Bali - The east side

We have this trip planned for more than 6 months now. And this weekend we finally set off to Bali :-) It has been a while since we went under water. So we decided to do the diving part first. The best dive sites in Bali are towards the East. After a hell load of research and talking to many contacts, Manu found this amazingly pleasing budget resort called Puri Matha beach bungalows which is a dive resort. the major highlight is that the well famed USA Liberty Wreck is right in the resort beach ! Yeah, so before the divers start coming in from all parts of Bali, we get to go in first and see the wreck and marine life in and around it (minus the crowd)

The moment I called and talked to Wayan (the manager) I knew we are gonna like this place. The price is good, place is newly renovated with a few cottages added new and he is as friendly as any Balinese will be. From the few travels we have had, I have interacted with a lot of hotel staff. None of them have replied my e-mail saying - "I confirm your reservation. Me, the room and the staff are ready for you. We are waiting ". Tulamben in a long drive from Denpasar airport. As we reach around midnight & plan to dive and do nothing else for the next 2 days, we opted for pick up. When we met the driver, he immediately called Wayan and since it was 12.30 AM in the morning, I was greeted with a Good Morning from the other end of the line.

After the 2.5 hours drive, we reach Tulamben. Our cottage is right next to the beach and the pool. As we took a stroll around we could see a million stars and Manu pointed out the Milky way cloud for me :-) Too much excitement and I found it so hard to fall asleep ..

This is why we got a beach and pool view room :) 

The cottage where we stayed. Sorry for the eyesore sarong ..

The dive shop

I begin the morning with Balinese coffee. On the days I dive, it is difficult for me if I eat something. But for Manu its the opposite. He needs to eat more! Our dive guide Koman consoled me saying "My tummy feel strange when I eat and dive".

The dives were amazing(I can talk about that later). It was my first shore dive, but not so easy to do shore dive here as the shore does not have sand. It is completely covered with Volcanic pebbles of all size and shape. In between the dives, we rest in the shore and find some place to have lunch. Rest of them are finding interesting stuff to eat while I stick to my beverage buffet. Later comes Koman's little girl, Wayan(!) and friends. As in the rest of the world, kids are still scared of me! I wonder why.

She is the tiniest one in the blackNwhite dress & she so much wanted to swim in the ocean ! 

After the evening dive, we showered and found a small motorbike and went out for dinner. We went to the restaurant where Koman's mum works. We ate the grilled chicken and local fried rice which she made. I was telling Koman that its not so common to get to eat your mum-cooked-food in restaurant.

I have read about the Balinese snacks items.. which are small and short and sweet... So, the next day morning, we were planning to get to the market after our first dive and pick up some food. Later after the second dive, I could snack on them during the long break. But after the first dive, we did not have enough time and energy to go out. But, there comes Koman's wife with the food I was looking for ..

My food for the day

After the dives, we sit on the wooden outdoor courtyard near the pool and enjoy the rhythm of the crashing waves and I am writing this :-) Of course I took advantage of the pampering and calmness of this place & did nap in between. I was dreaming of a giant crab moving towards me, when Manu woke me up!

This is where I sit down to write/nap/enjoy the ocean, when I am not under water

Today morning I head to the restaurant to have a good breakfast. We are not diving today, but moving to next location, Ubud. Did I tell you, this restaurant is so far my fave place in the resort .. See it for yourself.

Bali is a touristy place and Tourism is the livelihood of the locals here. So obviously people will try to make a good profit out of each visitor. Haggle a bit and once you settle on the price, the service quality will impress you. The only issue we ever faced in the resort was that we could not find floor mats.

The trip is so far extremely good and satisfying. Tulamben has pleased us and set the expectations of rest of Bali, quite high. Sincerely hope that Bali will be a happy thought by the end of the trip :-)

Thai Rockss !!!

A cool dream come true..

From the first time I saw the song "Aawara Bhawrein .." of Sapne, the wish for playing in snow had been in my mind. But, never thought I would really be able to..

In Japan, the new year week is celebrated as Golden week.. yezzz one week vacation. Adding up the weekends, a total of jolly 9 days ;) [Well.. am penning this down a bit late!]
When I look back, the schedule seems awful. Daily, I was sleeping till 12.30 or 1.00 till someone else called me up and tell the plan of the day. Then it would be a rush to get ready and then masthiiii.....
Being a female, I thought shopping could never let my spirits down. But, by the end of the vacation, we had covered almost all the malls in the area and I was getting tired of shopping.

Le’me come to the main day.. The only day when I woke up in the morning ;) At 9.00, we set off for a long journey to Hatchikita. I was having a window seat.. As we passed half way, the rain suddenly transformed to snow fall... Tiny white droplets falling from the sky! The white-capped houses and snow bordered roads were all part of my first glance of snow.

Our Target at a distance

See the roads covered in snow

Snow clad homes

The trees with Ice leaves

When we reached Hatchikita, the snow was thick. Earlier, the house-roofs had put on caps.. But here, the whole houses and the parked cars were fully enveloped by snow. Trees were all having branches made of snow :)
The mountains were all snow-clad. We changed to ski dress ‘n boots. Those are damn good ones.. Really protected us from freezing. We reached uphill through the rope way. The view from there is just magnificent. We were encircled by Snow Mountains and the path downwards is also full of snow. We played snow-ball for a long time.. Yeah.. made snow man also . When I used to read Calvin n Archie making snow creatures, I knew it would be soooo fun.. and now it was my turn :)We tried skiing and fell down a record number of times in just 15 minutes. Couple of my friends mastered the knack of skiing very soon. The snow fall was becoming heavy. Could get a handful of fresh snow, direct from heaven in less than 5 minutes. Obviously it tasted good .. ;)

The Team

They skii down the mount!!

When the snow-flakes fall.. it is so calm.. No rush at all.. seems like it has all the time in the world to decide where to fall. Itz really different from raindrops. The snowflakes float in air for a long time in a certain state of peace. U'll love watching the snowfall. Especially if you are lying on snow. It brings a peace of mind and drives the haste out of our thoughts. I felt like there is no need to worry about time and space. Just float by yourself..
Snow is really beautiful.. It seems like whiteness stretched to infinity..I admire nature's tricks that water when frozen will be so different.

A really cool experience which I will remember all through my life!!