18th July 2011: Last day at Nikoi

Our last day at Nikoi! Cant imagine that..although there’s no TV, time just flew so quickly..cant bear to leave this paradise..we walked around the island..absorbing bits of the sun, clouds, sea, sand, stones etc..slowly while waiting for our ferry timing.

Sitting by the swing and looking at the sea is our fav pastime at Nikoi.

Beautiful Sky at Noon time

We had a great lunch and coconut drink before saying goodbye to Nikoi.

I never knew there’s such an island existing in the world. It’s very untouched, out of the city, full of nature.

There are times when we see no one at where we are standing along the beach. Is just us, the sky, clouds and the sand. There’s no overcrowding. You are awaken by the sea waves and birds chirping and you sleep with no airconditioning but just the wind from the sea, which can be real chilly!

A truly unique experience at Nikoi..we hope to be there again soon!when we get too stressed up at Singapore and needs a break!

17th July 2011: Exploring Nikoi

We requested for breakfast to be delivered to our beach house this morning with no charges, but we felt obligatory to give some tips. The breakfast was sumptious!

Gave us the energy needed to last for the morning.

We made our way to the nature trails and saw some interesting plants. There are many flora and fauna on Nikoi, also some animal species like the MalayanWater Monitor, the 2^nd largest lizard in the world. We also saw the common house gecko.

However, there were too many mosquitoes along the trail that they bit us relentlessly although we had mosquito patches and sprayed insect repellant!

A swim in the pool was our next activity. One adult and one children pool. The bar is just next to the pools. And many people were seen relaxing under the shade or doing the free activity: suntanning!

Shortly after, lunch comes next. Today’s lunch was yet again delicious with yummy Balinese fish and a baked double cheesecake to top up the meal. We really felt that the meals were so far very well planned and very delicious.

They have met our expectations and the experience eating was made even better with the hospitality displayed by the staff. We felt a little lazy after that and walked slowly back to the beach house along the beach. One thing to comment is that the beach is really clean and the water is very clear. Walking along the beach while the waves come through is one activity we really enjoyed!

Of cuz, phototaking is a must and we had a couple of shots before taking a lazy afternoon nap!

After the nap, massage comes next. Got to get recharged at times when you live in stressful Singapore..well, it’s our 1^st time doing the Balinese style of full body massage and I must say I felt a little nervous of what this is all about. At the end of 1h 15min, my limbs were relaxed and I felt recharged indeed!

Sunset viewing is a must in Nikoi. Seeing yesterday’s sunset, I wondered if today will also be magical. I packed my gear to get a good viewing spot.The clouds were dramatic but were unlike yesterday when the clouds filter the sunlight to give shades of red, pink, purple, blue, yellow and orange.Below is a pic of Day 2’s sunset. To me, these sunsets are really so much better than what Ive seen in Singapore. So for those who are keen in sunset photography, Nikoi Island may be your next hideout!

Sunset ends at around 720pm. We made our way to the restaurant for our 2^nd dinner. Tonight is grilled chicken, chocolate brownie. Before these, is the yummy salad. The meals in Nikoi are always 3 course meal:The appetizer, the main, and the dessert. We really felt the meals were very well prepared, yummy and were wondering what the chefs look like!

Something greeted our eyes after dinner…something which both of us never saw before..the entire sky was lit with stars! Hundreds perhaps but it was the 1^st time we saw this beautiful starry starry night. We hurried back to the beach house and rested on the bench facing the sky. Stars everywhere..little diamonds high up in the sky. Too bad I cant take any good pics of the stars! The eyes are always the best lens that one can have! And we saw shooting stars too! Wishes were made, hoping to come true!

16th July 2011: Arrival at Nikoi Island

We both made a decision 3 months ago that Nikoi Island will be our next getaway! Nikoi Island appeared to be the top of the list as ranked in Tripadvisor. The whole concept of tourism at this island is based on ecotourism. Something new to both of us. We checked out its beach house accommodation and realized there’s no aircon, no TV, just a bed, one iPod Dock, and the plus point is the rooms face the beautiful sea.

Just a quick intro: Nikoi sland is a small island within Indonesia. It’s located 8km away from the east coast of the largest island of Pulau Bintan.

The beach houses are well ventilated by the sea breezes. Imagine listening to the sea waves whilst you enter dream land and waking up to a beautiful sky, sea, clouds right in front of your eyes.

The water over at Nikoi is filtered, UV treated. Hot water is being heated by solar panels. Some of the activities you can do are swimming, water sports like kayaking,snorkel, diving, sailing, trekking along its nature trails, massage, fishing..or just sit back, relax!

Clear Waters

We made our way to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal early morning, took a 45min ferry to Pulau Bintan, where we are greeted by representative from Nikoi Island. Then, we embarked on a 1h car ride to reach a pier. We finally took a speedboat to reach Nikoi Island.

I cannot further emphasize the hospitality of this island as you will greeted by its staff with their warmest and friendly smiles. Meals are calculated per day, in which the cost includes breakfast, lunch, dinner. They have various menus and they are flexible if you have special requests. For me, I don’t take beef and they provided me with very nice chicken/fish in replacement.

Restaurant

Our lunch was splendid and tasty. I’ll let the pics do the talking

After lunch, we checked into our beach house and were fascinated by the style that the house portrayed. Huge, beautiful, clean, airy..and facing the most beautiful sea that I have ever seen. The strong breezes from the sea made airconditioning non essential. It gets rather cold at night in fact that I feel; like in winter. Each and every feature of the house is dutifully designed to give the impression of being relaxed with nature. Same goes for the toilet and the balcony.

One thing to note, there is no key to each beachhouse. But, safety wise is still very good. You are advised to keep your valuables in the safe box present in the house.

Our 1^st activity we took was kayaking. It has been near to decade ever since I last kayaked, remembered it was Sec 3 outdoor camp. This time, I got a refresher course from Dear who patiently taught ne how to kayak well..Phew, what an experience and I truly enjoyed it. I was simply too afraid to drop into the sea as the waves were rather strong and I do not know how to swim haha

The kayak

Then, we went back, rested well enough before leaving the beach house to see the sunset. It was the most spectacular sunset that I have ever seen. Previously, I saw some pics that some people took of Nikoi Island. I thought how could it be possible to see the sky changes into so many colors during sunset. It dawned on me when I saw the reality right in front of my eyes during that day’s sunset. Simply spectacular!

The one and only sunset that left a deep impact in us!

We also flew our penguin kite during sunset time. It was very windy by the sea, weather was great, sky colors were beautiful…simply breathtaking! Go to Nikoi to experience that!

Flying HIgh

Champagne

Sunset happened around 530pm to 7pm. By then, it was pitch dark and we made our way to the restaurant for our dinner. Today’s dinner was special and I loved the dessert the most, full of choco and cookies!

We went back to the beach house after dinner, taking a slow stroll..Something about Nikoi is that everywhere is filled with sand..be it the restaurant..or the footpaths..It brings you closer to nature if you walk barefooted on it..Listening to the seabreeze and not watching TV is simply a luxury you ‘ve got to experience in Nikoi.

And before this day ends, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise from Dear!

We’re looking forward to our 2^nd day in Nikoi. Lights out!

Exploring Bali Day 3: 090809

This is the swimming pool at our villa

To avoid having regrets of not visiting beaches in Bali, we decide to go to Semniyak Beach nearby our Villa..about 15min walk.. heard that Kuta beach was filled with so many people on the entire beach..and the traffic to Kuta, we saw on the previous 2 days was horrendous..going to Semniyak beach was a great choice in the morning.. beautiful sea, strong waves, dogs running around, people jogging..and people windsurfing..

Us caught in action

Us+Our Shadows+Beautiful Beach & Sky

Beach Therapy to our tired legs!

Carefree Dogs

My loyal Crocs

We met up with another tour guide from Bali Day Trip for our Day 3 adventures..
1st stop was to view Barong and Keris Dance..kinda expensive for this dance as compared to Uluwatu Kecak dance..This dance represents an eternal fight between the good and evil spirit in general..quite interesting too..lasted about an hour..

After the dance, we made our way to Ubud..so many shops selling arts and craft..pottery..sculptures..is really that Many until I cant believe it..but the artwork is very beautiful...if you intend to design your houses with Balinese style of furniture..you gotta come to Ubud to choose...is a heaven..haha
Ubud is very much touristy as we saw many Australians, French, and tourists from other ctys..shops look more established and expensive haha..

And we stopped over at this Ubud Market, also located near to Ubud Palace..

Ubud Market sells so many things..but the prices are much more expensive than Sukawati Market..haha..felt kinda glad to purchase our stuff at Sukawati Market haha..

Ubud Tourism Office
We cant really find good maps of Bali..heard that you need to purchase in order to get a good map haha..so remember to purchase a Bali map if you wanna explore alone or just use Lonely Planet..

We had lunch at this Ayu Restaurant..and tried many types of local food like Lewar..Yellow rice..which has this Jackfruit Curry cooked into something that looks entirely like meat..but to our astonishment..it is jackfruit!haha..amazing~

Siyin with her CHicken Lewar..

Yellow Rice

Didnt manage to try the Avocado Fresh Juice, heard to be very refreshing, but it was not in season at the current moment..

Pork Sate...in peanut sauce..super nice!
After lunch, we made a stopover at Tegalalang Rice Terraces to have some nice snapshots!

And moved on up the mountains to Mount Batur..
weather was so cloudy..what a pity..but the breathtaking size of the volcano still kept us in awe..and was also at this area where we encountered some very persistent sellers..
haha!
Mount Batur

Xiaoting and Siyn...targets of the persistent sellers while I was busy snapping away haha!


The girl looking at Mount Batur...
Me with Mount Batur..

The feel over there at Mount Batur was like in clouds.in Genting Highlands or in Cameron Highlands..very cool feeling..with mists of clouds surrounding us..and I was almost trapped in the toilet located at Mount Batur...ALMOST...cuz of the creaky door..teaches me a lesson:
To Stay Calm at All Times!

We went off to Spice Garden to see the different fruits and plants in Bali..and tasted Bali Coffee as well...

Young mangosteens
Coffee
Cocoa

And the famous Luwak Coffee and its origin..from the following civit-like animal

THat's its faeces..or rather intact-beans used to make the coffee!very expensive coffee lorz..I forgot the price..not allowed to sample it cuz it was too expensive!haha
We bought Bali flower essence at this place..good for relaxation..can be used in massage or for aromatherapy..

Our next stop was the Tirta Empul Temple..or the Temple of the Holy water..the Balinese split gate was also seen here..worshippers were seen here making offerings..and them bathing and praying in the main pool filled with koi and fed by sacred spring water from the fountains..

It was said that if you can see a white and black eel fish in the following pool..you are in LUCK! So many tour groups brought tourists to the pool to see if they are lucky enuf..but is not EASY to see..you gotta see both eels..

Worshippers praying and bathing in the pool..

The pond to see the black eel and the white eel..


Legs dipped in the pond

We had some shopping at the market near this temple..had some final shopping at reasonable prices..and made our way to Kuta region..to see the Bali bombing memorial site in Kuta..Kuta is like Bugis Street in Sg...filled with Billabong shops..pubs..restaurants..Polo Ralph Shops..D&G Shops..also look a bit like Holland Village..haha..

We requested the driver to bring us to a shop selling local food..he brought us to this shop along Legian Road to have this Nasi Campur..huge variety of 配料..chicken..pork..veggies..egg..wow..all at a price of 15000Rp..amounting to about sgd2..


After the dinner..we made our way to the airport..was 2h earlie when we reached there..and we saw so many tourists reaching Bali..currently is the peak season..
we checked in smoothly..having luffs at the waiting area of the pics we took..

The DFS area for shopping inside the airport was quite established and has much things to look at..all of us were very sleepy..so eager to enter the boarding gate at 0010 as stated on our itinerary..but there was huge confusion at the airport as a single gate handles all 3 planes flying off at around the same time..it was very disorganised and we only managed to fly off after a 30min delay..
totally appreciate Changi Airport hehe -_-

It was a refreshing trip to Bali this time..though we didnt try water rafting..no Bali massage..sigh..due to time constraints..we had lotsa fun tasting the different local food of Bali..discovering new tastes..and enjoying the mountaineous scenery of Bali..not just an image of the beaches..but also the village life and dance culture in Bali..

The hospitality of people in Bali is also worth commending.
I find the sellers are always with smiles and being very patient without being too pushy in asking you buy their stuff...We like that! It makes the bargaining experience very enjoyable and brought smiles and laughters after visiting a shop..

A new experience definitely!
。。真爽。。