Bali - Gods may live in Himalayas, but they vacation in Bali!

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We had 6:20am flight from Phuket to Bali. Having got only 3 hour sleep the previous night, we slept throughout 4 hour flight to Bali. Arrival and check in was smooth. We took it easy that day by exploring the Kuta and Legion area. These areas are known for good restaurants, bars. We had dinner at Poppies restaurant. It was a garden restaurant and has been running for the last three decades. We ordered their Rice table. It was a Balinese sampler that included 12 different types of curries, chicken and fish satay, fried rice, plain rice and desserts. It was for the first time we had tried Balinese food and were not disappointed. After dinner we headed for some nap time at the hotel.For the next day we had booked a car rental with driver for full day. He picked us at 9:30am and we started the tour by seeing villages where silver work, wood carving was famous. The designs of silver jewllery and wood carvings were one of a kind. Wood work consisted of some depictions from Ramayana ( Hindu mythology), Buddha, Hindu Gods, demons. Our next stop was Mt.Batur. It's a sleeping volcano and was surrounded by greenery and lake. The view was pretty and we had lunch at a buffet restaurant. After lunch we stopped over for picture taking at the rice fields. It's exactly how I've seen in the movies - rice terraces different levels, coconut trees, cloudy weather...picture perfect view. Our next destination was monkey forest. As the name suggests it was a forest full of monkeys :p. they were quite friendly but would hop on you if they saw any kind of food. Close walk from the forest was lovely town of Ubud. This place is the hub or art, culture, shopping at very reasonable prices. We ended up buying flip flops and some accessories for myself for under $2 each! It was about 6pm and vendors were packing up. So we started to head back to our hotel. We reached our hotel about 8ish, freshen up quickly and headed for a town called Seminyak. It was a trendy place with boutique shops and lavish restaurants. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant and enjoyed the live singing. Next day we were checking in at another area in Bali - Nusa Dua. It was a beach resort called Ayodya Bali. The name Ayodya is the place of birth of Lord Rama, located in India. The hotel was huge and had beautiful architecture. We decided to relax at the swimming Pool and relax for the most part of the day. At evening we made reservations at a sea food restaurant called New Moon cafe located at Jimbaran. There was live Balinese dance, seating on the beach, fireworks and great view. We had grilled fish and squids. The food was not as great as we have had in the last couple of days....we were actually paying for the atmosphere. After finishing the dinner and later having walk at the beach, we went to the hotel to have a good night sleep.The morning was relaxing. Sun was out with very few clouds. We took the advantage of the weather and headed for a refreshing swim at the beach and later at the pool. It was afternoon time already and we wanted to check out Uluwatu temple located on the sea shore. There was Balinese dance being performed. Many monkeys around that area. I was standing on one of the stairs, enjoying the sun set view and all of a sudden someone snatched my right earing. As soon as I turned around in panic, I saw a monkey eating and tearing apart my accessory. One of the local boys helped me get it and I kept it as a keepsake. After that we went to Legian for drinks and left for hotel around mid night.Our last day in Bali was Dec 22, 2011. We went to Tanah Lot, a temple located at the south west end of Bali. At the base of the temple poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits. The waves were huge and the view was priceless. We didn't feel like leaving that spot but had to leave for our Balinese massage appointment. We reached just in time and had quick snack as it was dinner time. Reservations were made at Baki Ratu spa located in Kuta. The experience was relaxing and perfect way to end our stay in Bali and move on to our next destination - Singapore.Must eat - at Poppies restaurant try rice tableMust see - Tanah Lot andRice paddiesMust do - visit the town of Ubud

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