Photos - Bali and Yogyakarta - Indonesia
Oct 17th, 2008, 10:50 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Photos - Bali and Yogyakarta - Indonesia
Please have a look at my album for my recent trip to East Asia in Sep 2008.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/567788579Xscxbn
This album covers the first week in Bali.
Why Bali and Yogyakarta - I heard of so many great things about Bali in person and at travel forums like Fodors'. I have done research and have decided to get a taste of it. As Bali has so much to offer, it is difficult to choose when I was doing research. During my research about Bali, I became aware of the great attractions that Yogyakarta and the rest of Java offer. Within limited time in Indonesia, I decided to take a day trip from Bali to visit the great sites in Yogyakarta.
In Bali, I stayed at a nice and reasonably priced homestay and the homestay offered set tours with private drivers and pick-up / drop off service for airport.
Highlights are as follows:
· first day of arrival - Uluwatu temple for sunset and Kecak dance - beautiful setting of sheer cliffs. Be very careful of the monkeys there as the monkeys took my glasses! Kids on the grounds got the glasses for me for a small fee of course...I had to take off my glasses and could not see the beautiful area that well. The sunset was spectacular and the kecak dance was interesting with the "chat chat chat" chant and the monkey.
· Explored the town of Ubud with its beautiful palace, temples, market and museums - I really enjoyed the Ubud Palace and the Neka Museum. The view of the Gorge from Neka museum was stunning. Then I saw the elegant Legong dance at the Ubud Palace.
· Day trip to Yogyakarta - it was so easy to arrange it. The manager at homestay took me to a travel agent and I was ready to go the next day! I had an excellent tour guide meeting me at the airport and took me to the monumental Borobudur, the elegant Kraton and water castle, the market in downtown Yogyakarta and Prambanan. I enjoyed all that Yogyakarta had to offer and was glad to see a bit of another part of Indonesia.
· I arranged a driver with the homestay to visit the excellent Bali Bird Park, the Mengwi Royal Temple (Pura Taman Ayun), the beautiful Pura Ulun Danu Bratan in Bedugul and the beautiful rice terraces in Pacung. I really enjoyed all of these sites, especially the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan - beautiful temple in a picturesque setting. Then I went for a nice scenic walk around Ubud.
· I took another tour from the homestay, got the same driver and visited Elephant Cave, Holy Spring Temple, the Stunning Gunung Kawi with beautiful rice terraces, coffee plantation to try different types of drinks, a view of the Lake Bratan, the mother temple of Besakih and Klungkung. The sarong and sash were very useful this day. Without a doubt, Gunung Kawi came out as number 1 highlight. For the mother temple - Besakih, although I enjoyed the mother temple and thought it very interesting, the local guides were very aggressive to get more money and bargain for the price.
· Spent some time visiting batik galleries, silver shops, the beaches of Sanur and Kuta before flying to Hong Kong.
The driver did warn me about the monkeys in Uluwatu and the local guides in Besakih, but it was still a shock when it happened to me...
If I were asked for my top favourites, I would choose the dances, Ubud Palace, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan and Gunung Kawi as my favourites.
I enjoyed the little restaurants serving cheap and delicious local food. The Balinese people are graceful and friendly, enhancing my visit to this beautiful island.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
Ben
http://travel.webshots.com/album/567788579Xscxbn
This album covers the first week in Bali.
Why Bali and Yogyakarta - I heard of so many great things about Bali in person and at travel forums like Fodors'. I have done research and have decided to get a taste of it. As Bali has so much to offer, it is difficult to choose when I was doing research. During my research about Bali, I became aware of the great attractions that Yogyakarta and the rest of Java offer. Within limited time in Indonesia, I decided to take a day trip from Bali to visit the great sites in Yogyakarta.
In Bali, I stayed at a nice and reasonably priced homestay and the homestay offered set tours with private drivers and pick-up / drop off service for airport.
Highlights are as follows:
· first day of arrival - Uluwatu temple for sunset and Kecak dance - beautiful setting of sheer cliffs. Be very careful of the monkeys there as the monkeys took my glasses! Kids on the grounds got the glasses for me for a small fee of course...I had to take off my glasses and could not see the beautiful area that well. The sunset was spectacular and the kecak dance was interesting with the "chat chat chat" chant and the monkey.
· Explored the town of Ubud with its beautiful palace, temples, market and museums - I really enjoyed the Ubud Palace and the Neka Museum. The view of the Gorge from Neka museum was stunning. Then I saw the elegant Legong dance at the Ubud Palace.
· Day trip to Yogyakarta - it was so easy to arrange it. The manager at homestay took me to a travel agent and I was ready to go the next day! I had an excellent tour guide meeting me at the airport and took me to the monumental Borobudur, the elegant Kraton and water castle, the market in downtown Yogyakarta and Prambanan. I enjoyed all that Yogyakarta had to offer and was glad to see a bit of another part of Indonesia.
· I arranged a driver with the homestay to visit the excellent Bali Bird Park, the Mengwi Royal Temple (Pura Taman Ayun), the beautiful Pura Ulun Danu Bratan in Bedugul and the beautiful rice terraces in Pacung. I really enjoyed all of these sites, especially the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan - beautiful temple in a picturesque setting. Then I went for a nice scenic walk around Ubud.
· I took another tour from the homestay, got the same driver and visited Elephant Cave, Holy Spring Temple, the Stunning Gunung Kawi with beautiful rice terraces, coffee plantation to try different types of drinks, a view of the Lake Bratan, the mother temple of Besakih and Klungkung. The sarong and sash were very useful this day. Without a doubt, Gunung Kawi came out as number 1 highlight. For the mother temple - Besakih, although I enjoyed the mother temple and thought it very interesting, the local guides were very aggressive to get more money and bargain for the price.
· Spent some time visiting batik galleries, silver shops, the beaches of Sanur and Kuta before flying to Hong Kong.
The driver did warn me about the monkeys in Uluwatu and the local guides in Besakih, but it was still a shock when it happened to me...
If I were asked for my top favourites, I would choose the dances, Ubud Palace, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan and Gunung Kawi as my favourites.
I enjoyed the little restaurants serving cheap and delicious local food. The Balinese people are graceful and friendly, enhancing my visit to this beautiful island.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
Ben
Oct 22nd, 2008, 05:56 PM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My homestay is called Nick's Homestay. It is located at Jl. Hanoman in Ubud. I enjoyed my stay there but the facilities are basic and are mainly for backpackers in my opinion. It is around 15 to 20 minutes of walk from Ubud town centre.
Jan 26th, 2009, 09:24 PM
#9
Hi Bencito
Thanks for sharing your trip & photos. I'm planning another trip to Bali soon and would like to try a homestay this time.
May I ask for details of the one you used, please?
Many thanks
Bokhara
Thanks for sharing your trip & photos. I'm planning another trip to Bali soon and would like to try a homestay this time.
May I ask for details of the one you used, please?
Many thanks
Bokhara
Jan 27th, 2009, 08:19 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Bokhara,
I found this hostel on the hostelworld.com. It cost around $12 US per night per room. The rooms were in traditional Balinese homestay, simple but more than adequate for me as a backpacker. The bathroom is clean but a bit “mouldy”…I found some cockroaches. However I feel that it has more to do with the weather than the cleanliness of the homestay. The homestay is the actual home of a Balinese family. There is even a dog on the grounds. I think the dog is a family pet. The grounds of the homestay are beautiful and peaceful with pretty architecture and ornate pavilions. They served simple but nice breakfast with hot tea, which was included in the price of the room. Please note that there is no air conditioning but I did not find it a problem at time of visit. Just the ceiling fan was adequate for me. Overall, I am happy with the homestay. I do realize that there are many other homestays just in Ubud alone, and prices can be negotiated.
I arranged a driver with the homestay for the airport transfers plus the three day tours I described. The manager of the homestay even recommended and drove me to a travel agent to arrange the day trip to Yogyakarta. I negotiated a bit to get a discount. I am not too good with bargaining but I am happy with what I got.
Hi citywalks,
I did the Yogyakarta day tour as a package I arranged from a travel agency in Ubud. The manager at the homestay recommended the travel agent for me. The tour cost $240 US, and I paid in US cash. It cost more as I travelled by myself. The tour included boxed breakfast, airport transfers, airport departure fees, airfare, tour guide and driver in Yogya, lunch, all admission fees to sights. It was very easy to book! I booked the day before and I was ready to go next day! The airline was Mandala, and it was fine for a short flight. I left Bali at 7:05 am and arrived in Yogya at 7:05 am. I departed Yogya at 7:40 pm and arrived in Bali at 9:40 pm. The flight was one hour. It was a long day but really worth it and something I really wanted to do given the short time I had. Of course if you have more time, I recommend overnight stay to see more of Yogya and the performances.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Ben
I found this hostel on the hostelworld.com. It cost around $12 US per night per room. The rooms were in traditional Balinese homestay, simple but more than adequate for me as a backpacker. The bathroom is clean but a bit “mouldy”…I found some cockroaches. However I feel that it has more to do with the weather than the cleanliness of the homestay. The homestay is the actual home of a Balinese family. There is even a dog on the grounds. I think the dog is a family pet. The grounds of the homestay are beautiful and peaceful with pretty architecture and ornate pavilions. They served simple but nice breakfast with hot tea, which was included in the price of the room. Please note that there is no air conditioning but I did not find it a problem at time of visit. Just the ceiling fan was adequate for me. Overall, I am happy with the homestay. I do realize that there are many other homestays just in Ubud alone, and prices can be negotiated.
I arranged a driver with the homestay for the airport transfers plus the three day tours I described. The manager of the homestay even recommended and drove me to a travel agent to arrange the day trip to Yogyakarta. I negotiated a bit to get a discount. I am not too good with bargaining but I am happy with what I got.
Hi citywalks,
I did the Yogyakarta day tour as a package I arranged from a travel agency in Ubud. The manager at the homestay recommended the travel agent for me. The tour cost $240 US, and I paid in US cash. It cost more as I travelled by myself. The tour included boxed breakfast, airport transfers, airport departure fees, airfare, tour guide and driver in Yogya, lunch, all admission fees to sights. It was very easy to book! I booked the day before and I was ready to go next day! The airline was Mandala, and it was fine for a short flight. I left Bali at 7:05 am and arrived in Yogya at 7:05 am. I departed Yogya at 7:40 pm and arrived in Bali at 9:40 pm. The flight was one hour. It was a long day but really worth it and something I really wanted to do given the short time I had. Of course if you have more time, I recommend overnight stay to see more of Yogya and the performances.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Ben
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
alovesa
Asia
9
Dec 29th, 2016 02:20 PM
