A Place Where Gods Gather – 10 Days of Unbridled Fun in Bali
Dates: January 22, 2020 – February 1, 2020 Location: Bali, Indonesia
We bought our air tickets back in October 2019, and the long-awaited Bali trip was finally confirmed.
It was a trip for two, Min Xiansen & MAX. We arranged a private car and guide in Bali, and booked the hotel ourselves on Ctrip. You absolutely need to bring a friend who is very good at English; it makes things easy in Bali. Locals speak English and Indonesian, but Chinese doesn't work. We exchanged US dollars at the People's Bank of China in advance, and then exchanged for Indonesian Rupiah in Bali (the airport rate was slightly higher, but better for exchange; we exchanged at a private money changer outside, and the rate was okay). I exchanged 400 USD for over 5 million IDR (it was the first time I saw so much money ^_^), which was enough for one person for 10 days. Convenience stores accept Visa cards, which is very convenient, but most places still require IDR. Using USD directly doesn't work either.
Let me talk about going through customs. First of all, no photos. In their country, you go through customs first, then fill out the arrival card. The two of us were panicking because we didn't have the arrival card, and there were no staff around. When we finally found someone, we couldn't communicate. Later we asked a tour guide from another group and learned that's how it works. Bali is visa-free for Chinese passport holders. When going through customs, just hand over your passport, then you need to have two fingerprints scanned. The customs officer will gesture to tell you (of course, they speak English throughout). Then the customs officer might ask simple questions like "How many days do you stay in Bali?" or "What are you doing in Bali?" I remember being asked how many days I was staying in Bali, and I answered casually, my heart pounding. Then with a stamp, we were in. Make sure to check that there is an entry stamp on your passport (very important). Then go inside to fill out the arrival card, queue up to hand it in, and then you're out.
Day 1: January 22
We took a high-speed train and then a flight. Despite the unknown shadow of the epidemic, we happily departed from Shanghai Pudong Airport to transit in Shenzhen (because the tickets were much cheaper that way), haha...
The Indonesian guy with blond hair next to us was our airport pickup.
Day 2: January 23
Waking up in the morning and looking into the distance, wow – the sea was right next to us.
After breakfast, the driver came to pick us up for outings. First, we exchanged money. In the morning, we went to Pandawa Beach; in the afternoon, to Uluwatu (Chinese people call it Lovers' Cliff, actually Uluwatu Cliff).
There were paragliders on the mountain, but we were too scared to try. Below is the beach.
Uluwatu Cliff – magnificent, great for photos, scenery so beautiful words fail. If you like it, remember to visit. Notes: There is a Hindu temple on the mountain. Men and women must not dress revealingly; even shorts are not allowed. They will give you a local sarong to wear, which both men and women must put on. There are monkeys on the mountain. Stay away, don't feed them or provoke them, they will grab things. We were resting on a stone by the road, and two monkeys almost came over. Locals warned us to move away quickly. We didn't get robbed by the monkeys. If you do get robbed, find a local staff member and give a small tip, and they will help get your stuff back from the monkey.
In the evening, we had seafood barbecue and watched the sunset at Jimbaran Beach.
Day 3: January 24
In the morning, we went out to sea at South Bay (Nusa Dua Beach), and in the afternoon, had a floating afternoon tea.
After coming back, we rested by the shore.
We happened to witness the local Hindus' daily ritual.
The daily offering ceremony of Hinduism.
We didn't take many photos of the floating afternoon tea.
Day 4: January 25
This was the part I was most looking forward to – the Ayung River rafting, a full 2 hours, absolutely thrilling.
Day 5: January 26
Tirta Empul Temple (Holy Water Temple) – Kintamani Volcano – Volcanic Hot Springs – Coffee Plantation – Tegalalang Rice Terraces
Day 6: January 27
Pura Lempuyang (Gate of Heaven) – Tirta Gangga Water Palace
Day 7: January 28
Day trip to Lembongan Island for snorkeling – Devil's Tear – Dream Beach
Day 8: January 29
Rest day. We were too tired to keep going. During the trip, my companion felt unwell and went to a private hospital for a check-up... In the end, we couldn't stay idle and went to a duty-free shop, but the prices were much higher than at Rihang (Shanghai duty-free).
Day 9: January 30
Tanah Lot Temple – Ubud Palace – Ubud Market
Day 10: January 31
Rest day. Tired, we lay around at the hotel. Originally we planned to return to China on February 4, but after comprehensive consideration, we came back earlier, otherwise there wouldn't be any flights (due to the pandemic). We changed our tickets to an early morning flight on February 1. We brought back 10 boxes of masks. It was so hard to buy masks... Couldn't find them anywhere.
