Bali - Swiss Belhotel Bay View

I had read through Tripadvisor feedback on this hotel, and hence I knew about the sharing of main entrance doorway with the suite-room. (Room 607 consist of 1 suit + 1 deluxe, so you need a key to enter Room 607, then another key to enter 607-Deluxe).

I had also read about the conditions of the room being small.

So both is not a surprise for me and well-taken in when I reach the room.

The hotel exterior really looks good and swimming pool (2 pools) is excellently maintained.

During check-in, the staff was nice enough to arrange a higher level for us, so we are near to the cafe (breakfast) and the infinity pool (roof top). He had mentioned about welcome drink being send to our room, but it was clearly forgotten.

Reaching the room. yes the room is indeed small, but it had everything we need, or so we thought.

2 hours into the room when we preparing to sleep, we realise the air-con is not working at all. We call for technicians and they came around 10 mins.

After servicing for 35mins, they mumbled some explanation that we are near the compressor and today is hotter thus air-con does not feel cold to us. I told them they are bull-shitting as the air-con is completely out of gas, not the case of hot weather. I told them to either FIX it or change to a room where everything must work. Another 15 mins and they are finally done. All during this time, the team have no apologies extended to us.

Also the lift actually smell like rotten food. We have to stop breathing everytime we take the lift.

The hotel have fixed time slot for transfer to Kuta, and we made use of it. The timing is quite accurate, and they drop us at a convenient place for food/shopping/beach.

We booked through the hotel website for USD42 per night inclusive of breakfast.

Bali - Bebek Bengil

Located right beside rice field padi, this restaurant have many huts build. Each hut houses 4 pax to around 10pax. As we did not make reservations, we took the table at the main hut which houses around 7-9 tables.

Not knowing why its call Dirty Duck, I was expecting to find weird cooking duck dish from the menu. Alas, the name actually came around, because when the owner open the place as restaurant, he saw a group of duck coming from the rice field and leaving behind dirty duck footprints.

We went to order a couple of dish. The food is okay, not too fantastic, but the ambience of the place definitely add points and make it Tripadvisor front row rating.

Jl Hanoman

62361-975-489

Bali - Warung Enak

Rated highly in Tripadvisor.

The Pork Ribs is the highlight of this meal. The seasoning use for this dish is similar to Chinese Satay Sauce use popularly in Singapore. Used on pork ribs, it taste heavenly good.

The chicken dish seasoning, on the other hand, is similar to the Malay Satay sauce. Delicious too.

The kids meal portion is just right, with lots of healthy greens.

And the fruit palette comes with one fruit that I could not figure out to eat with the seed or not.

Avocado Juice 22,000R
Happy Soda (pink color) 18,000R
Fresh Young Coconut 16,000R
Gor Tepong 26,000R
Ayam Madu Katulistina 58,oooR
Iga Babi Bakar 79,oooR
Total with tax 274,340R

Warung Enak
Pengosekan Road, Ubud
0361-972911
(Opp Dirty Duck Restaurant)

Singapore - Botanical Garden

A day out at Singapore Botanical Garden, to teach my daughter ROOTS of trees!

Singapore - Utiekah III

Photo taken in 2006-Nov

We know of a pair of friend who came all the way from Australia, in a antique sail ship called Utiekah III. Johnny used to be a singer in australia and Shelley a high flyer in her career.

They now travel around the world in this vessel on their retirement years.

My first time in a sailship like this and it was a experience and enlightenment listening to both of them relating about their journey.

See you both soon, Johnny and Shelley.

Edit to add : Congrats on your marriage, Shelley & Johnny!
http://www.amaroo.net/images/NewsletterThailand3.pdf

Bali - Kou Cuisine Handmade Salt & Jam

Near to a football field at Monkey Forest, we spotted a Handmade jam store. Knowing my picky daughter had to survive on cereal & bread for most meals in Bali, we decided to grab a natural good jam for her.

Testing is possible and we chose a Grape & Buni Jam.

A check on google tells me Buni is a currant grow in indonesia. Children in local villages love this fruit because its sweet&sour. It is rarely found. In Indonesia Buni fruit is one of twenty six rare fruits slowly disappearing from local markets.

Bali - Tropical Seafood & Grill

As my princess could not handle the spice at Iku Oka, we had to source for another place for her to have meal.

Went to Tropical Seafood & Grill after browsing through their menu.

Ordered a Ham pizza for my daughter, which is baked to perfection - thin crust, great tasting tomatoe paste, and ham that smell yum.

On the drink menu, we had a chocolate milk shake which taste so rich the daughter say this is the best she had drank thus far. I ordered a detox drink blended from herbs and i suspect some wheatgrass, and the husband ordered a ice cappucino seeing they had ILLY coffee.

Total bill including tax 118,450 Rupiah

Monkey Forest St no3, Ubud Bali.

Bali - Babi GUling Ibu Oka

Since everyone rave about MUST eat at Ibu Oka and tell me that their Babi Guling is delicious, we went to try it our first lunch in Ubud.

While waiting for the food to arrive, we eat the fruit and crackers (chargeable) that is placed on the table. Seating cross legged, I had a few numbed leg moment.

When the food arrive, we start digging in and...... I do not find the whole dish delicious. The pork skin was not exactly crispy, it was not sufficiently seasoned well before roasting too. The sauce for the vegetable and rice, was just okay but not too appetizing to be rated #1.

Am I too picky? Well maybe, but my partner who usually "eat to live" style also rated it as "over-rated". Not cheap too, IMHO.

Bali - Ayam Tulang Lunak Malioboro

After landing and clearing through an hour of custom at Bali airport, we was received by our driver. As hungry pangs kick in (dinner time), we had ask him to send us for some decent balinese food near airport before our hour long journey to Ubud.

He brought us to Ayam Tulang Lunak Malioboro which is 10mins drive from airport (around 5 mins walk from Harris Tuban Resort).

We ordered their speciality dish Ayam Presto & Steamed Fish. Needless to say my first drink in Bali had to be the Avocado Juice!
First come the drinks. My girl had a fresh orange juice, their OJ is identical to Thailand's Orange. Our avocado taste so thick, non diluted at all.




The chicken and fish dish came. The chicken was okay but not very surprising, a bit dry as Balinese seem to love to over-fried their dishes. The fish was definitely a well-seasoned, perfectly steamed and fresh! We love the fish so much and the soup from the fish is all drank up.

Price wise, its not what the local would go for, as mostly hungry traveller who just arrive would visit. Clean environment, fully airconditioned and clean toilet.



Sup Gurani 66,000 Rupiah
Ayam Presto 1/2 60,000 Rupiah
Rice 6,000 Rupiah x 2
Avocado Juice 24,000 Rupiah x 2
Orange Juice 22,000 Rupiah
Total including tax 239,200 Rupiah

Bali - Bhanuswari Dinner

Ordered dinner at Bhanswari Resort as its getting late to go out.

My first impression of the restaurant was bad actually. The menu smell so stinky that I had to stand up away from the menu and read from 2 steps away. Needless to say, I have feedback this to the village chief.

We ordered 2 main dishes which look similar as you see. The menu photo look less appetizing than my picture here. The amount of meat and vegetables does not meet the proportion needed for presentation.

Tastewise, the BBQ chicken is quite good, but the seafood curry is total disappointment.

Bali - Bhanuswari Resort & Spa, Ubud

We started our 1st resort at 10pm. Its approx 10-15mins drive from Ubud Palace and located in a village. Checkin was a bliss, quick easy and a good refreshment drink (ginger with soda, and perhaps some peppermint leaves) was served within 1min of our arrival.

We book deluxe room, which is within 1min walk from the main building in a semi-detached house. We seem to be the only resort guest at the deluxe side for the night.

The 1st glance of the room, is WOW, the bed is hugh and the canopy adds such a good touch to it (the canopy have functional usage, being in village right at RICE fields, some nights you get insects in the room). The toilet is as big as the bedroom, with the centrepiece being the bathtub. And our princess happily soak in that tub everyday. Resort provide 2-way transfer to Ubud (any place in ubud) by demand. This is really a good add-on service provided. We have the luxury to take the village chief's ride on one day, and he told us about his inspiration for the resort and hope it can provide his village people a stable income.

Breakfast in the resort is really so-so. The pool is small but deep, and out of 3days when we are using it, we have exclusive usage.

High speed free Wifi available at their restaurant and its complimentary.

We booked via www.hoteltravel.com/
Daily room rate booked : 87.12 USD

Jl Tengkulak Ubud,
Ubud, Bali 80571,
Indonesia

Airline - KLM

Taken KLM to Bali this round.

Check in : @ CHangi airport checkin counter, the queue was not long but the CSO serving us was taking his sweet time and 3 in queue took more than 20 mins to be our turn. The return journey was much better, the checkin counter staff was efficient and polite

Food : The food from Sin->Bali was disapointing, the kids meal have too much vegs and beans and not appetizing at all, and the adult meal was never touched because it just does not look good. The food from Bali->Sin is a great better version. the children food is yummy chicken (that taste and look like ham) with fried mashed potatoes, served with mushroom sauce. The adult meal is very spicy chicken with tasty fried noodle, which I suspect 1/2 of the traveller could not take the spicy chicken. Maybe they should change to braised chicken. BTW, they do not have choice for food, only one food choice.

In the craft : the leg space for economy class was better than SQ, The 1.8m husband have even extra 2-4cm space between rows. The entertainment system, only startup after flight moving, this means it will take approx 5-10mins before you get any screen. The flight attendants, was very attentive.

Final review : would not mind taking them for short haul flight, especially if the bill totals to only S$200 to Bali.

Bali airport tax of 150,000 rupiah is collected at departure. Singapore & Bali is on same timezone, sunset of bali is around 6.15pm.

Hong Kong - BaiWei Noodle

At Argle centre Mongkok, which is the place I shop everytime I visit Hong Kong. The last trip I had, i remember getting curious about the noodle stall and had wanted to try it but had not.

This round, while bagging many pairs of shoes purchased, I bought one packet to try, and OMG, this simple noodle that cost HKD10 is delicious, you get to choose 5 ingredients (including the noodle) and they will mix in the sauce for you, I think even my picky 7yo gal would love thenon spicy version, the sauce definitely included oyster sauce, soya sauce, sesame oil and some others.

Definitely a good in-between meal snack.

Hong Kong - Maxim Restaurant

Dine at Maxim around 2pm @ Metroplaza, Hong Kong. Many variety of the dim sum was sold out, apparently good dim sum get sellout soon after lunch hour. We ordered what they had, and one of their pushcart servers was very nice, knowing my colleague wanted a Custard Bun badly, she went to ask kitchen to make a special order for us.

I only like the XO fried Chwee Cheong Fun and the carrot cake. The rest of the food is just so-so for me.