedugul is located near the shores of the Bratan Lake, also well known for its Botanical Gardens and Candikuning, a temple built onto the shores of the Lake. We stayed the night and after a few hours in Bedugul, we headed down to Kuta, where we spend the next two nights, shopping, eating and relaxing besides the beach. We left after 10 nights in Bali.
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