You Don't Choose Bali, Bali Chooses You

YEAY! I am super excited to finally had the chance to write about Bali.

I guess Bali became one of the most popular honeymoon destination for a reason. The view was beautiful beyond description.  You just gotta go there yourself to truly experience the magic!

With that in mind, I would like to take a different approach of blogging this time.  Instead of doing a one way communication to share my experience in Bali, I would give 7 tips for an awesome vacation in Bali, other than enjoying the beach and soaking all the sun that you want.
(PS:  if you are not planning to go to Bali at least one time in your life, you certainly missing out!)

Without further ado, here are the 7 tips:

1.  Search for a local tour guide

Go to Groupon and look for a good deal.  My friend found a Rp. 195,000 6 hours tour package for our first day in Bali.  It was totally worth it since the tour guide knows exactly where everything is.  So you can relax and efficiently spent the time at the most prominent tourist attraction spots.

2.  Learn a little bit of the language

Say "Sukseme" which means thank you every now and then.  Honor the misses as "gek" and the men as "bli", it will make their day.  Our tour guide told us that the locales don't like to be called "mbak" and "mas", which were the more common honorifics for Javanese people.  Anyway, you want to do this because when people around you are happy, you will be too!

3.  Watch Kecak Dance at Uluwatu

This is a must do! Kecak dance is kinda like a traditional play accompanied with around 40 to 150 beat-boxers.  Kecak is also known as Ramayana Monkey Chant because the dance told a story about Prince Rama saving his beloved Shinta with a help of Hanuman the Monkey King.  Besides, Uluwatu is so beautiful, you get to take pictures wearing cute purple scabbard or yellow fabric with great background views.  And if you are lucky you can even see some real live wild monkeys doing their business.

Our awesome tour guide even helped us out with the scabbard

Here's the opening chant.

4.  Visit Tanah Lot

Tanah lot is all about the temple on an offshore rock.  Majority of Balinese believes in Balinese Hinduism  They believe there are gods in everything.  That's why you would see ritual offerings (sesajen) everywhere.  In Tanah lot, you get to learn more about this culture.  Although it must be super beautiful up there, I refuse to enter the temple.  Because my God is a jealous God and I only believe in him anyway, I don't want to disrespect the locales.

One of the characteristic that Balinese men seek in Balinese women is how well they can make sesajen.

The temple is actually covered by the trees, I should have asked for a better angle.

5.  Water Sports

Scuba dive, para sailing, touching some turtles, you name it, Bali got it all!  One thing though, you gotta learn to negotiate.  Since Balinese mainly make a living through tourism, they learned to differentiate between Indonesian and Foreign tourist.  They realize they could make more money if they charge the foreigner more.  In that case, don't be afraid to negotiate, ask for half the price to start with and see how they response to it hahah.

Wake board!! Heck yeah I succeed to stand up at least for 3 seconds

6.  Eat BiGul (roast suckling pig)

One of the most popular BiGul restaurant was Ibu Oka.  I guess the ambiance was great because the restaurant was build on a traditional Bali house. That way, you get to eat while admiring beautiful architecture around the house.  However, I found that the roast pig taste just alright.  I ate another roast suckling pig at another less popular street vendor the next day and it taste so much richer.  I couldn't even remember the name of the restaurant because I stopped by randomly.  Nonetheless, unless you have Anthony Bourdain's or Andrew Zimmern's stomach..you might want to stick with Ibu Oka.

I'm sorry and thank you Pig (if you pay attention there's sesajen too, so they do respect the pig)

This is one of the house at Ibu Oka.  Look at those gory details on the wall.

7.  Shop at Titiles and Krisna

Lastly before you leave Bali, you better get some souvenirs for your friends.  Titiles offers a complete selection of traditional Balinese snacks.  From Disco peanuts to Chicken feet crackers!  Krisna on the other hand sell clothes, bags, magnets, key chains, and all other typical souvenirs you could think off.

So yeah...the next time you are planning to go to Bali at least do these 7 deathly tips!  There's so much more of course, but I chose the top 7 just because hahaha.
Vacation in Bali
Until the next adventure you all, Vagabond girl is out~

Reunion : Part II

After my reunion with my elementary school gang, it's time for me to reminisce high school.  I met my friends at Summarecon Mall Serpong after they are done with work, then I went to Tarakanita the day after.

Tarakanita is one of the well known Catholic private school in Indonesia. I spent 11 years screwing around in it hahaha.  Even though I had a really good memory with Tarakanita, I don't really remember the name of my elementary and middle school teachers.  I do however remember my high school teachers.

My parents left for America when I am starting middle school and they left me in the hand of my aunt. But I went through the normal teenager rebellion phase and I rather spent my time outside home.

I end up spending most of my time at school.  I joined so many extracurricular activities that I would come home late most days.

Anyway!!! It surprised me that Tarakanita had changed so much in the last 7 years! They built a brand new 4-stories tall building for the high school, complete with air conditioners for each room.  The old building that we used to share with the middle schoolers are all theirs now.  So i guess this is where all of my tuition went to...

There was a good mixture of new and veteran teachers.  My reunion with my homeroom teacher was so much like the lost child parables on bible hahahah.  I couldn't help but get all teary when I saw her.

My homeroom teacher was awesome.  She used to stand by me when other doesn't have faith in me.  She's the one that inspires me to teach hahah.

Oh by the way, I used to get a ride from a student's parent to get to school and that's exactly what I did this time around too.  I contacted the guy and apparently he still gives ride to school hahah.  He used to bought me lunch.. so it is my turn to give back.

We went to get brunch at Haji Mammat, who has quite a story too.  He used to sell soto on a cart and now through all the tears and blood he finally own 3 restaurants.  The soto wasn't a joke either...It was sooooo delicious.

Afterwards, I met with a friend.  The story about how we got close is kinda funny.  I used to be so homesick after I moved to America and at the same time Benji just moved to Germany for school and feeling homesick too.  He added me on friendster (yes this happen when friendster still around! That's how old I am).

We quickly becoming friends cuz we share the pain hahaha.  We went to different school back in Indonesia, but we hung out once. Of course he doesn't remember it cuz he think he's too good for me..Screw you!

Well anyway.. we were so close that we did 24/7 video call at one point hahaha, but we never meet physically after that one time.  So when I know that he is in Indonesia at the time I am going back, we made an arrangement.

We went to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah which translated into beautiful Indonesia miniature park.  The place was creative, it kind of like an outdoor museum where you can see different houses, clothing, and cultures of each unique province.  Indonesia consist of at least 17000 islands, so it is so diverse and rich in cultures.

He's a mix blood and I don't look like an average Indonesian as well. So we end up looking like tourists and people kept thinking we don't speak Indonesian hahahaha.

Here's one of the display for Central Kalimantan (Borneo)

Then we went to the bird park.  I feel really bad to the birds in this park.  They weren't looking so healthy. The fruits that were given to them were covered in flies and some birds were chained, so they couldn't even walk around.  I am pretty sure the entrance fee should be enough to cover the necessary expenses.  Someone is probably committed in corruption and steal all those money from the poor birds.

Another problem that I had with the bird park was that there were too many mosquitoes!!!  I had a smooth princess like legs, so it is understandable that those mosquitoes were all crazy for it.  I finally decided to leave the park early cuz I couldn't handle the attention haha.

We then spent 5 hours stuck in Jakarta's traffic before finally reaching Central Park Mall.  My high school sweet heart is having a birthday party, and she actually just got married on June last year.  So I bought her the best birthday/belated wedding present ever.

"Tasty & Titillating" mwahahahahha

Me and the birthday gal

Somewhat it ends up like an arranged group date o.o

After this hectic day, I end up falling asleep on my ride back home.  Sorry Benji and thanks mwhahahahah!

I learned that life is a series of choices.  When you were faced with a problem, you can choose to drown yourself in it or to turn it into an opportunity.  When my parents left me, I chose to be active in school and make lots of good memories with friends and teachers.  I mean I could choose to get involved with drugs since no one really supervise me, but I rather not ruin this once in a lifetime chance to actually enjoy life.

Until the next adventure you all...Vagabond girl is out.

Reunion: Part I

As I promise, as soon as the cold winter weather welcoming me back home, I am writing the second part of my adventure in Indonesia.

What I actually missed the most from Indonesia is the people.  That is why I spent the first couple days having reunion with my friends.  I realized that I might have a healthy OCD cuz on top of having a super organized baggage, I somewhat arrange the reunion chronologically.  I met with elementary/middle school friends first, then high school friends.

Meeting my childhood friends was like entering into a time machine.  Even though our age is almost a quarter of a century, we refuse to grow up!  Alright, we might reshaped our eyebrows and learned to put on make up, other might start losing their hair while the other are getting married in a couple months, but we stay true to our self!

Started in 4th grade, I used to have three besties and we called our self 4US later on.  The name came from wanting to be there for each other and doing everything together.  We were like the three musketeers, the trouble makers but also the high achievers.  We ran the student council and stand up for justice (read: kicking the ass of boys who act like know it all).

4US back in 2002

Unfortunately, one of the personnel (who actually end up studying law and truly fighting for justice) is out of the country to pursue a master degree.  I'm sad for not being able to meet you sooner but I'm so proud of you sista~

In 2013 still cute as ever

Beside having 4US that keep me straight throughout middle school, I also made friends with a group of 4 guys who called them self X4.  For my reader from Asia, I am pretty sure you guys are familiar with F4 from "Meteor Garden", that's pretty much sums up how X4 act.

X4 likes to think that their group consisted of the most handsome four fellows in our school. While in fact it made out of four narcissistic jokesters. X4 walked around like they are a big shot, giving people the red card with "you'll be dead" written on it.  But don't get me wrong, they have a heart of hello kitty and they wouldn't seriously threaten anyone...I had such a jolly childhood thanks to these people.

My trip back home actually put X4 together for the first time since middle school!  I was happy that the only thing had change is that they are now have deeper pockets.  I wish I had time to actually make them pay for all the homework that I did for them hahah.

We had a dinner at my friend's restaurant in Living World Mall.  My friends and his soon-to-be-fiance girlfriend opened up this Indonesian restaurant called "Kemenangan", which translated into "Victory". If any of you are living in Indonesia or ever travel to Indonesia, you should definitely check it out, the restaurant is located at the food court, they had a super delicious chicken intestine <3

This picture is taken by Mulia Dermawan

I thank God for placing these awesome people in my life.  There were time when we fought, but we always learn to made up.  4US more specifically, had become my sisters that shaped me as who I am now (the hardcore student and party animal lol).  These girls have hearts of gold and brilliant minds.  Even back in middle school, we used to care enough to celebrate our birthdays at orphanage.  If it wasn't because of them, I probably would never have the passion to serve for the less fortunate as I do now.

Wth, now this post sounds more like a love letter than a travelling blog... I shall end it here! hahahah

Until the next adventure you all...Vagabond girl is out.