6.30 am took a cab from my house and went to KL Sentral. Took a bus to LCCT and finished checked in by 7.50 am. Ate breakfast at Marry Brown. The flight to Denpasar took off exactly at 9.00 am, reaching Nugrah Rai International Airport at 12.00 pm. Unlike in Jakarta, there is no time difference between KL and Bali so there is no need to do time adjusting. From the airport, I took a Bluebird cab to Tune Hotel, Kuta (the local pronounce it as Tun) and since I arrived early (check in time is 3.00pm), I left my bag there for a nominal fee of Rp7,000 and walked towards Kuta town since the hotel is just a walking distance to the Kuta area.
Bali is not an unfamiliar place for me. I was here in 2008, also staying in Kuta area and so I know the way around here quite well. Feeling hungry I had my lunch in KFC knowing that most of the fast food chains such as KFC, McDonald, Pizza Hut, A & W are 'halal'. Nonetheless, don't expect the menu will be the same as in Malaysia. All menu do have local foods such as rice and soups in it. The taste? varies depend on your taste bud.
Went back to Tune Hotel and did my check-in. For such a small sum, the hotel is just perfect for me. It offer all the basic things splendidly.
Affordable and comfortable plus good location
After taking a small nap, I went out to Kuta area but now exploring the beach and the international shops nearby. As usual, the beach here were full of people from all over the world. Kuta itself is the the busiest place in Bali.
Not my fav beach, but it has its nice ambiance...
Strolling by the beach, I reached Hard Rock Cafe nearby and bought two T-Shirts. One for myself and the other for my friend. One down, two to go....yup things to buy as per requested by friends and colleagues. Next, I entered a Croc shop and bought myself a Croc sandal. Buying the sandal was the best decision since I will be doing lotsa of walking during my visit here. My next destination was to the small shops near the beach in which there are rows and rows of shops selling pirated DVDs and CDs at an amazing low price.
What to do next? Spa off course. Bali is famous for its spa. There are so many spa ranging from a small size to huge ones all over Bali, even one in the air port. Insomuch, the prices for any spa treatments are so cheap to compare to any other places. So, upon a friend recommendation, I entered SMART, a spa near KFC. There were so many packages to choose. I chose hot stone aromatherapy massage followed by facial treatment knowing very well, hot stone massage is quiet expensive in KL. The 1.5 hr massage was a bliss and I love it very much. While getting ready for the stone, the male masseur then covered me up with a batik sarong, rolled the prayer mat and did his 'asar' prayer next to me. Bali is 99% Hindus and seeing a devoted Muslim was a pleasant surprise. Silently, he then proceeded to do the hot stone treatment to my body. Afterward, the facial treatment was done by a female therapist. I must confessed, not unfamiliar with facial treatments, the such of Leonard Drakes and others in KL, this was the best facial treatment so far for me. Normally in KL, the therapist will leave during the face steaming or while waiting for the mask to dry, here, during those two activities, she will massage your head, hands and upper body meaning for 1 hour, she will not leave you alone and you will be pampered non stop....pure bliss...
The middle shop is Smart SPA
Next, I stopped by at an Internet cafe near the Minang food court. There were too many foreigners (the local called them as 'bule') inside, most of them were from Australian boys and girls. After awhile, I left and walked again to Kuta beach and then walked straight back to the hotel to rest.
Tomorrow will be my shopping day as Saturday will be my touring day....
Bali is not an unfamiliar place for me. I was here in 2008, also staying in Kuta area and so I know the way around here quite well. Feeling hungry I had my lunch in KFC knowing that most of the fast food chains such as KFC, McDonald, Pizza Hut, A & W are 'halal'. Nonetheless, don't expect the menu will be the same as in Malaysia. All menu do have local foods such as rice and soups in it. The taste? varies depend on your taste bud.
Went back to Tune Hotel and did my check-in. For such a small sum, the hotel is just perfect for me. It offer all the basic things splendidly.
Affordable and comfortable plus good locationAfter taking a small nap, I went out to Kuta area but now exploring the beach and the international shops nearby. As usual, the beach here were full of people from all over the world. Kuta itself is the the busiest place in Bali.
Not my fav beach, but it has its nice ambiance...Strolling by the beach, I reached Hard Rock Cafe nearby and bought two T-Shirts. One for myself and the other for my friend. One down, two to go....yup things to buy as per requested by friends and colleagues. Next, I entered a Croc shop and bought myself a Croc sandal. Buying the sandal was the best decision since I will be doing lotsa of walking during my visit here. My next destination was to the small shops near the beach in which there are rows and rows of shops selling pirated DVDs and CDs at an amazing low price.
What to do next? Spa off course. Bali is famous for its spa. There are so many spa ranging from a small size to huge ones all over Bali, even one in the air port. Insomuch, the prices for any spa treatments are so cheap to compare to any other places. So, upon a friend recommendation, I entered SMART, a spa near KFC. There were so many packages to choose. I chose hot stone aromatherapy massage followed by facial treatment knowing very well, hot stone massage is quiet expensive in KL. The 1.5 hr massage was a bliss and I love it very much. While getting ready for the stone, the male masseur then covered me up with a batik sarong, rolled the prayer mat and did his 'asar' prayer next to me. Bali is 99% Hindus and seeing a devoted Muslim was a pleasant surprise. Silently, he then proceeded to do the hot stone treatment to my body. Afterward, the facial treatment was done by a female therapist. I must confessed, not unfamiliar with facial treatments, the such of Leonard Drakes and others in KL, this was the best facial treatment so far for me. Normally in KL, the therapist will leave during the face steaming or while waiting for the mask to dry, here, during those two activities, she will massage your head, hands and upper body meaning for 1 hour, she will not leave you alone and you will be pampered non stop....pure bliss...
The middle shop is Smart SPAAfterward, I walked alongside the street in Kuta area again and stopped by at a Minang food court near Centro, one of the biggest Mall in Bali. It was drizzling on and off in Kuta. While having my dinner there, I had a chat with the owner of the shop named Pak Indra who came from Padang a month ago to Bali. Upon his suggestion, I agreed to appoint his brother as my tour agent who has being doing the business for 12 years here on Saturday. Having been to most tourist places here from my earlier trip such as Kintamani Volcano, Ubud Rice Terrace, Bedugul, Tanah Lot, seafood at Jimbaran and watching the Barongan and Kecak Dances, now, I intend to go Pura Besakih and Uluwatu, two places I have yet to discover.
Next, I stopped by at an Internet cafe near the Minang food court. There were too many foreigners (the local called them as 'bule') inside, most of them were from Australian boys and girls. After awhile, I left and walked again to Kuta beach and then walked straight back to the hotel to rest.
Tomorrow will be my shopping day as Saturday will be my touring day....
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