12.9.17

Birthday in Bali 2017: Hidden Canyon, Tegenungan Falls, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Market

Hello guys! So here's the 2nd installment of our Bali trip a few weeks ago. I already shared with you photos and stories from our first day in the island, as well as pre-planning tips and budget. On our 2nd day we headed north in a van we rented via Klook to explore Bali's cultural center, UBUD. We left the house almost 2 hours later than scheduled and spent almost 3 hours at our 1st stop (stories below) so we had to skip a lot of places like the Kanto Lampo waterfalls, Tukad Cepung, Tirta Empul water temple, etc. Next time, I promise! The trip was still loads of fun, though. Photos and stories below...



After an hour and a half we finally arrived at our 1st stop: Beji Guwang Hidden Canyon. Hidden Canyon is located in the Guwang village, while “beji” means fountain purified by the locals. This rugged and deep rocky gorge along a section of the Oos River between Ubud and Sanur makes for an adventurous two to three hour trek.


Was able to nap on our way to Ubud!

 Parking lot and a nearby temple


Entrance fee was only Rp.15,000 and we got a guide for Rp.100,000. I highly suggest hiring a local guide because some parts could be a little dangerous, slippery, tricky and of course they would know what to do. Our guide helped us out a lot of times. He held my hand when I needed him the most. Char haha. He also served as our official photographer and safe-keeper of our valuables. Worth it!




Trek starts here!


May paglusong na sa water

 Jules the Explorer



 We had to crouch so we won't slip

 Long way to go!

You will get soiled. Haha! We had to hold on to rocks and walk barefoot.


Beji Guwang Hidden canyon is a river with amazing stone walls formed and patterned by erosion, created for thousands of years. Such a work of art! You could swim in it or just go there to meditate and chill. The hike was not that hard but it could be slightly dangerous in some areas. I super enjoyed it!!! Thank you UST Mountaineering Club for the intense training before. Haha. 





The rocks in this area are enormous, slippery and sharp, so you should always be cautious! The height of the water always changes. When it floods, it could reach 5 meters or 16 feet. The water is also connected to a dam, so you need not worry because they have a guard who always monitors the water level. In the event of flooding, visitors will be safely evacuated and the place closed temporarily. 

 Aside from climbing rocks, we also had to wade in water.


I originally planned to shower after (they have a shower area and I brought extra clothes & undies) because it was only the first stop and we still had a few places to visit on our list. In the end, I was not able to change na din haha! So that day I wore a one-piece swimwear, lightweight shorts (that dries easily), flip flops and white buttondown polo as cover-up. I changed my top later on when we visited a temple. 




There were areas where our guide asked us to remove our slippers because it was less slippery walking barefoot. You could however wear trekking sandals which provides traction like Teva or Sandugo. ;)

 Ito mejo challenge! We had to jump across by clinging on to the blue rope. 

 Mukha lang malapit pero malayo sha! Haha

One hand jump! Sumakit braso ko after haha



 Kapit bes!

May pagdemo si Kuya guide

Winging it!

 So these rocks are offerings pala to sacred spirits




Kapa kapa ng ilalim coz there are huge rocks underneath!


Tarzan tarzan muna before leaving!

From the Canyon, we had to walk for another 30 minutes under the  sun before reaching the parking lot...

We passed by this chili farm! Nomnom


We saw a small but nice temple. Or is it a house? Hehe


Fields of gold. Ang init mumsh!!!

Beautiful rice field on our way back

Rest rest daw muna haha


We wanted to go to Kanto Lampo or Tukad Cepung Waterfalls for our next stop but our driver said they're too far away. I'm not sure if he just don't know these places or if tamad na sha because naresearch ko now lang that Kanto Lampo is just near Tegenungan! I hetchu Koyaaa. So we had no choice but go to the nearest one, Tegenungan Waterfalls! It's the most popular among tourists and locals so it could get pretty crowded. I was not able to take a nice photo from below. Huhu. 

 Cute local kids! Awww

 with Tita Paula hehe

 Nagpapalambing so cute!

 We paid Rp.15,000 for the entrance fee!


We decided to eat lunch first.So hungry from all the walking and hiking! Haha.


 Saw this Warung which offers a nice view of the waterfalls!

 But we decided to leave because they only offer a few dishes and they're quite pricey!



View from the restaurant. Beautiful!

 We settled in this nice and cozy restaurant near the entrance. Forgot the name!

 I ordered Babi Guling meal for just Rp.45,000! OMG sooo good!

Babi Guling + Mango shake (or mas lassi sha)

Babi guling, or suckling pig, is one of Bali’s most famous dishes! The pig is stuffed and infused with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic, and traditionally spit-roasted. (source: https://www.travelfish.org). It looks and tastes like lechon! So tasty and it comes with veggies too!


 Going down and up from the waterfalls could be quite tiring!




Tegenungan Falls is conveniently located halfway between Ubud and Bali’s provincial capital of Denpasar, and is considered the closest natural attraction of its kind that you can reach within only a half-hour transfer southeast from Ubud town. Upon reaching the end of the road, you are welcomed into a newly built parking and welcoming area, with ticket booths up front (tickets are IDR 10,000 or just under a dollar per person). This area is lined with art and souvenir shops, together with small local ‘warung’ stalls selling snacks and cold drinks.

 Eto na! Andaming tao! Haha

The falls are only several minutes’ walk down the trail beyond the shops, where you’ll enjoy the impressively green valley panorama with cascading water as a centrepiece. Dense foliage frames the falls, and the water volume is impressive at almost any time of year, but normally at its strongest during the wet season (October to April). You can go down to the vast pebbly base and enjoy a dip in the plunge pool, but this is not advised after heavy downpours, due to the risk of flash floods. (source: http://www.bali-indonesia.com)


 Hirap magpicture coz it was so crowded

 Para-paraan!

  Okay na sana ayaw lang umalis ni ate girl eh

 Kami sana to pero tinamad nako magswim haha

 Buti nalang may group shot!

Afterwards, Kuya Klook driver dropped us off near the Ubud market. We couldn't leave Bali without setting foot inside a temple, so we visited the nearest one-- Pura Taman Saraswati

 Love Ubud!




The Pura Taman Saraswati is a beautiful water temple in central Ubud, accessible from the Jalan Kajeng side street off the main road of Jalan Raya Ubud, just behind Café Lotus. The temple is a great stopover along your leisure walks through Ubud town, offering sightseeing and photo opportunities with its classical Balinese temple architecture and a beautiful foyer featuring ponds filled with blooming pink lotuses. Entrance is free, btw!

 Beautiful art pieces being sold inside

 Cute local kids!


You can enter the temple behind its amphitheatre at any time of the day and admire the calming atmosphere, architectural features and sandstone bas reliefs that honour the Hindu goddess of knowledge and arts, Saraswati. (source: http://www.bali-indonesia.com)


No dress codes but wore my scarf as a skirt as a sign of respect na din coz I was wearing super short shorts.


Wearing SM Accessories bag & scarf, CLN sandals!



OOTD pa more

 After visiting the temple, we were given almost 2 hours to explore the area and shop...


 We decided to check out UBUD MARKET!

'Pasar Seni' or the Ubud Art Market located along the Jalan Raya main road, opposite the the Puri Saren Royal Ubud Palace, is
 a strategic shopping place for Balinese handicrafts and souvenirs. Here you can find an assortment of items for sale-- pashmina scarves, sarongs, ornaments, clothes, decors, handmade woven bags, hats, accessories, paintings, statues, kites and many other hand-crafted items. Most of the items being sold here are made in the neighbouring villages of Pengosekan, Tegallalang, Payangan and Peliatan.

 Native bags being sold by a lot of shops online! Mejo pricey pa din sha so d ako bumili hehe


Compared to art markets in Bali’s other main tourism destinations such as Kuta, the Ubud Art Market can be considered to feature higher quality items and a larger mixture. Although beach cloths and shirts printer with “Bali” on them, and ikat woven skirts, Balinese style paintings, woodcarvings and woven baskets can be found almost everywhere on the island, items ranging from quadruple-coloured bohemian skirts of satin, Moroccan-style oil lamps, quilt-stitched batik camisoles and brass Buddha statuettes, are somewhat the staple, typical Ubud Art Market curios. (source: http://www.bali-indonesia.com)


I bought a nice pair of tie dye pants & white dreamcatcher while Nico bought this improvised nose ring. Kainis. Pauso haha


Most stalls inside the market has no set price, so bargaining is a must! Based on our experience, start at about half the asking price. Most of the time they sell it that low or lower than half! I was able to buy my pants for just Rp.50,000 from it's original price of Rp.120,000. 

 Outside, some locals selling ukeleles randomly played No Woman, No Cry and my cousin Pat jammed with them! Kulit!



We just walked around until it was finally time to meet up with out driver again. We asked him to take us to a warung near our Airbnb because we haven't eaten dinner pa. Super tired, super dugyot and super hungry! Haha.


We ate at this warung called Dewata Minang!


 Again, Nasi Campur or turo-turo style! Loveee.

 No one speaks English so ordering and asking for prices became a bit of a challenge! We communicated through sign language and by pointing lang. Hihi. Fun experience!

Chuck had to use Google Translate to ask for our bill and our total hehe

 I ordered fried fish and this chili vegetable dish for just Rp.30,000. So good!

We saw this Martabak & Terang Bulan stall outside and decided to check it out

Nacurious kami! One local who's also buying from this stall and who knows a little Tagalog explained to us what this is. Hehe.

We ordered this Martabak Manis or Indonesian sweet pancake! It's a thick and fluffy pancake and we chose chocolate & cheese as toppings. NOM! Paid Rp.45,000 for this and it was just enough for all of us! 


We had no scheduled tour the next day, so we decided to make the most out of our night by staying in our villa just swimming, drinking, bonding and eating. Haha. We got hungry by midnight and tamad na kami to go out so we tried ordering food from Mcdonald's using my account online. Successful naman! But lakas maka taxi ng Pinas! They won't give your change if you don't ask for it. Ano na. Haha. Anyway, it was a pretty chill and fun night. 

That's it pancit! Bali Day 3 (aura aura in Seminyak and Kuta) next! :) Thanks for reading. Love you all. :)




My EXPENSES/BUDGET in Rp or IDR :

Klook driver - 1799/7= P257
Hidden Canyon Entrance fee = 15,000
Hidden Canyon guide = 100,000/7= 14,286
Tegenungan Waterfalls entrance= 15,000
Babi Guling lunch = 45,000
Mango shake = 35,000
Ubud Market shopping = 85,000
Miscellaneous (water, c1000) = 50,000
Warung dinner = 40,000
Martabak dessert = 45,000/7 = 6,429
Mcdonalds midnight snack (share with Nico) = 25,000 
Driver's overtime pay (2 hours) = 100,000/7 = 14,286
_________________________________________
TOTAL = 345,001 or P1,331 + P257 = P1,588


*Will make a new Bali budget / expense sheet after all my posts for the actual numbers!




Link to all my travel posts:
http://www.aisaipac.com/search/label/travels

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