OK, let’s get back to the trip. I hope this notes and tips will be useful to future Bali travelers 
Day 3 ~ 16/05/09 (Saturday): We asked Pak Ketut the day before how we go about doing water rafting. He recommended Ibu Ayu’s relative who manages the facilities at Karangasem (about 1 hour and a half ride from Ubud). I was told by my other friends to try the water rafting at Ayung River, but Pak Ketut ensured us that Telaga Waja River is much more enticing. The driver picked us up around 9am and we stopped along the way to enjoy the view of the terrace paddy (oh, forget the name of the place coz everybody was so excited to experience the rafting!)
Each raft would only be able to carry 4 passengers (minus the navigator). We got the best and friendliest navigator; Wayan, who is very energetic and helped us a lot during the rafting. We even overtook 10 other rafts (Mon usually takes part in the dragon boat race, so I’m saving my energy a little bit!) and we had the best time of our lives! Pitstopped at a very nice waterfall where we were allowed to snap pictures. The ride ate up almost 2 hours - we however enjoyed the scenery of the countryside where the villagers always waving at us along the riverbanks.
We have to step down very steep hundreds of stairs to go down to the river (and I even dropped Shahnaz camera along the way- sorry dear!). When the ride finished, we feasted on the lunch which was included in our rafting fees. We left that place around 2pm and upon reaching our home (hehe perasan home!), straight away laid down at the balcony and dozed off.. Penat woo..One of the ‘touching’ thing I observed here, the villagers took up the job of bringing the deflated rafts up the hundreds of stairs (they put in nicely ontop of their heads) for just a few cents per raft. It was a very dangerous occupation since they can’t really see the stairs when carrying the raft, the stairs were kinda slippery and the raft is heavy! Huhu..so sad.. 
That night, we watched Kecak Dance at Ubud Palace. Menarik sangat!
- Rafting (1/2 day) : IDR350,000 per person
- Dinner : IDR20,000
- Kecak Dance : IDR 70,000 per person
Day 4 ~ 17/05/09 (Sunday) : The tentative plan for today is to wander around town, get the taste of beaches (tapi tak mandi lagi), temples and send Luqman to airport after that (he has to go back earlier than us – job calling). We commenced our journey with a hearty breakfast made by the ever so-obedient Ketut and Wayan.
Our first stop today was Kuta Beach Road where all the stuffs (sovenirs, t-shirts) were sold. We were not so much into ‘that kind’ of shopping, so we just told Pak Ketut not to stop there. We then made our way to Hard Rock Cafe which is situated just opposite Kuta Beach. The sun was scorching hot! (Nasib tak dok kat Kuta lama2). After some shopping made by (only) Shahnaz and a series of photoshoots taken, we made our way to the Bombing Memorial, the exact spot where the bombing in 2002 took place (so strategic! coz in the middle of a V junction).
Then we dropped at Jimbaran Beach to enjoy the view. It was soooo hot that we decided to just spent a short while there. Jimbaran is famous for its seafood (quite expensive though), which usually served during sunset (where people can feast on the food while enjoying the sunset).
We then moved on to Mandala GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) [pronounced Ge-We-Ka). It is a very huge complex, a private cultural park which is anticipated to complete in 2013. When it’s completed, it will be a 146 meter gold plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11 storey entertainment complex. Besar giler! The religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate.
Then, our primary agenda for today, Uluwatu (temple by the cliffs) yang sangat2 cantik. This is personally my favourite place to visit throughout the whole trip. The view is just..ohh..blowed my mind. But you have to be extra careful when standing by the cliff. When seeing the waves crushing the rocks, all problems since to vanish
Then after a short time spent here, we made our journey to Tanjong Benoa. This place is meant for water-sport activity (parasailing, banana boat, jetski etc). We then took a boat to Turtle Island where they placed turtles and exotic animals. After that, a short drive to Nusa Dua, with Pak Ketut’s son who tagged along and enjoyed the view of the beach.
After that, we stopped at airport to drop Luqman off. Too bad his flight got delayed for two hours and Liza decided to accompanied him. Pak Ketut sent us home at that night and we grabbed the chance to wander around Ubud village with motorbikes! Hehe best sangat but most of the shops closed really early. We stopped at cyber cafe to check some emails and ate Nasi Padang at Hanoman Road. We called it a night around 12am..Fuhh..what a tiring2 day..
- Entrance to GWK : IDR30,000 per person (slightly expensive)
- Entrance to Uluwatu : IDR3,000 per person
- Lunch : IDR120,000 for 6 people
- Boat to Turtle Island : IDR75,000 per person
- Dinner : IDR10,000 per person
Till next entry! Nice weekend gang!
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