Naughty Nuri's Warung Pork Ribs

Before we left for home, we had to have the famous 'Naughty Nuri's Warung' spare ribs in Ubud. So many people had been talking about it especially Jess. So, we just had to go with her and it was indeed one of the best ribs I have had so far. I remember it's not very near from Kuta beach but it's worth going all the way for the scrumptious ribs. 

The advertisement board which is not to be missed and I must take a picture of it.

It was full of people when we got there and we had to wait for a while to get a seat.

The board for the food and drinks' price lists. They are not very cheap but the this is the average fare in restaurants in Bali so do not be put off. (about RM30 or USD9 per serving of the ribs)

EAT , PAY , LEAVE.. Basically this was not exactly what we did. We 'WAITED , SAT , ORDERED' before 'eat pay leave'.

How can you not have a pig in the kitchen when you are selling pork ribs? Here we found a little piglet figurine welcoming us beside the sink!

The ribs are grilled / barbequed after being marinated in Indonesian sauce.

So, what is so special about these signature ribs? Well, by just looking at it has already made me feel hungry. I thought I couldn't finish the huge serving but I did !! The marinating sauce goes so well with the pork and it is so tender when biting into it that you do not need other sauce to dip in.

What more to say about it? The picture below tells you how delicious it is. Now you see, now you don't! It's so 'FINGERS LICKING GOOD!'

                                     Naughty Nuri's Warung
                                Add : Jalan Raya Sanginggan
                                         UBUD

                               Opening times: Daily 11am-10pm

                  What to beware:
                  1) There are a few restaurants (warungs) around in UBUD serving ribs too.
                  2) There is a 10% tax on top of the price too.
                  3) Avoid dinner time as it is always packed.
                 4) DO NOT SHARE your ribs with others because you will end up having another  serving.

Love is Hard

Love can happen around us at anytime and anywhere without at first informing us. It can strike us whenever it likes. I used to believe in love and that I could live happily ever after with my prince charming but no.. my dreams were crushed and my heart was broken to pieces. Deep down inside me I silently wish that he would come back to me apologising for being 'young & foolish' and that he would make up for all the silly things he had done. Dream is a dream and it is not going to happen with the hard work of one person. 2 person is needed to make love happens.

 I am writing this because one of my very close friend has just broken up with her boyfriend of 'XX' years and this has made me a bit emotional thinking of my own failure in my relationship. What has gone wrong with this world and all its inhabitants? Are people thinking rationally now before they make a decision to end their relationship? I have to put up a brave face and also a smiley face telling the world that I have moved on.. frankly, it's hard but not impossible. I have challenged all the impossibilities of me not being 'able' to live without you and now I am living better, seeing more and enjoying myself more. However there is always a small corner in my heart for the memories we have had.

To my friend, do not be sad and please move on although it can be hard but it can be done! I will be there to support you. Do not take it as betrayal or have hatred but as lesson learnt!

Tegalalang Rice Terrace - Ubud & Bali

Stopping in Bali without visiting Tegalalang paddy fields is a not-so-clever thing to do. It's only about a few minutes drive from UBUD MARKET if the traffic is flowing smoothly and it's worth to stop there for a few minutes to have a glance at the beauty of the this well known rice terrace. It took us around 40 minutes to arrive due to the congested traffic.

It was in January when we went to Bali and I wondered why didn't I see the ripened paddy.. It was all still growing. Even though no golden grains to greet us but we were welcomed by the picturesque view from the top. Most importantly, we don't get charged watching this greenery plants.

Apart from eye-soothing views, the surrounding is also packed with people selling goods and souvenirs such as woodwork, scarves, paintings as in below and etc. Bear in mind that you would be swarmed by the sellers.. not one, not two but half a dozen or even more asking you to buy , buy and buy.

By the way, most of the tourists driven there by guides would be taken to restaurants of their choice. The reason being is they get free meals in exchange for business. So, we were taken to this Warung Ceking Babi Guling ( babi guling stands for roast pork ).

I don't know if it was our taste buds or there had been discounts on salt.. The entire meal was salty and unfortunately we did not enjoy the food. Sorry buddies. Maybe you should try some other restaurants??

I went to Japan!

On the 5th-15th of September 2012, I went to Japan. It was one of my best trip ever and I shall blog about it in a later time. We arrived to Osaka and proceed almost directly to Kyoto for 2 nights. Then we went to Tokyo for a night and to Morioka the next day for a night as well. Yudanaka was our next destination before heading to Hiroshima and lastly back to Osaka. We spent two nights in Hiroshima as well as in Osaka. If one is to spend more than a week in Japan and is planning to go around Japan, it's best to get yourself a Japan Rail Pass. It costs 28,300yen for a week and it allows us to travel the whole Japan on most of its Shinkansen (bullet train). One can go as far as Sapporo with this rail pass too. By the way, August and September is not the best time to visit Japan from my own experience. It is very hot and humid, we got very sticky and drained within a matter of minutes. We at first thought it was Autumn in September but it isn't. Go in the month of March if you want to witness the beauty of Sakura , the month of July if you want to see the lavender, visit in the month of October if you want to see the beautiful autumn colours and the month of December if you would like to touch the snow and experience the cold weather.

Mount Batur , Lake Batur - Kintamani @ Bali

After having visited Tampak Siring Spring , we continued our journey to Kintamani. Kintamani is a highland area in the east of Bali. I have forgotten how long it took us to get there. It was an easy ride for us as the road directly took us to the top where we could view Mt Batur. It was quite windy at the top of the viewing deck located at the roadside. Mount Batur which is in Kintamani is an active volcano located at the north west of Mount Agung. Mount Agung is the highest possible point in Bali island. According to the locals, this volcano has been constantly spitting a small amount of lava. 

 The weather was not on our side as you can see from the picture above. Mount Batur was covered by a huge piece of fluffy cloud. It was hazy and we could not see the mountain tip. What a shame. We stood there for quite some time waiting for the cloud to shift itself but nope.. it was stubborn and decided to stay stationary at its comfortable spot. But that didn't stop many other tourists from standing and snapping photos. 

This is Lake Batur. It is the largest lake in Bali and is crescent in shape. I think the water in the lake should be quite cold as the surrounding temperature is quite cold too.According to the locals, it is also a sacred lake as they mainly survive on agriculture and fishing. This is the best picture I could find from my collection. I know not much to see but at least you guys know that there is a magnificent lake just beside the magnificent Mt Batur. 

As I have mentioned earlier, the small communities living in this area survive on agriculture thanks to the black lava flowing out from this volcano. Its constant flow of lava has enriched the soil with minerals and is ideal for the folks to earn a living from it. Tourism has increased dramatically in this area and has caused a slight jam on the way up.

Things to note from my own experience:

1) Although the weather is cool , don't forget the shades as the sun can still be peeping at us.

2) Be prepared to expect a bad weather with overcast like us. We couldn't have a proper look of the mountain.

3) Due to this spot being increasingly popular among tourist, goods or souvenir sellers are popping like mushrooms after the rain. Firstly, one would approach you to see if you wanted to buy something and then a big group would follow. They would pester you till you gave in. DO NOT ask for the price here is you have NO intention in buying! Please bear in mind! We really had a very bad experience in this incident.

4) Another thing to remember is always to check the things which you have bought. These sellers would show you a nicely carved ornament and packed a chipped one in the bag.

5) I bought some mangosteens thinking that I could have some tropical fruits along the journey. Bought a kilogramme of it and only got 8 mangosteens! Do not trust these guys here in Kintamani... always check before leaving!

Tampak Siring Temple Holy Spring- Bali , Indonesia

 Bali is very famous for temples, the locals pay tribute to their Gods every day. So we decided to include a few temples in our itinerary while in Bali. The first temple we went to was Tampak Siring Temple or known as Tirta Empul. It is located in Tampak Siring Village and it's probably about 45minutes - 1hour drive from Denpasar. It is a holy spring water temple and it has an interesting history or fable behind it. Let me give you some idea of what the fable is all the about. See the picture below? You will see this once you enter the temple. This is the statue of (I think) God Indra.Once there was a very powerful king who could disappear suddenly called Bedahulu or Mayadenawa. Because of his power, he became very arrogant and claimed he was a god. He also had a very cruel assistant. God Indra somehow fought against this king and a battle occurred in this area. Mayadenawa poisoned the troops with toxic water in a drinking pond and all the soldiers died. Upon knowing this, God Indra poked into the ground and holy water emerged and revived the dead soldiers - well, of course God Indra won the battle.

There is an altar in front of a big tree where people pay their tribute to the tree. People believe there are tree spirits in all big trees.

I have seen Indians with pots and pans on their heads but never once seen people with combs of bananas on their heads. These two women were trying to sell us ONE banana for A DOLLAR. They probably thought we had never seen a banana before.. (just joking).

Before entering the pool, all of the people would offer something with lit incense sticks.

This is how it looks like from the top. According to the locals, the water emerges from this land could be drunk without the fear of abdominal pain. Will you try?

It looks so clean and clear that I wanted to jump in but was not allowed because we didn't have appropriate clothing with us plus we didn't bring anything to pay tribute to the holy land.

 We were very lucky to visit on that day as they were having some sort of celebration. Men, women and children dressed up nicely in white costumes.

 This is the place where the spring water emerges from the ground. It is situated at the top and can you spot the black spots? It is where the spring water comes out from. I don't know if others noticed it but I am sure I saw the spots moving around in the pool.

Things to note :
 1)  There is an entrance fee of IDR 15,000 per person.
 2)  Before entering the central complex of the temple, visitors must take off their shoes as a respect.
 3)  Not allowed to wear short pants but sarongs could be borrowed free of charge to cover up our legs.
 4)  Ladies are advised to stay away during menstruation.
 5)  Do not climb on the holy building.
 6)  Bring extra clothing if you want to have a dip in the water.
 7)  Ask your tour guide on what to bring if you want to pay tribute to the god. ( I was quite disappointed     when my guide didn't tell us about that... I would love to do that!

ATV Adventure Ride with Tourism Selangor

 This would be my third trip with Tourism Selangor and this time our destination is Kampung Kemensah for the fun ATV Adventure Offroad Ride. This ATV Adventure Park is the largest in Malaysia offering various jungle trails for all the outdoor enthusiasts. Kampung Kemensah is very easy to be found. It is just located behind Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur. We arrived there at 10.45am and it was already quite warm but it definitely didn't put us off from having fun.

 We had to park quite a distance away from the entrance as the car park was already full. Well, a little walk kick-started our metabolism.

                  'WELCOME TO ATV ADVENTURE PARK KUALA LUMPUR'

 Spotted a beautiful 'graffiti' on a big rock and I already felt overwhelmed and excited.

 Upon riding the ATV Bikes, we were given some briefings on the dos and don'ts and also how to handle the big 'guys'. Looks simple but not exactly simple. Loads to remember... I was very impatient while waiting for the guide to finish explaining. I forgot to mention that we had to sign a letter of consent too.

 I wasn't expecting a big bike but there you go.. this is what we got.

 Bags have to be tied at the front of the bike. Bags are not allowed to be held onto as they might distract us from concentrating in riding the bikes. I was wondering... WHY couldn't I hold my bag?

 This is Calvin whom I just knew from travelling together. Our guide trying to give a hand riding up the steep trail.

 One of the jungle trails which might look very calming and easy. Trust me, this is not what it looks like. I don't know how the pictures turned out to be so kind but in fact, the jungle trails were very CRUEL to me.

 I went to Kampung Kemensah with a few other friends but were spilt due to the difficult climb. Never mind, I made 2 new friends. This one was taken 1/4 into our 2 hour route but I don't know where. A little flat land where we could take a picture.

 Another CRUEL trail.

Nigel , the official photographer for Tourism Selangor was enjoying his ride downhill.

After about one and a half hour ride uphill, we arrived at the Kelang Gate Dam. A beautiful 'lake'. I never forgot to snap a pic of myself there.

My friend Lam took a jumping photo. By looking at this photo, you know how excited he was to be on this trip.

After resting , time to leave. Have you ever seen traffic jam in the jungle? Not always...but I have!

Phew, late lunch at Breadties and been drinking water like a fish.

After lunch, as usual Fazly announced the 6 best photographs taken by the participants. Congratulations to all the winners!

There are 5 packages to choose from in this ATV ride:
A)  Half hour ride in the base training track                          RM50

B)  One and a half hour offroad ride to 7 tiers waterfall.             RM100

C)  Two hours offroad ride to Sofea Jane Waterfall.                    RM150

D)  About three hours ride uphill and downhill to Bukit Tabur
    and Kelang Gate Dam.                                               RM200

E)  A four hour offroad to Bukit Tabur, Dam, Liza river, Dataran Mas,
    Bukit Lalang.This is the ultimate amongst all the above and
    requires confidence and teamwork.                                  RM300



My remarks based on my experience:

I think it's advisable for those faint-hearted to take packages A and B only maybe C. Package D is quite intense and difficult for the first timer as the bike is quite heavy to handle with especially with the hours I had to hold onto the brakes. Not advisable to do it after a heavy downpour as the trails might be very slippery making it more difficult to control the bikes. Don't expect to take a lot of photos because you would be too busy concentrating not to fall down than to take photos.

What to bring :
 1) Mosquito repellent
 2) Cap
 3) Water
 4) Camera
 5) Extra clothing ( there is a bathroom there for showering )
 6) A pair of gloves for palm protection purposes
 7) Towel
 8) Wear trainers
 9) Sunblocks

Kuta Beach - Bali

 Before I went to Bali, I had always heard people saying how beautiful Kuta Beach was... and that one must go for a stroll there and to see the sunset! Apparently, beach resort is one of the main tourist attractions in Indonesia so despite the tiredness from the previous sightseeing, we came to the well known KUTA BEACH! One will not miss this place as it is a long spread sandy beach which extends beyond the airport into Jimbaran.

             WELCOME TO KUTA BEACH!

I think this is the main entrance of Kuta Beach. As you can see, there is a wall along built up to fence off the beach so one might have to walk a long way to get to the beach if you accidentally miss this one.

This is what welcoming you once you are at the beach! Loads of people selling shades, scarfs, tattoos and etc. I got a scarf for INR15000 and I believe the price could go lower. 

What can one do at Kuta Beach? Go board surfing as it is a famous sport there but beware of the big waves.

Sunbathing is another thing that you can do there. Asians don't like sunbathing as they love to be fair. I caught the sun by standing there for 2 hours. Those who love their skin, remember to slap loads of sunblock!

Beautiful wave!

I had always wondered why there are so many people saying that the sand there is beautiful and fine. Now, take a look at the pic I took. I have never seen such a beautiful concoction of sand before. 

Remember, swimming is prohibited in this area. 

Tips :

1)  Apply loads of sunblock before leaving the hotel.

2)  Bring a hat along.

3)  Remember to get the price down to 75% if you decide to buy any of the stuff at the beach.

4)  Do not wear trainers to walk around the beach.