Bali Bali Day 2: Mt Batur Sunrise Hike

This is a popular activity when I googled. There were plenty of good reviews and so we booked it too via Klook. 

Mt Batur is the middle part of Bali, which also means that it is a distant away from Seminyak. The distant, the hike and yet be in time to catch the sunrise would mean that it would be early, very, very early. We almost couldn't find the local agent until late afternoon the day before.

We were told that the pickup would be at 1.25am. This means that we need to be up at 1am. It was almost 11ish when I went to bed. The next moment, I heard the alarm clock and we were on the street right on time. 

The driver came in a 7-seater car. The plan was to continue sleeping in the car. Other than our family, the driver would be picking another tour mate in Ubud. 

The plan didn't go well. Other than Zaky who took almost all the passenger seats and slept very well, we didn't fall asleep. Daddy Lim said that the driving was bad in the front passenger seat. Nana said that it was too warm in the back row. I am not sure why I couldn't sleep. The next moment, we picked up the other tour mate and Zaky had to sit upright and share seats but that didn't affect his sleep. 

I almost fell asleep on the 2nd leg of the journey. Right when I was dozing off, there was a loud thud. I thought we hit a dog, Daddy Lim thought we hit somebody. The driver stopped shortly to check. At least there was no blood. Lol. But we seemed to have some burst duno what pipe and some fluid (brake?!!?) was dripping.

There was some waiting for plan B to be devised. While waiting, 2 other cars with passengers came along and the drivers huddled for plan B. It was eventually decided that Zaky and I would take the 1st car while the rest would take the 2nd car. Chey, it wasn't even some ingenious plan. Why did it have to take so long to decide? Lol. 

This time, I think I did doze a little. Zaky continued to sleep very well. #厉害 I saw the Mt Batur Base Camp (or something) in my half asleep state and thought that we were there but we continued driving through some meandering lanes before finally stopping at the start point, where everybody queued up for toilet before the start of the hike. 

It was cold.... very cold.. Nana and I were in long pants and jacket. I told the boys that it would be cold, they refused to believe me and argued that hiking is a physical activity. Ok lor. So there they were, in their T-shirt and berms. Zaky made me loaned a jacket for IDR50k. Such a service existed bcos of stubborn heads like them. Lol. 

We started at about 4am. It was obviously still dark. The stars were twinkling brightly. Can see? Haha.

The hike started with an incline. Then, there was nothing but climb and climb and more climb. We were given a torchlight each and we held on to it with dear life in the almost total darkness. It allowed us to see where and what we were stepping on. 

The ascent was difficult, not only bcos it was a constant climb but also bcos it was loose soil. I had several slips but fortunately picked myself up before any falls. Not long after I started, my calves were screaming murder and they didn't stop screaming the entire hike. 

The kids and the other tour mate - Sarah went ahead of us. Daddy Lim's old knees and lungs didn't last very long. We had to take multiple breaks; the guide, kids and Sarah had to wait for us constantly. #oldpeopleclimbmountain

There is actually a sunrise jeep tour that drives to the midpoint, then one can pay for scrambler motorbike service to almost the top of the mountain. We joked that we should book the jeep tour and travel in style the next time. Hoho. It was open top jeep drive. We saw them sitting comfortably and covered in blankets as they zoomed past us and us huffing and puffing away. 

At almost the top, we saw the sun ray. We were freaking tired but hurried on. It doesn't make sense to miss the sunrise after such a hard climb. 

We made it to the top and much in time. There were benches for us to sit and wait for the sun rise. 

During the hike, we saw pre-schooler kids and old aunties. We wondered how would they manage the hike when we already found it so tough. Then, we saw the family and the mummy piggy backed her toddler up. Power siol. 

It was very cold. Zaky's loaned jacket, which he took out during the hike, came back on. 

The sunrise that I knew always happened very quickly but this one seemed to take forever, especially in the cold. 

We were served hot drinks. It was a fantastic hand warmer. 

Then bfast. It was strange banana sandwich, which was warm and the kids enjoyed very much, musli bar, orange and hard-boiled eggs, which again were fantastic handwarmers. 

Finally! The tiny egg yolk.

It quickly became a big egg yolk. Yay! We caught the sun rise! Very hard earned.

Mt Batur is an active volcano. We could see smoke seeping out of the crater. The crater was a luxurious green. 

We saw people hiking to the top of the crater. The guide offered us but we enthusiastically declined. Lol. Our legs could barely carry us. We were happy to pose for pictures on spot. Behind us is Mount Abang and his big brother Mount Agung. No, thank you. 

We started our descent when the sun was up, along with the crowd. 

It was a gentler route but still challenging. Daddy Lim's poor knee refused to oblige and we had to go very slowly. The rest disappeared. 

Daddy Lim missed the opportunity for the motorbike service and he whined in pain with every step. I was very tempted to stop one of those returning bikes and pay to send him down. I think he pai seh and refused. Zzzz. 

The rest had to wait very long for us. The guide eventually asked the driver to drive up to a nearer point to pick us. We were saved! We survived and conquered Mount Batur!

Mummy Lim

Bali Bali Day 1: Frankenstein Laboratory

I googled for things to do in Seminyak and the Frankenstein Laboratory came up. They closed down during covid but are back in business. It is essentially a dinner place with some entertainment. They have 2 sessions, the earlier one is kids friendly, from 5pm to 8.30pm and the 2nd adult version starts from 7pm. 

The adult version has an age limit of 13. Our boy just touched it and we got ourselves a reservation at 7pm. The restaurant is 10 mins drive away and cost us IDR150k by grab car. The driver refused to bargain and claimed that there was jam. Ok lah. 

When we arrived, we saw the kids session and the kids having a blast. We were led to the side restaurant for drinks and snacks until the kids session was over. 

The waitresses and waiters were all dressed in hospital gowns with bloody hand prints. They have interesting cocktails in fanciful LV bags. The kids ordered non-alcoholic shots in syringes. 

Very themed but I can't say the same about the taste. Zaky said that it was so-so. As for the volume, he almost finished it in 1 shot. Lol. 

This was our table number. 

There was quite some waiting until the actual dinner in the main hall at 8.20pm. Things got a little more interesting when the cast came in. 

I don't know who he/ she is. 

But we got pictures. 

The nun. 

Only Daddy Lim was gamed enough to have a picture with the Nun, who then tried to strangle him. I almost lost my husband. Lol.

There was Harley Queen too but we didn't manage a picture. The casts then came around for group photos. 

The nun didn't look so scary afterwards when she had knocked off and we saw her smoking and drinking with her normal human friends. Lol. It was an amusing sight though. 

To add on to the fun, the restaurant provides realistic face painting at a cost. Like this one. 

Nana opted for the milder version at IDR80k.

The makeup table was just full of red color makeup. 

Done!

Shortly after, we moved over to the main hall and got a table right in front of the stage. While we know Aussies love Bali, we didn't know how much until that night. 95% of the patrons were Aussies. We are the few poor Asians. 

Dinner was served quickly. 

The food was nice but we were barely hungry from the earlier snacks. Then the 1st show started, starring Harley Queen and gang. 

Not bad, not bad. We were reminded of USS Monster Rock. Nana used to love that musical and we caught it so many times until USS replaced it with some Elmo show. 

The segment was about 30 mins before the live band came on. 

Dinner was long done. We stayed on for the 2nd show at 9.30pm. It was some Rocky duno what and turned out to be some musical set in the 70s. Then we heard the band played a little more before leaving at almost 10pm. We all enjoyed ourselves except for the one who got bored and tired. 

The dinner was almost $100. It was expensive in Bali standard but very reasonable in our view. 

We were worried that we wouldn't be able to find transport back to the villa. It was uncalled for. The moment we stepped out, we were approached by the grab motor ride. They quoted us IDR150k for 3 bikes. The kids were bugging to try, I wanted so much too. Hoho. 

Nana and I shared a bike while the boys got their own. Nana and I got a lot of attention not bcos we were sharing a bike (super common) but her half painted face. It was a super nice ride. We weaved through alleys in the cool night and felt like a night tour. 

In the end, we were ripped off. We paid IDR200k and were asked for IDR100k more, claiming that it was easier for them to split.  Well, we could have said no. I don't think the riders would turn rough or rob us. However, we were in holiday generous mood and agreed to the extras. It was worth leaving everybody happy and us well entertained. Hoho. 

We settled down quickly for bed bcos we had a big activity planned the following day. 

Mummy Lim

Bali Bali Day 1: Beach

The night wasn't too bad. I shared the room and bed with Zaky and we didnt get bitten by any spider. In the morning, Nana said that the spider was still in the bathroom. This time, instead of hiding at the side, it had stationed itself in the middle of the bath, declaring ownership of the bathroom. The dogs were barking at early morning though. Zaky woke up and said that he didn't hear anything. 

I didn't plan any itinerary for the day. As I googled, I realised that most of the activities are conducted in Ubud, which is over an hour away from Seminyak. We had already planned to head to Ubud the following day and decided that it would just be a Seminyak beach day. 

I was up early. This is the villa in better light. 

It isn't bad, but we have stayed in much better. This villa will kill Auntie S and J; lizards crawl everywhere. 

I got my HiiT done. 

I realised that we have no bfast. The owner didn't offer any auntie to make paid bfast for us, unlike previous stays. We would be very happy with a simple meal of bread, cheese, ham and egg. I headed out to the mini-mart 2 mins walk away, only to realise that they don't sell eggs and ham. I ended up with this big bag of oil bcos I needed to fry my corn beef. Lol. #overkill 

Bfast was made with whatever we could, including the last cup noodles that we brought from Sgp. The other 3 cups were eaten last night for supper. 

We set out for the Seminyak beach. We saw on the map that the Potato Head Beach Club is about 19 mins by foot from the villa. We opted for a taxi instead. Here, the taxi goes by bargaining and a short 10 mins drive cost us IDR100k, which is about $10. 

Ooooo... the beach!

The driver dropped us at some duno what beach. We asked about the Potato Head and were that it was 4 mins walk away. We strolled along the beach, The water was cold, the sun merciful. Yes, holiday!

We saw Potato Head but it was some distance from the sea, probably to cater for high tide. We ended up renting 2 beach chairs for IDR100k, in front of a little restaurant. The advice was to swim between the red/ yellow flags but everywhere we saw were only red flags with loud warning signs. The auntie who loaned us the beach chair said that it was perfectly fine to swim and the life guard was on duty. Huh? Where? Lol. 

The kids were happy to run into the water with the permission. It was damned cold. 

What did I do? I love holiday. 

I am chilled like the doggy. 

The kids amazingly played in the waters for over an hour despite the cold. I duno how they survived the cold water. 

Then we took a slow walk and found ice cream along the way. 

And then walked somemore and found lunch. Comfort food. 

We made it back to the hotel. Daddy Lim and the kids decided to swim in the villa's pool. I tried but it was way too cold. I opted to go for a full body massage instead for only IDR85k. The salon was right outside our villa. 

This is Molly. She is the neighbour's dog. I think she doesn't like me. She was barking and following me when I was retuning to the villa. Luckily Daddy Lim.came to my rescue. 

The body message was so good. I had to convince the kids to do their massage too upon returning to the Villa. They did. Just that the crashing and diving into waves and the swimming must have proven too much. 

Zaky and I continued part 2 of the nap back at the Villa. Yes, this is a holiday. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim