Bali, Indonesia

Good day!

A friend of mine just asked about my most recent trip to Bali,Indonesia because she would be visiting that sunny island soon! So I'll share what I had experienced within the short 3 days I had there. Prior the trip, Jon and I picked up the travel guide 'Bali and Lombok' by Mary Justict Thomasson-Croll, Published by Wiley, to get a rough idea of what we could see and try in Bali. It served us well in recommendations on food and travel, so you could borrow it from the National Library over the many travel books available about this popular destination!

It was about a 2.5 hour flight from Singapore's Changi International Airport before arriving at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar (DPS), the capital of Bali. We had spotted clear blue-green waters just before touching down and were psyched up about this reputable site for all things sun, sand and sea! This trip saw us exploring some parts of the South-East area of Bali and it was a splendid 3 days spent soaking up the sun and feasting on a range of cuisines available, mostly suited to the tourists flocking in.

We had arranged for airport transfer to our hotel located in the Seminyak area of Bali- just slightly North of the popular Kuta area. Seminyak hosts fine eateries and shopping joints hidden between local mini-marts and shophouses that offer many traditional Indonesian-Javenese cuisines. The roads around the areas we visited were not made for walking and our initial oblivion to this, had the taxis (the main transport around) going on a horning frenzy once they saw us. Our choice to take on the bustling narrow roads on foot paid off handsomely as it gave us time to discover hidden gems throughout the first day.

Our first stop-over point was at Bali Catering company, a surprising misfit next to shophouses along Jl Petitenget and it took some getting used towards the jumble of the different sights and sounds within these winding streets! This little cafe offered a range of cakes, tarts, macarons and other sweet delights. We tried their lemon tart and macarons and were not at all disappointed with the standard of this afternoon snack from this prestigious company; see: http://www.balicateringcompany.com/home/

We continued jumping over drains and skipping over the rocky side trail while consciously avoiding incoming traffic and waving off touting taxi drivers for about an hour, passing many high-end shops selling mainly designer wear targeted at the tourists roaming these streets. Although it seems like we had been on a random tour of the streets, we had been in fact trailing towards our first must-see destination on our list, the Potato Head Beach Club!

Just around another random corner, lies this gorgeous must-go site!

We settled in for a drink to admire the sunset in the horizon behind the infinity pool which lay just beyond the lawn! The Club was split into 4 main areas, the pool side deck beds, the standing bar just to the right of the pool, the bar lounge- which was where we were at, and the dining area just behind us, promising a fantastic overview of what surrounded us in this horse-shoe shaped structure. The background music transitted from jazzy-slow to slightly more trance, catering to the different groups of people streaming in as the night went on! Perfect place to relax in, through the evening.

We had dinner amidst the beautiful people and scenery which felt worlds' apart from the bustling streets of Bali that we had earlier emerged from.The French Onion soup and Baramandi Fish shared between us was a fantastic choice and we agreed that this is probably our favourite dish we had the entire trip!

Our night ended with us bidding farewell to this swanky hang out, before taking a taxi ride back to the hotel. Was thankful for the fixed rate charging list that was displated at Potato Head transport service counter, saving us some time and effort from going through the bargaining process to determine the rates ( Taxis in Bali do not go by the meter).
Our second day was dedicated to all things to do with all the outdoor fun! We headed for the beach and did 3 main things- snorkelling in the surprisingly cooling waters, sat on the banana boat along the beautiful coastal line and finally parasailed over the blue-green waters!

Hovering just above the clownfish we spotted

 Examining a starfish

 Take off

Our theme for the day coincided with our choices for lunch and dinner locations, which had a similar comfortable outdoor setting but each serving up entirely different ambience and cuisines.

Ambushed entrance to Cripsy Duck Restaurant

Pretty dining area

View through lunch

We had lunch at a Indonesian food joint recommended by a local guide earlier that morning, which was located very conveniently, a 10 minutes walk from our hotel. The restaurant, named the 'Crispy Duck', lay hidden behind shops selling rock carvings and hand-made furniture. It would've been an easy miss if we did not have a heads up on its' rough whereabouts! The restaurant was furnished with the classic wooden furniture sold in Bali and it overlooked a massive padi field, allowing the income gentle breeze to accompany us over their star dish of crispy duck!

Our choice for dinner was one the must-try list that we had compiled! 'Sardine' is pretty well-known and was only about 100 metres from our hotel lobby. It attracts mainly the tourists looking for an excuisite selection of fish and dessert!

View from our seat

We arrived at the restaurant, and as all the other great places visited, was pleasantly surprised upon entering into this cozy restarant. We had not made a booking ( it was really crowded for a Thursday dinner!) and got an outdoor seat, overseeing a beautiful view of the strategically decorated padi field.

 King Fish with olives dip and chick peas on the side

Snapper with a citrus topping

After wiping our plates clean, we had to look at the dessert menu and I was completely blown away by the exotic range they offered! Just to name some: Black pepper ice cream, Sour cherry-almond praline and goat cheesecake, Chocolate mousse with fresh chilli shortbread!! After staring down at the list for a long while, we set our sights on having the 'raspberry and candied pistachio semifreddo'!

It was a plate up of macarons enveloping the rasberry and pistachio ice cream, surrounded by passion fruit and strawberry caviar with white balsamic syrup. It was heavenly!

Our last and final day was reserved for trying out white water rafting for the first time ! This was highly recommended by the driver who took us to the beach the day before. We headed for Ayung River in Ubud where there were almost 20 companies to choose from, offering competitive prices depending on the amenities provided, duration of the tour and the option for an accompanying meal. Ours was a 2 hour white water rafting adventure with lunch provided at the end point, costing close to SGD$40. 

A waterfall stop-over point for picture taking!

It was a great ride for a first-timer as we enjoyed a fair share of introductory rapids leading up to more turbulent ones! Our guide was a friendly chap who spoke in Bahasa, English, Korean and Chinese, taking extra efforts to make the journey lively. Amazing service we got and it was an extremely memorable highlight of our trip to Bali!

We concluded our trip with a trip down to Metis, a high end restaurant just next to our hotel. We had spent the whole trip peering in and wondering what lay beyond the royal looking gates that was guarded throughout the day. Since it was also recommended by the book we had borrowed, we decided to give this place a try.

Complimentary starter: Tuna

 The best tasting started I have every had! This was a plate up of pan-seared scallops hovering prettily over a creamy,zesty tasting-caviar mix <3

 Main course of chicken stuffed with shitake mushroom with spinach and potatoes on the side.

Main course of roasted pork belly plated alongside spinach and potato balls.

Food was great and almost worth the money we paid! However, despite the great quality as expected of a fine dining restaurant, I would have enjoyed the evening a lot more if the service had been catered to every customer and not those who seemed more wealthy. Although Jon and I agreed that the food was impressive, it was probably ranked the lowest among all the places that we had dined at through the trip.

So, I left Bali with a pleasing tan and a slightly bulging tummy, evident of the glorious food I got to try within the 3 short days! If I have an opportunity to visit again, I'd be sure to spend more time exploring the area of Kuta, take surfing lessons, go diving in search of the sun-fish (fascinating one, go google) and perhaps get to visiting some of the famous temples that crowd Bali. Time wasn't on our side this time round and there is definitely much more to Bali than I got to see!
Until then!

Alaska, United States of America

Good evening !

I'd like to start the ball rolling by sharing about the trip I took to the state of Alaska last summer! It was early July that my Mom and I decided to take the opportunity to experience the beautiful nature and wildlife of this far-fetched state by taking a round-trip cruise from Vancouver, Canada. Alaska was an obvious choice for us since we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to South Africa previously, to get fantastic close up encounters with wildlife and to enjoy amazing sceneries and sights, as with what Alaska promises. Our trip was packed to the brim with a fair share of exploring the coastal ports, venturing deeper in search of educating ourselves on Alaska's rich culture and of course, attempting to catch a glimpse of Alaska's rich range of wildlife.

The state of Alaska lies on the North-West of the North America Continent and a large part of this state is uninhabited because of the enormity of the area and the emphasis on the protection of wildlife. Our decision to travel during summer was largely shared by tourists everywhere because of the comfortable climate suitable enough for exploring the surrounding areas of the ports we disembarked at, without worrying about slipping on ice or losing daylight too quickly - as normally seen in winter where it is almost always dark.

We embarked for our week long vacation from Canada Place Cruise Terminal, Vancouver! It is the main port for all luxury cruise liners heading for Alaska and many other destinations like to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Europe.

After boarding, we had a about an hour to explore our moveable hotel for the next 7 days. It was such a fantastic feeling standing on the deck of a cruise for the first time, looking out into the beautiful skyline of Vancouver!

Our first day was spent exploring and taking in the new surroundings, booking all our on-land tours for our up-coming disembarkations at the ports along Alaska. We were thrilled for what we had planned for ourselves over the next few days.

 We sailed along the Icy Straits and arrived at our first disembarkation point- Icy Strait Point! It was a breath of fresh air as we stepped of the cruise for the first time, and onto Alaska officially! We were greeted by introductions to the main economic driver of the state, salmon production. There was an actual factory converted into a museum to showcase conventional techniques used to produce canned salmon that was shipped internationally. It was a great way to educating everyone who stopped over in Icy Strait point!

Our chosen itinerary for the day at Icy Strait point started with taking a shuttle up to a neighbouring peak along the port to take the longest zip line in the world. It was over a 1675 metres long, over a vertical drop of 500 metres! As compared to the zip line I had tried in Whistler, Canada, earlier that month, this experience was possibly a lot more thrilling and enjoyable!

That's my favourite picture of Mom running in for a congratulatory hug at the end of the zip line!

We took a short walk back to the port before being whisked off for a tour in search of brown bears in Spasski River Valley. It was a tour that did not gaurantee a sighting because it was afterall a nature tour. Thus, we were hopeful that it would not be a wasted trip to catch a glimpse of these lumbering giants in their natural habitat! As we ambushed ourselves a distance away from fields where these magnificant creatures often feed, we patiently waited with binoculars in hand and piercing gazes towards any slight movements within the tall grass. As though rewarding the group of us for our patience, we eventually did spot a few of them soon after! It was as though they were dancing through the grass, ploughing through to look for things to eat. It was great seeing them out in the open and not behind bars in zoos, which was what most of us were familar with.

Play, spot the Brown Bears! The view with our trusty binoculars made it simpler for us to observe them.

We headed back to our cruise after and started sailing again for the next destination! Before arriving at Junea, the capital of Alaska, a highlight of the cruise was a stopover to admire the Habbard Glaciers. It was the first time seeing a glacier, and it was a breathtaking view! The crew on board explained that glaciers are formed through the accumulation of snow which is eventually compressed through thousands of years to form ice. The compression of the ice forces air out of it and that explains the striking blue that we see.

Our next port to disembark at was at Juneau. This state capital holds a bulk of indigenious culture which reminds me very so much of the Disney Classic, Pocahontas. There many displays of ancient carvings and the showcase of artistic works by the people was a major reason for it's thriving port, back in the day.

On top of this culturally abundant stopover, Juneau boasts of being a great place for whale watching. In particular, we partipated in the tour in search of the humpback whale. This species of whales are huge and are easily identified through it's distinguishable hump on its' back. We hopped on a speed boat and sailed out into the open waters where the humpback whales usually feed in the nutrient rich Alaskan waters.

There'd be gasps of amazement everytime we sighted one. The general sequence of a sighting would be spotting a burst of mist into the air as the whale arches it's hump over the top of the water before curling down and seemingly waving it's tail into the air. It was a beautiful sight even though we were only able to see parts of the whale, forcing the watcher to stretch his imagination on how the whole process actually plays out, just beneath the water surface.

Another element adding to the perfect whale watching day we had, was the picture-perfect back drop that we were treated to!

Back on land, we treked along the port to visit the Mendenhall Glacier, getting as close to a glacier that visitors can actually get to.

The Mendenhall Visitor Centre is serves mainly as an conservational educational point where visitors are warned of the rapidly threatening melting glaciers. I do hope this beautiful place will still be in tact when I return when the next opportunity arises! The trip to this area really brought to light many of the conservation efforts that I have grown up listening about but never really understanding the gravity of. I do think, everyone who stops over here, would leave having a heart to take an extra step in fighting against global warming back home.

We returned back to our cruise to sail towards our final destination at Ketchikan before returning back to Vancouver! Ketchikan is known as the 'Salmon Capital of the World' and we were greeted by a couple of stalls selling seafood as we disembarked, highlighting that the people were dependent very much on tourism as well. Mom and I opted to visit Ketchikan's main attraction : Misty Fjords National Monument by taking a float plane!

Misty Fjords National Monument is a wilderness area covering amost 9,246Kilometres! The float plane served in giving us a fantastic aerial view of the natural beauty of the area. Although it was a bumpy ride to our short landing in a beautiful lake within Misty Fjords, the breathtaking views were enough to make up it.

Absoultely Stunning!

Our trip concluded with us disembarking back at Canada Place after a whole week of pure enjoyment, exploring and getting to know Alaska. We had experienced so many beautiful moments and is definitely ranked high up in my list of places that I would want to come back to, simply because this exotic destination promises a diverse range to explore and slowly encover. I think that it is in fact, a precious fact that the largely inaccessible geographical location of Alaska aids in preserving much of her fascinating culture and people's way of living. Even as tourists flock to catch a glimpse of her beauty in summer, there will still be as many who leave this untouched gem of the state of Alaska intrigued, yearning for another opportunity for return.