I had gotten really excited, so I went ahead and started editing my Bali trip photos first. And here they are! I had such a great time there. We were there for only 5 days, and it wasn't enough. We didn't try out their clubs or play any other water sports other than water rafting (and hell yeah, they have a whole wide range of water activities there).

Right after touchdown and leaving the arrival hall, the first thing you will see is a whole bunch of men in blue shirt crowding you and asking if you want to take their cab. It was pretty intimidating since I've never experienced being swarmed before. Public transport in Bali is rare and only travels along the main road so it's not exactly advisable to consider that as a mean of transport. It is best to hire a driver (some villas and hotels provide this service for a fee or if you're lucky, it's free) or take the taxi. The most trustworthy one (or more like the most commonly seen) is Blue Bird. Oh and yes, of course you can rent your own vehicle as well.


We took a cab for IDR 120 000 to Hard Rock Hotel, we didn't go by meter and we should totally have. Initially, the guy quoted IDR 200 000, but my mum knew it wasn't supposed to be this expensive to get to our hotel so we managed to bargain. Turns out, it could have been much cheaper cause when we took a cab back to the airport on the last day of our trip, it only cost us about IDR 80 000. So yeah, take note guys!






It was still early then, about 12plus when we reached the hotel, so we couldn't check in our rooms yet. We were given a welcome drink each at Centerstage so we grabbed them first. My parents sat there while Coleen and I roamed about the hotel and checked our their amenities.















We realised we still had a lot of time (check in time is at 3pm) and decided to take a look at the area surrounding our hotel and book our water rafting for the next day. We only went to one booth, the one close to McDonald's because we were lazy to ask the same questions and bargain. The guy quoted us USD$80 per person for a 2hours+ rafting, but I did my research online and I knew there were other tourists who got it for about USD $40 or less. Then, he said if four of us were to go he could give us a discount for USD $40 per person but (yay for mum) my mum bargained for USD $30 and we got it. So yes, please do bargain for almost everything you buy on the streets.









At about 2plus, with the heat being unbearable and my parents and I were in long jeans, we headed back to our hotel and thankfully, our rooms were ready and we could check in. We got the connecting rooms, my cousin and I slept here while my parents' room had a single king sized bed.



After resting, unpacking and changing into shorts, we left for an early dinner! And also went to the beach. Frankly speaking, although I was warned that Kuta beach, especially the area outside Hard Rock, was gonna be filled with litter and wasn't nice at all, probably as bad as Pasir Ris beach here in Singapore, I wasn't exactly expecting THAT much litter. Yeah, in fact, it's actually worse than here in Singapore, can you believe it? I had always expected SG to have one of the worse beaches in the world and also, I mean, BALI?! Isn't that a paradise for beaches? Urgh, huge disappointment, thanks fellow tourist mates for not keeping the place clean and litter-free. That being said, Kuta beach is a different experience as compared to Singapore because the coastline stretches for miles and miles and it's as if you can never see the end of it. Also, there is nothing obstructing the view of the horizon (which is something I've always liked). The sand seems softer than the one in Singapore.








stay tuned for the next part!