Nusa Lembongan, Bali: The Devil’s Tear

Amazing-scary Devil’s Tear in Nusa Lembongan. It sprays strong mists back out, generating howling sounds from the strong splashes of water.

Bali is always amazing!

Bali, in 3 days

Suluban (Blue Point) beach, Uluwatu, Bali

3 more days to go before I return to The Island of the Gods, to the Lembongan area this time around.

Bali. Oh hell yeah, I’m seeing you again. This time, I ain’t just surfer watching. I’m catching the waves myself.

Uluwatu Top 5: Why Uluwatu is my new place to be in Bali

I visited the Uluwatu Temple in late October when my friends and I celebrated my birthday in Bali. Although it wasn’t my first time to visit the temple, it was my first time to do a side trip and hang out in one of the more popular restaurant-bars in the area.

Needless to say, I was hooked immediately and I couldn’t wait to go back! I wasn’t exaggerating: we’ve barely left Bali but Arshad and I already booked our tickets slated on the second week of November, with the sole intent of staying in Uluwatu.

Uluwatu is located in the Bukit Peninsula, Bali’s southern limestone cliff-fringed area. It houses one of Bali’s iconic temples, the Uluwatu Temple and drop-dead gorgeous coastlines with strong waves conducive for surfing.

Aside from the popular Uluwatu Temple and the kecak fire dance that commences during sundown, here’s my compilation of the top 5 reasons why I don’t mind going back to Uluwatu (again and again, and again):

1.  Single Fin. If I’m being honest to myself, my first compelling reason to go back to Uluwatu is because of Single Fin Bar and Cafe’.  Single Fin is overlooking the cliffs, the waves and the entire coast, which makes it the perfect spot for sightseeing. The view in Single Fin is simply amazing!  I could stay in Single Fin for hours and hours on end, just reading a book, sipping wine or cocktail or surfer watching (the last one being my favorite thing to do).

The enthralling view when you’re hanging out at Single Fin

Aside from the view, Single Fin offers delectable cocktails and vegetarian dishes. I love their different versions of margaritas and have tried both their classic Single Fin and their rosella margarita.

For vegan or vegetarian food, I’m a fan of their vegetarian nasi goreng. For light bites, I always order their vegan chips and dips, with dips including green lentil hummus, charred eggplant babaganoush and tomato relish. Their chips are made from cassava and sweet potato, which makes them a lot healthier. I loved watching the sunset while stuffing myself silly of margaritas and vegetarian bites. Such is a happy life!

Single Fin’s vegetarian nasing goreng: one of my favorites

After sundown, Single Fin becomes a cool, chill party place that plays very good house and RnB music. The crowd is mostly filled with foreigners, although I saw a handful of local tourists sampling their delicious spirits.

Us at Single Fin with margarita and mojito in hand: my definition of a perfect night in Uluwatu

Single Fin at night: they have a good DJ playing good dance music and the latest hits

Define addicted to Single Fin: I went back not once, not twice…but over and over and over again during my stay in Uluwatu.

Single Fin frontage at sundown

Single Fin frontage during day time

Single Fin’s contact details:

Address: Pantai Suluban, Jl. Labuan Sait, Pecatu, Uluwatu, Kuta Selatan, Pecatu, Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali

Hours: 

Open ⋅ Closes 12AM

Phone: (0361) 769941

 

2. Coco and Poke’.  True to its name, this quaint, whitewashed shop that sits quietly beside Single Fin serves sumptuous Hawaiian poke’ bowls and Cocowhip, the world’s first vegan and bio-fermented coconut soft serve ice cream.

Coco and Poke’s menu: you can either create your own or choose from their wide array of selection of house bowls

We were looking for a place where we can order and eat quickly, without going to a fastfood restaurant when we found Coco and Poke’. You can create your own bowl or defer to their house bowls. We ordered the Aloha and Ohana Bowls, both of which did not disappoint. Packed with brown rice, tuna, salmon, fish roe and avocado, the bowls were refreshing and filling at the same time.

Too bad we didn’t have space for their coco soft serve, but it’s another reason that I can chalk up to justify another trip. =)

Coco and Poke’s details: 

Address: Jl. Labuan Sait, Pecatu, Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

Phone: 0878-6061-2896

3. The amazing beach and the view. These are both more-than-good-enough reasons to stay in Uluwatu. I woke up to this view on a daily basis and thought to myself: “I can stay here forever.”

Uluwatu’s limestone cliff and pristine coastline

This gorgeous coastline is a world-class surfing playground, with its wide coastal length opening to the Indian Ocean.

My view every morning

In our first morning back in Uluwatu, I immediately checked out the beachfront. To reach it, we had to go down to Blue Point (Suluban) Beach, which is located closely to both the Uluwatu Temple and Padang Padang beach.

The word “Suluban” came from the Balinese word that means “walking or passing under something,” since we had to pass through a coral reef cave before  we reached the white sandy beach of Blue Point.

The coral reefs that you have to pass through to go to Blue Point beach

Blue Point beach ahead: it’s worth the walk down the cliffs!

It’s a long way down the cliffs and an effort to pass through the coral reef cave below but once you reach the beach, everything is totally worth it! Suluban beach offers a jaw-dropping view of the Indian Ocean and the waves are perfect for surfers and surfing enthusiasts.

4. The resort: Blue Point Bay Villas and Spa – Strategically situated beside Single Fin and just right above the cliffs en route to the Blue Point (Suluban) beach is Blue Point Bay Villas and Spa.

We had 3 days and 2 nights to spend in Uluwatu and given that limited time, we had to be strategic in our choices in terms of location. Blue Point Bay is the perfect resort for us.

Blue Point Bay Villas  Blue Point Bay Villas and Spa.

It had an amazing view of the Suluban beach, a pool, lounge chairs with parasols and an exhaustive cocktails and wine menu. A plus for me is their massive spa where you can get reflexology, hair treatment and full body massage.

Lounging: the best thing to do beside the pool with a glass of wine

The resort offers packages with free breakfast and the restaurant has an amazing view of Suluban, with it’s floor to ceiling windows.

5. The forest monkeys frolicking in the area. Outside the Uluwatu Monkey Forest, you can still find these gray long-tailed monkeys climbing rooftops of restaurants, window sills of hotels and resorts or even walking with the tourists!

Check out my early morning visitor: this furry little creature was making funny faces in front of my window sill

Although some of the tourists find them annoying, I actually find them cute! These little furry creatures add an exotic flair to Uluwatu, making the place more interesting and enigmatic.

A word of caution though: some visitors had mishaps and encounters with the monkeys, as they know how to seize and steal mobile phones, sunglasses, wallets, etc. Even in our resort, we were briefed not to leave our things unguarded as there are monkeys wandering around the area. I even saw one early in the morning snatching fruit offerings at the hotel front desk!

One of the monkeys just casually frolicking around Blue Point Villa like it’s nothing =)

The entire Bukit area, surrounded by frangipani trees can actually be considered the entire money forest, so when you’re staying in Uluwatu, expect to come across these furry creatures along the way.

These are but a few of the reasons why Uluwatu is a great place to stay in when you’re in Bali. Overall, I love this area for its relaxing ambiance, clean and plant-based food and its waves. A repeat of this adventure is definitely in the offing.

My 2018 Travel List

What I love about being an expat: Travel becomes an integral part of your life. 

The challenge about being an expat in my industry: I’m not a travel blogger, nor do I make a living out of blogging. Ergo, I have limited vacation days and I maximize my travel by taking advantage of long weekends.

There is always a way to travel, limited vacation days notwithstanding, if you love traveling!

This year, I’ve made my list already:

1 .  Southern Spain – I. love. Spain. This year, I want to explore Southern Spain more: Valencia, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, Ronda, Cadiz, Jerez, Seville and the island of Mallorca. Arshad has pretty much outlined the itinerary for us (thank God for an equally-wanderlustful partner!).

2 .  Donsol, Sorsogon – because it was very rainy in Bicol last December, our Legazpi-Sorsogon tandem trip was cut short. We didn’t make it to Donsol, Sorsogon for the whale sharks, but we intend to come back in the summer!

3 . Bali, Indonesia –  does not even need an explanation. Before January ends, I’ll be coming back to the Island of the Gods and I’ll be exploring the Lembongan area to surf, do my yoga and just frolic in the beach.

4 . Penang, Malaysia – is always in my wishlist, but I never get to go. Perhaps because it’s near and accessible to me, so I take it for granted. A culinary paradise, I’d like 2018 to be the year the I finally go and stuff myself silly with char koay teow, Penang rojak and my classic favorite: cendol!

5 . Colombo, Sri Lanka – I’ve been to Colombo a few years ago for work. Regrettably, I didn’t get the chance to go around and visit the temples, eat more local food and visit the beaches. Wishful thinking that I can dedicate one long weekend for this, finally.

6.  Kathmandu, Nepal – is very picturesque. I’d like to be able to say one day that I’ve been to ALL Southeast Asian countries. Nepal is good way to start.

These are the cities, countries and places that I’d love to visit outside of work. Some of them, I’ve been to before, like Bali and Colombo, but I’d want to go back and revisit them again, because these places always light my fire and they always make me happy. The reason is that simple.

To my traveling and expatriate tribe and comrades, may 2018 be adventure and travel-filled for you. May it bring us more excitement and more places to discover. Happy New Year!

New Year 2018: Of Living and Loving Well

It has become a tradition: I welcomed the New Year in KL in the company of our extended family. We prepared our dinner feast and Media Noche of salad, seafood and steak (for the boys), played games until we toasted champagne to welcome 2018 and hugged each other good night.

I opened 2018 in a simple way: with my partner, our family and friends and good sleep. It’s a simple but perfect way to usher in the New Year. 

The night before New Year’s Eve, I was with Arshad in Private Room, a wine and whiskey bar that has become our default place here in KL. We had a long day of traveling and running errands and we wanted to just hang back a little bit and chill.

As we sat at the bar, we bantered the night away by looking back and reflecting on what we learned in the year that just passed.

2017 was not a smooth year for me, but it wasn’t terrible either. It had its share of rough and tumble, but I would still count it as a milestone year wherein I achieved a lot of things and scored high in terms of accomplishing goals.

But that’s the thing that 2017 taught me: Life is not just about scoring high. Living life to the fullest doesn’t just mean ticking off checkboxes of things to do, milestones to meet, successes to accomplish. 

I ticked off a generous amount of targets in 2017 when I went through my list, but I also realized that although this made me successful in the way that I defined success in 2017, the whole journey also weighed me down.

I went through depression in the latter part of the year. I went through this despite my accomplishments and the good life that I have been living. Looking back now, I realized that I went through it because I pushed myself too hard, much to my own detriment.

Year in, year out, I always set the bar higher. I did well in 2015, I should do better in 2016, 2017…and on and on and on.

But until how much can I take? A new year will not add more hours in a day. It will not extend my energy, my time and my attention.

I became more cognizant of my finite resources, so to speak, and I learned that it’s not a bad thing.

Adding to my bucket list will make the bucket full to the brim, until it just couldn’t take anymore. The bucket needs to be emptied out again at some point.

Achieving, making goals, listing down targets: they’re not a bad thing. However, there are also certain things that need to be done:

Spend some time to rest and recharge. Slow down. Reflect. Sleep. Breathe. Find the little joys of everyday living. 

With all the goals we list down, it helps to ask ourselves: in the end, after checking all the boxes, are we a better person? Are we a better person to ourselves and to others?

This 2018, I still have my bucket list and my goals, but it’s no longer about exceeding and over-achieving. It’s about valuing what’s important and nurturing them. It’s about being a better person by being kinder to myself and to others.

To all of us,  may we usher the New Year with renewed hope and with fire in our hearts. May we be kinder to each other. May we be more generous. May we live more by loving more and judging less. 

Less hatred, more love. I fervently hope we see this happen this 2018.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Live well, love well, love life.