Pulau Dewata: Pantai Jimbaran

Oooo, funky lights!

Pantai Jimbaran is well-known for its' dinning place by the beach. Simple dinning chairs and tables are set on the sand, not far away from the shore but not that close either, and we can dine while enjoying the sound of the pounding wave. It is best to visit Pantai Jimbaran at night as the candle light provided on the dinning table emphasize the movie-like romantic atmosphere surrounding the place.

There are three to four restaurants that provide this funky dinning experience. You get to chose at which restaurant you want to eat and what you want to eat. You have to be able to bargain though, because the staff usually put an inhuman price range to tourists - yes, even to Indonesian tourists. It's a good thing my parents are good at it.

Other than the restaurant, food vendors can also be found strolling around the beach. The one that you will most likely encounter is the grilled corn vendor. The price of one stick of grilled corn was not that expensive. I bought one for Rp10.000,00 and it tasted nice. It also came with some boiled ground nuts.

Them grilled corn and boiled nuts were very old school in a good way

We waited quite a while for our food to come. Dad ordered a plate of grilled prawns and grilled fish. My Mom is allergic to seafood, but she is very lucky to be able to eat squid, so we ordered a plate of grilled ink squirter. 

Our dinner came with lots of side dishes like, salt and lime, watermelon, boiled potatoes, three kinds of chilly sauce, deep fried onions, pan fried water spinach, rice, and hot tea. It was pretty luxurious and everything tasted delicious - even the potatoes!

Selamat makan!

Order for table 18

Salt and lime to go with your seafood

Three portions of rice

Those watermelons looked pale, don't you think?

Various kinds of sambal and a bowl of fried onion

I fell in love with the grilled prawns. They were well-grilled, the meat was soft and sweet, well done! The cook didn't forget to clean the nasty part of the prawn either - yes, that nasty black line on their back, which happen to be their digestive track or intestine, a.k.a. their poo pipe. I'm a big fan of prawn, that is why I'm slightly sensitive when it comes to that particular part of the crustacean. If it still there when its' already cooked, I won't eat it. Well, do you expect me to eat poop?

Grilled prawns for dinner

The fish deserve a two thumbs up. Nicely grilled, well marinated, soft meat, the combination of spicy and sweet worked well, and it was a big fish.. so, yeah, I had fun eating this fish with my Dad. The best part of the fish was its' crispy tail that would make you go "crunch! crisp! crack!" when you dig your teeth into it.

Fried fish for Dad and I

Potatoes!

After we finished dinner, we took some picture by the seaside. What bothered me is that numerous orbs can be found in every single picture we took. Mom said that the ocean is the home of spirits - those who are lost and trapped in this world wondering around and those who are banished. "Maybe it's their way of showing that they exist," she said. Spooky much.

This picture gives me chills

Arce Dairy's Taro Ice Cream

So, today, my Dad's friend came to visit and he brought a bucket of Purple Yam Ice Cream along with him. It was big and purply, Arce Dairy was the brand of the ice cream. I was in awe because I didn't know such dessert exists. He offered me some and I immediately agreed. 

Arce Dairy's Purple Yam Ice Cream

I grabbed a cup and took a big spoonful of the pale purple ice cream. The color of the ice cream itself was different from the picture printed on the bucket. The one on the bucket was very purple, it kind of reminds you of Barney the Dinosaur, while the actual good was pale grayish purple - which is good because at least we know that they don't use that much of purple food coloring. 

There were yam bits in it, very small and very few, and I like it. The flavor doesn't stand out that much, meaning the lack of artificial flavors is very obvious, that's why I enjoy eating this ice cream. I don't think it tasted bad, even though I had a hard time distinguishing the yam flavor. You should give the ice cream a chance! Ice cream will be ice cream, yes? 

Very pale colored ice cream, but it tasted nice!

Pulau Dewata: Pantai Kuta

In Bali, you can do water sport pretty much anywhere since the island has numerous beaches. But, the one beach that provides you all kinds of water sports is Pantai Tanjung Benoa. The beach is located in Nusa Dua, 40 kilometers away from the capital city of Bali. 

Unlike any other beaches in Bali, where you can usually spend your money on getting your nails painted and hair braided, you can spend some Rupiah to do sports at Pantai Tanjung Benoa. Banana Boat, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Seawalker - you name it! - are available and the price of each activity varies, starting from Rp100.000,00. 

I went for the parasailing, since it's the only water sport I have been dying to try. Each round consisted of you soaring in a circuit for two minutes, and it was worth a hundred Rupiah. I didn't know parasailing would be this expensive. Dad was very kind for buying me two rounds. I ended up flying for five minutes for Rp200.000,00 because of the crew's generosity. I wonder what made them give us this valuable time discount. 

That's me flying!

The line for parasailing was not that long

Up up and away!

It was eleven in the afternoon when we finished our acitivity, but the scorching sun made it feel like as if it was two o'clock. Lunch time was still an hour away, but we decided to drive casually in search of a nice restaurant to dine in at. We headed to Pantai Kuta, another popular beach in Bali, and it seemed that the people outside our car was heading the same direction with us. 

In just five minutes, we spotted a nice place to eat and parked the car immediately. No, it was not a restaurant, nor it was a cafe, but merely a humble and small warung on the roadside. You see, warung is Indonesian for a small family-owned shop. Here, you will most likely find powder drink sachets, traditional snacks and crackers, and bunch of other knick knacks. But, this particular warung had something that I have never found in any kind of warung before, which is Nasi Campur Bali.

Your choice of instant thirst quencher

The owner of the warung came out and offered us food and drink. We immediately ordered three plates of meal, consisted of rice and every side dishes available that day. There were more than five kinds of side dishes - Hallelujah, praise the Lord! - and all of them were pork. Pork Broth, Satai Ikan, Gorengan Babi, Spicy Pork, Kerupuk Kulit Babi, Urap, Ayam Balado, Sambal Goreng Tahu were the ones that accompanied the rice.

The wife of the warung owner

Scooping side dishes onto the plate

Yum, look at them food calling out, "Eat me. Eat me."

While we wait for our lunch to be served, we chatted with the owner. He built the warung so that he can earn some extra money for his family. His boss own a particular hectares of land and told him to take care of it. "Since it was merely hectares of nothing, I decided to built up this warung and start my own business. That way, I'm doing what my boss told me to do - which is taking care of his property - and I'm earning additional salary for my wife and kids," he said while doing some tricks with his dog. Smart man.

Woof!

The legendary puppy dog pout

After a while, the wife of the warung owner finally served our lunch. My plate was decorated with numerous kinds of side dishes. All I could see was bits of fried pork, chicken, fish, and other unidentified object - I didn't know which was which. So, I just ate it. 

The thing about Nasi Campur Bali is that it is always hot and spicy. Always. As a person who can't handle peppery dish, it tormented me. I love Nasi Campur so much - with all its' combination of flavors; savory, sweet, salty, and peppery - but on the other hand, it will always give me a hard time in the loo. 

My favorite side dish was the Gorengan Babi, or leftover-pork-skin-meat-and-fat fritters. As unhealthy as this food may sound, it tasted beyond delicious and very addictive- savory, slightly oily, porky, and crunchy. 

Nasi Campur Bali

Lunch is served!

Our lunch came with a bowl of soup, consisted of pork meat, fried onions, and some diced carrots. It tasted very delicious, very savory and rich in flavor. At the bottom of the bowl was where you can find them pork meat and diced carrots. Mom and Dad loved it so much. As for me, I sticked with my Gorengan Babi instead. 

The owner's treats!

Dad enjoyed it so much

A glass of Orange Juice to quench your thirst

We finished our lunch and we bid goodbye to the sweet and friendly warung owner. It's a shame I didn't get to know their names and the exact location of their warung. People ought to try eating at their humble shop, as it was very cozy, home-like, and simply enjoyable. 

We continued driving to Pantai Kuta to spend our afternoon at. The blazing sun was excruciating. Tourist were in bikinis, putting on their sunglasses and beach hat to protect them from the cruel ultraviolet that the sun emitted. It was one o'clock sharp when we arrived at the beach. We immediately rent us some seats and ordered cold beverage. And by cold beverage, I meant cold beers.

Beer in the afternoon? No problem.

Your choice of cold beverage

I don't do beers because I think it tasted bitter, fizzy, and absolutely far from being delightful. I got myself a couple bottles of cold tea and simply enjoy the sweet sugary sensation of the drink. While Mom and Dad leisure around with their beers and cigars, I took my camera and went down to the sea and shoot some pictures.

Kuta Beach, Bali

Time to relax 

Got your surf board?

The beach was filled with girls in bikini

Tanned skin 

Another surfer spotted

Panai Kuta will always be filled with people. There will be those who are in their bikinis getting sun-tan, and those surfers with their surfboard and funky wet hair, and those who are being chased by nail artisans and hair braiders who go, "Miss! Braid your hair, Miss! Very beautiful! Paint your nails! Only 80 Ribu, very beautiful!".

Don't mind the crowd, just enjoy the beach.

Look's like I'm not the only one who's taking pictures

Careful there, Miss!

Darkness slowly took over Pantai Kuta 

The beautiful sunset of Bali

Breakfast of Champions

Being in Qatar gives me access to unlimited food supply - and by food I mean imported-food-that-i-can't-and-don't-usually-find-in-indonesia, for instance: Mini Oreo. 

My first encounter with Mini Oreo is when I was in New York. I was strolling around Times Square when I decided to go in to some mini market and buy me some snack. There, I saw this metallic blue zip-lock type kind of bag with drawings of black and white buttons on it. As I came closer, I started to recognize the snack and it was Oreo. "Mini oreos. Can life be more epic?!" So I bought it and enjoyed my Oreo. 

A year after, at this present time, I got my second Mini Oreo. I was at Carrefour the other day, doing some shopping with my Mom and Dad. Then I found this medium-sized cup with writings that said "Mini Oreo" on it. In what sane people's mind wouldn't I grab the cup and put it in the shopping cart? 

Suddenly, an idea popped out. A genius one. So, I ran to the milk section and bought myself a bottle of Strawberry Milk.

Mini Oreo and Strawberry Milk

Combine them Mini Oreo and Strawberry Milk, and you will have the breakfast of champions. Instead of using bowl, you can just pour the milk into the cup, and breakfast is served. How genius is this idea?

The dish tasted the best when the milk is cold. I'm not a big fan of the white part of Oreo, but it's an exception in this case. The black biscuit, on the other hand, was fragile and crumbly. It shattered easily as it made contact with the milk, making my breakfast all messy and milk-shake-like. I don't mind actually, but I think it would be more enjoyable if the Oreo would stay intact.

Breakfast is served!

MUC - DOH

Long story short, I lost the sticky notes that I used to write the in-flight menu during my trip from Munich, Germany, bound for Doha, Qatar - which leave me merely the photos of the food. A bit disappointed though, but let's see what I can do.

Breakfast

Per usual, the stewardess let us chose between juice and energizing smoothie, and I always go with the smoothie. 

In every Qatar Airways Business Class meal, there will always be a bowl of bakery products, appetizer, and main course. There are options you can chose when it comes to appetizer and main course, mostly two selections of meal, yet sometimes three in European flights. 

A glass of Orange Juice and Fruit Smoothie

Muffin from the Bakery Basket

Seasonal Fresh Fruit as appetizer

Omelette, accompanied with various side dishes

My favorite side dish, Teriyaki Salmon

Another option you can have as your main course, a plate of Oriental Fried Rice with side dishes

✈    ✈    ✈

Dinner

Unlike breakfast, the stewardess serve more food during dinner. There are two additional meal during dinner, which are entrée and dessert. As a heavy eater, in-flight dinner is my favorite meal of the day.

A glass of Lime Mint and Apple Juice

Salmon as entrée

My favorite bakery good of all time, Laugen Roll

A bowl of Mint Soup as appetizer

My kind of main course - fish!

Beef as main course for those who are allergic to seafood

Banana Pie Cake and Ice Cream for dessert, yum!