A note to remember

Today is my last day of working, I'm moving to another hotel fo a better career (hopefully). It's really sad leaving my workplace now. Some colleagues is not only colleagues but become my best friends. Too many sweet things happened at this place and too many good memories. I tried hard to keep my eyes dry, not to cry. I hate crying on farewell. Easier for me if on my last day I saw everybody is happy. A good friend of mine wrote me this note in facebook. This note is really a sweet one...

"Not a good bye only see you later"

Mon at 9:03pm

by Indira Maheswari

I can’t really explain what is my feeling today; happy, sad, upset, and lonely. I would then realize it is a recipe of life but I knew something is missing from my life.

At 10.00 a.m. in our French class, Ngakan Cole was very nice, brought me a plastic of ‘Tempe Goreng’ coz he knows I am always hungry in the morning and will eat anything in the class.

At 12:00 p.m. Andy brought me a bar of Toblerone, my favourite, to my office, just becoz I was standby at the hotel when we had staff party at Waterbom yesterday.

I was too happy to notice that tomorrow will be the last working day of my little pinky angel “Utary”. As our lives will always change, I try so hard to accept that you will be part of the other team. Just wanna share how I am so proud to be your friend and having you as one of our vigorous team member.



You were the one I could count on, in good times and bad times. All the times, we had together; rafting, yakiniku, fun walk, thousands times pizza party, it was amazing. Hopefully these memories will stay there in your mind forever and looking forward to share another time again.

It’s not the end. Gotta keep it stronger, come whatever we will still be friends 4ever. I trust we have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best, whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, “WE WILL MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT’S AROUND"


Congratulations and all the best for your new challenge, my dear Utary.

Christina Aguilera (I Turn to You):

“For a shield from the storm, for a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm...I turn to you. For the strength to be strong, for the will to carry on...for everything you do, for everything thats true, I turn to you."
 
 

more photos here

Rafting to Telaga Waja

After Rafting at Ayung River, Now I'll try Rafting at Telaga Waja. This time is my department outing and we are in a group of 16 people so I'm sure it'll be lot more fun. Telaga Waja is a class III + rapids and my friends said is a lot more fun than Ayung River. Ayung is more flat but the view is prettier in Ayung.

After one and half hour drive from Seminyak to Karangasem, we arrived in Telaga Waja and as usual the guide gave us the short brief before we hop on to our boat. The water is crystal clear and lots of big rock makes our boat a bit bumpy. The side of the river is a green rice field that looks like a grass in the football field. The guide told me that this river is mostly used to water the rice field.

On the way we found many traditional bamboo bridge that are so low and we have to lay down in our boat to avoid our head hitting the bridge. It's so fun I wish there are more of it on the river. We also hit lots of rock and therefore our guide told us to hang on the safety rope tightly tied in the boat.

Whenever we passed other boat we always spray them with water from the river to get the other boat's passenger wet. They usually spray us back and that makes a water war more fun. There was one boat with 4 young girls that all look like Britney spears on the boat who never spray us back no matter how hard we hit them with water from the river. They just stay calm and don't even have facial expression. I thought maybe they don't like the rafting or maybe they think we're so silly trying to hit them with water. Whatever! they're just so not fun :p

We also passed a waterfall so we stop by to take some picture and to take a rest. The journey after the waterfall is a bit quite, no hard steep banks, no bumpy raft and no bamboo bridge, only a high cliff on both side of the river. After a while the guide told us to hang on tight on the safety rope and lay down inside the boat. I wonder what happened because I saw no bridge nor a big rock but then closer to it I realize it was a 4 meters waterfall that we will pass with our boat. We screamed so loud as the boat fell down with the water and we hit a big rock so hard. After a while of that thrilled moment we laugh so hard seeing how big the rock we hit and the waterfall is quite high, scary but fun!

Nothing too challenging after that and at the finish point we enjoy ourselves bathing in the river and playing like a kids. The water is really fresh and clear, I really don't want to leave. The rafting took about 2,5 hours and we already got tired and hungry so we immediately change our wet clothes and have our buffet lunch served in a high bamboo restaurant with the view to the valley and the rice field.

Se slept in the car all the way from Telaga Waja back to Seminyak...

My First Diving to Nusa Penida

Allright, I told you all about how I want to go diving after my seawalker experience to the bottom of the sea. I now got another invitation to try diving in Nusa Penida by BIDP. I’ve never been diving before so this will be my introductory diving experience.

I went with my friend, Cole. After a few trouble on the road, his motorbike tyre was broken, and the we try to find a service station and left the motorbike there because we don’t want to be late. We stopped a taxi but then the taxi driver was so impatience he left us after a few minutes waiting, so we have to run behind the taxi and scream to him to stop and wait for us. The taxi finally stopped and the driver told us that he thought we cancel the taxi because he’s been waiting too long, OMG it’s only 2 minutes.

Anyway we thought that we’re late but we’re not. In fact we’re the first persons arrived at BIDP’s office. 10 minutes later a couple from Singapore arrived and then another 3 persons joined. We tried the dive suit, the shoes and the life jackets. Then they drove us to Sanur beach where a very bright yellow BIDP boat wait for us. Let’s go to Nusa Penida

The boat trip took about 1 hour from Sanur to Nusa Penida. Our first dive will be at Manta Point. The singaporean couple told me that I was lucky that my first dive at Nusa Penida. I feel lucky too and really excited to go underwater. When we reach at Manta Point there were several boats from another diving company. Our diving guide said there must be lots of diver down there wanted to see Manta.

All other diver in our boats are experienced diver only me and Ngakan are the beginner, really beginner. So they rolled back to the water one by one while we’re just watched them gone to the deep blue sea. I thought the roll back thing is really cool and I wanted to do it too but my guide told me that he will put my equipment in the water since I am a beginner. So I went down to the water and my guide put the fin, the life jacket and the oxygen tank while I am floating in the water. Not really cool.

My dive master then told me whenever I am ready he will push the button in my jacket to make us sink, then I must equalize my ear to avoid the water pressure.. I was scared, so as Ngakan. We dive slowly until we reach 5 meters deep. I couldn’t let my hand off from my dive master since I was scared that I can’t control myself underwater.

Only 5 minutes down there, I saw nothing but a big ugly corals in the midle of the sea. I thought where’s the manta? The I saw my guide’s hand shaking me and pointed to a dark creature swam closer to us. OMG that was Manta fish. Very big, the size of my garage I think. I thought Manta fish was small and cute but this Manta was far from small but still cute. Other divers swam closer to the Manta and some took the picture. I have no underwater camera so I can’t take any picture. Pity me I really wanted to take picture with Manta so I can post it on Facebook. ;p

After Manta Point, our boat leave for Crystal Bay. Here we stopped and have our lunch in the land. I am glad we eat on the land because being in the boat make me sea sick already.

After lunch, Ngakan said he won’t dive again because he don’t feel good about diving. Poor Ngakan he’s scared of the sea and he told me he’ll never dive again. Whatever, I don’t want to miss this dive again. I know our first experience at Manta Point is not really good but it’s our first dive ever so it’s a bit scary and maybe we’re not get used with the equipment and being underwater yet.

I told my guide that this time I want to do the roll back thing like other professional diver did. So he put all my equipment on the boat the I rolled back to the water. It’s cool really cool. I feel like a pro…

Since Ngakan didn’t dive again the dive master will only took car of me which is better. I dive 11 meters down and I saw these really beautiful corals. It does look like paradise here, the corals are colorfull I even touched a corals and they suddenly popped in to the rocks, really pretty. I ask my guide not to hold me all the time because I want to swam alone. I mean he’ll still be right by my side so I feel safe because the under current here is quite strong. I dive down untill 20 meters depth and more pretty fish I saw, more pretty corals I really love it.

I felt like only 5 minutes down there (it does feel like 5 minutes) when my guide told me that we have to go up. I said I don’t want to with my hand sign to but he insisted that we go up. When we reached the ocean’s surface I told him that I still wanted to be there but he told me that my oxygen can only supply me for maximum 1 hour and we’re already 45 minutes down there. Oh…..

The view that I saw at crystal bay really impressed me. NO wonder people love to dive, the view underwater is really pretty. My guide also told me that sometimes Mola-mola fish can be seen in crystal bay. I feel like I wanted to dive again, maybe next time in another place…

My Sea Walker Experience

Today I’m going for sea walker in Sanur with Sea Walker Company.
I got too excited last night, I couldn’t sleep well imagining myself dow to Bikini Bottom with helmet to keep me breathing. Just like Sandy, friend’s of Spongebob Squarepants.


When I reach Puri santrian Hotel, where the sea walker will start, my heart pounding in excitement. I can’t believe I’m going under the sea to see fish in their habitat closer. Well I did snorkel sometimes but snorkelling only make you see them not touch them.


I’v ever consider to go diving but I’m too scared doing that. So I thought seawalker is fine. Before started they play a DVD about what to do and what we shouldn’t do underwater. I listened carefully because I don’t want to miss a thing that might cause me in danger. I am a bit scared too doing this seawalker. They said the helmet is very heavy.


We went to the Seawalker pontoon by a small boat. There are 6 of us. 2 japanese girl, one French tourist and 3 of us. When we reach the pontoon, the guide once again told us about the hand sign if any problem occur. He said we can breath just like normal but maybe we will experience some ear problem, then we have to equalize by pinching our nose until it feels normal.


One by one we go down into the water from the side of the pontoon. Once our body sink to the water, they put the helmet into our head and we immediately sink down to the deep blue sea. Well not too deep it’s only 5 meter depth. The seawalker guide with diving gear always stay right next to us.


We walk through the empty sand at the bottom of the sea. I saw nothing but a never ending bluish greenish water. My ear feels the pressure so I pinch my nose again to equalize. The guide asked me with hand sign if I was ok and I told him it’s ok.


After a few 15 or 20 step I started to see fish, litle fish they’re colorfull. The guide gave me a bottle full of fish food and I can squeeze the bottle and the fish food will burst out from the bottle. Fish love it so they gathered around me to eat the fish food. I started to feel excited. I touch the fish one by one but they’re scared of me and always shocked everytime I touched them hehehe…


The guide then show us a bunch of corals with more fishes. We kneel down near the coral and everybody squeeze their bottle and more fish coming to us. I almost can’t see anything but fish all around me. They’re small fish and colorfull. Some bigger fish in flashing blue color also passed by sometimes. I put the fish food on my hand and they eat it directly from my finger. Their teeth is sharp, sometimes hurt my finger too, but I’m too excited to worry about that.


I feel like only a minute with the fish when the guide show me a star fish on the bottom. I can’t bend because the water will come up to my helmet so the guide took the starfish and gave it to me. I took a picture with the starfish I named Patrick.. (^_^)

After a while, the guide took us for another walk. I thought we’ll walk to another corals but now, we went back to the pontoon. I’m a bit dissapointed. I thought they say we’ll be 30 minutes underwater and it’s only like 5 minutes but we’re finished. But I can’t talk down there as they can’t hear me.

When all of us got back to the pontoon safely. I asked the guide why we’re underwater for only 5 minutes and he said “no, we’re there for 30 minutes and show me his watch. I told him it feels like only 5 minutes. He said we could feel like that because we walked very slow underwater. I wonder why can’t we stay for 1 hour then? And he asked me to pay more… owww..

Anyway the experience I got underwater is great and really unforgettable. Now that I know how underwater look and feel like, I think I’ll go for diving. See my story next!

Jimbaran Seafood Experience

I have been to Jimbaran to eat grilled seafood many times. Still until today the fresh seafood restaurants in Jimbaran thrilled me whenever somebody invite me for dinner there. Yeah I can’t eat there often because the food is quite expensive for me and I can’t afford it to eat there as often as I want. Only on special ocassion and this night is a special occasion because my sister in law from Kalimantan came for visit and we recommend her to try Jimbaran seafood.

We went to this café in Jimbaran, I already forgot the name because there are so many Cafes there and I think they are all the same. All of them serve fresh seafood in the same way. We choose the table in front close to the water so we will have an uninterupted ocean view, eventhough it is already dark and we can’t really see the ocean but the lights from the Fisherman’s boat and from the hotels and restaurant around the shore looked fantastic.

We ordered a package consist of a fish, crab, shrimp, scallop and squid per person. When the food arrived, I really can’t wait to eat the crab but I saved it for the last. All of the seafood is grilled with Balinese spices that makes it smells so tempting. The grilled shrimp is so soft inside with a litle spicy and the fish taste soo good I eat it until only the bones left. Half of my food finished and I already feel full in my stomach but I can’t stop eating because I don’t want to regret that I did not finished this delicious meals so I continue by eating my crab. You know how difficult it is to eat crab but I enjoy every meat of it.

My brother in law ordered more scallops and another 2 lobster for us, which I am not sure if all of us can finish it. But when the lobster arrived nobody want to miss it and it’s gone in second. Everybody said now they’re really full and could not take anymore food. The waiter offered fruits as a dessert but no one wants to eat it.

We went home tired after a full day tour and a big feast in Jimbaran but everybody is asatisfied. My brother in law said that the mood with the beach view and eat on the sand is really fit in the seafoods taste and the songs played by the local musician.

Well I can’t wait for another special occasion to eat in Jimbaran again..

Cycling Trip to Ubud

I like Ubud and visit it a lot especially during my off day. Visiting Ubud too many times makes me wonder what else can we do beside just walking around. So my freelance guide friend, invite me to go with him for a cycling trip to Ubud and he promised that he will bring us to see the other side of Ubud..

Yeah well, I visited almost all five star hotels in Ubud and knew that they do have the stunning view to the valley, hills or to the river. So what else could be the other side of Ubud?

We started in the morning by rent the bike first. There were 4 of us including the my guide friend. The bike rental normally is Rp. 50.000 per day but we bargain alot and we got Rp. 20.000 per bike for that day. I am so proud of my friend who can bargain that much.

I choose a small yellow bike with a basket in the front to put all my things: water, jackets, camera and one of my friend put his raincoat on my basket (he said just in case it’s rain so he doesn’t want to get wet).

We started from Ubud art market and went along the busy road which is not too busy because it’s still early. A group of elementary school children with Balinese costume walked along the road with us. They went across the street to the temple near the river. We followed them, not to the temple but down to the river. The road is a bit slippery and children running along the narrow lane makes it difficult to control the bike.

After passing all those children we have to take our bike climb up through the step. I already complained for the step because my bike is quite heavy. But as we reach to the top, I was stunned with the spectacular view. We were on the hill where we can see all the hotels along the main road in Ubud. Apparently this hill is the view from that hotels.

This hills was covered with the high grass and some trees. The pathways were already built crossing the hills. My friend said that this is Sobek’s trekking path. So I hope Sobek don’t mind that we were using their path. My friend said it’s ok. It does not belong to them.

We met some expat walked with their dogs and also some others passed by with their bike, just like us. Other than that is just silence and the sound of the wind touching the grass, the sound of the nature…

We cycle very slow in that path until we reach the end of the hills. There were some workers building a new villa. We stopped for a while imagining that the villa will have a stunning view to the hills.

We passed the village and the ricefield. Some farmers were sitting down and have a rest after planting lots of rice. It seems life are simple here, but I don’t know maybe for us who enjoy the view, yes it is seems simple. Maybe for the farmers it is not simple at all. They have to work hard planting rice and took care of the rice, harvest it later and sell it cheap. What if there was a storm that destroys the rice or what if some bugs eat most of their rice. They will have nothing to eat and their family will struggle with the need.. But I am sure the farmer live a happy life and the harvest will bring them lots of rice to sell..

Enough about rice, when we reach the end of the village, we took a shortcut back again to the centre of Ubud. None of us want to take the offer to continue the trip to taro village which is quite far as we are already exhausted.

We met some other people, who use bike for their daily life. Some kids wento to school with their bike. We met a “Bakso” (meatball) seller who had their cart on the back of the bike, I am sure it’s heavy but the seller never give up promoting his “Bakso” with the unique sound of his bell. The smell of the meatball broth rise in the air made me feel hungry.

As we reach Ubud central again, rain suddenly fell. We stopped at the nearest circle K convenience store and bought some drinks and snacks while waiting for the rain to stop.
It’s fun watching all the people passing by through the rain. Some tourist use a colorfull umbrella, some don’t care about the rain and let themselves wet. Some motorbike driver use the raincoat to pick up their kids from school and few people took shelter at the hall.

Rain quickly stopped, so we continue our trip to return the bike. We use motorbike from denpasar to Ubud so we keep our motorbike parked in front of the shops near the bike rental. After returning the bike, my friend got panick as he couldn’t find his motorbike key. The shopkeeper, a young boy came and gave him his motorbike key and explained that he found the key hanging on his motorbike so he took it to save it. After thanking him for his kindness, my guide friend said “ That’s the difference between Ubud and Kuta, here people are still honest. If you hang your key in your motorbike in Kuta and left it, surely your motorbike will be quickly gone”

I thought maybe it’s true…