Ko Samed-ness

Travel Period : 27 - 30 Oct 2010
Exchange Rate : S$1.00 = 23bht

Took part in Tourism Authority of Thailand's Ultimate Thailand Explorers contest in Oct 2009 with my colleague, Jimmy, and won the Judge's Favourite team under the Koh Samui category (you can watch our contest video here). The prize is a 3 nights' stay at Ao Prao Resort, Ko Samed, valued at US$1,000. So here we are!

Many have heard of Koh Samui, but few know about Ko Samed so I shall share in detail about this island that sits at the crossroad of having both rustic charm and the extravagance of total relaxation. Since we booked the stay months ago, I was looking forward to sun-soak myself in Samed's immaculate waters but an unexpected touch of good fortune thwarted my plans to go lobster red during this trip. I was selected as a finalist for the Urban Homme Icon Challenge.



If you've been following my Urban Homme entries, you would know the hi-tech treatments I'm going through and why I must stay out of the sun's damaging rays at all cost during the contest period. No basking in the sun at a beach resort... it's like having a corked bottle of wine but no opener.

So throughout my stay, I was either holed up in the room watching TV or at the hotel lobby plaguing my friends with my lamentations on Facebook. I wanted to go out and explore more of the island, but it's a hassle and madness to keep dressing up like this...

My terrorist (a.k.a. parking ticket auntie) look. Don't laugh at me or I'll bomb you. Or issue you a fine for illegal humour!

Guests and staff at Ko Samed all gave me a weird look that said, "Poor guy, so young and already loony." But I managed to resist the temptation to not go into the sun, which caused me all my current skin pugmentations from over-exposure in my younger days, and managed to take it real slow on this idyllic island where the best amusement there is, are the thoughts in one's head.

Getting to Ko Samed from Suvarnabhumi Airport

To go to Ko Samed, you have to get to Ban Phe (in the Rayong district) to take a boat. There are two ways you can get to Ban Phe from the airport :

1) Book a pick-up transport with the resort you've made a reservation to stay at. Cost starts from 500 bht and there's a stipulated minimum number of people to travel. If your group size is less than that, you'll have to pay the difference. Eg. Minimum of 4 people to travel for the price of 500bht per pax (2,000bht). If only 2 of you, then you'll have to pay the price for 4 (2,000bht). Journey takes about 3 hours.

2) Take public transport which costs about 200bht per person. Journey takes about 4 to 5 hours.

For 15bht one-way, you can now take the Bangkok Rail Link to the city. It takes about 30 minutes to go from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the connecting Phaya Thai BTS Station.

We took the public transport option and although it sounds complicated, it is actually pretty simple because of clear sign-posting and the ever helpful Thai people. Here's how to take public transport to Ban Phe / Rayong :

- Take Airport Rail Link (at B1 of Suvarnabhumi Airport) to Makkasan Station (15bht). Exit station and go to Phetchaburi Station.

- Take MRT from Phetchaburi to Asok Station (20bht). Exit station and go to Sukhumvit Station (they're linked).

- Take BTS from Sukhumvit to Ekkamai Station (25bht). Exit station and walk to Eastern Bus Terminal.

- Take bus from Eastern Bus Terminal to Ban Phe / Rayong. If you buy a one-way ticket, it's 157bht. If you buy return, the coming back ticket costs 117bht (40bht discount), so total cost is 274bht.

The bus is air-conditioned with basic comforts and come with an attached toilet. That's important because there're no rest stops throughout the journey. Thankfully I have my new LG Optimus One phone to keep me entertained.

Rayong District - Gateway to Ko Samed

The spelling for Ko Samed can be confusing. Sometimes it is spelt with a 'd', sometimes with a 't' as in Ko Samet. But they mean the same place. 'Ban Phe' is also sometimes spelt Baan Phe, while Ao Prao can have the following permutations - Ao Phrao and Ao Phoa. A case of being different but same, same. However, it caused me some concerns because in Thailand, a letter difference may land me in a totally different place (eg. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. 'M' and 'R' dictates totally different destinations). After much research and comparison of websites, I decided that the common spelling are 'Ko Samed', 'Ban Phe', and 'Ao Prao'.

The difference in spelling was not the end to my confusion. When I posted on Facebook to ask for help in getting to Ban Phe Pier, I got directions on how to get to Rayong. Fact is, Ban Phe is located in Rayong, so are a few other piers, and it's sort of the gateway to get to Ko Samed.

You know you've reached Rayong when the bus journey's scenery changes from pastures of willowy gigantic lalangs to an overcrowding of shops selling beautiful shell curtains and crafts.

Rayong is a very small seaside fishing town with the very pronounced and distinctive smell of sea harvests such as fish, shrimp and squid drying in the sun. Which means that if you're going to purchase dried seafood here, they're guaranteed to be 'fresh'.

The small dusty town of Rayong produces lots of dried seafood and decorative knick-knacks made from seashells. For as low as 15bht, you can bring home a hanging pendulum of shells.

I think it is possible to explore Rayong on foot although there weren't any attractions except for this huge market opposite the bus station that sells local produce. If you like dried cuttlefish tidbits, buying here would be cheaper than in Bangkok. For the same grammage, a pack of the snack costs 100bht at Rayong and 150bht at Mahboonkhrong in Bangkok. I'm still kicking myself for not buying at Rayong.

Boats depart daily for Ko Samed from the various piers according to a fixed schedule (hourly during morning and evening peak hours, and at about two hour intervals during off-peak periods).

Our boat transfer at Ban Phe Pier was included in the prize package so we had to locate the Ao Prao representative office which belongs to the Samed Resorts group. It took us about 10 minutes to walk from the bus station to the office and along the way, motorcycle 'taxis' offered to take us there for 20bht. I didn't mind taking up the transport offer but I couldn't imagine how am I going to balance my lugguages on the bike. Plus, there're two of us. We sure don't want to be the town's circus act.

I don't know the price of the boat ride but I think there're two options - bumboat and speedboat. We were given the speedboat land-to-island transfer which took less than 15 minutes. I presume it takes longer with bumboat and ferrying duration may also vary according to which pier you're landing at on Samed. Although fast, the speedboat ride was rather bumpy, but I liked it because it jostled my bones after a long bus ride and added excitement!

Transport on the Island & Sai Kaew

Ko Samed is not a very big island shaped like a gun and there're a few ways you can get around the island - hire a 'taxi', rent a motorcycle, or rent a four-wheel dirt bike. My advice is take the 'taxi' which is a small pick-up lorry rather than a car. They don't run on meter and it's a fixed rate according to distance. Getting from Ao Prao to Sai Kaew, another beach resort across the broadest section of the island, cost us 200bht one-way. The ride was about 20 minutes not so much because Sai Kaew is far, but because the road is unpaved and very bumpy.



Especially when it rains, water is trapped in the many potholes of the muddy road and you'll have to be prepared to get dirty riding the motorcycle or dirt bike. As the roads are unpaved, it is also not advisable for anyone without experience in riding a motorcycle to try because the road conditions are accident-traps.

The four-wheelers are a better and more stable option. It looked fun too and I almost wanted to rent one and ride around the island on the last day there but decided against it since Jimmy left a day earlier and I was all alone. Best not to venture when no one knows your whereabouts in case something happens.

This busy road lined with shops, restaurants and bars is the 'Orchard Road' of Ko Samed. It has a rustic kampong appeal spoilt only by the polished establishment of 7-Eleven shops... an absolute necessity for recognising something familiar in a foreign land.

I was told that tourists can rent motorcycles or dirt bikes at Sai Kaew and leave it at the resort for the rental operator to pick up when they leave. I don't know how much the rental is but it costs about 300bht to rent a motorcycle and 500bht for a dirt bike for a day with the transport operator found at the entrance to Ao Prao Beach (there're several beaches around the coast of Ko Samed and Ao Prao is just one of them).

Sai Kaew Beach seem to cater more to the local Thai population with a wide offering of sea sports activities.

Sai Kaew has its own beach. I didn't explore much of it because it was raining and it was starting to get dark when the downpour stopped. We had a very late lunch at a beachfront restaurant there and the food's not too bad. For about 1,000bht, we had Tom Yum Gai, stir-fried vegetable, pork omelette, big-head prawns with rice vermicelli, a glass of white wine, a coconut and a banana split.

Ao Prao Resort

Tucked in a private and secluded spot at the end of Ao Prao Beach, Ao Prao Resort is a quiet sanctuary filled with lush greenery and offers a great sunset view. It incorporates the natural surrounding into its landscape and design, giving it a back to nature feel with the comforts of the modern necessities an urban folk like me is used to.

Lazing by the poolside of Ao Prao resort with chilled wine while waiting for sunset would make for an awesomely romantic holiday. How I wish I wasn't undergoing makeover treatments and I wasn't there with Jimmy!

The service at the resort was fast and personable with the staff ever polite and helpful. I was pleasantly surprised on the day of my check-out when I just took my lugguage out of the chalet and a staff promptly came up the stairs to carry my bags. Talk about intuitive service!

Ao Prao Resort is great for anyone looking to take a break from city life due to its location at the secluded end of Ao Prao Beach.

The breakfast buffet was pretty good too. It had a good spread of local Thai offerings as well as Western breakfast favourites (ham, toast, cereals, open salads, etc). My favourite was the Thai-styled soups that changed daily and the thick, creamy and satisfying warm soya bean milk.

Jimmy and I were very thrifty. We usually filled up on breakfast so that we can skip lunch because eating at the resort was financial homicide. An order of Pineapple Rice cost about S$16.00 and a Chicken Burger with fries and salad on the side cost S$13.00. But I must say, the Pineapple Rice was worth that price with the fresh succulent prawns and presentation in the hollowed out husk of a pineapple.

Our seafront chalet was right next to the resort's lobby so it was very convenient. We could hear the live band music nightly and the beach was literally at our doorstep.

We had wanted two single beds but we were told it's further up hill so we decided to stick with this king-size bed room which offered a fantastic view of the beach with a floor-to-ceiling picture window and was located right next to the resort's reception and restaurant.

The room was spacious and delightfully furnished with natural wood, a look that instantly brings about an inner calm and relaxation of the mind. The only bummer was the lack of a bathtub to soak in, especially in the still of night, and just listening to the gentle waves washing ashore outside.

Flowers were laid out daily on the bed and in the bathroom whenever the room was made-up. They really brightened up my day with their delicate beauty and a reminder that a flower doesn't bloom forever, so I must seize the day and enjoy the height of each blossoming moment.

Ao Prao Beach

As mentioned earlier, there are several beach coast on Ko Samed. Ao Prao Beach is probably one of the shortest and most accessible stretch from mainland. The beach has fine white sand and extends for a few kilometres into the sea. I could walk very far offshore with my my head still above the waters and the surf is very gentle and great for swimming.

Sunlight filtering through tall, balmy coconut trees and the incessant sea breeze instilled an appreciation of life that's hard to come by living in the concrete jungle that is Singapore.

In many ways, this trip felt less than fulfilling. Firstly, it was because I couldn't exposure myself to too much sun and secondly, given the kind of setting and atmosphere, Ao Prao Resort and beach would be great for romance or enjoy a private time with family and friends. Being there with a colleague didn't bring out the full potential of the place although Jimmy is forever a creative and interesting person to hang out with. But somehow, something is amiss.

Ao Prao Beach faces the sunset so it's a surprise at every end of the day anticipating what the colours will be like before the night and its stars take over this piece of islandic paradise.

I feel that with a place like Ao Prao, it's either you're here with someone you love or you're here with a group of friends. To be here with just one person you work with doesn't quite unleash the full magic of this place or get mad over it.

But I am very thankful to the Tourism Authority of Thailand for this opportunity to explore Ko Samed and putting a destination on my next romantic escapade!



For more photos, please visit my album Ko Samed-ness.

Bali - Things That Make You Go Hmm...

One of my favourite activities whenever I travel is to seek out the unusual. If I get a culture shock, that trip would be rated with an A+. With Bali, I'm giving it an A++ (Bangkok gets an A+++++). It may still be mild compared to Bangkok but Bali is definitely one of the more unforgettable places I've been to. There's a sense of surprise, something different at almost every corner.

Here's a collection of things I found rather amusing / funny / thought-provoking... things that gave me the "hmm" moment.

Neither do they have commissment to be honest. Be VERY CAREFUL when changing money in Bali and ALWAYS count the money again when you receive it even if the money changer had counted it in front of you. Always count again before walking off.

Can you spot the reckless massacre of the English language on this price board? Even though the majority of tourists on the island are Caucasian, English proficiency of the Balinese is generally low. And the Malay language used differs slightly from what we're used to in Singapore & Malaysia.

The stickers are loud and their proclamations are crude. And they're all over the place! There are even ones with your name on it and declares you are gay! If you're looking for something to make a bold statement, nothing beats these in your face stickers that costs about Rp 10,000 a piece.

Katy Perry must've gotten the inspiration for her new hit, Peacock, in Bali. Instead of being treated as smut, penises are good luck charms in Hinduism where the Lord Shiva is sometimes represented as a phallic-shaped edifice both large and small. The population in Bali is mainly Hindu so you can expect to see many of these key chains around. Also check out the mega-sized penis bottle openers when there!

Kamasutra is practiced as a Hindu ritual of love and sex to open the channel to nirvana through orgasm. I've seen Kamasutric positions shown through human form but not with what apparently looks like Buddha as depicted in this painting. Is Buddha turning blue from resisting the temptation?



Surprisingly, the nightlife in Bali is pretty dead. We went to the huge Double Six Club at almost midnight and we were the only ones there. Many of the other posh looking clubs were also empty on a Saturday night. On the contrary, a small club along the main road to Seminyak was happening and filled. The club, Alijoe, is patronised mostly by men (if you get what I mean). Drinks are expensive there and kinda boring if not for the rather amusing drag shows. Can you guess which diva is being impersonated here?



The best way to enjoy nature, is to do it al naturele! Seems like the Balinese don't have too much problems with nudity. Apart from these boys enjoying the cool rock pool, I've seen farmers urinating in their farms with their dicks hanging out, and old ladies with their breasts reaching their navels walking topless in the suburban outskirts.



Apart from the scary masks, colouful 3D kites and statues of Buddha, the other common sounvenirs one would find in Bali are highly decorated wood carved geckos. The gecko is a symbol of regeneration. When it loses its tail, one grows back. Just like when man conquers extreme adversity and comes out of it with a new self.



Bali - So Culture, Very Nature

Dates of Exploration : 29 Sep - 5 Oct 2010

For many years, Bali eluded me. It was for me, what a transparent glass jar full of candy high on a shelf would be for a child. Or a very short person. Who likes sweets. I was that financially short person who never quite had the means to reach it. Bali isn't an expensive place to go to from Singapore but when one starts realising just how hard-earned money is, spending it became a personal taboo.

I joined the workforce in 2000 and Bali has always been a place I wanted to visit. Friends who've been there all raved about it. When I saved up enough, that's where I'm gonna go. Then in 2002, the Bali bombing happened and its appeal as a tropical paradise went up in smoke.

Handsome as it stands, the epitaph is an ugly keloid on the history of Indonesia that marked the worst act of terrorism to date. Extremism is a killer.

Who could forget that terrible turn of events on 12 Oct 2002 when religious extremists bombed Paddy's Bar and Sari Club, two popular nightspots at the tourist district of Jl Legian in Kuta, leaving more than 200 dead and scores injured? Then 3 years later, on 1 Oct 2005, another series of terrorist suicide bombings exploded in Kuta and the neighbouring Jambaran beach resort. Holidaying in Bali became sort of a roulette suicide mission in itself.

But the terrorist situation seems to have diffused in the last couple of years with increased security collaboration between the Indonesian government and the various embassies, especially Australia. So I decided it’s time to visit this island of the gods.



AIRFARE & ACCOMODATION

My airfare was booked about 4 months in advance during a Jetstar promotion. For accommodation, we decided to spend 3 nights in Kuta and 3 nights in Seminyak. Kuta and Seminyak are along the same stretch of beach. While the Kuta area is more vibrant and messy, the Seminyak district has a laid-back feel with many nice-looking hotels and resorts. In-between the 2 is the Legian area where its beach is known as Double Six. It is possible to walk along the beach from Kuta to Legian to Seminyak in about an hour.

Jetstar Ticket : S$28.00 return – not inclusive of Rp 150,000 (S$22.50) airport tax paid when departing from Bali

Exchange Rate : S$1.00 = Rp 6,670 / Rp 1,000 = S$0.15

Tune Hotel, Kuta : Approx. S$25.00 per Single Room per night

The Tune budget hotel chain is great value for just having a place to sleep at night. I’ve stayed in Tune Penang and Tune Kuching and my experiences were always pleasant. This hotel choice is great when you’ve travelling with friends because the cheap rates mean you can get a room each rather than having to share.

Basic room amenities with no frills, Tune hotels are ideal for budget travellers who won't be spending much time in the room.

In Bali, there’re 2 Tune Hotels – Kuta and Legian. I don’t know about the Legian one, but the Single Room option in Kuta feels like a jail cell. A small window in the room opens out to a common corridor. In Penang and Kuching, the rooms have large windows that provided street or city views. Tune Kuta is about a 5-minute walk to Kuta Beach so it’s pretty convenient.

Harmony Hotel, Seminyak : Approx. S$85 per Deluxe Room per night

The Harmony Hotel resembles a collection of semi-detached houses facing a common pool. The rooms are spacious so it was very comfortable even for triple-sharing. There’s nothing really wow about the hotel but I love it that there’s free wi-fi and free use of the hotel’s computers that comes with Photoshop CS2 for image editing! The internet connection was pretty fast too.

Harmony Hotel Seminyak is a cozy & small hotel where you're very likely to know all the guests staying there within a very short time.

The staff was friendly, the pool relaxing and the hotel environment is clean and tidy. The only thing that sucked at this hotel was its boring breakfast which hardly had any variety in its menu. There were only 4 items and I had to pay when I asked for 2 sunny side up eggs.

TRANSPORTATION IN BALI

For tourists, the best way to travel around Bali is by hiring a car and driver. All hotels have cars for hire or you could just get a metered cab on the streets. Every few steps you take, there will be cab and private car drivers who will ask to take you around so there’s really no need to worry about transport. There are other modes of transport such as the bemo, which is basically a van, and buses that the locals ride in but I never saw a bemo or bus-stop so I have no idea where to get on or get off.

The flag down rate for a cab is Rp 5,000 (S$0.75); each increment per kilometer is Rp 4,500, and if you require the cab to wait for you while you visit the tourist attractions, a charge of Rp 30,000 (S$4.50) per hour applies.

Traffic in Bali : Skinny roads, fat vans & APVs, hundreds of motorcycles, few traffic rules... It's a science being a pedestrian here.

Generally, the cab drivers will try to get you to book their cab for the whole day to go sightseeing and they all come prepared with a chart listing all the attractions. They can also suggest an itinerary for you. Booking a cab for a full day of about 10 hours is around Rp 300,000 (S$45.00). If the places you want to go to cover long distances, the driver may ask for an additional petrol charge which ranges from Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 (S$7.50 – S$15.00). If you hire transport from the hotel, the petrol charges are mandatory but with transport hired off the streets, you can always negotiate with the driver.

On our first day, the 3 of us booked a 7-seater APV from Tune Hotel for 10 hours at the published rate of Rp 360,000 / S$54.00. We also had to pay a Rp 100,000 charge for petrol. But our day's tour lasted 13 hours so we paid an additional Rp 100,000 for the over time. In the end, we paid a total of Rp 560,000 / S$84.00 for the day trip (S$28.00 per person) which brought us to Batubulan (to watch Barong and Kris Dance), Royal Family Temple, Goa Gajah (Elephant Temple), Gunung Kawi temple, Tirta Empul temple, Batur Volcano, Tegallalang rice terraces, Kokokan (bird watching) and Ubud Palace (to watch Legong Trance & Paradise Dance).

A great way to zip around Bali is the motorcycle. Most rental places don't ask to see your license but if you have no experience at all, better don't try because the traffic lacks discipline and the roads are not well sign-posted.

A 10-hour packaged day tour with a similar itinerary costs between US$35.00 and US$45.00, so booking our own transport seemed like cheaper way to explore Bali. However, when factoring in all the entrance fees to the attractions and meals, following a packaged tour if you don't have many travelling companions may be a better deal. But of course, the good thing about having our own transport is that we don't have to follow a group schedule and can take our time to see the sights and skip those we're not interested in. The exception is if you intend to go white water rafting because it is more economical to join a package tour.

We also tried the flag-down cab mode of transport on our fourth day. After some negotiation, we paid Rp 300,000 / S$45.00 for an 8-hour day tour. The fare includes petrol and the cab driver suggested places for us to visit. We were brought to the center of Ubud where we visited the Ubud Palace, Ubud Market, had Babi Guling, visited the Monkey Forest Temple, Mengwi Temple, and Tanah Lot sea temple. Other than an occasional jam during peak hours, traffic in Bali is pretty smooth flowing.

This is Nyoman, our booked driver with the APV from Tune Hotel. On hindsight, it may be better to hire transport off the streets because with hotel transport, the drivers will bring you to eat at places where they probably get a commission from so you don't choice.

CULTURAL ENCHANTMENTS

As soon as I stepped out of the Bali airport, the first thing I noticed was that the air smells different. It smells of the sea. And the other thing I noticed was the distinctive motifs and cultural emblems used in Balinese architecture.

The whole island is one big intricately carved living museum of culture and arts. Everywhere we went, original modern art is infused with the traditional artistry of elaborate temples. The island should be called Bartli.

Saw the traditional Legong dance for the first time and I immediately fell in love with it. Totally mesmerised by the precision grace of the dancers and their big, expressive eyes.

The interesting thing about Bali is that it is a Hindu island in a Muslim country. That explains the strong Hinduism-Buddhism influences in its artistic heritage. Many of the stories and myths in the Mahabharata and Ramayana school of Buddhism comes alive in gigantic statues scattered around the island that mark the junctions of important roads, in traditional dances such as the Legon, Dagong and Kecak, and on carvings of thousands of beautiful temples.

The accentuated way that a day says "goodbye" was made even more spectacular with the 15th century Tanah Lot Temple.

One cannot be considered to have visited Bali if you have not seen the captivating Legong dance and the awe-inspiring Tanah Lot and Uluwatu sea temples. Especially at sunset. The magnificent blend of man-made wonder with Mother Nature’s splendid colours created a view so beautiful, I wanted to cry. Sunset in Bali starts at 6:00 pm so be there by that time to catch the best moments.

NATURAL AMUSEMENTS

I’ve always thought there’s nothing more to Bali than just temples and beaches, but I was so wrong when I realized just how many amusements parks of nature there are on the island. Rice terraces and never-ending stretches of corn fields aside, the island bleeds with countless rivers and waterfalls, and offers a wide range of activities to delight in nature’s bosoms.

Dense forests, raging rivers, wide beaches, live volcanoes and a whole lot of monkey business... Bali truly brings nature to your doorstep.

From close encounters with monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest Temple, to seeing live volcanoes, to jungle trekking and swimming with dolphins, I wished I could do them all. But alas, budget and time decided that I should not be greedy and save them for future visits to Bali. Yes, I’ll definitely go back again.

Bali is dominated by 2 volcanoes - Agung and Batur. The majestic Batur volcano (this photo) is still active and hiking trips can be taken to see its lava pools.

Of all the encounters with nature in this trip, my most memorable experience was white water rafting at the Tegala Wala river. I’ll share more about it later in a post dedicated to it because riding directly on the raw power of nature was just simply too awesome!

SHOPPING & FOOD

If there’s only one thing you remember about shopping in Bali is to BARGAIN. Everything can and should be bargained. And you can push the prices down as low as just 20% of the asking price. Yes, I’m not kidding. I have lots of anecdotes in being a fool to pay a higher price. The following are some examples…

Bali will put shopaholics into overdrive. There're tons of shops everywhere and the Ubud Market (this photo) will tempt even the most retail adverse to buy something.

Sunglasses – I bought a pair of sunglasses at a shop for Rp 50,000 / S$7.50. Then when I was at the beach, I was offered the exact same pair of glasses for Rp 20,000.

Straw Hat – The asking price for a woven straw hat was Rp 150,000 / S$22.50. I offered Rp 40,000. No deal. I raised it to Rp 60,000. Still no deal. I walked away. I was promptly called back and sold the hat for Rp 60,000 / S$9.00.

Henna Tattoo – I first got a rather large henna tattoo on my back for Rp 70,000 / S$10.50. On the next day, I got a slightly smaller but equally intricate tattoo on my arm for just Rp 20,000 / S$3.00.

Didn't really do much shopping but I did buy 2 henna tattoos, a straw hat, a necklace with a pendant that is the symbol of Bali, 3 sunglasses and a Bali t-shirt.

One of the best ways to bargain is when you already possess a piece of the item, eg. sunglasses. When the vendors on the beach saw me wearing the sunglasses, they asked how much I got it for. Even though I got it for Rp 50,000, I said Rp 40,000. And the next thing I knew, I was offered 2 of the exact same sunglasses in different colours for Rp 40,000. Same thing with the tattoo. They saw, they asked the price and offered a lower price to get more tattoos on me.

If they don’t want to lower the price, just walk away. There’re many shops and vendors selling the same things. They’ll likely ask you back. In fact, you can’t walk 2 steps without someone trying to sell you something or offer to drive you around. It can be irritating but I guess tourism hasn’t been reinstated after all the bomb scares.

The famous Ibu Oca Babi Guling (Ibu Oca roast suckling pig) near Ubud Palace is well deserving of its fame. I've never tasted pork of such soft texture, it's like liquid meat.

As for food, it’s generally not cheap in Bali. A meal will set you back for about S$5.00 even at the local warungs (foodstalls like Singapore’s local coffeeshops). The most expensive meal I had was at The Cruise restaurant at Jimbaran, a popular area for fresh seafood where you dine on the beach. The dinner for 2 set us back about S$55.00 for 3 dishes (squid, fish, and prawns) and 2 small glasses of white wine. Taste-wise, it’s not bad but not so unusual that I think they’re worth the price.

The best food we had was at Warung Murah in Seminyak. It is like a chap chye beung (mixed vegetable rice) stall in Singapore but the food is delicious at a reasonable price. I love the chicken skewer and beef curry there. Address : Jln. Double Six, No. 99. Another yummylicious place to eat is a fastfood outlet, Es Teler77, at Discovery Shopping Centre in Kuta. The avocado, coconut and jackfruit dessert is divine.



CELEBRATING LIFE IN BALI

There’s no reason to not celebrate or enjoy life in Bali. It may not be polished or offer the convenience of city-living but there’s a certain magic in the atmosphere where one can live it up, or find solace in the abundance of nature.

For a place that has survived terrible acts against the freedom of belief, Bali invokes a sense of peace that’s not to be taken for granted. While its people are friendly and cheerful, there’s no denying that life is pretty hard there. And the best way to forget about life’s troubles is to celebrate with the Kuta Karnival which is held every year around late September to early November to heal the 2002 tragedy.

Explore Life Lah! loves the theme for this year's Kuta Karnival which calls for a Celebration of Life!

For a first time visit to Bali, I can see many reasons to celebrate life there. If it’s not for the beaches, culture and nature, it is purely for the fact that a piece of paradise like this exists on earth. Please let peace prevail.

World Expo 2010 - Cultures of a Global Tribe

This will be my last post in the series about the pavilions I visited during the Shanghai World Expo 2010. I hope that through the photos, videos and words, it can help bring back memories of the experience if you've been there and serve as an information resource for those of you planning to go before it ends in a month's time.

And for you who will miss the Expo this time round, I hope that by going through my total of 9 entries spanning topics from the rewards and woes of my visitation, to a comparison amongst the ASEAN pavilions, a peek at some European pavilions, and reviews of individual country pavilions, it will feel as if you've been to the World Expo too.

The whole experience was truely amazing. To see countries put aside their political differences and come together in one place was heartening for me. We may be from different countries but our basic needs for safe food, clean water, and stable shelter are the same. We share the same dreams and aspirations for a better life despite the languages that we speak.

More importantly, the voice of environmentalism ran strong in many of the pavilions. Our environment knows no boundaries. We are not immune to each other's actions that harm the land we live in. When forest fires burn in Indonesia, we get choking haze in Singapore and Malaysia. When the US mortgage crisis erupted, we headed for an international meltdown of the financial markets. We may have our own cultures and traditions but there's no denying we are one global tribe.

This post will be different from the previous entries in that there are no reviews about the pavilions. Since the focus is on culture, there's really no way to form an opinion of whether one is better than the other. Our culture is a celebration of us, so in this post, I'll just let the photos do the talking. When viewed with all my other World Expo entries, this should form a nice introduction as the older posts appear after this one. I hope you'll enjoy it...

Africa Pavilion













Angola Pavilion









Nepal Pavilion











Morocco Pavilion