Posts tagged ‘Bali’
The Cemagi Residence
I wrote about visiting Bali and what to see last year, but I didnt write anything about my visit to Bali itself last year. The truth is, when visiting a new exciting place with young kids under 3, it is better to enjoy the hotel facilities and have fun there. Yes, we can go out for lunch but not very often. Holiday style will not be very active, but its a good idea to stay in a place that offers plenty of activities for the kids.
We decided to stay in Cemagi Residence, an independent villa near the sea, but away from the razzmatazz of nightlife of Kuta or Seminyak (the in-place for party animal tourists)
Location of this place is around 45 minutes from Seminyak, or on a busy road, it could take 2 hours from the airport. A bit isolated and was difficult for us to get daily supplies; we needed a car to get all the provisions, however, as this was a proper villa to rent, the very nice staff offered us the facilities to buy our daily needs from the local shop every morning.
When we reached the place for the first time, we felt that it was very far and long way into the ‘interior’ of Bali, which in reality is not true. The problem was to go there was through a bit of rice field and a number of small villages.
The main entrance gate was small, just as wide as a car width, less than 2.4 meters, and after a longish drive in seemed even smaller, the front porch as well as the entrance to the house was not that impressive. I was a bit disappointed when I saw the entrance, what could it be once we are there, it might be an overpriced accommodation….
An uninteresting hall way lead us to this garden, with direct view to the sea
But once we were passed the foyer, straight away we looked at big garden, the swimming pool, the sunken sitting area and the view overlooking to the sea…. It really blew our minds, the place was simply amazing, brilliant. Just right for us to unwind for a week and we didn’t need the noisy Kuta or Seminyak to enjoy our stay in Bali.
Cemagi Residence consisted of 3 double bedrooms, a media room, swimming pool that one can swim laps as well as enjoy the infinity edge that reached out to the sea.
Dining room and a sunken relaxing area is also part of the facilities of the villa.
Lap pool with breathtaking view towards the sea
Dining room that seats 10 people
What I liked most was that it still had a good expanse of grass that we could play Frisbee or even mini football with our grand children.
the grass area to play Frisbee on.
In addition to that it had an extra gazebo at the end of the property that overlooked the Mengening beach, where we could sit all afternoon quietly waiting for the sunset to fall without having to go to any razzmatazz public beach like in Kuta or Seminyak or Ku-deta or other similar places.
Gazebo at the edge of the property
The view from the Gazebo of Cemagi Residence: Sunset at Mengening Beach
For further information:
Cemagi Residence
Jalan Pantai Mengening Cemagi,
Desa Cemagi -Mengwi-Canggu,
Reservations: info@cemagiresidence.com
Where about in Bali?
I am not trying to educate people with the history of Bali, or it’s geography. What I am trying to do here is to give you a brief introduction to the areas in Bali that could give you ideas of whereabouts and what to expect in each areas.
Physically, Bali is divided in half, east to west, by a volcanic mountain chain, and north to south by deep river gorges. Black volcanic sand is the norm, but white sandy beaches periodically dot the coast, with some of the most spectacular either on the Bukit (mount) or hidden in the east. The island is dominated by two active volcanoes, Gunung Agung (Mount Agung), the apex of Balinese religious and cultural belief, and Gunung Batur (Mount Batur), with its twin calderas and shimmering lake. The northwest is given over mainly to national park, the central mountains to coffee and crops, and the remote east with its pebble beaches and crystal clear seas, to diving and snorkeling.
South Bali — The triangular wedge of tropical lowlands south of Ubud to the Bukit Peninsula is the most developed area of Bali. The tourist hub of Seminyak-Legian-Kuta is next door to the Ngurah Rai International airport and provides a convenient first stop and a good base for day trips. Kuta is perhaps the most developed, with the cheapest digs on the island. The tourist influx means this is the place to go for nightlife, which attracts the younger, backpacking crowd, but you’ll find much better fine-dining options in Seminyak. Unfortunately, Kuta Beach has a very strong current, which makes swimming difficult and dangerous, but it’s a surfer’s paradise with rip curls and challenging waves. Seminyak is certainly Bali’s chicest “village,” home to the majority of the island’s expats and upscale accommodation.
Denpasar is Bali’s capital, with a population of over a half-million. Though most visitors completely bypass the city for more idyllic surrounds, it is home to the Bali Museum, one of the island’s best for a general overview of Balinese history and culture.
Located on the east side of the island, Sanur, is another of the island’s original beach resort areas. However, unlike Seminyak, Kuta and Legian, Sanur managed to maintain it’s level of tranquility which is nearly impossible to find in the other busy tourist areas. Surfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and snorkeling are the main attractions here. Just off shore are the islands of Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan, which provide some of Bali’s finest scuba diving and are an easy boat ride from the mainland. The beach is fringed by a reef meaning the shore is safe for kids’ swimming, and a boardwalk along the beach makes pram pushing a pleasant rather than a frought experience.
Nusa Dua is government-sponsored and was deliberately developed as a high-end wealth traveller’s ghetto; it sits above the eastern cliffs. The beach is publicly accessible and often you may eat a meal at a resort and use their pool and other facilities — check ahead of time. Further on around the southern peninsula of Bali which is also publicly accessible are some of the most stunning spots on the island: Padang Padang, Balangan and Nyang Nyang are all breathtaking with a few warungs to keep you fed and watered, but do not expect the same like in Kuta or Seminyak. However, if you want to, in Nyang Nyang you can bring-your-own picnic affair with somewhat tricky access.
Ubud — Simply put, Ubud’s raison d’être is to be Balinese. The island’s rich culture — with traditions, artistry, and spirituality that encompasses seemingly every aspect of daily life — thrives here in a multitude of temples, museums, art galleries, and artisan villages. Money and development in Ubud is funneled toward preserving traditions and encouraging cultural innovations; international chain companies are kept at bay. Ubud is a destination where it is possible to chance upon local people participating in ceremonies right on the main road and more frequently in many of the back streets surrounding the town itself. These ceremonies are the real deal and not put on for tourists, although local people are usually comfortable for tourist to look on.You cannot visit Bali without seeing Ubud.
Bali as I know it
Even though I am Indonesian, I must admit that I haven’t explored Indonesia as much as I’ve explored the rest of the world. Indonesia is big and for somebody who likes to travel, I have only explored Indonesia within very limited places, namely, the province of South Sumatra, passing by province of Lampung and most parts of Java, Madura and the island of Bali.
Red areas where I have visited
The Indonesian map here shows where I’ve been. Statistically, Indonesia consists of 17,508 islands, I have only been to 6 islands: which is only 0.034% of the total Indonesian Archipelago. However, as Indonesia consists of 33 provinces, I have been to 10 of these, which is 30.0%. Not too bad, but there is a lot more of Indonesia still to visit, and if one asked me about Bali, well I only know Bali as good as any other tourist.
Now that I live as an expat outside Indonesia, I don’t know what to recommend to friends who want to visit Bali, not to mention Indonesia. However, I think it’s not a bad idea if I refresh my memory about facts we should know about Bali prior visiting Bali:
- The island is approximately 153 km (95 miles) wide and spans approximately 112 km (69 miles) north to south; its land area is 5,632 km², which is only a tiny bit of Indonesia, but compares to the country of Bahrain which is 750 km² with no water source at all or Singapore of only 710 km2. I would also compare it to Malta, with land area of 316 km2. Or comparison to Qatar, which is 11,437 km2, Bali is half the size of Qatar.
- But unlike Qatar, it has mountains like The Mount Agung, which reaches as high as 3,142 m(the highest in Bali), known as the “mother mountain” which is an active volcano. Mountain ranges from centre to the eastern side of Bali, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Bali’s volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad, steadily descending area where most of Bali’s large rice crop is grown. The northern side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.
- The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 491,500(2002). Bali’s second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar’s urban area; and Ubud, which is north of Denpasar, and is known as the island’s cultural centre.
- Population recorded as 3,891,000 in the 2010 census,the island is home to most of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority. In the 2000 census about 92.29% of Bali’s population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Bali, a tourist haven for decades, has seen a further surge in tourist numbers in recent years.
Image via Wikipedia
Only in Bali
I love dogs… I have 5 lovely and naughty doggies at home… which for some it’s a lot…. I play with them as well as spoiled them. but I never done or even tried like these guys I met in Bali. 3 person, 6 dogs going for a stroll on the beach, but to go there, you need to go on a motor bike
preparation for the journey
four doggies down in the middle… getting excited to go tripping
and off we go…
All happy family…..
Bungy Jumping
Apa yang menarik liburan di Bali? Bungy Jumping dengan AJHacket mungkin sudah kuno, tapi untuk mereka yang ingin menghidupkan kembali masa mudanya dan punya kelebihan adrenalin… tak ada salahnya di coba. Maklum roller coaster gila seperti di Amerika kayaknya ga akan cocok dengan Bali.
Sialnya pada saat saya sampai di puncak menara, petugas yang memakaikan harness nya memanggil saya “bu”… yang mau tak mau mengingatkan saya kalau saya mungkin sudah terlalu tua untuk melakukan Bungy Jumping… terjun dari ketinggian 45 m.
