#BaliBible : On arrival Visa, Best places to stay and visit in Bali in 1 Week

If you are traveling to Bali soon and confused about where to stay, what to explore and where to eat then your search comes to an end by this post: #BaliBible

Prelude:

I had initial thoughts of booking a rental car from the airport itself to explore the Bali, but it needs an International driving permit so I skipped that from my TODO list instead book a taxi service online KLOOK which gave my cheapest price of Rs. 900 (13 USD) only. I also ensure to book a local SIM to access the internet on the move for GPS, Email and Social media. I book the same from KLOOK and it was around 9 USD. The driver was waiting right at the arrival gate and was helpful enough to drop to my Villa which was inside a private property off the main road. 

Day 1: Check-In + Relax:I booked my Villa (Avillion Cinta Villa) for the first 3 nights at Sanur beach and I was happy that i made the right choice as it had the best facilities and lively neighborhood nearby to eat and roam around. Not to mention the fact that it was right next to the beach :) The staff and manager were very helpful and made sure we had a comfortable stay. The complimentary breakfast was made as per guest request which includes a lot of variety from western to Balinese dishes. I would definitely recommend the same. After checking, I just enjoyed some time in the pool, beach and nearby local shops to enjoy dinner.




Day 2: Garuda park & Uluwatu Temple

One of the best ways to escape the traffic and parking problem is to hire a two-wheeler and scoot around the island :) I rented a 200CC Automatic Scooter (Yamaha N-Max) in 2,00,000 IDR (around 900RS) for 2 days.

It took around 40 minutes from Sanur to Garuda Park. I just followed the Google Map on my Indian Phone equipped with a local SIM Card which I collected at the Airport at just Rs.450. You can book online at the best price here:

https://www.klook.com/invite/Q161Z?c=INR

It takes around 30 minutes from Garuda park to the Uluwatu temple. You should be careful to select the route through Toll Road in Bali. It has a different lane for 2 and 4 Wheeler and it doesn't accept cash as you have to pay by the smart card. I was lucky as a local rider swiped for me when he observed that I was struck at the Toll Booth :)

The parking ticket cost around 5000 IDR (20 INR) and the entry ticket is around 6000 IDR (around 300 INR). You will get a free drink at the restaurant near the main entry gate. The Garuda park has three main statues, 2 are completed whereas the third one is under construction to date.

After spending almost 1-2 hours, I moved to the next destination for today's menu - Uluwatu Temple.

It took me another 30-40 minutes to reach there as the roads were narrow and some tourist traffic blocking the way as usual :) The parking was around 2000 IDR with an entry ticket of 30000 IDR (150 INR). The view from the temple is amazing with sea waves crashing against the land.

The main attraction at Uluwatu temple is Kecak Dance, which has an entry fee of other 20000 IDR. Make sure you gather near the place for the Kecak Dance at 5PM to buy the ticket first as the dance starts at 6PM and seats will be filled very quickly.

The Kecak dance is a performance-based on Ramayana and involves main scenes like Devi Sita Kidnap, White Monkey Hanuman taking the ring to Devi Sita and later on the final battle between Lord Rama and Ravan. The most interesting part about the play is background music, as no instruments are being used therefore around 20-30 men keep chanting 'Kecak-Kecak.

Day 3: Tegenungan Waterfall: 
I decided to ride to Tegenungan Waterfall after reading a lot of positive reviews comments online.

Bali island is blessed with many tourist attractions and many attractions are spread around the island. It is very obvious that a lot of tourists will be traveling around to gather the memories around famous places, considering narrow roads and a lot of tourists vehicle create traffic jams. One of the best ways to escape the traffic and parking problem is to hire a two-wheeler and scoot around the island :) I rented a 200CC Automatic Scooter (Yamaha N-Max) in 2,00,000 IDR (around 900RS) for 2 days.

         

I booked my resort at Sanur Beach, It took around 50 minutes from Sanur to the Tegenungan Waterfall. I just followed the Google Map.

The roads in Bali can be tricky as you may see sudden potholes or animals on the road. It seems to be normal as driving in India is no different :) I was lucky to escape a BIG sinkhole caused by the landslide if you can notice in the video

Most of the roads are very narrow till you reach near the Waterfall, i wouldn't suggest self driving car instead hire a scooter or a taxi for the full day (as taxi may cost hardly 2000 Rs for 10 hours). The parking had decent space as its mostly on street and I wasn't asked any charges for the scooter parking.

The entry ticket was 15,000 IDR (70 Rs) per person accepted in cash. In Bali, most of the places only accept cash so make sure you carry enough Forex while travelling.

         

There are plenty of shops and restaurants at the entry gate, so you don't have to worry about it.  There are plenty of steps while going down and I would not recommend any old people to go down to the fall as steps are very steep. You can click some nice pictures while going down the steps for free.

         

There is a Toilet too at the Waterfall, but not well maintained. If you prefer, you can go to a Cleaner Toilet offered by the shops (you may have to buy some item though).

You can spend 2-3 hours easily at the waterfall by clicking the photos and enjoying the fresh water flowing through the waterfall.

       

You can enjoy a dip but its not allowed to go under the waterfall as its dangerous.

         

Overall its a nice attraction near the Ubud city center worth of half day trip :)

Day 4: Rice fields: Its time to bring a new experience from the Bali :) This time i choose to ride towards Tegalalang Rice Terrace Or also known as Rice fields.  Its very close to the Ubud City Center with approximate ride of 30-40 minutes.

In my previous two rides i rented a 200CC Yamaha N-Max scooter, this time I opted for little cute one known as 'Scoopy' :) . It was powered by 150CC engine only but made sure it didnt struggle going throw curves of Ubud roads, not to mention the fact that it look alike a Vespa sibling ;) #DoYouVespa?

Moving on to the next part, the rice fields address shown in the Google Map was not where I wanted to go as the main rice fields are 100 meters ahead of the destination shown in the Google map. Its very easy to spot as there are lot of shops on the main road with 100's of vehicle parked so you will not miss it.

I was little concern to park on main road as No Parking sign was right there, but i guessed its mainly for Cars as plenty of 2 Wheeler was parked on the both side.

You can follow the stairs to go down to the rice fields, make sure you drop some change to the donation boxes setup by the local farmers. You can drop from 10000-20000 IDR(50-100Rs) at each place as it helps farmers to maintain the pathway and other facilities across the rice fields. Trust me its all worth of getting a lot of amazing pictures and day full of enjoying in nature.

Be prepared yourself to burn all the extra calories you have been carrying by eating junk food while on travel, as you have to cover the 100's of stairs up and down to explore the different sections of the rice fields.

After a day full of workout and amazing pictures, you can relax at the cafes with the panoramic view of the rice fields.

Day 5: Pura Lempyaung: Adding to my previous blogs on #ExploingBaliOnScooter, here is more interesting place to visit in Bali. Pura Lempuyang Luhur temple is one of the most Instagramed moment for sure. Its around 2 hours away from the Ubud City Center or even Sanur beach.

You can see the amazing view of Mount Agung Volcano from the temple. If you heard the recent news, this is the same volcano which erupted volcanic ashes in the air as high as 2 km causing shut down of the Bali airport for 1 day resulting in cancellation of 400+ flights. I was quite lucky as I had to fly to Bali on Friday night and Airport was shut down on Thursday, I was concerned about missing my flight. Luckily Mount Agung heard my prayers and was relaxed on the Friday which gave a green flag for the Airport to open and I landed in Bali on Saturday morning. yeahh :)

I decided to go by 150cc Scoopy and it had its tough time going though up and down the hills. I added a quick stop over near Blue Lagoon beach as it had perfect set for clicking some colorful memories.

I also got the opportunity to introduce a new friend for the Scoopy :D

If you ask me, there is nothing special at Blue Lagoon beach as its just a pier side. Instead, you should stop 15 minutes before where the view is much much better.

After spending an hour there, I challenged the Scoopy for the next mountain task. It helped me to reach the temple safe and sound.

The entry to temple is free of cost, but usually you need to put money in donation boxes before you are allowed to go up to the temple. I head lot of negative comment about Pura Beshaikh temple where you will be forced for a donation as high as 50-100 USD to go inside, but at this temple I just donated 20000 IDR (100 INR or 2 USD) without any pressure as such. You have to wear Sarong (like a Lungi) before you go to the temple.

The temple has two main attractions, one is the place to take a photograph where you can see a long queue usually. Your photo will be taken by few local people with your phone and a mirror which gives amazing illusion of a lake. You can donate as much money(2-5USD) you want . Unfortunately it was cloudy day so you cant see the Mount Agung in the background, otherwise its a view worth of every penny on a clear sky :)

The second attraction is the thee way stair case entrance to the man temple. The middle one is used for ceremonies and you are not allowed to climb up, but you are free to climb up through side ways.

The view from the stairs looks absolute amazing :)