Rendezvous #2 - Bali, Indonesia. March 1-2, 2011

Rendezvous #3 - Singapore

Rendezvous #4 - Malaysia

Rendezvous #5 - Seoul, South Korea

Although my flight was still at 10:00 am, I just had to get out of the moldy room at Embassy Hotel in Hongkong. As soon as I woke up at 4:00 am,  I immediately went to the airport en route to Bali. 

Flight from Hongkong to Bali was about 4.5 hours and I was surprised that entry visa for all foreigners was US$25.  Well, I thought it was a rip off but the Indonesian government probably had to take advantage of the non-stop influx of foreigners.  Since I was already in the Asian area, I planned Bali just to check the hype about it.  And yes, it was all just hype.  It would be unfair though to say that the whole island of Bali was not that impressive since I only stayed at Kuta, Bali where the nightlife was and where one of the prominent beaches was located.

I had US$40 changed to the local currency which was Indonesian Rupiah.  And when the changer gave me the local currency, it was approximately IDR496,500.  So if I had US$100 changed, I would have been carrying more than a million in currency! 

Took the taxi from the airport to Green Garden Hotel and the fare was IDR45,000 (US$ 5.50).  The taxi was one of those accredited by the airport and I already thought that prices at Bali were cheap and the US$25 visa fee was being compensated already.  The drive to the airport was about 15 minutes considering that the main road was very narrow.  There were only 2 lanes (1 for each direction) and traffic just cris-crossed.

Green Garden Hotel was impressive.  For a 3-star hotel, I'd rate the room to be 3.5 star close to 4.  Very large room, clean and the staff was very friendly.

As soon as I settled, I took a 10 minute walk along the main road and checked  Kuta Beach Resort.  To my dismay, the sand was not white but dark grayish and the water was dirty.  I did not bother collecting sand and I did not try taking a dip into the ocean as it was just dirty.

Bali was frequented by Australians probably because everything there was cheap and probably because of its proximity.  So to compensate my disappointment of unable to get sand, I dropped by a restaurant and tried the local cuisine with fat crabs and stewed fish wrapped in banana leaves.  One of the viands, string beans sauted in salted fish sauce was similar to a Philippine dish called "binagoongan."  Local beer was not spectacular but for the dinner which was good for 3, I only paid US$28. 

When I got back to the hotel, there was nothing much to do since Kuta area was just like the other tourist places along the beach that I've been to (Southbeach Miami, Cancun, or Bahamas.)  Relaxed for a while and decided to go for a 1 hour whole body massage for IDR50,000 (US$6).  I was floored with the price because a massage in Toronto would have been at least CD$80.  After a soothing massage, there was no other choice but to go to sleep. 

Following day, I just went for a swim at the hotel pool since the beach was not enticing at all.  Had few beers and ended up drinking with Jarmo (pronounced Yarmo) and Ruth from Norway.  We talked about our respective cultures and travels.  We had local beer and a local delicacy of grilled chicken and fish with ground peanut butter dip.

At about 7:00pm, I made my way to the airport for my 10:00pm flight to Singapore.  Apparently, there was an exit fee of US$20 hence I was robbed US$45 by Bali immigration. 

Kuta, Bali was good but it was not impressive.  Philippine beaches are much much more superior.  The Philippine government just do not know how to promote as good as the Indonesians.  Am I going back to Bali? I do not think so.  But it was a very interesting experience, nonetheless.

Now, rendezvous #3 to Singapore.