What sets this trip apart from all of our previous ones is that this is the most, if not the only, YOLO trip we had. I am not exactly a spontaneous kind of girl but for the past months now, we have been occupied working on ***something special*** that we barely had the chance to think about our anniversary trip. Came down to the last few days before our scheduled off from work and we haven't sorted out anything yet. We wanted to just give it up but this annual trip is somehow our tradition already so bf decided to take charge of everything. Lucky to have someone who steps up during difficulties like this ♡

Bali Arrival | Ashoka Tree Resort Ubud
Given that it was a last minute reservation, I didn't expect much from our accommodation but the moment we were chauffeured from the airport, I knew, BB booked the perfect one for us!

It was more or less an hour drive from Denpasar Airport to Ubud.

Ashoka Tree Resort, Tanggayuda, Ubud is a boutique resort with a breathtaking view of the hills and valleys of Ubud, and a relaxing sound of the rapid river running beneath the property.
Deluxe Room with Garden View: Php 9,500 6,500 per night (we got a discount for booking for 4 nights)

One thing I immediately noticed in Bali is the strong scent of burning incense all over the place so it wasn't a surprise when we were welcomed by the same scent upon arriving at the resort's lobby. What surprised me though was our welcome drinks, a cup of hot ginger tea, it was bitter and a bit spicy but there's something calming with it, I convinced BB to give it a try but he didn't even touch his cup lol

We were then ushered to our own villa where we requested them to serve our brunch.




The food was hearty and the ambiance was serene, we could stay here forever but we didn't fly more than four hours just to bum around, we had to go out and see what Bali has to offer.
Air Fare: Php 14,000 (much cheaper during seat sale) | Cebu Pacific Airlines, roundtrip MNL-DPS

BB always prefers to rent a car during our tours, unfortunately, Ashoka does not offer such, theirs comes with a service driver whom we expect to do non-stop sales pitch but we have no other option so we still went for it. Good call though because in the end, our driver-slash-tour-guide named /Ma-deh/ turned out to be our favorite Balinese ever! Considering the language barrier, he was unstoppable sharing the richness of their culture. I don't easily get comfortable with tourguides but for some reason, I found him very inviting.  I threw him questions such as why establishments in Bali are mostly low-rise, 2-3 floors only, which he said that is actually a strictly-implemented law in Bali related to building's height restrictions. Hearing facts and random stories about a country I am practically unfamiliar with is one of the things I enjoy the most in a trip abroad. And with Bali, Madeh became my main source of info.

To kick off our first day, we were set to visit three destinations for our half-day tour. But before that, we went to the nearby restaurant first to grab a quick bite.
Duck Curry, Grilled Satay, Meal  Set of veggie, meat, fish, Fruit Shakes | Php 1100 for 2 persons

Here is where I declared that Balinese food is too ginger-y fo my life


DAY 1: Tegenungan Waterfall, Goa Gajah Temple
Tegenungan Waterfall was our first destination. A short hike of around 10-15 minutes to reach the foot of the falls was worth it! I was enchanted, in a good way, when I saw it up close.
Entrance Fee: around Php 55 per person

We spent about 1 hour in here before we get back to the parking area where Madeh was waiting.

Whenever I see piles of goodies being sold somewhere, Madeh reminds me that the price in tourist spots will always be steeper than in the local market. During our ride towards our next destination, I kept on bugging him where is that local market and asked if we could go there, it was off-track but he still agreed.

That local market, more like a mall, was huge, I ended up spending hours in there. Madeh went in a couple of times to tell us that some of the temples are about to close. What I did was to ask him if we could just drop one of the temple visits, the one with wild monkeys since I've been skeptical from the start if I could handle that tour, then let me spend some more hours in the market. "Your wish is my command" He is the bestest!

After filling up Madeh's car with lots of shopping bags (hehe), we then resumed our tour.

Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple) is said to be the oldest temple in Ubud. Being a sanctuary for spiritual meditation, appropriate attire is strictly observed so the ticket includes a sarong which needs to be returned after.
Entrance Fee: Php 60 | Daily, 8am to 5pm

DAY 2: Tanah Lot, Jimbaran
For our second day, we have a full-day to burn and since Ubud is in eastern part, we decided to explore the western/ southern Bali, Tanah Lot, Jimbaran, and Kuta Beach. Unfortunately, Madeh was off-work on that day so someone else was sent to drive us, the driver was nice but we never shared a word for the entire 1.5 hours ride from Ubud to Tanah Lot



Tanah Lot literally means "Land (in the) Sea" is popular among tourist for its picturesque view, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.
Entrace Fee: Php 220

It was scorching hot by the time we reached here, it was almost unbearable to smile for photo ops so instead of roaming around this unexpectedly vast place, we killed some time in the shed watching the sea while having some icecream hehe

Since we allotted the entire next day visiting the beaches, we literally just dropped by Kuta and Seminyak and then go ahead to our next destination.

Jimbaran Bay is famous for their seafood restaurants by the bay. Embarrassing as it is, we unintentionally splurged here that costed us almost the same price as our plane ticket. Downside of #impromptrip
Lobster, Shrimp, Fish, Fruit Shake, Bintang Beer | Php 11,000

This is the main culprit of our splurge lol love-hate relationship with lobster



DAY 3: Kuta Beach
Believe it of not, we went from Ubud to Seminyak and Kuta beaches via riding a motorcycle partly because of some misunderstanding. Again, downside of #impromptrip

BB had to drive a motorcycle for an hour (one-way) which is probably the most challenging part of his indisputable driving record lol  He's probably been driving all his life but it was his first time to drive a motorbike!!

I'd like to keep the stories of this day to myself but this was my most memorable part of  our Bali trip.


DAY 4: Tegelalang, Kintamani Village