Its been a year since I started writing this blog post but I never got around to finishing it. I had travelled to Bali last year (2017) to visit my university mate Amika and my friend Maria. A year has passed and I returned to Bali once again this year for my yearly Bali trip and it has almost been a month since! Can't believe i've left this space for that long.
Wow.
A lot has happened since but I am determined to get back and make this digital journal of mine work.
[Wrote this more than a year ago...]
Summer was approaching its end and I wanted to squeeze in a short getaway to an island not far from Malaysia. Where to if not, Bali. Only my most favourite go-to-beach holiday destination in Asia by far. I have been going to Bali since I was young with my parents. I remember we used to go almost every single year without fail but I guess as I got older and busier with school and sports, I didn't really have much time to travel. Two summers back, my friends from England and I had an all girl s trip to Bali where we met our friend Amika there.
This summer, I was able to head my way to Bali to meet Amika with my boyfriend. According to the Bali Bible, Bali is now ranked number one as the most favourite tourist destination. Seriously, it being cheap for western tourists (especially popular among Australian tourists) and the stunning sceneries, with mouth watering delicacies bursting with flavour - Im really not surprised.
I arrived in the afternoon close to lunch at The Denpasar Airport where Amika picked me up. Jamal was supposed to arrive around 8pm (Bali time - as he arrived in Kuala Lumpur from London that morning and was not able to catch the morning flight with me). Amika and I took it slow that day.
Sisterfields, Seminyak
We had lunch at Sisterfields, Seminyak. A quaint cafe that serves an All-Day breakfast, brunch and lunch menu alongside a variety of savoury and sweet pastries, cakes as well as the all famous artisan coffees.
Brioche French Toast
Sisterfields Dirty Burger
Amika ordered coffee and their famous brioche french toast. Both of us are pretty big fans of french toast. In London, we would always order the ones at Friends of Ours, Hoxton so we wanted to try the ones in Bali and compare. Hers was with chocolate, caramelised banana, fresh banana and yoghurt sorbet drizzled with Canadian maple syrup (95k Indonesian Rupiah). Compared to the Matcha brioche french toast we had at Friends of Ours, both of us really couldn't decide which was better. Both were delicious in their own way. But we did both agree that the the brioche french toast at Sisterfields was lighter than the one in London. The excessive heaps of chocolate did not make us sick one bit. BONUS. I had the Dirty Burger because I was really hungry. It was a 160g all - beef patty served with smoked cheddar cheese, pickled onion rings, mustard, aioli, house sauce and a side of delicious hand cut fries (100k Indonesian Rupiah). My burger was delicious, Big and juicy! I highly recommend their Dirty Burger, it was sooo gooooood.
After lunch we headed to head to our waxing appointment. Yes, I know. I waited till I was in Bali to get my waxing done. Why didn't I do it back in Malaysia? Let's just say I didn't't have time. Yeah, let's go with that. Theres my easy and honest, answer. We waited for Maria to scoot her way to Seminyak so that we could head on to The Lawn in Canggu for a short chill session whilst waiting for Jamal to arrive.
The Lawn
The Lawn, is a beach lounge located directly in the heart of Canggu. It is a great place for you to chill and watch the sun set whilst nibbling on their delicious finger food // dinner perhaps. Canggu a.k.a surfers paradise for some is a great place for surfers to catch some sick waves in the H2o. Their two famous beaches for surfing are Canggu Beach and Echo Beach.
Jimbaran
We picked Jamal up and went straight for dinner at a seafood restaurant in Jimbaran ( sorry I forgot the name of the restaurant) hehe Maria, Amika, Jamal and I got to enjoy the view of the ocean (even though it was pitch black since it was night time) whilst we relished into our freshly made seafood feast.
OK CAN WE JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO APPRECIATE MY BREAKFAST SPREAD AT AMIKA'S HOUSE????
Seniman Coffee Studio, Ubud
A popular cafe among locals and tourists in Ubud. What a way to enjoy a good breakfast if not by washing it down with good coffee. It was a great place for us to just catch up, away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. Amika and i, still full from breakfast simply ordered coffee - I ordered three different kinds. Jamal - not being full from breakfast decided to have his second breakfast. Ordered himself coffee with a side of toast and assorted jams, then claimed that it was to share :p
Bali Swings, Ubud
Made our way to Ubud to visit the Bali Swings after our short coffee stop. It is basically located in a secluded area in Ubud with many swings hung from the trees of different heights in the Ubud Jungle. Upon registration, you're required to give consent to a few documents stating that Bali Swings would not be liable for any unfortunate events that occur during your swinging session. They would tie rope around you as a "belt" to prevent you from falling further down the hill if you were to fall. haha I feel like that sentence was not too convincing. But I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun playing Tarzan and Jane swing from the trees. I wasn't scared for some reason but I did get sightly nervous when I saw the crowd queuing behind me. Everyone there were instagram ready - from their makeup, accessories, outfits and even camera equipment. Whilst queuing for our turn, the couple prior to us had carried 3 different professional cameras, one was a Canon 6D, another was a G7X or equivalent and the other was a small Go Pro. I knew that people take building instagram content seriously but I didn't know it was this serious!
Sunset at KU DE TA
The sunset was breathtaking....
Nalu Bowls, Seminyak
Fancy a healthy smoothie bowl? Nalu Bowls is the perfect place for you! Here I'm having the Uluwatu bowl - Dragon fruit blend topped with strawberries, mango, coconut flakes and honey!
You'll thank me later.
Jimbaran
We picked Jamal up and went straight for dinner at a seafood restaurant in Jimbaran ( sorry I forgot the name of the restaurant) hehe Maria, Amika, Jamal and I got to enjoy the view of the ocean (even though it was pitch black since it was night time) whilst we relished into our freshly made seafood feast.
OK CAN WE JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO APPRECIATE MY BREAKFAST SPREAD AT AMIKA'S HOUSE????
Seniman Coffee Studio, Ubud
A popular cafe among locals and tourists in Ubud. What a way to enjoy a good breakfast if not by washing it down with good coffee. It was a great place for us to just catch up, away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. Amika and i, still full from breakfast simply ordered coffee - I ordered three different kinds. Jamal - not being full from breakfast decided to have his second breakfast. Ordered himself coffee with a side of toast and assorted jams, then claimed that it was to share :p
Bali Swings, Ubud
Made our way to Ubud to visit the Bali Swings after our short coffee stop. It is basically located in a secluded area in Ubud with many swings hung from the trees of different heights in the Ubud Jungle. Upon registration, you're required to give consent to a few documents stating that Bali Swings would not be liable for any unfortunate events that occur during your swinging session. They would tie rope around you as a "belt" to prevent you from falling further down the hill if you were to fall. haha I feel like that sentence was not too convincing. But I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun playing Tarzan and Jane swing from the trees. I wasn't scared for some reason but I did get sightly nervous when I saw the crowd queuing behind me. Everyone there were instagram ready - from their makeup, accessories, outfits and even camera equipment. Whilst queuing for our turn, the couple prior to us had carried 3 different professional cameras, one was a Canon 6D, another was a G7X or equivalent and the other was a small Go Pro. I knew that people take building instagram content seriously but I didn't know it was this serious!
Spent the evening and watched the sunset at Ku De Ta. Obviously we had to orderer favourite sushi rolls and pizza!
Bebek Tepi Sawah, Ubud
Been going to this bebek (duck) joint since I was little! MY FAVOURITE! We ordered the Crispy Bebek and Satay Lilit.
Sunday's Beach Club
We drove from Ubud which took approximately 1.5 hours. Sunday's Beach Club is located in Undasang, Kuta. The cool thing about this beach club is that you need to take a cable car from the top of the beach club's cliff down to the beach. It was far more private and quiet compared to Potato Head and Ku De Ta - no loud music at all..
We wanted to go in for a swim but because of the location of the beach, the sea temperature was freezing! Too cold for me to get in. It reminded me of swimming in Croatia during Spring. So instead, Amika and I explored the island whilst Jamal and her brother relaxed by the beach, bonding over their love for food and cars.
At dusk, we were lucky enough to catch the bonfire at the beach club. There were beanbags all around, so we just gathered around what seemed like a luxurious campfire whilst munching on poke bowls and sipping on milkshakes.
*Queues SpongeBob's CampFire Song Song*
The sunset was breathtaking....
Nalu Bowls, Seminyak
Fancy a healthy smoothie bowl? Nalu Bowls is the perfect place for you! Here I'm having the Uluwatu bowl - Dragon fruit blend topped with strawberries, mango, coconut flakes and honey!
You'll thank me later.
SJY
