Singapore
With 12 hours to spare before our connecting flight, we decided to explore the Lion City (“Singa” for Lion and “Pura” for city) and its world-famous airport. The Singaporean airport has about anything anyone desires ranging from sleeping lounges to butterfly gardens to sunflower terrace and more.
After wandering around the airport, we stumbled upon a booth with a very promising name - Free Singapore Bus Tour. The rules were simple – first come first serve for anyone with a layover of 5 hours or more. After a quick registration, we hopped on a 2-hour bus tour whose route started and ended at the airport, which is of course very convenient. Along the way we drove through many historic sights and ethnic districts like China Town and Little India. We visited the Singaporean business center, similar to the New York Wall Street and even had a chance to step off the bus for a few panoramic photos. An English-speaking guide told us about the Singapore history and about how this city-state became the biggest and wealthiest transportation and trade hub in Southeast Asia.
After the bus dropped us off at the airport, we headed to the Ambassador's lounge for some relaxation and food before our next flight. It was the perfect stop and taste of Singapore, just enough to make us want to come back for more at a later time!
Bali, Indonesia
The Island of the Gods
We landed late at night in Bali and were excited to get to our hotel and relax. Our hotel Holiday Inn Express Baruna Bali Resort (views of the beach, free breakfast, and amazing price) was less than a mile from the airport. To get there, we opted to take the Blue Bird Taxi who provide a flat rate to the hotel, unlike some of the other taxis that were a little more hesitant to reveal the final price (in all honesty, the taxi rates are cheap. We ended up paying $6).
Even though we were jet lagged, we decided to make the most of our stay in Bali. Through recommendations from Tours with Joe, we lined up an amazing one day trip- Made's Real Bali Tour with a local guide named Made (who explained to us the true meaning of his name. According to Balinese tradition, children are given names based on their birth order. ‘Made’ means he was born second in his family). Made showed us his amazing home – the Island of the gods – while explaining the culture and the history. Balinese architecture is jaw-dropping. The amount of detail in the sculptures, statues, and paintings is unbelievable. Every private and public house looked like it was out of a fairy tale with its ornate designs decorating the building facades from top to bottom, with their family shrines and beautiful gateways.
We started the tour with a live dance of the Barong (the story of the Bali gods, which was very affordable - just $7 per person). It was a unique story told through music and dancing, with an English pamphlet to guide us along.
After the performance, we visited different communities, each dedicated to a specific craft. There was the silver jewelry district, the gold district, the painting district, the carving district, and many more. Each district would pass down the traditions and craftsmanship within their family. Each home was willing to show us around and let us see how they create their magnificent pieces of work. Each house we visited served as a living place, a workshop, and a business for their families.
After wetting our creative appetite, Made took us for a relaxing lunch in the middle of a rice field where we sampled local foods off of a banana leaf tasting the Balinese curry, rice, fruits, and fish with rice fields in every direction.
To keep our energy going after a full lunch and jet lag, Made drove us to the Satria Agrowisata Bali Coffee Plantation (which was free of charge). We walked and learned about all of the rich plants, spices, vegetables and fruits that grow in this part of Bali. We also got to watch the process of making coffee. Julia even partook helping the local coffee-maker fry the coffee beans before they were crushed. We also saw an exotic animal that only lives in Bali and whose feces make Luwak Coffee. Yes, you got it right. The animal eats the coffee beans. They undergo complex fermentation in its stomach and when they come out, they get rinsed and thoroughly processed – all to make a very expensive and strong coffee (which locals call "mama drink, papa tired").
After that, we drove to central Bali, which amazed us with its intricate irrigation systems developed for the evergreen rice fields. In particular, we liked the Tegallalang Rice Terraces (free of charge) which opened up a beautiful view over the cascading rice terraces.
On our drive back, we planned to stop by the famous Monkey Forest, but a heavy rain sent the monkeys into a retreat, so we didn’t get a chance to see them. At the end of the tour, we thanked Made for an amazing day spent exploring the history and beauty of the island Made calls home.
Our final several days we spent in the Intercontinental Bali Resort, located in the southern part of the island. The resort is very close to the airport and within a short walking distance to local fish markets where you can purchase fish for $1-2 and have it grilled up on the beach in front of you.
While at the resort, we took a few ethnic classes. One was a cooking class during which we watched, and even helped, preparing Balinese traditional food from a chef who claimed that he used to cook for Nicole Kidman. The other class included a favorite sport of the locals (although it comes from France) called bocce, which reminded us of a combination of bowling and curling.
Bali was perfect, an excellent exchange rate (14,000 Rupiah to $1) spectacular food, amazing, culture, warm weather, and great people. Terima Kasih, thank you Bali!
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