LIFE: 2017 Reflection and 2018 Resolution

2017 ended in few nights away. I always think that time flies so fast and we cannot do anything about it besides enjoying it while we can. Well, life is not always full of joy, but everything that happened in life is something we should learn from it. My life in 2017 is not full of joy, but I’m still grateful for everything that happened to me this year. Moreover, I’m blessed to witnessed how God’s plan worked over me and His unconditional love for me and my family and friends . Here are some few lessons I learned from 2017 (and mostly I got it from my favorite Korean dramas and songs! Oh check out my longest video ever about my top 10 K-dramas of 2017 here!)

Nothing lasts forever

As I got older, I started to realize that there is no such thing such as forever in man’s time. The word forever was meant for God’s time. We got old as time passed by, people do change, and we won’t live forever in this life. Take example, this year, one of my favorite girl groups, Girls Generation, made a hard decision to break up their long-lasting relationship as an idol group. This news breaks my heart and wake me up at the same time. Most of older K-pop groups (2NE1, Miss A, SISTAR, KARA, etc) found their own paths this year and it made them to drifted their ways. Life is like a wheels, sometime at the peak and sometime at the bottom. That's why nothing is going to stay forever. You will not facing problem forever, but there will always problem you might face. Pain is always there, but you won't suffer it forever. Life is not a monotone, but it is colorful. Everything is not going to be the same in life, so nothing will lasts forever. If you are facing problem right now, just keep moving on, cause soon or later it will turn into a beautiful lesson. So, I came to realize that everything can change and there is no such thing that last forever beside God’s love toward us. 

"Nothing ever lasts forever

In the end you changed” 

- Crooked by G-Dragon

You cannot change the past, but you can shape the future

I learned this from the drama Manhole and While You Are Sleeping, where both the dramas highlighted this theme in the storyline. Yes, people you cannot change the past. Because past is the past. Even though maybe in the future there is such a technology that can bring us back to the past, but you can’t really change the past. What you can change is the future. So, don’t regret about your past, because you are given a chance to change it in the future. Learn from the past and fix it in the future.

"It can’t be helped

Don’t try to hold onto what has already left” 

- Can Be Better by HIGHLIGHT 

As the future is important, but living in ’Now’ is very important

Most people are worrying about the future, but personally I think that living in the present time is more important. Because I think life is short and you don’t know if the future will ever come. It is all by the Grace of God to us. Near the end of this year, my family faced a financial crisis, because my dad had to leave his work because the company removed my dad’s division. My mother who is living an enjoyable life for the past few months, suddenly stressed out. Then she start worrying about the future days, starting to questioning a lot of things. She cried a lot, but my aunt who is a strong believer, told her that to not worry because God will provide. I have a same opinion with her and I do believe it. Enjoy life while we can. Do everything you wanted to do. This year my main theme is to enjoy the present and not to worry the future. Because man can plan, but it’s up to God. And that’s make much more bearable, guys! Let’s not add more problem to ourselves.

“My dear, don’t worry about anything

Let’s sing together

Bury all the painful memories

Deep inside your heart”

- Don’t Worry by Lee Juck (Reply 1988 OST)

Make time for everyone you love

This year lots of my friends has graduated before me. Many of them move out of the town or country and also got stuck with their work. It was a hard thing to have a 2 hours meal or even a 5 minute chat. So whenever they have time, I’m always ready to meet them. Because when you don’t have anything to give, time is the best thing every person needed. It sounds creepy, but you don’t know when will be the last time to see them. Kim Jonghyun’s sudden death really wakes me up. When we feel that we will always see each other again, we will tend to think that there is always another time. Well, actually we don’t.

Little bit of behind the story. If you follow me on my social media, I watched KBS Music Bank in Singapore because the setlist are much better than the one in Jakarta. Not saying that Jakarta’s setlist are bad or what, but in Singapore my favorite groups gathered there. I'm almost didn’t get the ticket to the concert, but there is always a second chance and I finally got it! I’m excited to see my favorite groups, but then it turned out it was my last time seeing Jonghyun on stage… It breaks my heart when I heard the news about him. I can’t believe the most exciting concert I went to this year was our last meeting.

As I said before, there is no such thing such as forever. So, always make time for everyone you love! I actually have failed for several times at this, but Jonghyun’s incident wake me up.

“You can be unhappy but still feel happy when with others”  

- Rap Monster (BTS)

There is always a positive side from every bad things

My friends and surrounding said that I always see positive point from everything. And I hope everyone do the same too. Because we don’t always know the story behind every thing that happened. Take example, Jonghyun’s death. Depression has been buried by the society as a not serious illness, but actually it is. Through Jonghyun’s incident now everyone took very seriously about depression. It may be a very sad thing happened to his family and fans, but it could prevent more people who decided to end his or her life and gave warning to us the seriousness of depression. Keep in mind that there is no rainbow without rain, which shows that there is always a positive side in everything happened.

“Don’t blame yourself. Blame yourself but keep it short and remember it for a long time.” 

- Choi Dam Dong (While You Are Sleeping)

Do everything that makes you happy

The drama Fight for My Way and My Golden Life showed me this point. As I’ve mentioned it above, we don’t have much time so you must do things that makes you happy. Even when your parents or surrounding didn’t seem agree or support you (well in the positive manner), go fight for it. What you must remember is you have to be responsible and show them that you are happy. Happiness is one of the simplest thing in the world, but most people in this whole world rarely realized it.

“… you only live once too, okay? Isn’t that right? You should live happily just once too. 

Isn’t that right?”

 – Ra Mi Ran (Reply 1988)

Don’t compare your life to others

This was the hardest thing I’ve ever learned so far. There is always a slight envy whenever I saw my friends or people I follow on social media (social media influencer included!). Seeing people went to beautiful places in the world, wearing branded cloths or bags, get to meet famous people, living in a beautiful country, and much more are things I’ve always see on my social media timeline. As a normal people, it is natural to be envious. But, one thing I tell myself over and over again whenever that envious strike is “it is their life, don’t compare yourself Jennifer. You have your’s and be happy about it.” Whether you compare it to someone better or someone worse than you, it is not a right thing. The right thing is learn from them, not comparing them.

“Living our way is winning. Who cares what others say?” 

- Go Dong Man (Fight for My Way)

“I think that there’s no need to live your life based on the standard of others” 

- Rap Monster (BTS)

Don’t underestimate the power of TIMING

All things happened in this life is because the power of right timing. Maybe what you did now haven’t show any progress or results, but think that now might not the right timing. Few scenes in Fight for My Way showed that timing is like an enemy. We might have tried the best, but it was a bad timing to do it, it will not work out. So, timing play a big role in your life event. I watched a survival program of debuted idols (The Unit) but didn’t got popular, where showed that they didn’t got popular not because of their lack of talents, but mostly because of bad timing or bad strategy. There is one group that debuted in the similar time with BTS (the most popular K-pop group now) with similar name. This group didn’t get popular because partly because of the bad timing. We can’t control about timing, but we can always stay faithful to what we do until it got to the right time. So, don’t give up easily and always believe that if it is God’s plan you will get it some time. In His time.

“In the end, fate and timing do not happen, out of coincidence. They are products of earnest, simple choices, that make up miraculous moments.” 

- Jung Hwan (Reply 1988)

So I think that’s all I can share for you about life lessons I learned in 2017. I hope you this help you to get some new energy and live 2018 happily. Because you deserved to be happy!

“Instead of money you should think about your dreams and heart. 

And give your best shot at life” 

- Coach Jang Ho (Fight for My Way)

I would like to share my few new year resolutions in 2018.
 So here I present you my 2018 Major Resolution:

I wish you a HAPPY MERRY JOYFUL NEW YEAR guys! Know that I’m always ready to cheer you up. I may know or not all of the readers of my blog, but I always try my best to create post that will help you enjoy a little happiness in this big bad world. Thank you for reading till this far! I love you all. God bless! :)

TRAVEL DIARY + VISIT INDONESIA: JAVA-BALI OVER LAND, SEA, AND FLY! (Part II)

Hi there! Are you excited to know more about the highlight of this trip? Let’s get started!!

P.S: I just want to let you know that now I’m officially finished all my academic activities!! I’m finally free and maybe I’ll try my best to improve this blog and the YouTube channel. :D 

DAY 4

Today is the highlight of this trip! We were going for cycling at Ubud area. We started the day with a good breakfast at the hotel then we head to Ubud. We started our cycling from Petulu Village then we rode till some areas I don’t know in Ubud, even we passed the main road of Ubud to finish the cycling. In Petelu Village you can see the catching bird poo game in real life. So the bird, which is White Herons (Burung Kokokan), like to hanging on a string and they sometimes poo-ing. So be careful with their poo when you visit this village. The weather was nice that morning, sun is shining but not so bright so the sky looks pretty on your photo. Oh but at the middle of the day, you will feel burned in a sizzling hot pot. (You can see on the next days photo that I got instant tan. LOL) 

How I look when cycling

In the middle of the cycling, we stopped for a while for having some games. So the cycling program was made like amazing race kind of thing. The students have to do some mission or games. The winning team got some prize and additional points for their exam. I featured some clips of the ice breaking game and other games on the video, so make sure to check out the video! My teacher and I stopped by at Sari Organik for some refreshment. I was not feeling well because I drank Pocari Sweat not water while cycling. So don’t drink ionic drink while you are exercising, drink it after you done. At Sari Organik, you will find a beautiful paddy field while having a hearty meal. They only use organic ingredients only in this restaurant. Their fried rice taste quite good, but I couldn’t really enjoyed it because I don’t feel well. We ordered Kambucha juice it taste refreshing, even though I don’t really eat Kambucha before (or maybe just because I’m thirsty and exhausted).

After a short break at Sari Organik, we continued our journey to our finishing point. We have to cross the main road of Ubud, which is packed with cars and motor bike. It was scary, but I survived with my basic cycling skills. We had ribs as our late lunch-early dinner menu. At the restaurant, we also got some rest and do some games. It was really tiring for the kids and I, but they do seem like the activity. After those tiring activities, we went back to the hotel and get some rest. I fell asleep quite early and skipped the dinner because I’m too tired to move.

DAY 5

Our first activity is actually going to souvenir shop, Krisna but, I didn’t include it in the video. Then, we went to Mangrove Information Centre in Sanur area. I’ve visited this place too 3 years ago. Here you can see how mangrove helps the ecosystem, especially protecting against abrasion. It can be a very hot place, but you could take an insta-worthy photos here. Here it is the photos I took 3 years ago.

After a heated environment lesson, we went to Ubud (again) to have lunch with beautiful rice terrace view. We got to see Tegalalang Rice Terrace and took a photo before it starting to rain. It is a must visit in Bali, because of its unique irrigation system and it's organization, Subak. After we finished lunch, the rain started to pour down, so we had to use one plastic rain coat for 4-5 person. LOL we make a human train because we don’t bring our own umbrella. Do bring umbrella or rain coat when you came to Bali on rainy season (October-January). Then, we headed to Puri Lukisan Museum to have some cooking class. But, the weather is not on our side, so we had to start the cooking class late. My juniors are given time to explore the Ubud Art Market, but since it is raining, they cannot do anything. After the rain stopped, we started the cooking class. Balinese traditional foods are a must whenever you came to Bali, so we learned how to cook the simplest Balinese food with deep taste. The students have to serve 2 dishes and 1 drinks. They also learned how to make a cocktail or a mocktail (I don’t remember LOL). They are divided into 3 groups and each groups’ dishes will be scored. 

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

After the cooking class, they ate the food they made, while watching for Kecak performances. Before that, there is some mixing drinks performance (?) I don’t know what it’s called, but yeah you can understand what I meant if you watched my video. After some Balinese style party, we had a real dinner with 2 course meals. We are very full, but it was a hearty meal. I didn’t have any footage for the video, but here I present the photos. 

Main dish: Crispy Chicken with Buntel Satay

Dessert: Traditional Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream and Watermelon

Before we hop on the bus, we are accompanied by music played with traditional drums, Gendang as a goodbye greetings. It was such a lovely experience.

DAY 6

It was our free day! My friends also came to Bali on the 5th day I’m in Bali. On this day we spent the day together. We started our day with a good coffee morning at Titik Temu. It was a hip place right now in Bali, but at the time I came there, they were having a renovation, so I can’t fully enjoyed the coffee shop. After a good coffee, we went to Bali Bakery. My favorite brunch restaurant in Bali. I always visited Bali Bakery every time I went to Bali. They provided a worthy meals and also breads and cakes. The must-have menu is their mushroom soup! It was delicious to every drop of it. 

Look how tan I am

After the brunch, we went to try Nalu Bowls Shelter Cafe. I’m not a fan of smoothies bowl, but my friend raved about it. I didn’t really fancy the infamous smoothies bowl, but the place is pretty good for taking pictures. They have open 2 branches in Jakarta, even they have gone to international markets too! You might find Nalu Bowls in Spain and Portugal. Check out their website, because their website is website goals! 😍✨

Then, we went to Umalas area to do some chillax moment. We went to Nook, a nice place to sit and have a chat with your friends accompanied by a paddy field. I ordered virgin mojito and it was gone in a few sip because it was sooooooo hot. After taking a few good photos, we went to another place. But, the place we wanted to visit was not opened yet, they are still under construction. So, we went to the beach near it but it was too hot to play with the water. Then we visited my favorite ice cream parlor, Gaya Gelato near the beach. They have opened more branches throughout Bali and even Jakarta, so if you happened to visit Bali or Jakarta, make sure to put Gaya Gelato on your eating list! 

Their rustic interior is love

After ice cream, we headed to Canggu just for buying one of the best croissant in Bali. I bought the croissant from Monsieur Spoon to bring it home. I really liked their cheese and plain croissant, but all of them are delicious. We headed back to the hotel after buying my precious croissant. On our way back, we stopped by at Souphoria to take away their Crispy Fried Pork with Sambal Mantah (it is not a sauce, it’s more like a red onion condiment). I didn’t have the picture of it, because when we arrived at the hotel room, it was gone in 3 minutes. We should have bought 2 portions, but we only bought one. I hope you are not surprised by how much my friends and I ate that day.

At dinner time, we are going out for some meet-up with my other juniors who are having their internship program with my lecturers too. We met them at Pison Coffee. They serve a good Affogatto. For you who don’t fancy black coffee or coffee in general, you can try the affogatto because it is an ice cream poured with one shot of coffee. As the coffee shop closed, we went back to the hotel and have a little more chit chat then we went to sleep. 

Bali Team Meet-up

DAY 7

It was my last day in Bali, but my friends are not. My flight was in the afternoon, so I have sometime to have brunch with my friends. We started the day with a good juicy pork meat satay at Sate Babi Bawah Pohon. My brunch are not over yet. We headed to Nusa Dua to have another pork dish which is, Babi Guling! Our favorite place to eat Babi Guling is loacted in Nusa Dua which is, Babi Guling Pak Dobiel. After all those pork party in the morning, we went back to Kuta and I gathered again with my junior groups. Then we headed to the airport and fly back home.

Oh, just for your attention, it is quite impossible to not gain wait when you visit Bali. I don’t really like pork, but every time I go to Bali, I always crave for their pork dishes. I don’t know why, but it also happened in Korea too. I have a weird taste palette, but it has some advantage, which I don’t eat pork on regular basis.

Well, that’s it! My travel diary part two ended here. Thank you for reading till this part. I hope you find this helpful. If you are visiting Bali, do make preparation, especially your mind. Also, I’m sorry if I say too much “too hot” words because actually I don’t really fancy hot weather and there is no other word how to describe Bali’s weather. Even though it rains, but usually the rain started to drop in the afternoon, so the sun still has a chance to shine bright every day.

See you on my other posts or videos! Thank you for the support! 

DETAILS:

Petulu Village

Jl. Petulu, Petulu, Ubud, Indonesia

 

Sari Organik

Jl. Subak Sok Wayah, Tjampuhan, Ubud, Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali

0361-972087

Krisna

Branches:

Jl. Nusa Indah No. 77 Denpasar Bali

0361-262365, 264780 

  

Jl. Nusa Kambangan 160 A Denpasar Bali

0361-8423573, 8423574 

  

Jl. Sunset Road No. 88 Abian Base Kuta Bal

0361-8423573, 8423574 

Jl. Raya Tuban no 2x Bali (Rama Krisna)

0361-764532

Website: krisnabali.co.id

Mangrove Information Centre

Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai, Sanur, Denpasar 80361, Indonesia

+62 812-3963-0458 

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

Jalan Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561

 

Puri Lukisan Museum

Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571

0361-971159  

 

Titik Temu

Jl. Kayu Cendana no. 1, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

0821-4411-2489

Instagram: @titiktemubali

 

Bali Bakery

Branches:

Main Branch: 

Jl. Raya Kuta No. 65, Banjar Abianbase, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, Indonesia
+62 361 755149 

Hayam Wuruk Branch: 

Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.181, Tanjung Bungkak, Denpasar-Bali

+62 361-243-147

 

Balimed Branch: 

Jl. Mahendradatta No.57X, Denpasar-Bali

+62 361-845-0767

 

Seminyak Square Branch: 

Jl. Kayu Jati No.1, Seminyak Square, Bali 

+62 361-738-033

 

Website: www.balibakery.com

Nalu Bowls

Shelter Cafe:

Jl. Drupadi 1 No.2A, Seminyak, Bali
+62 0812-3660-9776

Dojo Bali:

Jl. Batu Mejan No.88A, Canggu, Bali

+62 0812-3789-9428

Milk & Madu Cafe:

Jl. Pantai Berawa No.52, Berawa, Bali

+62 0812-3781-7716

Bukit:

Jl. Labuansait No.63, Pecatu, Kuta Selatan, Badung, Bali

+62 0821-4575-5461

Website: www.nalubowls.com

Nook

Jl. Umalas 1 Gang Nook No. 1, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 

0361-8475625

Instagram: @nook_bali

Website: http://nookbali.com/

Gaya Gelato

Legian:

Jl. Legian Kelod No.398 - Kuta, Bali
+62 858-8143-6677

Canggu:

Jalan Pura Batu Mejan Echo Beach, Canggu, Bali

0361- 8469-246

Fabulous Ubud:

Jalan Tjok Putra Sudarsana, Ubud, Bali

0361-973-285 

Ubud:

Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Bali

0361-979-252 / 979-253

Gaya Gelato Lab:

Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali 

0361 979-252 / 979-253 

 

Uluwatu:

Jalan Raya Uluwatu Km.19, Uluwatu, Bali 

+62 812 37206470 

Marzano:

Arjuna / Double 6 street, Legian, Kuta, Bali 

0361-733-584 

Samasta:

Jalan Wanagiri No 1, Kuta Selatan, Jimbaran, Bali 

0361-4468-600

Trattoria Sanur:

Jalan Danau Tamblingan, 192, Sanur, Bali

0361-285-733

Website: http://www.gayagelato.com/

Monsieur Spoon

Canggu: 

Jln Pantai Batu Bolong no.55, Canggu, Bali

0361-8469-112

Petitenget:

Jl. Petitenget no. 112-A kerobokan, Bali

+62 7761 556 575

Seminyak:

Jalan Kayu Cendana no. 2 Oberoi (next to Seminyak Square)

+62 87760 307 054

Umalas:

Jln Umalas 2, no. 43 Kerobokan, Bali     

+62 87761 160 080

Ubud:

Jl Hanoman, Ubud (sideby Bebek Bengil)

+62 81999 710 384

Website: http://www.monsieurspoon.com

Souphoria

Jalan Bumbak Dauh No.116, Kerobokan, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan, Badung, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

+62 838-9455-3676 

Pison Coffee

Jalan Petitenget No.19 A, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

+62 821-4456-0066 

 Instagram: @pisoncoffee  

Sate Babi Bawah Pohon

Jln. Patih Jelantik no. 57, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Babi Guling Pak Dobiel

Jl. Srikandi No. 9, Nusa Dua, Benoa, Badung, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

0361-771633

TRAVEL DIARY + VISIT INDONESIA: JAVA-BALI OVER LAND, SEA, AND FLY! (Part I)

Hey there my friends! I’m back with my new travel diary series. I’ve been busy with my last semester which means I’m going to end my university life soon! YEASHHH! Last year was probably the most frequent I went for traveling. I haven’t post much of my traveling stories both in this blog nor my YouTube channel. Now, I finally got to edit 1 out of 4 postponed travel diary series. Check out my video first to know what it is about and read this post to know the BTS!

Actually this is my second time traveling from Java to Bali over land, sea, and fly. This trip is one of my faculty’s program. So, we get scored during this trip. It was much more of an educational trip rather than leisure but, we are given free time at the end when all the mandatory program are done. I got to join this trip again this time is because I helped my lecturer at that time. Yes, I’m the one who gave score for my juniors. FYI, we are trained to be a good tour guide for this trip. So, let’s get into the BTS!

DAY 1

I didn’t write day one and two in my video because it’s a bit confusing. 😂😅 So, we started this trip at the dawn around 4-5AM. We ride our school (university) bus, which you can see the awesomeness in the video. It is a 41 seater bus and the group consist of 40 people, so yeah it is a full-house trip! And fyi, we had to sleep in the bus and that means our first 24 hours are spent inside the bus. Throughout the journey from Tangerang (city near Jakarta) to Banyuwangi, where we cross the sea to Bali, the students (my juniors) had to do a guiding about topics related to this trip. For example, the culture of Javanese, culinary, arts, etc. It was a pretty tough task for them and so do I. I’ve to listen to their guiding and sometimes it feels tiring. But, I’m amazed with what my lecturer done. She has been doing this trip every year and got to hear the same topics all over every year. Even though both mentally and physically tired, I’m happy to join this trip. I got a chance to skip class and came back to Bali for free!

View from the bus on the highway

We stopped by at Pekalongan for Lunch at Sop Buntut Bu Leman. This restaurant is known for their ox-tail soup. The ox tail can be served in two ways, grilled or not. I chose the grilled one because it is more savory. After lunch, we continue our journey toward Kudus, Semarang, then we stopped at RM Wahyu Utama, Tuban to have our late dinner as well as get ready for sleep like brushing our teeth and change our cloth, etc. 

Highlight of the day: BEEF!!

DAY 2

Good Morning

It was rainy season so, it is quite a challenging trip both for our drivers and us. As it getting dark, the bus getting colder and it made me missing bed so much. Anyways, it took around 7 hours to arrived at Banyuwangi. I woke up quite early, like around 5 AM and I saw a beautiful sunrise near the sea at around 6 AM. The morning view is incredible. You can see the sea on the left side and mountain on the right side. If I didn’t took this trip, it is something hard to see. We passed by Baluran National Park which has a unique view. When it is dry season, the trees didn’t have leaves and it looks like a fall-winter season. Oh the tree’s color also grayish, so it looks like a winter season in Indonesia. But since I came back on November and it is rainy season, leaves are starting growing back so you can’t really see it. This national park still have wild animals, but it is safe to cross because there is a road made for it.

Beautiful countryside view

The mountain peek through the clouds

Baluran National Park at dry season

It is much better seen in real life

We stopped by at a gas station to do our morning routines and then headed to the bay for Bali. We used a ferry to cross from Java island to Bali island. It only took a good 10-15 minutes to cross the Bali Strait. We arrived at lunch time in Bali then we went straight to lunch at Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk Bu Lina. It is one of the traditional food in Bali, Ayam Betutu, which is a dish made from chicken served with Balinese condiments. It can be quite spicy for foreigner especially if you choose not the fried one. The fried Ayam Betutu is less spicy because the condiments are separated. I also not too good eating too spicy food, so I always choose to fried Ayam Betutu. 

On the middle of Bali Strait

After a hearty meal, we go straight to our hotel. It took around 2 hours to arrived at Kuta from Gilimanuk. After lunch, our energy got drained but we still need to continue the guiding session. When we arrived the hotel, I went straight to my room and took a bath and sleep. It was a really nice sleep after a extremely tiring journey. We had our dinner at the hotel because we are too tired to move around.

DAY 3

Starting the day with hearty breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to Jenggala Ceramics to do some artsy time. You cannot leave Bali without getting involved with their artsy life. Jenggala Ceramics is one of Balinese local ceramics producer. They have several shops and a factory. We visited their factory to see how they produce their ceramics as well as joining their workshop. You can visit their factory by notice. We had some art time by painting the half done clay. This is what I made for my mug. It is simple just because I can’t really draw. After some healing time with art, we got some snacks. Even though after the activity we will be heading for lunch. 

Some satisfying things to see

Froggy in process

Queuing...

Pink tea set

We had our lunch at Warung Krishna, they are Nasi Campur Bali specialist. It is also one food that you should taste once in Bali. You can choose between rice or lontong. Lontong is also made from rice but then wrapped in banana leaf. If with lontong, you will be served in a soup, like a curry. I always go for the rice one. As I am writing this down, I get reminded by how it taste and it makes me hungry and missing Bali a little bit. After lunch we headed to Gianyar area to see the making process of organic salt in Kusamba Village. It was scorching hot at that time, but we need to bear it because it is actually a really important activity of the day. Balinese has several organic products production such as soap, aromatherapy, and also food. This salt is special because it is less salty than your regular kitchen salt. So it is good enough for your health. For your information, Indonesia doesn’t really have much attention about using organic products so there aren’t many producers. It is fascinating to see the process also by buying you helped the community. 

Nasi Campur

with Lontong

 

The salt is bathing in the sun

After grilled by the sun for a good 30-45 minutes, we headed to Goa Lawah Temple, which is only a 5-10 minutes away from the organic salt farm. This temple is unique because it is actually a temple with bats living there. Lawah is Balinese word for bats and Goa means cave. So, inside the temple there is a cave with thousand of bats living there. There are few tips before entering Balinese temple. 

One of the Pura in the Goa Temple Lawah complex

After the temple visit, we went to one of the best villages in the world which is Panglipuran Village. It is best known for their cultural value that is still done till this day and their village layout is nicely done. Even though this village has became a tourism destination, the locals are still living here. You should pay the tickets to enter this village. If you came at the perfect time, you can take a really good Instagram worthy picture. You can also get in touch with the locals. Some of the locals opened some souvenir shop as well as food stall so it is tourist friendly. 

Not your usual runway

We had our dinner in a very special way, but I didn’t have the footage because first it was raining second it was too hectic to film. We had a dinner at a night market called Pasar Senggol Gianyar. Well actually this market’s name is unique because the word ‘senggol’ means bump. So the literally meaning is bumping market in Gianyar. But well, market is usually crowded with people, so there is a chance for people bumping into one another. The kids are given allowance for dinner for about 30,000 rupiah. I ate a lot of satay and grilled corn. If you got a chance of seeing grilled corn in Bali or any part of Indonesia, do buy it! In Bali, the best places to buy the grilled corn are near Single Fin (Uluwatu) or Petitenget Beach. With raining still relentlessly falling down, we went back to our hotel and get some rest.

I’ll cut the post into two because I think it is too long and I know how it feels to read a super long blog sometimes kinda boring. Thank you for keeping up till this part. See you on the next post! There will be the highlight of this trip. So make sure to read the next post!