Donuts do BALI [-Ubud Series-] Pt. 1

Previous: Donuts do BALI [-Kuta Series-]

Photography reflective of August 1, 2010 - August 2, 2010 (Days 3 and 4).
***Edit: August 1, 2010 - Day 3***

HEADS UP - OVER 100 50 PICTURES.
WARNING: OPTICAL OVERLOAD POSSIBLE

Oh, and you might want to zoom out (to get a better view of the vertical pictures).

enjoi :)



After the Bintang Donuts were finally completed with the arrival of a Mr. Ken Radomski, we all departed the uber-touristy, not-quite-Bali-scene of Kuta. We had arranged for a shuttle to take us to Ubud (higher in elevation, away from the beaches, and north of Kuta). Immediately after leaving the vicinity, the scenery had changed almost instantaneously. All the western shopping stores, and the McDonalds were being replaced with genuine Balinese architecture, and locally owned stores. I was finally feeling like I was in Bali.



After an hour or so on the shuttle, we finally made it to Ubud. Good thing we all had traveling backpacks. Would have been a pain to carry around a suitcase, while trying to take pictures with the other hand. Since we couldn't check into our beautiful villa until 8 pm that afternoon we decided to check out what Ubud had to offer.



Of course, that meant checking out the famous Monkey Temple first (after all, all the internet reviews pointed toward the Monkey Temple as a must). It was apparent right when we go there that we wouldn't be looking at caged animals. Those funny primates that inhabited the lush jungle were roaming freely, peeling bananas, and attempting to inhale out of aerosol cans. Interesting fellas, that's for sure...



SEE!!!









Have you ever handed a banana to a monkey before?





OWww




Keny grooming Jungle






After touring the Monkey Temple, we were all hungry so we roamed the streets until we came across a small mom-n-pop-n-kids Balinese restaurant. Even though I had the Mie Goreng in Kuta, I couldn't help but to try it here because I wanted to know if it would taste different than the one we had at the food courts. This one definitely tasted a lot more fresh and authentic. The fish/oyster sauce wasn't as overwhelming, and the added chili's were a bonus! Oh, and all the fruit juices were mega-hits. I mean none of that processed, fructose-laced shenanigans found here. All organic, all 100% deliciousness straight to the donia.




After we ate, we walked up the street and encountered a local ceremony ensuing. I'm not sure what exactly it was for, but I was certainly curious. I wanted to ask what the processional was about, but I was too busy snapping pictures.






Bokeh Effect





Time to head to the Villa!

As we were heading out, we met Wayan, a local taxi driver who would later become our private tour guide and driver for the rest of our stay in Ubud. He was probably in his late 30's, armed with a Bob Marley Greatest Hits Mixtape, and a minivan that accommodated the five of us well. We definitely learned a lot about the Indonesian culture through him, and the struggles one goes through to survive out in Bali. He was a kind man, knowledgeable, yet not completely overwhelming in his narratives. I couldn't believe my eyes when we were entering the rice fields. Surreality. The rice fields juxtaposed the villa in a bizarre, yet calming way.

We were truly at the mercy of paradise,
& the best reception a Villa can have.










It was unreal. We couldn't even see the inside of the villa, because it wasn't time for us to check in yet. So we headed back down Ubud to grab some dinner, and check out the night life. We ended up grabbing tickets to the traditional Balinese dance, as it was also suggested by many past Bali travelers.










After the performance we headed back to Villa Agung Khalia to finally check into our rooms. I couldn't believe where we were staying. It was legitimately one of the most incredulous places I have ever stayed at. Though it only had 3 rooms, there were enough beds and couches to accommodate more than 10 people, easily. A dream getaway indeed. I hadn't felt that type of genuine excitement in a long time. & I'm still perplexed.






There are better day-time shots of the Villa, but for now these will have to do.

Because...

I was overly-ambitious when I started this post, wanting to fit everything from Ubud in one day, but now I realized that I couldn't. I grossly miscalculated the amount of photos I wanted to post, so I am going to conclude this post as Part 1 of the Ubud series, and now am going to get some sleep. Please forgive me, I havn't looked away from the screen, nor gotten up in a few hours. Oh, I taught a class about diabetes today. Did you know that having a sedentary lifestyle can cause diabetes? Sedentary = not exercising, and sitting around all day.

In other words, stay active my friends.
ciao

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-]...