DAY 1 - Royal Belum -Temenggor Forest Reserve

Breakfast of dim sum....

The prospect of getting the chance to get back to nature for my break or holidays always appeal to me greatly. So, this time when my family travel group suggested Royal Belum National Park, I had no hesitation of agreeing to this trip. To me, though the cost was a little high but it is really unavoidable as the rising cost is one factor that plays the index of tourism industry in Malaysia these days. Sure, we could have easily gone overseas for such a cost but the thought of being back to nature and spending time with great families swayed the decision easily. First and foremost, I must thanked Robin & Jaclyn having the ultimate patience and heart when it comes to planning the outing for this trip. It all started innocently enough during our casual meet after church service and then, Robin & Jaclyn mooted the idea of going to Royal Belum National Park. 

The information board.....

As usual, everyone was excited and pumped up but there weren’t any concrete plans and so on. This dragged on but soon, the burning desire to travel ignited and after much effort and much nudging on each other, the trip finally materialized and the costing were revealed. Sadly, two large families had to decline as it would have been quite a burn in the wallet though and other commitments. I must admit it wasn’t an easy decision and we would have been very happy together as a group, actually. Anyway, finally 4 families including mine decided that we will go to Royal Belum – Temenggor National Park or sometimes known as Royal Belum –Temenggor Forest Reserve.

Yeah. do not assume..our ride is the one on the right

For the benefit of those who do not know about Royal Belum-Temenggor National Park or sometimes known as Royal Belum-Temenggor Forest Reserve, it is located in Gerik and it encompasses an area of 117,500 hectares complimented by its diversity of flora and fauna. It is approximately 130million years old and it is the oldest rainforest in the world and according to the fact sheet, it is four times bigger than Singapore! ( Jeng! Jeng! Jeng! ). Anyway, Royal Belum-Temenggor Forest Reserve is nature’s best kept secret and among the very last remaining virgin forest in Malaysia. Royal Belum–Temenggor Forest Reserve has the largest concentration of large mammals ( dwindling though over the years ), ten species of the hornbill bird and fascinating rich variety of freshwater fish from the Giant Snakehead ( Toman ), Sebarau, Tenggalan, Kalui, Baung and Kelah. It is also a treasure throve for over 3,000 species of flowering plants including the three species of Rafflesia, the world largest flower ( Rafflesia Kerrii, Rafflesia Cantlyii and Rafflesia Azlanii ). This is the place for nature enthusiasts and nature lovers paradise. 

Our boathouse ride to Belum Eco Resort....

Back to my travels, as I had plans to travel to Penang for my short break, plans were hatched for Robin, Jaclyn, Fook Meng, Joo Li and Sophia Joy to meet us in Penang while Capt Edwin, Lorna and Ethan would travel from Kampar and meet us at Royal Belum Jetty on Sunday, 11 August, 2019. I was really excited about the trip and I know deep in my heart that this is one good trip indeed. I did not get much sleep on Saturday night as there was a lot to do and preparation prior to the trip. Sunday morning came and the excitement ensued incredulously. We ( Robin, Jaclyn, Fook Meng, Joo Li and Sophia Joy ) met up at Chaw Choon Restaurant in Raja Uda for our dim sum fare before we headed towards Kulim and then to Grik. The dim sum tasted good indeed! Our damage bill for stuffing our stomach that morning was RM 63.00 for 8 of us! I have to thank my sister, Lee Lee for bringing us there for breakfast as we say our goodbye to her as she departed for some early morning marketing that morning.

Chill out in the boat....FookMeng, Joo Li, SYuen, Edwin & Lorna

Stomachs filled and spirits up high, we headed towards Kulim, Grik and Royal Belum Jetty. Along the way, my trusted companions, SLing and SYuen were rocked by comforting sleep and waking up only for toilet break and unscheduled stops. At about 11.30am on Sunday, 11 August, 2019, we arrived at Royal Belum Jetty and there to warmly greet us was Capt Edwin. Lorna and Ethan! They had arrived earlier after starting their journey early from Kampar. The view of Banding Lake from the jetty was lovely indeed. 

Chill out in the boathouse....SLing, myself, Jaclyn & Robin...

My heart leapt with joy knowing that we will be spending some lovely days in this beautiful park/forest reserve. The jetty building was impressive with the required information of the forest reserve fashionably portrayed via the pillar art decor. The information pillars and board were impressive and tastefully done but the jetty is an engineering nightmare especially the very slopey ascend/descend of the jetty steps and the foundation. 

Joo Li, SYuen & Jaclyn....

Within 30 minutes of our arrival at the jetty, we finally got to meet Mr. Steve Khong, the proprietor and owner of Belum Eco Resort. My first impression of him was that this was a seasoned adventurer, naturalist, idealist and very committed nature lover. A bespectacled, dark skinned (tan), slim, elderly but one fit fella spoke with much authority and humour as he briefed us on the position of his pontoon catamaran boathouse. What? Wait! Did he mentioned boathouse? Cool, right? So, we trudged along the steps and with bags over our shoulders and lugging along our luggages, we looked like out of place urban bumpkins! But yunno what? Who cares! We are alright. If we can get through motherhood, fatherhood, nagging and over-protective parents, we definitely can survive this! 

The gang on the boathouse....

Steve laughed aloud when there were “oooohhhs” and “aaaahs “ when we saw the bigger houseboat at the lake. Everyone was in awe and amazement when we saw the bigger boathouse. Steve then broke our dream bubble when he said, “ No guys, not that one,la. It is the one beside the big one!” as he pointed to the smaller white boathouse. That got us all laughing our heads off for our own assumptions! Like they used to say in CSI Investigation TV show , “ Never assume anything. Just the facts!“ There was a lot of laughing that day and what a start indeed!  Steve’s boathouse is really really nice, cosy and comfortable indeed. That day, we met with Steve’s wife and resort worker, Borhan who took care of our bags and made sure that everything was in order. 

Chillin'......

During the 45 minutes ride on two 15HP Yamaha boat engine, we moved slowly but surely along Temenggor Lake and the view was breathtaking indeed. We chatted with Steve and his wife along the way and it was a real good time of fellowship and information gathering. There was so much laughter and fun along the way which was good, I must admit. It was also good to get some history lesson and some passionate concern about nature conservation from Steve. Listening to him, you know that this is a nature enthusiast, adventurer at heart and one true blue passionate nature buff. This is hard core and you hardly could find people like that anymore. The other thing is that he is very good at PR and I can understand how his resort does well among the tourist.

Belum Eco Resort...our home for 3 days

The resort pontoon.....

Lunch is served.....

Upon arrival at Belum Eco Resort, we were really glad and happy seeing the resort. Looking at the architecture and the landscape around the resort, it is no mistake that this 8 acre resort was born out of passion and respect for nature. Perched high on the top was the resort café overlooking the beautiful Temenggor Lake. 

Checking out the view of the deck and kalui.....

The view was simply marvelous and relaxing. The cobble stone flooring and the double lookout terrace makes this café building truly towering and magnificent. You get a good panoramic view of the lake and the landscape around you. That was truly captivating indeed. However, the flight of steps up the café from the boathouse pontoon can be challenging for the physically challenged people. The steps are quite strenuous as we found out in the later days after our waterfall hiking adventure! 

Lunch consisting of fried bee hoon, curry chicken and fruits awaited our arrival at the resort. Rumblings and hunger pangs in our stomach were truly filled and satisfied by the really good tasting fried bee hoon and curry chicken. 

At the cafe....

Bak chiu stamp liao!

A good short rest after that was all we needed after a long journey that morning. Robin and I then went down to the pontoon area and started taking out our fishing gear for some fishing action. I must say that the live frogs had been a real nuisance throughout the night at my sister’s place and in the car as they can really croak, man! So, it was time to put their croaking to test by tempting the big & fierce Giant Snakehead ( Toman). It was like telling the frogs, “ Yeah, froggie, it was now time for you to sing and get those fishes around you, you hear? “  After setting up and putting frog bait in the water, we waited for some time but no action came by. As always, prior to putting the live frog in the water, I prayed to God that He would bless our stay and bless our fishing that we ( Robin & I ) would get some fish. That’s my usual practice before fishing. Yeah, sorta putting out my bait of live frog with expectations and hope for the best!

Evening cruise round the lake...

Soon, it was time to do our first activity which is bird watching and lake hopping activity. All 11 of us boarded the boat and with the steady hands of Borhan, we moved steadily across the lake and engulfed the beauty of nature around us. We did not manage to see much animals nor birds but we get to engulf the beauty of nature around us. We get to speak and get to know Borhan, a Bangladeshi who had worked about 5 years at the resort. It was a good relaxing evening as we cruised along the lake.

Evening cruise round the lake...

As the sun begun to mellow down for the day, the view was breathtaking especially the setting glow of the sun that day. We had met another group of people – mixture of Mat Sallehs, locals and Chinese family who were talking enthusiastically, loud and muddied as they ended their day from an outing at Royal Belum waterfall and so on. I wondered if we would be like that tomorrow….hhmmmmmmnnnnnnnn.  What a day! Moving back to the room (A10 ) which was a good 150m away from the café was kinda “long walk” but satisfying as the simple lodging was nice and the view was fantastic, really. What could one have asked for more ; with a hut by the lake with a superb lake view in the evening and morning. What a life! What a view! 

With our boatman & resort worker, Borhan.

Welcome to Belum Eco Resort, Royal Belum-Temenggor Forest Reserve, Gerik, Perak, DR! 

Day 1 , DONE ! 

Daniel & Loreen ~ Accomplished!

The Lim family and the Teo family

It all started way back in 2017 on a nice warm pleasant evening on some plastic chairs in the comfort of Dinesh’s house, our cell group leader house when a group of “michievious” mature men cornered our singleton bachelor a.k.a church worker, Daniel, seated him down and spoke to him at great humorous length on why he should be hitched up with one of the nicest, loveliest, strong character but humorous eligible young woman in our cell group, Loreen. That poor guy blushed, laughed, tried all he could get away from the “mischievous” clutches of the mature men and ladies but somehow, he had to endure all the lengthy and profound input from the older group of people ( men & women ) who bombarded him with their “sales pitch” for the very lovely and very single, Loreen then. 

The mischievous uncles & aunties

Looking at his wonderful parents, Bro.Teo & Evelyn, they seemed hopeful and awaited their son’s reaction. They seemed equally perplexed and marveled at how these uncles & aunties weaved, weaned and encouraged their beloved son to brave the courage to ask for a date with Loreen. Before that, it was the “mischievous” ladies who weaved with soothing words, cajoled and persuaded Loreen to give our bachelor fella a chance of his lifetime!  Fast forward a few weeks later, Viola! Mamma mia!  These two lovely singles hearts finally got together and officially became a couple and they did it very nicely and respectfully while announcing that they are together with all of us. To me, that was truly lovely and I really respected them for the way they handled their relationship. Well, at least, the broken sofa legs in Dinesh‘s house was worth it as something good happened!  

No running away this time!

Morphing forward, last Saturday sealed their commitment and their love for one another with the walk down the aisle of Holy matrimony. I couldn’t be happier for the couple, Daniel & Loreen. I guess, for me and SLing who have been their pre-marriage counselors, this was truly a lovely couple to work with. It was a real delight working with them and their level of maturity was marvelous. It was such an enlightening time having a conversation or even resolving issues that may arise and yet there was this clarity in sincerity, love and honesty. That was very important for me.

I am also very respectful towards Daniel’s parents, Teo & Evelyn who had been absolutely the loveliest people and I truly am glad that Daniel is the reflection of their deep love, care and good upbringing and now, Loreen is part of that family hospitality and great love. Last Saturday, The Teo family gained another daughter in Loreen while the Lim family gained a son in Daniel. 

Communion together....

What can I say about Daniel & Loreen? I guess, I can only say that they complimented one another in many many ways. Daniel is the introvert when it comes to his feelings and outer expressions while he is calm, helpful, honest and unconventional when it comes to expressions. He is caring, compassionate and a very loving person. Loreen is robust, outspoken, strong & steady and direct but a mushy at heart and truly a very caring person. She has a beautiful heart and yet sustained a distinct authority of respect and a no-nonsense person. The best part about the both of them is that they are very grounded on the ground and genuinely loving people. 

Solomon, Daniel, Grace, Teo & Evelyn...

Coming back to the wedding, that morning, when SLing and I arrived at the hall as I was going to be the MC for their wedding ceremony, I could not help but feel bursting joy and pride to see Daniel in his wedding suit. He looked absolutely smashing and he finally got his hair done for his BIG day!!!!! Yipppeeeeeeeeee! I tell you, this fella is so simple in his ways that he would have just be as he usually is on his wedding day! Thank God someone finally got him to do the hair part! He looked absolutely smashing in his dark blue suit and red/maroon bow tie. Shook his hands, hugged him and told him to be calm and steady. He gave me the thumbs up and he’s ready. Then I saw the lovely parents, Teo & Evelyn – they look smashing together with Loreen’s parent, Richard & Janet Lim. Yup, it was their big day too, right? Both parents looked very good and it was such a lovely sight.

So proud of them......

Then I had the opportunity to take a peek at the bride before starting the wedding ceremony. Loreen looked absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, radiant and vibrant in her lacey white outfit beside her father, Mr.Richard Lim. Could not help but felt very proud to see her and I told her to be calm and steady. She smiled, hugged me and said she will. I am truly proud of both Daniel & Loreen for taking that step of faith in strengthening their relationship in Holy matrimony. Standing at the rostrum and delivering the order of day and then moving to the side of the wall as the lovely couple do their vows, exchanging of rings and their Unity Sand act together, I couldn’t help being the very proud “outside” father! Hahahahhahaaaa….my own terminology la…. Yeah, SLing later confided in me that she felt like a proud and beaming “outside” mother too seeing both Daniel & Loreen taking their vows and sealing their love covenant with GOD. Yeah, it was their time to shine and glow for their guests. I guess, that’s the marriage magic, right? So, I truly understand the feelings of the parents seeing their children taking their marriage vows together.   

I guess, being counselors, SLing and I couldn’t be prouder seeing our “children” ( the lovely couples – Kelvin & Sharon, Alex & JCyn, Stephen & Eunice, Joshua & Jialerq and now, Daniel & Loreen ) making decisions and asserting firm marriage foundations  in their daily lives as they embark on their journey from friendship, courting couple, a married couple, parenthood and later on to old age. No one can tell the future, that’s true but you can see the future better when you built your marriage on the firm foundation of trust, love, endurance and lots of patience. You may stumble, fall or even make mistakes along the way but it is always that very foundation of GOD that we must fear and adhere to that we are able to pick up ourselves and move ahead in life. 

Unity Sand  emblem....unique

I must admit in all honesty that SLing and I are not very good counselors or ever claim to be one. But both of us believe very much in speaking honestly, sharing and going through experiences together. We face our fears and joys together and we stand firm on the very foundation of God.  

Sure, there is no sure fixer nor guarantee in your marriage days and ahead but if you believe in the vows you make when you stood there in front of GOD and wed your partner, you will make it through the days.  

So, to Daniel & Loreen Teo, my beloved “children”, God bless you both abundantly in your life journey and may you both enjoy the life journey together with much blessings, laughter and smiles.  

My advice to all couple out there  :- Stay that faith and work that faith. For the singles..........wait for the works of the mischievous uncles & aunties to work their magic again......if they have not kicked the bucket yet,okay?     

When I say I'm a Christian....

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’.“

I’m whispering “I was lost,

Now I’m found and forgiven.”

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I don’t speak of this with pride.

I’m confessing that I stumble

and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I’m not trying to be strong.

I’m professing that I’m weak

And need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I’m not bragging of success.

I’m admitting I have failed

And need God to clean my mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I’m not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible

But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches

So I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian“

I’m not holier than thou,

I’m just a simple sinner

Who received God’s good grace, somehow!

~ Maya Angelou ~

2215....A man's compassion.....

Athiwara  “Toon” Khongmalai is probably one name that we do not know in this part of our country but to the people of Thailand, he is their national hero because of what he has done for the country.  On 1st November, 2017 , Toon started his charity run from the most southern tip of Thailand, Betong, Yala and ended a 2,215km run to the most northern tip of Thailand , Mae Sai, Chiang Rai on 25th December, 2017 to raise funds for 11 public hospitals in Thailand.  At the end of the run, his charity organization Kao Kon La Kao raised THB 1.37 billion which doubled their initial target of THB 700milion.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve not heard of this man until I watched “2215” on Netflix. The documentary was one that moved me very deeply. Lying back one evening after dinner, I browsed through the documentary section of Netflix and came across a very funny title of “2215”.  Honestly, it intrigued me and soon, I was engrossed into it. This documentary digitally documented one’s man effort to make his country believable again. This is one man who takes the real effort to unite the country despite the unnerving political and economical difficulties that rocked his country. This was one man who saw the needs of others and passionately took it into his heart to do something about it. He did what he knows best as a singer, artist, musician and a runner. He simply put on his running shoes and ran his life for 55 days for the believable love his countrymen and his country. 

Toon Bodyslam as he is fondly known had heard the cries of public hospitals who were having difficulties in running their health care facilities due to dwindling funds from the country coffers for health care programs and machineries.  Many amenities that are standard in the big city become a luxury outside of Bangkok. One of the biggest concerns of all would be the quality of healthcare available in hospitals outside of Bangkok. You can find that most of it has run-down facilities and outdated equipment. Families are still paying quite a premium in return for a sub-standard medical care from underfunded hospitals. One man set out to change this and he did it like no other people can. That man is Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam” Kongmalai.

One question people most frequently ask is :-  Why doesn’t he organize a concert or two as the means to raise the money instead? His answer is simple; running, which is an act of putting one foot in front of another, is an action that most people are capable of. He wants to lead by example and shift people’s mindset to believe that anyone can make a difference. Watching the documentary moved me a lot as I see how the ordinary folks from all walks of life responded to Toon’s effort by giving generously to the charity run. It was most humbling to see Toon going down on his knees to receive blessings of love, prayers and money from older folks and the people in general. The responses from the people along villages and towns were overwhelmingly appreciative, carnival–like and truly heartwarming. Indeed, there were frustrations, disappointments and injuries along the run suffered by Toon and his team members but these were eclipsed by the great effort of the medical team and the team members overall. The overall effort to make this run a real success was truly magical and momentous. The huge sacrifices, big hearts , the humongous patience and endurance had helped make this run such a great success. 55 gruelling days of muscle aches, cramps, injuries , endurance and boisterous weather made it all a more meaningful in such a cause such as this.   

This man has earned my respect of truly being a man with an enlarged heart of compassion. Maybe, it all seemed so dramatic in the documentary but it is not that way in real life. Running almost 50 km a day is no simple feat nor a joke. That’s the distance one has to achieve each day and a parcel sets of distance, rest and meals. For simple folks like us, we would all rather throw a fistful of ringgits into the offering bag rather than taking up our shoes to run, right? Here was a man who would do a marathon run each day for 55 days. How about that? It is no simple feat, I tell you. For us the comfort of the plush bed and soft pillows are such comfort that plundering footstep on the paved tarred roads seemed such an arduous torture lest running for 50km a day! 

To me, seeing this man crossed the finished line in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai seemed like a great achievement but to me, it is much more than this. The mental, physical and spiritual achievement were far more greater than the physical punishment on the physical body

The correct, teachable and cohesively positive attitude changes everything about this run. I remembered seeing the humanly side of this man who at one stage out of frustration threw down something and it hit one of his crew. He immediately reacted by hugging his crew and apologizing profusely for venting out his frustrations. That was the raw human attitude of us and the greater respond that came thereafter. I captured that in my mind as that scene made me felt very humbled inside. I realized that sometimes our venting out will hurt others unknowingly in the process and it is really hard at times. 

Yeah, the documentary does highlight the human side of life for every person in this world of ours. It shows us that with a great compassionate heart, care, the right focus, pure honesty for a cause and a great giving heart, we can make this place we live in a little better. For the Thai people, they have found belief, hope and care in the steps of a running man in Toon Bodyslam. 

“The real phra ake ( leading man ) in this film is every Thai person, not me."   Athiwara “Toon” Khongmalai.

What a finish, I tell you!

Leaving Bali with a bang - Day 5 (Final)

The breakfast....

It’s our last day in Bali and we all woke up early to make it a memorable day for all of us. We decided that our driver, Kartika should come at 10.30am as we wanted to enjoy our last day and breakfast together. Yunno, the hardest thing about the last day of your holidays is that it sucks big time when the time is up. Nevertheless, in saying so, my family has decided to have the best time every before we get off Bali island. We started off our morning with breakfast of pancake ( the brand name is Pondan pancake – I kid you not! Richard turned out okay. So, it is safe according to Richard! ), eggs ( mashed, hard boiled, scrambled and sunny side up ), toasted bread and coffee/MILO. We laughed, joked and had fun. Everyone was relaxed and in a good mood. We told each other that we are going to “sai lang” ( finish the cash! ) all our pool money by having good meals. 

The pancake with maple syrup.....yummy

Richard ,the man, on the breads.....

The pancake fella....ME

Kuta Beach.....

Cordinator, Hwe Shean.......

That morning, we went to Kuta Beach to get a feel of the beach. We then bargained for some souvenirs at Kuta Art Centre while watching the surfers do their stuff at Kuta beach. I realized that there ain’t many tourists at Kuta Beach. I guess, there were far more tourist at Legian beach which was a surfer’s paradise nowadays. A quick check with our driver, Kartika revealed that most of the tourists have now settled in Canggu which is the new happening place to be while Kuta, Seminyak and Legian had been saturated with touts, souvenir sellers and mushrooming local surf shops. 

Three beauties on the beach.....

Look beyond the three standing persons....hahahahhahahahaaaa

Legian Beach entrance

Look, this is what I believe personally, rising prices have scared off the tourist to other less expensive places like Canggu. Kuta was the hub-centre at one time for surfers and surfer community but nowadays, Legian Beach has the better crowd and the paradise feel. I guess, if you are like me, I am there for the bikinis show, people and there ain’t a lot happening these days! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……I was just joking. The sand in Kuta and Legian are fine and very soothing to the feet. The waves are awesome and I could understand why surfers would still pick these beaches to show off their figures and buff bodies. That’s the beauty of Bali beaches. The food service and shades were also awesome.

Legian Beach reclining rest .....

Photo of the year, baby!

Legian beach.....note the smooth sands..

At Naughty Nuri, Seminyak...

After feasting our eyes on the beaches, it was time for makan! This time we were off to Naughty Nuri, Jalan Mertanadi No. 62 Kerobokan Seminyak, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali. Yes!Yes!Yes! The queue is damn long but SLing managed to register ourselves early so that we can get seats to fill up our stomachs. It was like a 30 minutes wait and we were called to our tables. We wasted no time in ordering the BBQ ribs, pork sliders, nasi goreng, pork satay and mashed potato. Though it was quite a wait for the food but it tasted real good. Goodest of good,man! The ribs were fantastic especially with the BBQ sauce. 

The juiciness of the ribs were just breathtaking. They did not fall off the bones but the firmness was a good signature of the pork. Mama mia! They were so good. The pork sliders were also nice together with the pork satay. Yup, we broke the bank for this one but it was well worth it. Everything tasted good and succulent. 

The entrance to heaven;y delight....BBQ ribs...

Yup, we ate these for sure....

No wonder they taste sooooooo goooooooooood......

IBC -Pondok Tempo Doeloe

Rather than wait or a heart attack to happen, we decided to leave this place and headed out to some craft centre ( Bali Agung ) for some much needed walking and some souvenir hunting. I must say we almost had an instant heart attack of a different sort when we saw the prices of the souvenirs!!!! I don’t know about the rest but I was already hyperventilating and almost request for a CPR, when I saw the prices. Luckily, the snap call from SLing helped revived me to my normal state. I still managed to get some fridge magnet souvenirs as they were the cheapest items around. Then it’s off to Legian Craft Center where we walked around the souvenir stands to pass our time and get a sample of what life is like. 

Our table...for the feast...

The restaurant......no WIFI.....too distracting....

The feast - lamb fried rice, grille gourami fish, grilled chicken, telor tauhu goreng, Ballinese fried rice, vegetables etc.etc

Alas Harum ......brings out courage, boldness, a sense of achievement and adventurous spirit. 

Yeah, we bargained hard for the things we want to buy and it was all good. Afterall, the locals are in to make a profit and a living too, right? I believe in all fairness that one should have fair prices and make some profit at the same time. The only problem in most places is simply overpricing, over–profiteering and exorbitant prices. If the prices are fair, I believe, people will tend to see what I am talking about. It is not a matter of being cheap or any of that sort but simply do not want to be suckered punched or a sucker for such schemes. Generally , it is alright to make a profit for what you are doing but if it is meant to lead to greed then that’s wrong. But sometimes, in a very touristic place like Bali, you tend to get the other end of the stick when it comes to prices. 

Bebek Joni....for the love of ducks

Hog Wild....evolution of great piglets

Alas Harum....great coffee; greater fun...

Hungry Bird Coffee Roasters.....coffee and nature entwined together in perfect harmony

Pura Tanah Lot ....brings out the deep love and great gentleness

Pura Tirta Empul...brings out faithfiulness, blessing and goodness of the heart

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan...brings great joy, togetherness and fun...

Guardians of Pura Taman Ayun....binds friendship, build bonds and cement friendship

Tegenungan Waterfalls ..... birthed joy, happiness and fun

Ubud Virgin Villa....housed love, care, fellowship, laughter and cheers to the heart...

Kintamani overview ......high hopes, explosive blessings, extension of wellness

Kintamani......cool life, gentle heart and live to travel & love more.....

We then headed out to Ikan Bakar Cianjur (IBC) for our Indonesian food fare before leaving for the airport. This was a huge and posh restaurant and they serve Indonesian dishes. This time, we ordered an array of food fare ranging from grilled gourami fish, grilled chicken, Balinese fried rice, egg tauhu goreng, soto ayam, two types of vegetables ( kangkung and chai seem ), fried noodles and some special rice in a pot. The food was surprisingly good. We definitely ended our trip with good Indonesian/Balinese food at the end of our trip. Nothing can be more satisfying than knowing that you get good authentic food at the end of your trip. To me, it was a befitting farewell in a gastronomical sense. 

Innocence and smiles of the Balinese future.....

The grace, the pure at heart and the faithful of the Balinese future....

As I peeled back the events and places we had been through, I would say that the places of attractions in Bali were simply breathtaking, delightful and a feast to the eye while the weather was also heavenly. There weren’t any accidents nor any injuries to any of us and I am so thankful for that. I have spent 5 beautiful days and moments with my wonderful family and friends. I feel very much alive and in awe of my friends who are caring, loving, great sense of humour and very sporting indeed. I really enjoyed their company and I realized just how blessed each and every one of us are, actually. So, thank you, Hwe Shean for lighting up our days each day with your planning, humorous sarcasm and meticulous great ways. Thank you, Richard and Teresa for your wonderful smiles, care, humour and great gentleness. I have learnt a lot from the three of you. Thank you too to SYuen for showing me your bravery and great adventure spirit during the extreme swing activity and SLing for going to another adventure with me and provided me with that happiness and joy as a family. 

Bali......We CAME, we SAW and we WILL BE BACK

Till we meet again, sweet & memorable ,  BALI.....

I love Bali for its uniqueness and the wondrous natural beauty in its landscape and natural surroundings. The fantastic culture and the arts certainly brought a fresh perspective in the artisan world. The mystique and stoic facial expressions can sometimes play tricks on you and yet the heavens smiles and pour out its goodness to the people and the land of Bali. I am blessed knowing I’ve come to this land and tasted its goodness while sampling a great slice of its hospitality and its own graciousness. 

Bali is known as the “Island of The Gods”. But I personally preferred the other one which is  Bali is also known as “The Paradise Island.“ It is indeed a paradise for the earthly body, mind and soul. There is so much to see , do and taste in Bali. Guess, I found my earthly paradise in Bali island. Cheers!  Au revoir, BALI!~