Donuts do BALI [-Kuta Series-]

As I'm listening to the XX, cropping and uploading my pictures, I couldn't believe what I had experienced last week. It was INCREDIBLE to say the least. It was as if I had been incepted into a dream world that I knew was real, but couldn't quite grasp it while I was there. An unforgettable week filled with GREAT friends, GREAT foods, GREAT stays, and GREAT events! I've been fortunate enough to see many beautiful places in North America: from Vancouver, Canada, to Baja Mexico, Mexico, to Oahu, Hawai'i, the Pacific Coast of Humboldt County, and the many beaches, mountain ranges, and deserts inhabiting California, to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and even New York and Washington DC on the East Coast. But this was the first time I've been to another country (aside from Korea) on this side of the Pacific.

A few thoughts on Bali:

"SPECTACULAR."
"MAGNIFICENT"
"PARADISE"
"HEAVEN ON EARTH"
"IMPRESSIVELY AWE-INSPIRING"
"BEAUTIFUL"
"BREATHTAKING"
"MUST-SEE"

If I could give it 10 Thumbs up I would. But for now I guess 2 will have to do.

Bali combines the beautiful beaches and the tropical breezes of the Hawaiian Islands, along with the crisp & pristine mountainous ranges of California that soothes the soul. If there is one place I can truly recommend everyone visiting, it is definitely Bali. With zero expectations, I left Korea and found a breathtaking paradise in Bali. Everyone we encountered provided some sort of never before seen perspective on life, and what it means to be a human being. I can go on and on about how beautiful this place is, but I hope the pictures can do most of the talking.

It took me hours to compile, sort through gigs of jpegs, crop (with very minimal post-editing), upload, write, and put together only the first leg of the trip, so I hope these pictures can do justice to what I had experienced with my own eyes!

(before scrolling down, depending on what your view settings are, I might zoom out one or two levels to get a better view of the vertical pictures. On Safari, I believe it is Apple Key (⌘) and the (-) button. Or, go to View then Zoom Out (⌘-).

enjoi :D


Incheon International Airport's sophisticated transportation to the Departure Gates.


Mr. Santhose (Manager with Samsung) heading back to India for a vacation with his family.



Notice the Cholita headband :)


Traditional Balinese statues carrying a theme of abstract animals and dragons. Very fascinating to see.


Free fiber for the week


Warung, or street food vendors.


First tastes of Balinese cuisine. Oh man, don't even get me started on the food. Starting at 15,000 IDR (~$1.5 USD) you get a delicious meal, and at 50,000 IDR (~$5 USD) you're eating fresh caught Marlin for a KING.



Mid-flight shots



Beautiful



YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! #3 and #4 of the Bintang Donuts have arrived!
(BTW, Sugi I have some hilarious shots of you, and Lauren there are some model moments of you)




How to shoot a picture, Asian-style.


1, 2, 3!




Paddleball is a lot more fun than you think. Ask these guys.

One thing we all noticed about Bali was the amount of stray dogs that were happily loitering around as they pleased. In contrast, Korea has an invasion of stray cats idling around the streets. By using a chicken satay we lured one of the dogs over so that Jungle could pet him.




After the beach session we headed back to our Resort to swim in the pool before exploring Kuta, and finding a place to grab some dinner. Sugi and I decided to check out the sunset while the ladies were washing up. I've seen a lot of sunsets in my life, but this one was even more surreal than most of the other ones. We saw some guys playing futsol by the beach, and I wanted to join in, but I was captivated by the sunset.




After getting cleaned up, we headed out to the local food court where there must have been at least 15 different warungs, all trying to get us to buy dinner from their stations. They were by far the most persistent group of restauranteurs I have ever encountered in my life.



How about a Mie Goreng, with chicken and an egg on top?


Scooter-nation. Though we did not ride scooters in Kuta, we had two full days worth of scooting around in Nusa Lembongan.


FLAPJAKS, where ANY DESSERT COMBINATION is POSSIBLE. You can order a waffle with gelato on top, while having a steak and egg sandwich. Or, if you prefer pancakes, you can throw some ice cream on top with some syrup. You'll be lucky to make it out of here alive.


Quite possibly the best Banana Split in the world. The sweet crystalline overload was counter-balanced with a bag of salty fries from the sports pub next door.


After the incredulous dessert session, we headed over to the local massage parlor to get a phenomenal foot and back massage. It was the first time I ever got a massage at a parlor, and the masseuse did a great job relaxing my entire body. No happy ending, but I was a happy camper.


Wait... what?!

... and that was just the first 48 hours...

Jungle's Perspective

[My favorite picture from the Kuta Series]


Next up, the [-Ubud Series-]...