6 Days 4 Nights Dreamy Bali Trip

On April 29, 2018, my first time abroad, I decided to head to the southern hemisphere — to travel to Bali at 8° south latitude!

Travel is a form of recreation and consumption, planned in advance, where you spend money to enjoy the scenery, culture, food, and services of a different place. It generally comes in two forms: group tours and independent travel. But there are always problems like flight delays, dirty hotels, getting lost on the road, difficulty communicating in a foreign place, bad weather, etc. When these happen, people get angry, complain, and feel very frustrated and unlucky.

A journey, on the other hand, is a process of experience and reflection. Experiencing nature, pondering life, not fearing wind, rain, snow, frost, or difficulties, treating everything as an experience in life, and adapting to circumstances.

Originally I wanted to take the "vacation" route, but for this travelogue, I want to talk about the "group tour." Participants: me, Yang Yang (hereafter referred to as Sister Yang), and 13 other group members, totaling 15 people.

Day 1: 4/29 Nanjing → Hong Kong → Bali

Flights: Nanjing-Hong Kong HX217 (1435/1710) with meals and drinks

Flight: Hong Kong-Bali HX709 (1920/0051) with meals and drinks

Includes 7kg carry-on, HX includes 20kg checked luggage.

To hotel: Wyndham Tamansari Jivva Resort Bali

Day 2: 4/30 Bali

Elephant Cave - Tirta Empul Temple - Tegalalang Rice Terrace Afternoon Tea - Ubud Dirty Duck Dinner

Day 3: 5/1 Bali

[Lembongan Island & Penida Island] Full-day sea excursion - Indonesian buffet lunch - 180-degree sea view afternoon tea - Jimbaran beachfront candlelight seafood BBQ/paragliding

Check-in: Bali Patre Villa Resort

Day 4: 5/2 Bali

Free day in Bali

Reference: Private beach, infinity pool, essential oil spa

Day 5: 5/3 Bali

Uluwatu Cliff (Lover's Leap) - Free tasting of a cup of Bali's exclusive iced coffee - Bali Collection shopping center

Day 6: 5/4 Bali → Hong Kong → Nanjing

Flight: Bali-Hong Kong HX708 (0150/0605) with meals and drinks

Flight: Hong Kong-Nanjing HX216 (1110/1335) with meals and drinks

[Pre-departure Preparation]

Preparations: Passport, bank card (activate international roaming), visa (visa-free), power adapter, shopping, sunscreen, beach dress, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, lipstick, US dollars, Indonesian rupiah, flip-flops, instant noodles, snacks.

The departure airport was in Nanjing, and worried about traffic jams during the May Day holiday, we decided to arrive in Nanjing a day early on May 28.

Day 1 Departure

Since our flight was in the afternoon, we slept in naturally in the morning, left at 10 a.m., and arrived at Nanjing airport at 10:10 a.m. We had an early lunch at the airport: a bowl of delicious wonton soup, a bowl of pumpkin porridge, and a crispy pastry.

At 11:00, we met our tour leader Miss Tang. After all 15 members arrived, the leader explained the precautions, and we queued for boarding. Worth mentioning: the leader told us that our luggage might not arrive at Hong Kong airport on time. She advised us to take photos of our luggage and to carry a change of clothes in our hand luggage. Fortunately, my suitcase was small, so Sister Yang rummaged through her bags for a long time, finally deciding on a set of clothes she liked and stuffed them into my small suitcase. When we lined up to get boarding passes, we were told our carry-on luggage exceeded 7 kg and had to be checked in. So our plan fell through. We didn't feel like taking the clothes out, so we decided to leave it to fate. After arriving, all our worries turned out to be unnecessary—our luggage arrived safely. (Plans never match reality.)

At 14:35, the plane took off on time and arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 17:10. After arriving at the transit terminal, Sister Yang started looking for watches (Tissot/Longines). After roughly identifying targets and prices, we settled down and ordered a pizza and macaroni, costing 138 RMB. (A bit expensive, but the taste was okay.) Note: The counter accepts RMB (for amounts over 50).

At 19:00, after enjoying our meal, we rested a bit and then boarded the next flight. Shortly after takeoff, meal service began: tofu, small bread, chicken noodles or fish with rice. This worried Sister Yang; she regretted eating the pizza earlier and wasn't hungry at all, so she couldn't finish the plane meal. But when I was about to waste it, she finished everything. I was amazed. The long-haul flight had earphones for watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music.

Day 2 Arrival in Bali

At 00:15, we arrived at Ngurah Rai Airport. To get some small denomination rupiah, we decided to buy a drink for 35,000 rupiah, equivalent to 17.5 RMB. So expensive.

After the tour leader found the local guide, we were presented with frangipani flower leis—a pleasant surprise. The local guide's surname was Jiang, given name Feng'an, ancestral home: Guangdong, overseas Chinese. He could speak Chinese but couldn't write it; medium build, chubby, a bit dark but not as dark as locals—approachable. After picking us up and boarding the bus, we met the driver and his assistant who would accompany us throughout the trip. They had very dark skin, always smiling, good guys. (Tips were inevitable.)

Guide Jiang talked about history along the way; the one-hour drive passed quickly. We arrived at an international five-star standard hotel with a nice environment. Sister Yang's hair tends to get oily, so she immediately washed it after arrival. Then she found there was no hairdryer, so she insisted on waiting for her hair to dry a bit before sleeping. I was impressed. I was so tired that I just went to sleep, thinking there really was no hairdryer. The next day, I found one.

Day 3 Full Schedule

Visited Bali's "third-rate" sights (Tirta Empul Temple, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, tasting iced coffee, Ayung River rafting, Elephant Cave, special dinner - Dirty Duck Dinner). At night, shopping at the supermarket.

Tirta Empul Temple: A local Balinese temple. Visitors must wear a sarong. The highlight is the spring water, believed to wash away impurities. Many locals and tourists from home and abroad go into the water to bathe. The place is small but crowded. The springs are very clear.

Tegalalang Rice Terrace: Just a small patch—nowhere near as grand as the rice terraces in Lishui, Zhejiang. The iced coffee was average, and the snacks were appetizing.

Ayung River Rafting: We did the beginner level, with relatively gentle currents. Compared to the rafting in Zhejiang, the water here was murkier, but the scenery was nice, and we even saw a lizard. We had a great time splashing water, shouting, yelling, and singing. But the enthusiasm of our teammates on other boats seemed impossible to ignite. Our boat was the most active but the weakest, always getting splashed. Fortunately, our instructor was great at creating a fun atmosphere.

Elephant Cave: A local site similar to a temple. Need to wear a sarong. Went in for a look and then came out.

Dirty Duck Dinner: Had high expectations. It was like fried duck but had a strange smell. The rice and soup didn't suit our taste either. Overall, this meal was a failure. The main dish was half a roast duck with water spinach, shrimp crackers, and white rice. The ducks used are about four to five months old.

After dinner, Guide Jiang took us to a relatively upscale supermarket. It seemed there were no local Indonesian people, only foreigners and Chinese—probably a place to rip us off. Prices were high.

But we were like wild horses released, galloping through the small supermarket, thinking everything looked good. Shampoo, sunscreen, chips, drinks, water, instant noodles, candy, etc. We spent 485,000 rupiah in total, equivalent to 242 RMB.

Back at the hotel, we took photos on the balcony. Accidentally, I slid open the balcony door and discovered a hidden surprise—outside the room was a swimming pool! Sister Yang immediately ran back to change into her swimsuit and started taking photos, excitedly...

Day 4 Lembongan Island

This day's itinerary was the most anticipated: Lembongan Island. Early in the morning, we rushed to the harbor, took a 40-minute boat ride, and arrived at the legendary Lembongan Island. We transferred from the big boat to a small boat, then to the shore, and then hopped onto an open-air bumper car. The sea views along the way were beautiful. We arrived at Dream Beach, given only 5 minutes to take photos and enjoy the scenery, then proceeded to Devil's Tears. The view was indeed stunning, but the waves were so strong we dared not get too close.

After a short time, we left this long-awaited island and headed to Penida Island for lunch. The noodles were barely edible, we had some vegetables—the meat was unappetizing. After lunch, we changed into swimsuits for snorkeling and paragliding. Snorkeling was a bit... speechless. Paragliding was my first time and it was great. I also met a pretty girl from Shanghai.

Day 5 Free Day

This day's itinerary cost a whopping 1,200 RMB, but worth recommending: additional spots: private beach, pork ribs rice, infinity pool, essential oil spa, seafood meal.

Private beach: Though private, there weren't many people, but it wasn't as good as imagined—not that private. But as long as you didn't expect too much, it was satisfying. Took photos, drank coconut juice, did some light work—half a day passed. For lunch, we had grilled pork ribs, which were quite tasty. In the afternoon, we went to the infinity pool; there were still many people. Changed into swimsuits and took photos.

Afternoon tea time: cake and drinks.

Essential oil spa: lasted 2 hours. First a shower, then a kneeling foot wash, followed by a full body massage—truly relaxing.

Seafood hotpot dinner: Hotpot isn't my favorite, so I just ate some shrimp and crab. Luckily, Sister Yang made a nice dipping sauce for me that was very appetizing.

A fully packed day came to an end. Although the schedule was intense, I was very satisfied.

Day 6 Cliff / Kuta (Legian) Street

Departed at 9:30, went to Uluwatu Cliff. The cliff views were magnificent, but unfortunately, there were aggressive monkeys trying to snatch glasses and phones. So we took a quick look and left. Then we visited a latex factory. Finally, shopping at Legian Street (Kuta). Spent 700,000 rupiah buying stuff. Missed the sunset at Kuta Beach. After shopping, we carried our heavy luggage and flew home.

Summary:

1. Overall itinerary was compact but reasonable. Usually woke up between 7:00-7:30.

2. Group tour saved me, an indecisive person, from a lot of hassle.

3. Bali has beautiful scenery, suitable for travel.

4. This trip with Sister Yang had its ups and downs in our relationship.

5. Looking forward to an independent trip to compare.

6. Never buy glass or ceramic souvenirs on the return trip.

7. Keep carry-on items as light as possible.

8. For long flights, bring an eye mask and neck pillow.

9. When traveling abroad, consider buying a larger suitcase.

10. Duty-free items need to be picked up at the airport (under 5000 RMB).

11. Group tours usually include shopping stops. If joining a group, consider a cheaper shopping tour (provided no forced shopping).

12. Total cost: Group fee 4,700 RMB + optional 1,200 + paragliding 300 + tips 100 + round-trip airport transport and meals 300 = if not shopping, all done for 6,600 RMB.