Remembering the Bali Bombings

Despite the fun and sun that Bali promises, 12 October 2002 will forever be remembered as a day of carnage and sorrow where more than 200 people lost their lives in a bomb attack.

On that day, bombs ripped apart a popular pub area in Legian. The bombs were carried by a suicide bomber and also placed in a parked van. Islamic extremist group, Jemaah Islamiyah were believed to be responsible for the attacks and 3 of its members were convicted and sentenced to death for that despicable act.

When I was in Bali I asked a taxi driver to bring me to the location of the blasts, and this is where it took place:

Ground Zero

A memorial has been built on Ground Zero to remember the bombings and all who perished in it.

The names of all those who died are engraved into the monument wall:

Most of those who died were foreigners with Australians being the most. After this incident I make it a point whenever I travel to live and hangout where the locals do cause terrorists will usually attack places where there are many foreigners (read: Caucasians).

I also saw a banner near the area that remembers the incident:

Translation:

Now it is not the time to become sad again because teardrops will only reopen old wounds,

Hold our heads high to protect our beloved Bali with the spirit of peace,

Peace October now and forever.

Behind the monument is White Rose Hotel which has a prayer engraved at its entrance:

A prayer

I also pray and hope that incidences like this will never happen again anywhere in the world.

Tourists and travellers are innocent people caught in the crossfire of disagreements between certain powers that be.

3 Reasons Bali is "User Friendly" to Malaysians

I know of many Malaysians who seek the comforts of home whenever they travel. They prefer to travel to a country where they can communicate easily with the locals, where the currency is lower than the Malaysian Ringgit, where the food agrees to their tastebuds and stomach, etc.

Bali is one country where Malaysians would feel at home, and here's why:

The Malaysian Ringgit Talks
The Malaysian Ringgit (RM) is accepted in most currency exchange and money changer in Bali. Eventhough the rates are lower compared to changing RM into Indonesian Ruppiah (IDR) back in Malaysia, it beats having to bring US Dollar or some other currency that's more widely accepted.

Bali is probably one of the few international tourist destinations where the RM is accepted in currency exchange. The other place I know of is Chiang Mai in Thailand.

                                                   So proud to see the RM at number five!
                                           (Photo taken along Monkey Forest Road in Ubud)



No Chicken & Duck Talk
Bahasa Indonesia which is the national language in Bali, is similiar with Bahasa Malaysia, so communicating with the locals is not a problem.

Malaysians don't have problems ordering food, asking for directions, choosing which spa treatment or even having a simple conversation with the locals about life in Bali.

            If you're Malaysian, you don't have to read the English translation to understand what's being said in this signage. (Photo taken at Tampak Siring).

And you would certainly understand this signage too:

Photo taken at Tanah Lot.

Hot & Spicy
Traditional Balinese food is spicy like Malaysian food.

(Note: When I say "Malaysian food", I'm referring to Malaysian Malay and Malaysian Indian food but not Malaysian Chinese food which is usually not spicy.)

Due to similiarities in cuisine, Malaysians would feel right at home during meals in Bali because the dishes would definitely agree with their tastebuds and stomach.

And if you don't know what to order, always go for nasi goreng (fried rice).

The first time I was in Bali I had nasi goreng for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight. You can't go wrong with nasi goreng!

(Photo taken at Jimbaran Bay) 

Travel Photo - Tanah Lot in Bali

When I first started travelling, my trusted Canon A80 was my travel companion. It was heavy and bulky, but it took great photos, just like this one here which was taken in Tanah Lot, Bali.

I thought the photo would be more interesting with waves in the background. So I squated under the hot, blazing sun to wait for the right moment when the waves crashed onto the shore. I also had to be careful not to scare the birds away with my presence.

The hot, stinging rays were excruciatingly hot and my skin nearly got burnt. But whenever I look at this photo, a sense of pride fills me up. It was worth it.

Shopping in Bali

I hardly shop whenever I travel. Shopping doesn't interest me cause most of the stuff that I bought used to end up at Cash Convertors or in the recycling bin.

But during my recent trip to Bali, I did a bit of shopping cause I went there with family members whose sole purpose whenever they travel is to shop till they drop.

Here are some stuff I bought in Bali which I would like to show you.

Don't know why, but I tend to get attracted to beer t-shirts whenever I go to a country that has its own beer.

Bintang Beer is the national beer of Indonesia, like what Beer Laos is in Laos.

Since Indonesia has its own beer, I bought a Bintang Beer tank top and t-shirt to add to my collection.

You can find Bintang Beer t-shirts almost anywhere in Bali. I bought these from one of the shops along Jalan Legian in Kuta. Cost: IDR50,000 (RM18.30) for both t-shirts.

**********
Celuk is a place in Bali that is famous for its hand crafted silver jewellery. There are numerous shops in the area all selling silver jewellery of various designs.

On our way to Tanah Lot, the driver stopped at one of the shops there for us to browse around.

The last time I was in Bali in November 2007, the driver also dropped us at one of the shops in Celuk. But at that time I didn't fancy the designs. I thought they were old fashioned.

But this time around I saw this jewellery set that I fancied.

Pendant and chain

Matching earrings. Don't know why this photo is elongated.

The sales assistant will pack your jewellery in cute woven containers like these.

If you're interested, this picture contains the address and contact details of the shop. Just click on the photo to enlarge it. Otherwise, please drop me an email.

Costs me IDR600,000 (RM219.30) for the pendant, chain and earrings. Had to pay by credit card cause didn't bring enough cash.

 

**********
The Art Market in Ubud is a dream come true for anyone who has the shopping DNA in their genes. There are many shops here selling stuff like home deco, paintings, hand crafted wooden boxes, clothing, costume jewellery, shawls and the list goes on.

When my family members stepped into the art market, heaven came down and glory filled their shopping soul. So I excused myself and headed to Milano Spa to get a Brazilian wax. The spa is located near the football field on Monkey Forest Road.

After getting myself as clean as a baby (huge grin), I walked back to the art market to look for my family members.

As I was passing one of the shops in the art market, a leopard print dress caught my eye. I quickly enquired the price cause I had developed a crush on animal print clothing lately. Opening price was IDR50,000 (RM18.30) and I bargained to IDR20,000 (RM7.30). So what else but grab lah!

My dirt cheap leopard print dress bought from Ubud Art Market

**********
I had one bad experience about shopping in Bali when I paid quite high a price for 4 pairs of earrings. Story goes like this ...

I had just finished a traditional herbal (lulur) massage at Sicilia Spa in Kuta. I was so relaxed and happy after that massage that I was not thinking straight.

Can you blame me for not thinking straight when the spa was so damn gorgeous? A traditional herbal (lulur) massage here costs IDR165,000 (inclusive of 10% tax), which is approximately RM60.00. In Malaysia I would definitely be paying more than RM150 for a similar treatment!

Anyway, at the entrance of the lane leading to Sicilia Spa on Double Six, there are many shops selling costume jewellery at wholesale prices. Since I had extra Rupiah to spend before my flight back to KL, I walked into one of the shops to buy a few pairs of earrings.

The lady quoted me a price. After stating my price and the lady stated hers, I thought it was a fair price and paid up.

As I was walking back to the hotel I did a mental calculation to convert the amount into Malaysian Ringgit. It was then that I realised I could get similar earrings for a much cheaper price in Malaysia.

IDR50,000 for four pairs of earring is expensive.

I think I must have gotten all confused with the Indonesian Rupiah which come in a bigger denomination and difficult to convert to Malaysian Ringgit. Anyway, no use crying over spilled milk.



**********
Ok, so enough of shopping in Bali. I'm not gonna shop anymore when I head to Surabaya and Jogjakarta on 16 February. Mt Bromo and Borobudur ... here I come !!!

Urinate or Defecate?

I saw this signboard outside a restroom in Tanah Lot, Bali in November last year. For the benefit of those who cannot read Bahasa Indonesia, the translation is:

Toilet
Urinate: Rp 1,000
Defecate: Rp 1,000
Bathe: Rp2,000

The first question that came to mind was ... why did they bother to segregate the fee for defecating and urinating when it's the same price?

I can imagine the person collecting the money asking: "You mau buang air besar atau mau kencing? Harga tetap sama - Rp1,000."
Translation: "Do you want to defecate or urinate? The fee is the same - Rp 1,000."

So there you go ...