Bali

Bali
Bali

Bali 

My first visit to Bali was an eye opener. I had expected to be bored but thoroughly enjoyed my 10 days stay. On my subsequent  visits to Bali i have always discovered new places and new experiences to enjoy.  This blog is for new visitors, the things they can do in Bali, places to stay and eat.

Places to visit:

kuta

Kuta is located on the western side of  Bali and is considered its most famous beach resort destination. Kuta  is  just  minutes away from the  International Airport. Places to visit in kuta are of course its overcrowded beach known for its surfing. Across the road from the Discovery Shopping Mall is Waterbom Bali, the best and long-running water park on the island. Another great place is the Bali Shell Museum. Some cultural highlights such as village temples, a Barong show and a significant Buddhist temple in the heart of Kuta are also worth a visit.

Places to eat in kuta: hard rock cafe near the Sheraton mall. fish and co for great sea food in the Sheraton mall. There is a Indian restaurant called queens of India that serves tolerable north Indian cuisine. There are many other restaurants near the kuta square serving crepes, pizzas, Italian and seafood. Every street has its array of massage and spa centers, I always ended my day with a really relaxing leg massage.

 Kintamani

In Kintamani, you can see a semi active volcano mountain. Time taken from kuta to reach here is about 1-2 hours by car depending on the traffic. There are  many Balinese/Indonesian restaurants  opposite the volcano mountain. I have been to Kintamani on all of my visits to Bali, only once i have seen smoke coming out of Mount Batur. Batur lake is  near the mountain, the view from the restaurants are good for photo ops. There are many trekking packages to the mountain I haven’t  taken them.

Bali zoo and Bali safari – marine park

These two are different places in Bali. I would recommend you visit both. Both these places have morning and night park packages, these packages are recommended as they cover pickup, drop and food.

In the zoo, there is a restaurant next to the lion encampment, only a glass door separates the people eating from the lion’s. There are many  animals to see here and you can have a chance to feed them. I fed the lions a piece of meat tied to a rope, it was a unique experience for me. You can take a elephant ride in the zoo. The main attraction was that the animals were in their natural habitat as much as possible and the zoo was very clean.

I have been only to the night safari in the Bali safari- marine park. They have their own transportation. It is a park with a hotel, at first they take you on a walking tour of night animals. Flash photography isn’t allowed in this as most of the animals are sensitive to light. You get to see a live African elephant and  you can take photos with an African parrot.

After this 30 min walk tour, comes the highlight of the night safari- a ride in a caged vehicle with two or three guides. In this ride you can feed African bulls, zebras, see tigers and lions. The guides will ensure the tigers and lions to come up to the cage. It was a thrilling experience for me as for the first time I could touch a wild Indian  tiger close up. The tour ends with a well choreographed Balinese fire dance and dinner which wasn’t up to the mark.

I will write about other places to visit in Bali in an another blog.