On (not so) Solo Travel to Bali - Part 2

Previous post: On (not so) Solo Travel to Bali - Part 1, better to also read the first post for a more complete information.

Check out the video for a glimpse ambience of Ubud and Seminyak

I spent 4 days in Bali, 2 nights in Ubud and 1 night in Seminyak. I have written about information on transportation, hotels, and luxury needs on this solo journey in my previous post. And here I'm gonna catch up the rest experience I got on places to visit, places to eat, and event to attend. 

• On places to visit. Ubud: On my second day, I visited Puri Saren Agung Ubud while I was doing my morning wander. Puri Saren's front gate usually used as a venue for traditional dance show in the evening. Unfortunately tourist is not permitted to enter it further than the dance's venue. But the entrance gate is divine already, surrounded by a serene lotus pond. Puri Saren Agung Ubud Ticket: free entrance. On my third day, I visited Museum Puri Lukisan, an art museum and gallery founded by Tjokorta Gde Agung Sukawati on 1936. This museum consist of the history of arts and paintings in Ubud, how Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati succeeded in presenting art as a good commodity for Ubud's development and new paintings and carvings from recent artist. After a long walk in the museum, they will give us complimentary drinks with choices of iced coffee, juices, or soda to enjoy in its breezy restaurant, perfect! Museum Puri Lukisan Ubud Ticket: idr 75.000/ USD 5.5. Seminyak: Of course Seminyak is more fast paced, modern, and full of hustle and bustle than Ubud. But it has its own charm. I love to end my day in its beach club, sipping drinks while watching the sun slowly disappear from my eyes leaving me a colour in the sky where my camera can't even catch its perfection. On my last night in Bali I visited Woo Bar, yes that famous beach bar in W resort. Unlike any other beach club they don't give you minimum spend, so relax and enjoy the beautiful horizon without having to worry about your pocket. Cocktails here cost around idr 100.000/ USD 7.4. On places to visit, total budget: around idr 175.000/ USD 12.9.

Puri Saren Agung Ubud and Lotus Pond Around it

The Exterior of A Building in Museum Puri Lukisan

A Recent Work from an Artist Inside The Building

Me wearing: Offshoulder Dress (Cotton Ink)

Sipping Iced Coffee in The Restaurant Facing This View

Sun Set in The Beach in Front of Woo Bar

• On Best Places to Eat. Ubud: I visited Seniman Coffee Studio which is located only less than 5 minutes on foot from my hotel. I haven't tried all of the coffee shop in Ubud so I won't say this is the best, but I love it. I love its coffee and the laid back ambience in the studio supported by its rocking chair. I ordered chicken fingers and cold coffee latte for a total idr 100.000/ USD 7.4. The next morning I impulsively went to Casa Luna when it suddenly rain while I was wandering around Jl Raya Ubud on foot. I've been a loyal customer to Casa Luna, I always visit it everytime I travel to Ubud. They cook a lot of great Asian cuisine, including Chicken Tandoori, Laksa, until traditional Balinese food. This time I ordered healthy breakfast and a mineral water which cost around idr 50.000/ USD 3.7. I would say it was really cheap because those healthy breakfast was amazing! Seminyak: I had cappuccino from Expat and Cold Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict from Sisterfields Cafe for a breakfast with my dear friend. They are located at the newly growing Jl. Kayu Cendana. The cappuccino cost arund idr 40.000/ USD 2.9 and the egg benedict cost around idr 100.000/ USD 12.9. The coffee is good but I have to say that I have tried another better cup and the egg benedict was mouth watering, but what I like the most is Sisterfields Cafe open from 8.00 am and that is a perfect early time to spend a quality breakfast in one of Seminyak's hip cafe. On best places to eat, total budget: idr 290.000/ USD 21.5.

Seniman Coffee Studio, Ubud

Healthy Breakfast at Casa Luna, Ubud

Cold Smoked Salmon Egg Benedict at Sisterfield Cafe

Accompanied by My Dear Friend at Sisterfield Cafe

• On Event to Attend. Annually, every October in Ubud you would find an event called Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF). It was a series of discussion panel, meet & greet, book and movie release, art, cooking, and cullinary session that would meet the readers with a list of writers, artist, and even poets. Every year they have a particular theme and the discussion will be around that theme ranging in topics from humanity, feminist issue, until the colour of our different languages. This year discussion session which I love the most was one called "Screen Addicts" featuring Dewi Lestari, Elizabeth Pisani, Michael Vatikiotis, and Trianto Triwikromo discussing about how nowadays society tend to love the immediecy of something social media related than to study things deeper like reading a book (you could see a glimpse of the discussion in the video above).  Tips: For you who is still hesitant about traveling alone, I guess looking for an event you could attend first will give you a little confidence on yourself to go alone, because by this event you can make yourself sure that you have something to hold on to along the solo traveling journey, an exact place where you can socialize (and it doesn't have to be like UWRF, you can look for musical event, maybe?). UWRF all days ticket for student cost: idr 150.000/ USD 10.7.

The View at Indus Restaurant, Venue of Screen Addicts Session

Screen Addicts Session featuring Dewi Lestari,

 Elizabeth Pisani, Michael Vatikiotis, and Trianto Triwikromo 

To sum it all, on transportation, hotels, secondary (luxury) needs, places I visit, best places I go eating, and event I attend, the total budget I spent is:

• On transportation: idr 1.676.000/ USD 124
• On hotels: idr 1.164.000/ USD 86
• On secondary (luxury) needs: idr 230.000/ USD 17
• On places I visit: idr 175.000/ USD 12.9
• On best places I go eating: idr 290.000/ USD 21.5
• On event I attend: idr 150.000/ USD 10.7
• Total of all the money I spent above: idr 3.685.000/ USD 263.3 (not included: another daily meals and snacks and budget on souvenir)

Not much, right? Considering that it even including budget on luxury needs and I chose a proper hotel and flight. See? You just have to work a little harder, save a little more each month and you have no reason of not having enough money to go explore this big big world we live in. And I may say that once a year, it is worthy to travel alone, detach from our mundane routines we so familiar with for a while, try to have a quality time with ourselves so we can understand ourselves a little better, rearrange our messed up minds, and breathing positive energy and fill it to our lungs. Oh just stop reading this post and go pack your bag, will you?