Year: 2018

Barong Kris Dance, Bali

A spectacular, traditional Balinese cultural show of dance and music – the Jambe Budaya Barong & Kris Dance.

Barong Kris Dance Incredible Costumes - Bali
Barong Kris Dance Incredible Costumes

A mythological story of good vs. evil comes to life on stage. Just a short 20 minute drive from Ubud, this is a piece of culture you may want to include in your list of things to see and do while visiting Bali.

Evil is Conquered - Bali
Evil is Conquered

This Bali highlight, Budaya Barong and Kris Dance is one of those things you will either love or hate. Mixed reviews are across the internet. Simply put, if you do not like culture, why travel? Seriously, this is a unique piece of Bali mythology passed down for generations – since the 12th century!

Instrumental Ensemble, Barong Kris Dance - Bali
Instrumental Ensemble, Barong Kris Dance – Bali

Time: 1 hour /  5 acts
Cost: 100,000 IDR per person / USD$6.75 / €5.75

Get There:

An age old story of good vs. evil; Bali Mythology through dance.
This cultural Balinese highlight included the evil witch Rangda a demon queen fighing the good lion Barong. Who wins in the end?

The Barong Kris Dance plays out through 5 acts which come to a dramatic climax before calm is restored. Sometimes a little funny, sometimes intense, always colorful and magical. Balinese dance with traditional music and great acting by professionally trained actors. This is Bali culture at it’s finest!

Where can I see it? Jl. Pasekan, Batubulan Kangin, Sukawati, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80582, Indonesia
How long is it? Approximately one hour
Tel: (0361) 2770291
Opening Hours: 9:30 AM – call for show times

Kotor Montenegro – Cruise Port of Call

Nestled in the limestone cliffs of Mount Lovćen on the beautiful Adriatic Coast, Kotor Montenegro.

Kotor – beaches, shopping, cruise port, cathedral and the best preserved Medieval town in the Adriatic!

We arrived in the cruise port town of Kotor via a gorgeous coastal drive from Dubrovnik, Croatia. The border crossing was a little uncomfortable – read more about the Croatia Montenegro border crossing at the end of this blog.

The waterfront was a perfect place to go for a walk and stretch our legs. Beautiful vistas and friendly people were already preparing for the cruise ship arrival.  After awhile, we headed through the thick stone walls into the old town.

Like most old towns, enchanting architecture, lots of shops, restaurants and ice cream. Beware of the many gypsy beggars and make sure your pocketbooks are secure.

The town is not big, so it is an easy walk – even in the heat.

Cruise Ship Cruiser Info:
For those of you who are lucky enough to be cruising into Kotor, this is a tender port.
How to:
1. Exit the tender area and go left across the little bridge to the park. Walk to the waterfront for tours. Some available tours include the Blue Cave, Kayaking, Canyoning, Budva, Jaz Beach, St. Stefan Island (Sveti Stefan) and more.
OR
2. Exit and go right to the Old Town
OR
3. Exit and go left to get to the swimming / beach area.

All of the above options are within walking distance.

Border Crossing Info:
Huge line up at the border. We wait 45 minutes on the border before we are finally stamped out of Croatia.
Then we are in a shorter line to be stamped into Montenegro. The customs police are very short fused and when they see our passport, ask for ownership. Then they ask for our green card. We have no idea what they are talking about and they are getting angrier. Finally he calms down and tells us it can be BOUGHT at the little shop in FRONT of us, to park and get it – he kept our passports, but he had also calmed down when he realized our naive innocence. I am not sure how we were supposed to have this green card when we arrived, if we were not able to buy it before passing through customs. Anyway, it is proof of international insurance, we buy the GREEN paper (which is white) for €15 without complication, present it to him and move on.

Anomali Coffee Ubud

Craving Coffee? In the heart of Ubud, Bali is a unique cafe where the staff is having fun!

Cafe Name: Anomali Coffee Ubud
Address: Jalan Raya Ubud No. 88, Petulu, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia

Note: This is an independent review based on my personal experience.

I wandered upon this not so secret gem while out and about in Ubud in February.  If you didn’t already know, coffee is grown locally on the lush green hills surrounding the town and therefore, it is taken very seriously by locals.

Bean to cup coffee is served in many cafes which line the streets, but it was the quiet laughter of the smiling baristas pouring out of the building which prompted me to have a cup at Anomali.

Anomali is an alternate spelling of anomally which means something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. This coffee shop tries to do just that. Charts indicate acidity levels of single origin coffee so you can figure out what brew might be your favourite.

The huge variety of coffees and teas will not make this any easier, but that is the cult of coffee.  The cool vibe allows you to take your time and smiling baristas are willing to make suggestions.

I ended up ordering a Single Origin Sumatra Iced Coffee which was wonderful to sip away on while sitting on the patio and watching the crazy traffic go by. It cost 28,000 IDR / €1.70 / US$2 which is pricy for Indonesia, but it is definitely worth a visit.

Opening Hours: 7 AM to 10 PM
Contact: http://store.anomalicoffee.com/

Get There:

Location: Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kabupaten Gianyar > Ubud > Anomali Coffee

D’Medina Bistro

Looking for a Restaurant eatery with fabulous service, good food and great prices in Legian Beach Kuta, Bali?

Restaurant Name: D’Medina Bistro
Address: Jalan Legian No. 111, Legian, Bali, Indononesia – across from Star Surf

Note:  This is an independent hotel / restaurant review based on my personal experience.

The Restaurant: A tidy, small and narrow eatery with a fresh modern cafe diner feeling.  Colourful pictures displaying some of their offerings decorate the brick look walls.

The Service: We were warmly welcomed on our first visit and every visit after by the super friendly server Malik! She was simply great! She had recommendations, was efficient, chatted if you wanted and was always smiling.

The Food: Nice menu serving traditional Indonesian Food with some Western as well as vegetarian options.

Unfortunately, on our first visit, at 1 pm in the afternoon they did not have any cooked rice and said it would take an hour. Assumedly, they had no rice because I have never heard of rice taking an hour to cook. Instead of getting upset, we simply doubled our original order of Mie Goreng Ayam.

The fried noodles with chicken was delicious. A side dish of Sambal Goreng Pedas added the perfect spice level to our meal.

The servings are not huge, but a satisfying amount so you will not walk away stuffed, but not hungry either.

The Cost: 92,000 Rupias / €5.50 / US$6.85 including 1 small mineral water, 2 lemon iced teas and 2 Mie Goreng Noodle dishes.

Do I recommend D’Medina Bistro? I definitely recommend it. Excellent prices, tasty food, friendly service. Affordable, cheap food – where to eat in Kuta Legian Bali.

More dishes we tried:
Sapi Lada Hiram & Rice – Beef in Black pepper sauce, bell pepper, ginger and Capsicum, good
Ayam Lemon & Rice – Deep Fried Chicken Fillet with lemon sauce, ok
Chicken Satay with white rice, good
Ayam Kung Pao – Chicken with cashews and white rice, delicious.

Opening Hours: 12 noon to 4 am

Get There:

Location: Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kabupaten Badung > Legian Beach > Jalan Raya Legian > D’Medina Bistro

Grand Bimasena Hostel Bali

Quiet, affordable accommodation within Walking Distance to Legian Beach, Kuta Clubs and Restaurants.

Hotel Name:  Grand Bimasen Hostel
Address: Jalan Legian No. 190, Legian, Kuta, Badung, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Note:  This is an independent hotel review based on my personal experience.

The Hotel:  We arrived late in the evening, but our wonderful hostess greeted us with a big warm smile and quickly checked us in.  We were on the second floor.  The room itself is simple and outdated, but a comfortable bed, a night table, a lamp and a tv provided the bare necessities.  The bathroom was a typical Asian wet room – toilet, sink and shower in one small area. A big bar of soap and towels were provided at no extra charge.

The Service: Fantastic! Friendly, helpful and outgoing.

The Breakfast: Included in the price, the breakfast was a definite highlight. I had a banana pancake while my husband enjoyed fried eggs. A plate of fresh fruit, butter, marmalade, fresh pressed juice, coffee and tea were presented on a table by the pool.

Convenience: Restaurants, clubs, shops and Legian Beach are all within walking distance. The side street where it is located helps with night life noise levels and while we were there, the guests seemed quiet and respectful.

Breakdown
Positive: Almost everything; the host, the breakfast, the location, the pool.
Negative: Outdated, run down rooms; Internet is often weak to non-existent so best idea is to buy a SIM card so you don’t have to rely on it. Both afternoons we came back to no electricity, which lasted a few hours due to hedge / tree trimming, I think.

The Cost: €13 / US$16 per night (3 nights, Rp 689,700 / €40 / US$50)

Do I recommend it? Yes! If you are a person who is looking for a quiet place to lay your head at night for a great price, this is what you are looking for.

Contact: +62 818-0564-4611

Get There:

Location: Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kuta Badung > Jalan Legian > Legian Beach > Grand Bimasena