Journey Day 5 (Ayur Whitewater Rafting)
I was the only frog in the well who had not tried whitewater rafting before. Since everybody enthusiastically recommended the activity, Starbucks and I joined a half day Ayur Whitewater Rafting tour at 200,000 IDR each on our last day at Bali. R and T intended to have some romantic time alone.
For breakfast this time round, we requested for Nasi Goreng and Mee Goreng.
Journey Day 4 (Motorcycling to Eastern Bali – Amed)
It rained torrendously over the night. I had to wake up, roll down the shades and moved our stuffs away from the balcony.
When I woke up again at 630am, it’s still raining and there was a small pool of water in the room. Just a perfect day to laze around. But we had plans.
Not wanting to eat banana pancake for breakfast again, we preordered black rice pudding the night below. To Singaporeans and Malaysians in the know, it’s basically Pulut Hitam. I cannot remember having it in the past ten years because of an overdose during my two years in green. So I had almost forgotten its good taste.
Read up a bit on rice pudding and realised that it’s a common dish around the world. Maybe it would be a good idea to open a dessert stall that sells different varieties of rice pudding. 
Daydream, delusion, limousine, eyelash
Oh baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wineglass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweet-cakes and rice puddings
I’m a delusion angel
I’m a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don’t want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we’re going
Lodged in life
Like branches in a river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current
I carry you
You’ll carry me
That’s how it could be
Don’t you know me?
Don’t you know me by now?
- Misquoted from Before Sunrise
Journey Day 3 (Mt Batur)
There are two main mountains or volcanoes in Bali for climbing – Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung. Gunung means mountain in Malay.
Gunung Agung, at 3142m, is Bali’s tallest mountain and holds special spiritual significance to the people of the Island. Agung is a challenging climb that involves a 6-7 hike from Besakih to the summit. To be in time for sunrise, the hike usually starts at around 11pm. Getting down requires the same amount of time. A shorter climb from Pura Pasar Gunung takes 3-4 hours but the route ends around 100m below the summit. In march, it is still a bit wet and not exactly the best time to climb Agung.
Mt Batur is a much easier climb at 1717m that requires about 2 hours hike one way. It’s a very popular trip among tourists because of its rewarding views and relative accessibility. Our 225,000 IDR package included pick-up from our accomodations at 300am which arrived on time.
We reached Kintamani at around 410am and met our guide who issued us a bottle of water each. He would be carrying our breakfast for us. I carried an extra 2 litre of water in case the climb requires it and also for the exercise. There was a light drizzle and some of the tourists put on their ponchos which were available for sale. Torchlights would be essential for the night climb.
As it was dark, I did not managed to get much photos. It’s relatively an easy climb on rather barren land. But we still need to be careful of the loose rocks on the ground and the strong wind.
At 545am, we reached the viewpoint for sunrise. There is a small hut which sells hot drinks where we can sit around protected from the cold winds.
Journey Day 2 (Ubud Walking Trail)
We were woken up by the sounds of nature. Our room boasted a splendid view over the surrounding houses.
View from our bathroom
Arriving at Bali Ubud
Our flight was in the evening so I took just a half day leave and left for the airport directly from office after lunch. As usual, I parked my scooter at Changi Airport T3, sheltered Carpark 3B before transferring to the skytrain to T1.
There are a few budget airlines flying from Singapore to Bali (Denpasar) but we opted for KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) as their prices were competitive. It’s always nice to have meals on board and movies to watch during the flight. I didn’t know Meg Ryan was so pretty until I watched When Harry Met Sally. Youth is indeed fleeting.
Even though the plane was almost packed, YC and me had an empty seat between us. I selected seat 33A and YC, surmising it unlikely that someone would pick the middle seat, selected seat 33C. In the case that someone did turn up, we would just request to switch seats. His strategy worked and we had some additional space.
