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Posted by admin on 29th August 2010

Volcano Sinabung Erupts After 400 Years

Wow! The last time i was in Bali, our volcano trekking guide told us about Mount Agung eruption in 1963 which killed many people and destroyed villages because they were too late to realize about the eruption.

And this time a volcano that had been asleep for 400 years is waking up in anger. Let’s hope there’s no more casualties than it is now.

Gunung Kawi and the Rice Paddy Terraces

Continuation from:-
Rough Journey
The Sun and the Sea
Tanah Lot
Pura Taman Ayun
Pura Ulun Danu
Memorable Hike Up Mount Batur
Pura Tirta Empul

6th April 2010
=============

Tampaksiring has no lack of sacred sites to visit. It is truly the “Island of the Gods”. One of my favorite places is the enchanting Gunung Kawi.

The complex houses two rows of ancient royal monuments on the banks of the Pakerisan River deep in a ravine. What makes it more unique is that the candi or monuments are surrounded by valleys of terraced rice-fields which no doubt well benefits from the river for irrigation.

Taking a rest

At the foothill are lined with souvenir shops selling mostly beautiful batiks and sarongs, small woodworks and beautiful handcrafts. By the steps towards the complex, there were shaded stalls selling colorful handmade quilts too.

Brace yourself because the sellers here could get pretty insistent and even aggressive! Do not make a promise to the sellers if you have no intention to fulfill them.

We made a mistake of absentmindedly promising to return to a particular seller’s stall (she kept on following and badgering us) and when we passed by her stall on our way back she ran out and grabbed my wrist insisting that we buy from her!

Rice paddy terrace

But going up the steep steps were not an easy feat for me. I was panting and had to rest every once in a while because the muscles on my calves were really aching from the volcano trekking earlier in the morning. I thank Yande and the others for being so patient LOL.

Stunning!

Passing through the many stalls while avoiding the calls from the sellers, it’s hard to imagine that at the end of the never-ending stone steps was this captivating landscape of rice paddy terraces.

It’s like a whole new world had unfolded before our eyes.

Green valley

Rice paddy terraces stretch in endless contours over the landscape as far as the eye can see.

Here we saw Balinese farmers tending to the fields. It’s the ideal Bali setting.

Walking on the border

We walked along the borders of the terraces, exploring the fields in wonder.

Very steep

However, getting from one terrace to another takes more energy than i had anticipated. The stairways are rather steep and slippery especially those at the cliff sides.

Irrigation

It’s really a beautiful place to visit and to photographs. Everything is just so green and natural.

We had a blast pointing the camera at everything! Yande an avid photography fan himself showed us some of his skills. He brought his own DSLR and started snapping shots of the surrounding and candid shots of us

Paddy

This is the first time i saw paddies up close and also the first time a lotus flower up close. It was pretty awesome!

Lotus flower

There was a part of the stone wall covered with green moss which i find so romantic. It’s like a setting in a wedding shoot.

Moss on wall

Nestled within the valley of rice-paddy terraces are the ten 7m high rock-cut candi or monuments chiseled into the cliff face. The monuments are believed to be built in dedication to the King of the 11th century and his concubines.

300++ steps

There are 3 sections for the monuments; for the royal family and for the noblemen of the court. Four is located at the west side and five on the east side of the river. On the south of the valley lies the 3rd section.

Contrary to believe these are not tombs since there are no remains or ashes. They are merely symbolic memorials of the royal family.

Monuments

Seeing the huge monuments for the first time makes travelling all the 300++ steps worthwhile.

Absolutely stunning.

Monuments of the King

We took some time looking around before finally exhaustion set in and decided head back to the villa.

Lady with baskets of coconut on her head

Before we go Yande took out his camera and took a perfect shot of sis and i at the paddy field. Awesome!

Bye!

To be continued at:-

Note:
All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8 and Nikon D50

Posted by admin on 15th August 2010

Pura Tirta Empul

Continuation from:-
Rough Journey
The Sun and the Sea
Tanah Lot
Pura Taman Ayun
Pura Ulun Danu
Memorable Hike Up Mount Batur

6th April 2010
=============

Totally exhausted from the Mount Batur Hike, we hopped onto our ride and headed to our next destination. The cushioned seats were a welcome to my stiff muscles and i sighed in huge relieve for finally able to rest my aching, aching feet.

We must be crazy but we were determined to visit more places before we fly back the next day. No doubt the adrenaline had kicked it and is still lingering; we look forward to a great day of sightseeing.

Entrance to Pura Tirta Empul

First destination was to Pura Tirta Empul. It’s a fairly short journey from our location to the town of Tampaksiring which is located somewhere between Ubud and Kintamani.

As with all the temples and holy places in Bali, Pura Tirta Empul is very well landscaped. It blends effortlessly with the lush greeneries and exudes a peaceful calm atmosphere.

Stone statue

The name “Tirta Empul” derives from the spring in the centre of the temple “Tirta” means holy water and “Tirta Empul” signifies the sacred holy spring water.

The crystal clear water is used as holy water for various religious ceremonies and believed to have curative properties. The tradition continues until today.

Carvings

Legend has it that: At one time demon set himself up as a god. He refused to let the people conduct their religious rites and this resulted in the air above Bali becoming so dirty that the true gods could not peer through it. Eventually Indra and numerous other deities were ordered to clean the air, and upon seeing Indra and the deities, the demon fled to Tampaksaring where he poisoned the river. When the deities drank the water, they died. Indra was furious and shot an arrow into the ground to create a source of fresh and clean water. He used the water to bring his companions back to life. The spring became known as Tirta Empul.

Pond

The temple is divided into three main courtyards; the front and the middle courtyard and the inner temple. As always, the inner sanctum is reserved for religious ceremonies and is not accessible to visitors.

Within the courtyard are shrines and stone statues at the gates, pavilions and beautiful ornate carvings of demons, ogres and evil spirits on walls.

Koi fish

As we proceed inner into the vicinity we were greeted by a pond populated with large koi fish.

Shrine

Most fortunate, there weren’t much visitors in the temple at this hour of time. We took our own sweet time wandering by ourselves. The few locals we bumped into and the temple keepers were friendly; always with a smile.

I particularly loved the split gate with its sunrise orange wall.

The stone carvings are so romantic and magical that i can’t stop staring at it… or taking photos of it for that matter. LOL.

Another stone statue

Within are 2 rectangular pools each line with 15 spouts. It is truly a magnificent sight to see spring water gushing out of all of the spouts into the pool. It is here that locals come to offer prayers and do ceremonial cleansing.

Tirta Empul

Each spout is believed to have its own unique functions. For instance, there is one for spiritual purification; another cleanses evil, one as an antidote for poison and so on.

Holy water gushing from sprout

By the time we enter into the pool area, it was deserted except for a lady about to make offerings and prayers and another group of young girls all dressed up in the traditional kebaya ready to bath in the pool.

Making offering

The lady worshiper went down into the pool with the ‘canang sari’; small baskets full of rice, flowers and fragrant incenses, to be offered to the Gods.

Canang sari

With her face full of concentration, she walked all the way to the other end where the water spouts were and when she reached the end she did a ritual gesture with her hands before offering the ‘canang sari’; placing the baskets on the pool side.

It was a captivating sight indeed.

Offerings at the pool side

In the background, the 3 young girls got ready for their religious cleansing by adorning the beautiful kebaya and sarong… and snap a few photos of themselves.

Girls will be girls, and who says prayers are meant to be boring right?

Spiritual purification

Balinese believe that this water source can heal various of diseases, hence every day this place is a lot of visited by Hindu people to do the ritual and sanctify themselves.

As for the girls, one was sweet enough to let us take a photograph of her in the pool.

*Snap!*

Girls having fun

“Thank you so much for the sweet smile because it made our day ”

To be continued at:-
Gunung Kawi and the Rice Paddy Terraces

Note:
All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8 and Nikon D50

Posted by admin on 8th August 2010

Driving in Malaysia

Living in Malaysia for the past 28 years of my life, i’m so used to the traffic congestions in KL. It is “normal” to be caught in a jam on the way to anywhere in the city (to work, to the airport, to the malls, etc). In fact, if there are occasions that the traffic went smoothly, i’ll know that it’s the festive month of Hari Raya, Chinese New Year or something when most of the people in KL had gone back to their hometowns.

I’m also never blink an eye when i come across bad drivers because i’m so used to it. Yeah, it’s that bad. Getting on the road here is like setting a time bomb inside you; it’s just a matter of time that you explode and start cussing.

Here’s what an expatriate think of the traffic in Malaysia. Talk about bad rep. LOL.

What side of the road should you drive on in Malaysia?

99.7% of cars drive on the left hand side, 0.2% on the right hand side, and 0.1% drive in reverse (be on the lookout for drivers reversing at high speed in the left hand lane of freeways, having just missed their exit). Therefore on the basis of ‘majority rules’, it is recommended that you drive on the left. However, be aware that only 90% of motorcyclists travel on the left hand side – the other 10% ride in the opposite direction or on the sidewalk. Fortunately, motorcyclists traveling in reverse are rarely seen.

When can I use the emergency lane?

You can use the emergency lane for any emergency, e.g. you are late for work, you left the toaster plugged in at home, you are bursting to go to the toilet, you have a toothache or you have just dropped your Starbucks coffee in your lap. As it is an emergency, you may drive at twice the speed of the other cars on the road.

What does the sign ‘Jalan Sehala’ mean?

This means ‘One Way Street’ and indicates a street where the traffic is required to travel in one direction. The arrow on the sign indicates the preferred direction of the traffic flow, but is not compulsory. If the traffic is not flowing in the direction in which you wish to travel, then reversing in that direction is the best option.

What does the sign ‘Berhenti’ mean?

This means ‘Stop’, and is used to indicate a junction where there is a possibility that you may have to stop if you cannot fool the cars, on the road that you are entering, into thinking that you are not going to stop.

What does the sign ‘Dilarang Masuk’ mean?

This means ‘No Entry’. However, when used on exit ramps in multi-storey car parks, it has an alternative meaning which is: ‘Short cut to the next level up’.

What is the speed limit in Malaysia?

The concept of a speed limit is unknown in Malaysia.

So what are the round signs on the highways with the numbers, 60, 80 and 110?
This is the amount of the ‘on-the-spot’ fine (in ringgits – the local currency) that you have to pay to the police if you are stopped on that stretch of the highway. Note that for expatriates or locals driving Mercedes or BMWs, the on-the-spot fine is double the amount shown on the sign.

Is it necessary to use indicator lights in Malaysia?

These blinking orange lights are commonly used by newly arrived expatriate drivers to indicate they are about to change lanes. This provides a useful signal to local drivers to close up any gaps to prevent the expatriate driver from changing lanes. Therefore it is recommended that expatriate drivers adopt the local practice of avoiding all use of indicator lights. However, it is sometimes useful to turn on your left hand indicator if you want to merge right, because this confuses other drivers enabling you to take advantage of an unprotected gap in the traffic.

Finally, the most important rule is that you must arrive at your destination ahead of the car in front of you. This is the sacrosanct rule of driving in Malaysia . All other rules are subservient to this rule.

Posted by admin on 1st August 2010

Jasmine House @ Bali T House

I have mix feelings about Bali T House.

First let me stress that we stayed there during the not-so-dry season, it drizzled and the weather was damp almost all the time so my opinion tends to be a little biased.

Actually the wet season was supposed to be over but with the unpredictable weather nowadays, who knows.

Housekeeper

So, the boyfriend stumbled upon a review on a travel website and insisted that we stayed at Bali T House when we are in Ubud. I on the other hand insisted that we check out other places before we decide. In the end, we ended up with reservation at Jasmine House at Bali T House because every other affordable hotel in Ubud was already full.

Bali T House is a group of small villas located in a village of Lodtunduh, Ubud. It is rather remote because it is right within the residential area (village). The whole layout projects the concept of a small community which effortlessly integrates with the nature; the compound is lush with greenery and sit next to the rice paddy field.

Everything is stripped down to the basics so there is no television or radio although there is wireless internet access; even the lighting in the houses are at the minimal (few spotlights here and there).

Paper lantern

Making reservation here is a little frustrating and fussy. The responds were slow so we had to continue looking for other accommodations while we wait for their confirmation.

We emailed to the management inquiring about a 3 days stay at Bali T House. Our villa of choice, Casa Jahe. Unfortunately it was already booked so we got the Japanese Garden instead. A few days before we depart, we received an email saying Japanese Garden was already taken. Apparently they made a mistake with the schedule and eventually we were given the Jasmine House (the only villa available by then).

Never mind that the Jasmine House is actually the last choice on my list but i’ve got a feeling that they were slotting us where ever there was a 3 days vacancy; moving us around to accommodate those who have a longer stay.

Well, whatever it is we had no choice but to agree.

Living area

The villas in Bali T House are categorized into 2 groups; the T House Klod and the T House Kaja – each with its unique design. The prices for a night stay at the small villas ranges from USD40 to USD70 depending on the design and location of the villa within the compound. However, those holidaying here are mostly staying for few weeks or even months.

The package includes a housekeeper that will clean the rooms every morning and prepare meals; all in a discreet manner so not to intrude in your stay.

Wooden stairs

Jasmine House is one of the villas at T House Kaja. The villa is small but quaint, the wooden interior and the paper lantern gives it a Zen and Japanese feel. It’s a little old and musty (because of the damp weather) but clean nevertheless.

Wooden built

Running with the flow of minimalism, the rooms in the villa is simple and equipped with only basic furniture.

The living room is with a wooden coffee table, an old cushioned bench and a standing fan. There is no air-conditioning here.

Open air bedroom

The wooden stairs leads to the main bedroom on the second floor where there sits a nicely made queen size bed and a small bedside table.

Err… sorry for the pic with our messy stuffs on top of the bed.

It’s an open air concept; so there is no air-conditioning but instead just a ceiling fan. But that’s ok because it’s really airy and fresh up there. During the night, there is the mosquito netting to keeps bugs away.

Queen size bed

It’s amazing to sleep under the stars and the moon with the orchestra of insects playing in the background.

We were worried that we’ll get wet when it rains but it was just drizzling a little that night. The cold breeze felt really good.

Wake up to greeneries

In the morning, we woke up to sunlight peeking out from the lush greeneries outside.

I only wish that we got the villa nearer to the paddy field. The Jasmine House is rather secluded and we could barely see the fields with all the trees and leaves blocking the view.

Pathway

The Jasmine House could accommodate at least 4 people. There is actually 2 sleeping quarters; 1 on the second floor as mentioned and another is the separate pavilion which doubles as a meditation pavilion.

There is a short wooden pathway built above the pond and at the end of it is the small pavilion.

Extended pavilion

The extended room looked pretty fabulous from afar. I love the idea of a small pavilion attached to the villa. It gives it a mysterious nature with its jungle-like enclosure.

The inside though… wasn’t particularly impressive.

As the whole pavilion is raised right over the pond, the room is rather damp and stale. I could imagine sleeping in this room at night on the paper thin mattress laid on the floorboard, shivering from cold. Definitely a no-no.

Fortunately there were only 3 of us so instead; all of us camped snugly on the queen sized bed upstairs.

Old and stale

The bathroom which is located besides the pavilion also flows with the open design theme. The shower and toilet are outdoors but with privacy from peeping toms of course.

Open concept bathroom

At first, i wasn’t used to it. I was startled every time i hear footsteps and quickly grabbed for the towel whenever i hear voices nearby. One time i almost slipped when i heard a sudden mooing of a cow right outside the bathroom!

Just to be sure we later inspected every corner of the bathroom from the outside. The bathroom is strategically designed and sequestered from staring eyes. Phew!

See the cow?

In time i grew to enjoy the open shower which gives you a sense of nature and freedom. It was absolutely refreshing and wonderful to spot beautiful blue butterflies flitting nearby while taking a shower.

However, seeing other bugs crawling around (especially late at night when they usually come out) needs more getting used to.

Bathroom

As with the bathroom, the kitchen is also an open concept. It opens to the patio at the entrance.

It’s spacious and extremely clean (don’t let the stained tiles turn you off) and well equipped with cookwares to prepare a meal.

Open concept kitchen

We didn’t use the kitchen at all seeing that we were only staying there for 2 nights with most of the 3 days out trekking and touring. We didn’t even get the chance to eat the breakfast prepared for us because we were rushing in and out of the villa.

Patio

In all i am rather fond of Bali T House because of its harmonious layout with nature. It’s a place where you leave your excess baggage to de-stress and relax. Here, you get to live in a small community by the basics yet you are guaranteed your privacy and peace of mind.

Overlooking the field

I love that the rice paddy field is right next to the community where you can wake up and see locals working hard at the fields or even help out during harvest. It’s really a pity that Jasmine House is not directly facing the fields although it’s just an easy walk over.

It’s also a bummer that harvesting season is already over when we were there so the fields were just empty lands. I would have liked to get my hands dirty learning from the Balinese working the paddy field.

Pool

I would recommend choosing the villa carefully. Opt for one that is facing the paddy field; for the fantastic view, the pool and for the sunlight (the villas further in gets less sunlight). The extra dollars is very worth it.

It’s also better if you are in for a longer stay. 3 days just isn’t enough to enjoy the place.

Rice paddy field

Most importantly choose the right season to stay (before harvest) and definitely during the dry season. During the wet season the place is damp and the stench from the chicken pen in the neighboring resident could get really awful.