Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Trip To Bali





We went to Bali on 19 - 23 May 2011 for Study Tour of English Student Association 2009.
And here is my recount text, telling everything happened there :)


A Trip to Bali

Last week, I, my friends, and few of my lecturers went to Bali. This was the first study tour of our grade in English Department, Palangka Raya University. It was a long trip, but it also gave each of us many great experiences.
From Tjilik Riwut Airport Palangka Raya, we took a plane to Juanda International Airport
Surabaya, the cleanest airport in Southern Asia. It did not take a long time because there were two busses were waiting for us to go to Banyuwangi and crossed the sea by a ferry to Gilimanuk, Bali. We spent about twelve hours in the bus. It was the longest trip I have ever had. Even though we were really tired of the trip, but we w
ere very excited when arrived in the first tourism object here, Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot is a holy place for Hindu people. The sky was so clean with fresh air blowing from the sea. Tanah Lot beach is so beautiful, but tourists are not allowed to swim there because the beach is a beach with a holy temple stands on a large rock near the shore.
Some of my friends passed by with flowers in their ears. I was curious, and then they said to get the flower I had to go to the temple, so I went there. Temple guards asked me to wash my face with water that flew from a small hole on the wall, then one of them pinned yellow flower in my ear and sprinkled water while speaking in unusual language for me. This is somewhat similar to a tradition in my tribe, Dayak Ngaju.




From Tanah Lot, we continued our journey to Tanjung Benoa with a tour guide from Bali, Bli Agung. He was really nice and funny. He told us every detail of an object. Tanjung Benoa beach is very nice because it has so many watersports, but we had to go to Turtle Island by speed boat. In the middle of the sea, I saw small fish swimming in the water.



Turtle Island is a place that a bit different than the other places. This place is more like a zoo in the middle of the sea. Red nuts turtles live with other animals. All the officers used English to talk to tourists.

Back to Tanjung Benoa, I and my friends decided to try the banana boat water attractions. We who are not able to swim were a little doubt, but the guide said that it is safe. Excitingly, we got on the banana boat which is not really big. I was a bit nervous but very excited. The engine was started and the wind blew louder, we shouted happily. There was no any command when the boat suddenly turned into the sea. Our bodies fell into the water and I accidentally drank the seawater, I swear it has a worst taste, and then the life jacket I wore pulled my body into the air. The guide pulled our bodies one by one back onto the boat. This was the most extreme thing I have ever done because I can not swim at all.

The next place I visited was the Dreamland. This beach is not so long, but the waves were very big, best for surfing. Too hot to play, so I just sat behind a large rock and enjoy the strong wind blowing.

Leaving from Dreamland, I and my friends went to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana or GWK. This is a monument to the pride of the people in Bali. The monuments in the form of a god who rides Garuda is planned to be the world's largest monument grater than the Statue of Liberty. This statue made from the metal held together to form shapes of birds and gods. Many tourists take pictures under one of these statues which are still separated.
We ended our first day to see the sunset in the the most famousbeach in the Bali, Kuta beach. The beach is very long. Tourists can see the sky with the sun that swing in the sky. At 20.00 pm we checked in at the hotel and took a rest, recharge for the next day.
We met the other foreign tourists here. They were very friendly.


The second day had been waiting to be explored. From the hotel we went to Cening Bagus to buy souvenirs. I did not spend too much money there because I still felt tired to walking around.
From Cening Bagus we left to a store that sold silver. There were a lot of jewelry from the cheap to the most expensive one arranged on the table.

The next destination is Kintamani. This area was very cold because it is located in the mountains and near a bautiful lake. Many sellers offered souvenirs outside the restaurant.

Suddenly, a seller came and held a puppy. This is a typical dog of Kintamani. His stomach was very big and he looked very lazy. His white fur feels smooth touching my skin. I really like Kintamani puppy.


Done in Kintamani, we visited the third beach, that is Sanur. Sanur beach was also slightly different from the other beach. The beach is frequently visited by local tourists than foreign tourists. But a little bit more untreated than other beach. Near Sanur there is a hotel which was first established by the Dutch in Bali.

From Sanur, we went to see performances of traditional Balinese dance, Kecak Dance. This dance is very sacred and should only be played by men who are aged, as if played by the youth; something bad might happened.


The dance began with a man who light a fire that was placed in center of the stage. Then some old guy came in and sat in rows. They sang songs that was also a prayer until two people who played as Rama and Shinta entered the stage. This dance ran about one hour.
We spent the last day in Bali by going to Sangeh, Joger, and Bedugul. This place is surrounded by large forests but cool. Not many tourists come here. Women who were in menstrual period are not allowed to enter. You can see wild monkeys living around the forest and eat from the tourists who come.

Joger is a word factory in Bali. The main goods is the cloth with unique words printed. But Joger was very crowded making it uncomfortable for shopping.

The last place and was one of my favorite places is Bedugul. Like Kintamani, this place is very cool, perfect for a walk under the sun.We had lunch at a restaurant on the edge of the lake.

From Bedugul, we had to say goodbye to our tour guide, Bli Agung, who had taugh us many things about Bali and made great jokes while driving.

Later, everyone returned to Surabaya and took a morning flight back to Palangkaraya. Indonesia is very rich in culture and traditions in each region. Although very tiring, but the trip to Bali was very nice and I really want to go back there someday. I learned how to be more responsible to myself, as well as solidarity between my friends and lecturers.

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