Bali? haha dari dulu, Bali was never in my wishlist-must-go-places. but then, alhamdulillah, rezeki Allah bagi , aku pergi jua tempat itu.bak kata pepatah, sambil menyelam kita minum air,
erkk macam tak masuk jek
Bali, di sini telah tersemat satu seribu kenangan manis, tiada yang pahit mahupun masam. Jujurnya, aku benar-benar bersyukur dengan setiap saat aku berada di sana. Tambahan pula, aku pergi ke sana bersama 2 teman berjalan yang baru, Atiyyah dan YC. Atiyyah adalah seorang rakan yang begitu aku rapat meskipun persahabatan kami tak sampai setahun jagung. Manakala, YC adalah deskmate aku di dalam kelas 5 Bijak semasa aku bersekolah di SAMURA.
Idea untuk ke Bali, bermulanya semasa borak-borak minum teh gittew antara aku dan YC (ketika YC dan Chabie bawak aku keluar makan ,baru beberapa hari lepas touchdown Malaysia), YC mengajak aku pergi berjalan somewhere, memandangkan katanya kaki aku panjang ; suka berjalan ke sana sini, dan dia yakin aku tidak akan menolak pelawaan dia untuk pergi ke mana-mana. 'cis mana si YC tauuu ni' . Dan kelibat Atiyyah pabila aku mengajak Atie dengan kata-kata manisku tentang betapa indahnya Bali serta keinginanku untuk scubadiving. Setelah Atie melihat betapa comelnya kawannya Akiey ini, dia seperti yang telah aku jangkakan tidak menolak pelawaan ku. kahkahkah.
jelez tak jelez tak
ok, kembali ke tajuk kita pada hari ni, BALI. Bali (31 Aug - 4th Sept 2013)
awhhsome things about BALI
scuba diving!
Bali is one of the famous places when it comes to learning to dive. What it delights beginners and experienced divers alike.
Imagine this, you're in 20 meters below the ocean's surface, gliding silently through the water. The only sound you can hear is you slowly breathing in and out. Anddd suddenly, you're face to face with a group of sharks, or manta rayssss and you can't even swim faster. They just swallow you with no mercy.
Sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it? It's even more remarkable to experience scuba diving first hand in the deep blue see and witness
ok, yg part shark tu mintak simpang jauh.
I must say, we had an absolute ball!! My friends and I had never dived before. Glad that we've booked with Bali Jet Set Dive and Marine Sports. Rhonda and Nyoman , the owners are husband and wife team, with a passion for water sports. We were placed in great hands, they run the business very professionally.
every seconds of it was damn good. Alhamdulilllah, i am soooo grateful to experience this. T_T
Mount Agung Sunrise Hiking!
One of the highlights of my life, the hardest physical thing I've ever done, and totally worth it in every way :: MOUNT AGUNG SUNRISE TREKKING.
I enthusiastically recommend seeing and hike Mount Agung if you go to Bali. This is quite a vigorous hike, not unlike climbing a ladder for several hours. WARNING : Do not go if you are looking for a easy day-hike. This is an actual mountain where some climbing is necessary. The last hour consist of having to pull yourself up rocks using your hands and arms, shoving your feet in small crannies. Now, any person who is determined and a little fit will be fine. but do not think this is going to be a easy hike where your legs won't get hurt and you won't be winded HAHAH , i would recommend this hike only to those who are very fit and have plenty of hiking experience.but for newbies like me, WE CAN STILL DO IT, but you will sufferrr hahahh. seram shit warning ni? lol
What to prepare?
- Remind yourself, the climb is tough, but rewarding. Be prepared for cold at the top ( 5degress or single digit celcius so they say) and get shoes that will carry you up a mountain that can get slippery.
- Use the BATHROOOMMMM before going up the mountain. Nobody wants to have an emergency on the mountain man!!
- Have a good guide. As for that, Wayan Widiyasa <wayan.idguides@gmail.com> ,as recommended by many other trekkers on TripAdvisor.
- Headlamps and snacks , our guide provide us these items, but do bring extras!we brought a lot of Sneakers and other snacks, it kept us from starving and Happy throughout the whole climb.
- Bring water , but don't drink tooo much of it, because there is no bathroom up there. haha
- wear pants , pick a fairly thick jacket, or windbreaker is the best! it gets colddd up there i tell you
- Hiking boots would have been nice. Don't go with converse dude! There's rocks and gravel up there
- Keep your shoulders relaxed, back straight and breathe!! You will conserve your energy more.
- Also, point your headlamp at a comfort position, so that you can see better ahead of your feet, but you dont have to crane your neck if you need to see where your feet land.
- BE SURE TO TIP, until today, i regret myself for not giving tip to my guide WAYAN WARSA, cuz i didn't bring extra money on that time, he is such a nice man, aaa sorry wayann! T__T
As for the climb itself, there is several climbing routes. From Besakih Temple, Pasar Agung temple (2route), depends on your preference. According to Wayan's email,
1. Pasar Agung temple start point (1525 m high above sea level) start from south east side of the mountain the trip will takes around 4 hours ascend and 3 hours descend and the altitude you can reach is 2907 m high above ( crater rim only) price for this tour is Rp 550.000 rupiah for 1- 2 people, Rp 750.000 rupiah 3-4 people. start time at 02.00 am
2. Besakih Temple start point ( 1200 m high) this start point will start from south west side of the mountain will takes around 14 hours up and down this path is the longest ever,but youll reach the highest peak of the mountain ( 3142 m high) price this tour is Rp 950.000 rupiah for 1-2 people, Rp 1.150.000 rupiah for 3-4 people. start time at 11pm
3.A new way start from pasar Agung temple cross to the real peak (3142 m high) this path we found a couple year ago,more challenge,stip,but more fun.takes around 5 hours ascend follow the same path as normal path whom going to crater rim,at 2300 m high above we cross to left side of the mountain and you reach higest peak of Bali.for going down you can decide after,you can go by the same path as you taken up for shorter trek down or take the other way back to Beakih temple for 6 -7 hours descend This tour we charge you Rp 850.000 rupiah for 1 -2 people and Rp 1.050.000 rupiah 3 - 4 people start time at 12.30 am
>> If you doing very seldom hiking option #1 is perfect but you fit and professional hikker option #2 and #3 is a good choice.
We chose the the 1st route ; "EASY IS DIFFICULT" , and i'm a newbies btw
and so i did the 'easy' trail, from Pasar Agung with Atie and YC, with our guide, Wayan Warsa. Starting by climbing 200steps up a staircase to a temple at 12am. There were many other small groups were about to start hiking . It was sooo freaking funny after 10minutes later , when YC already starts to whine, 'Akieyyy, i think i want to give up' . i was actually winded (monologue to myself) when we got to the temple, hahahahaa, so you can imagine what kind of hell waiting for us after. lolz
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| le hikers yg newbies |
The thing about this mountain is that it is incredibly steep the whole way with no respite. There is also no path to follow so it would be veryyyyy difficult to ascend without a guide. In fact it is very difficult even with a guide. hahaha. The terrain changes as you go higher but none of it is straightforward. It would be very easy to fall and in many places the fall could be very long.
The initial climb is through large three and brush and it's fairly steep, but when you finally have a chance to look up, the stars was wonderful, probably saw 3-5 shooting stars, just because the night is so clear. Subhanallah! This part gets hot, jackets off bebeh!
As you get higher and the vegetation begins to dissipate, it begins to get colder. Thanks to Wayan, he never fails to calm me, i kept on asking 'how many minutes left?' 'how many meters left Wayan?' 'Wayann help me' 'Wayan, how bla bla blaa' . YC was left behind, and Wayan was more focusing on her, so me and Atie joined the other group with their guide, Wayan Merta, a hilarious and humble man indeed.
The hardest part of the accent was certainly the last hour or so, you definitely have to do some rock climbing, Its's not extensive and most people with a little strength can do it, but you will have to pull yourself up. You are basically scrambling... being present in the moment and choosing your footing carefully is essential. It was veryyyy meditative. Just heads up. Just keep leaning forward during those parts, and if you fall, fall forward. We paused every 15min, glad that Wayan Warsa was patience enough with us. otherwise i will cry my lungs, desperate of the pain of climbing. hahah.
Finally we arrived, at around 5.20am.We were a bit early than expected (according to our guide) , aaaa, rasa cammm wahhhhh, bangga siket la lol haha sebab sampai awl hihihi. Me and Atie were so emotional.. tsk tskk. it felt like being in an endless hell I was screaming Alhamdulillahhhhhh, aaa da sampaiii aaaaa!!! The view is like sheer heaven. WE'RE ABOVE THE SKYYYY!!! . The view was magnificent, Subhanallah, no words to describe how beautiful the view from up there. We were above a sea of clouds with the sunrise in the backdrop. The temperature was about 5degree celcius at the crater rim. Mixed intense feelings which made this whole experience unforgettable.
haaa, this is something unique about Balinese culture. If you ever visit Bali, you may find a lot of people named Wayan, both men and women. (my hiking guide's name are both Wayan - Wayan Mersa and Wayan Warsa) . There's a reason for that. They do not name their children after their parents, grandparents, or cultural/status icons. But the names are culturally mandated to reflect one thing... cuba guest..,
....
...
..
...
tak dapat gak? hard guest is it? (gila main sorang2)
jawapannya, its according to the child's order of birth. jeng jeng jenggg <---- ntah paper
In Balinese culture, 'Wayan' is the typical name used for the 1st born child, male or female, of the family. Alternately , could also be named Putu (traditionally it is exclusive only for upper caste family) or Gede, or Ni Luh. As for the 2nd child, could be named Kadek, Made, Nengah. The third is Nyoman (our driver name was Nyoman Suartika) , or Komang (hahahah nama Komang is sooooo familiar) and the fourth born names is Ketut.
What about the 5th, 6th and Nth? well, the order repeats itself when a subsequent child is born. And sometimes they used the name 'Balik which means again, to signify the order is repeating again--> 'Wayan Balik' for the fifth. Yang ni xsemua orang buat cmtu
As for women, they are given the honorific 'Ni' before their name, contohnya Ni Wayan. or Ni Komang It is much like 'Miss' or 'Mrs'. And for men, use 'I' , as in I Wayan or I Nyoman, much like 'Mr''
The naming is also influenced by caste. The names stem from a caste system dates back centuries ago. There are 4 main castes in Bali. These are Brahmana (priest), Ksatria (ruler or warrior), Waisya and Sudra (lowest layer- Waisya are traders and farmers and Sudra are rice growers) . Sistem kasta ni macam dekat India, but it is relatively unimportant. Kalau kat India diorang pentingkan sistem kasta, so racist. lol. and the idea of it probably flowed into Balinese culture as close links with Hindu-Buddhist Java evolved many centuries ago.
and 90% of Balinese belong to the Sudra caste. There is a great difference in the way of communication between these caste. kalau kat Msia sama jela, cam orang dulu2 , orang bawahan cakap 'Hamba' and among high classes 'Beta, Tuan etc. it is how they greet among themselves.
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| this is our driver, Mr Nyoman Suartika. sangat baik orangnya |
So, when you visit Bali, expect to meet A LOT of Wayans, Komangs, Nyomans, Ketuts, Mades and so on. You could always just guess and be assured a 25% chance of guessing it right.
trolll
Pura Pura Temple
Magoshhh, banyak gilerrrr temple dekat Bali ni. In Bali, there are over 10k temples and some claim that there are actually more temples than homes in Bali.
trolllllll!! So visiting Bali would not be complete without a trip to see at least one of these Bali's temples.
In Balinese languange, temple is Pura. It is a widespread marker of Bali's exuberant culture, trust me, you dont have to make an effort to see of then, its just tooo many of them. So, we picked just a few to visit, the one-must-go-temple
Pura Tanah Lot
This is one of the most famous temples. It is surrounded by crowds and vendors. This is not the place if you're expecting a peace and quite temple. Tanah Lot stands on a rock some distance from the shore, towering over the sea. We didn't managed to get to the temple, but enjoyed ourselves the sunset view. Anyhow, the temple is accessible during limited time ; which is to low tide. There's no reason to miss this temple. Indeed it is said to be the most visited temple in the island. The atmosphere was magical, especially during sunset.The only drawback was the crowd.
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| subhanallah, cantik kan!? |
Pura Besakih
We went here during our hike of Mount Agung. Sungguh kelaka, masa naik tu, i didn't know that this is Bali's Mother Temple. Mak segala temple dekat Bali ni hahaha. Therefore, there were not much piccas taken for this temple. This holiest of all temple is located at 3k feet up Mount Agung in East Bali. The temple's main axis aligns with the peak of this mountain. And to make it moreeee dramatic about this temple, Pura Besakih narrowly escaped destruction in 1963, which killed 1700 people. The lava flow passed by Pura Besakih and it is believed to be a miraculous signal from the deities that they wanted to demonstrate their power without completely destroying the holy complex devotees had built for them. This is seen as a miracle and a sign from the gods (according to Balinese believe)
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| ni lepas penat giler nak mati turun dari Gunung Agung, xde masa nak picca2 lol |
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| but i still snapped some piccas, lol |
and thats it. hahah tu je la temple yang kitorang visit. ok la kan, 2/10000 temples = 0.0001 ,still a figure whatttt
Padi rice terrace (PADI BERTINGKEK-TINGKEK)
We went to Rice terrace of Tegalalang . It was Very scenic, very green and totally peaceful. this is one of the places on our to-do list in Bali, and we were not dissapointed. We were just mesmerized by the view of the lush and green terraced rice fields. It was a breathtaking sight ,so serene and beautiful.
Rice to the Balinese is not just their staple food, it is also an integral part of the Balinese culture. Throughout the year, the rituals of the cycle of rice planting, maintaining, irrigating and harvesting rice enrich the cultural life of Bali. Tapi tapi tapi, Malaysia pon hado kan, kt Kodahh, hehe nak jugokkk. Rice fields never seems to get boring and after seeing many of them here in Bali, I still love to see more!
Drinking Civet Cat Poooppp coffee , aka Kopi Luwak
(taik musang they say)
YC ,she's a coffee-lover. and Kopi Luwak tasting is the most awaited moment for Yc. She's made us drinking this Civet cat poop coffee. kiranya akuuu pernah makan taik la kan dalam hidup ni. lol. well anyway, about this coffee.This coffee is very special for coffee lovers. It is very popular, even it ever been reported in Oprah Winfrey TV show
Penah tengok civet cats tak? look soo comelll! its cute, fluffy, purring kittens kalau tengok kat Google Search. In actuality, is a nasty little ferret creature, with beady little eyes and a mean temper.
Anyway, about this coffee, it is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus. Then this beans emerge without fleshy coating, appear undigested, after it passed through a civet's gut. Then, these beans are extracted and carefully cleansed before processed to make this highly selected top grade coffee.
so, senang cerita, berak musang tu org buat kopi yg sedap dan mahal. About the taste, i dunno la how to describe, i rasa cam kopi2 biasa, tapi YC described it in more dramatic words , unique authentic taste etc
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| muka bahagia YCCCC takleh blahh |
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| muka terpaksa-suka Atie so oviess hahaha |
ok, last but not least, le ohsemm things about Bali, should not be forgotten is............
The People of BALI (Balinese people)
As a whole, Balinese people are generally good hearted and kind people. They are very helpful and extremely kind and will always greet you with a smile. Religious beliefs are deeply entrenched in all Balinese. i think, they really practice what they belief in their religion; 90% are Hindus,Balinese Hinduism. The majority of them believe in Agama Tirta ''the Holy-water'' religion. it is a Shivaite section of Hinduism. (Google plz) anyhow, their religion teaches to be good and kind hearted for a good karma. and i am so lucky that i didnt meet anyone that ruining my good perception of Balinese people throughout the journey.
and and there's a lot people giving reviews saying that Balinese people smile a lot. woahhh. Senyum itu sedekah, and it is well-practiced here in Bali. This is the land of eternal smiles. which makes them warmer and more welcoming. Smile at them and they will smile back. They are ever helpful and will always try hard to please you. Such great politeness and courtesy.
Bali is a third world island and it is poor. There is something that people here need more than friends and that is money. if there is an opportunity for a Balinese person to make money from you, then they will try to take it. and it was pretty exhausting when we strolled at Pasar Sukawati. omagoshhh. so many vendors inviting you to browse their shops and calling you after when you walk by, persuading and trying to get you to turn around. They are super pushyyyy. No doubt that bargains can be found at Sukawati, but the shopping experience itself is pretty bad. and you really need to have a good bargain skill, really need a bargain power here. Tapi, fikir-fikir, ini punca rezeki diorang and they're making efforts for it. Kental sungguh!
in a nutshell, Bali's most precious asset is her people. Their exemplary attitudes will keep enticing visitors in droves.
until we meet again someday, insyaAllah ada rezeki, ada umur.
