My First Business Trip – Bali, the Island of Gods

Whee, I go to Bali for business trip. Of course I also will take my time to enjoy Bali, hee hee. Everyone’s green with envy when heard that I was about going to Bali as my business trip. Don’t you laugh, but it’s the first time of my life going to Bali, haha. Basically, this is my plan during my 3 days trip to Bali:

Day One: Talk with the manager and supervisor in the area and analyzing the data collecting process.
Day Two: Attending a field trip with supervisor to see the data collection process on the basic level.
Day Three: Enjoy Bali to the fullest, haha, dun want to work.

Day One: Appetizer

Bali is DARN HOT!!! Literally, and I mean it. The temperature here is even hotter than Jakarta, with sunny and sultry weather. I really can’t wonder why those ‘bule-bule’(bule = Caucasian foreign tourist) like to do sunbathing here. But yeah, Bali is a really nice place to be in, with its religious culture and comfy hang-out places. I arrived at the airport at 08.30 am and my area branch manager picked me up, brought me to the hotel.

Hotel lobby

fish pond in front of my balcony

my own private balcony

pond view from my balcony

my room, whee

swimming pool at night

I didn’t go straight to the office since all the supervisors and administrators I need to talk to haven’t arrived yet at that time. So I just enjoy my time at the hotel, walked around to Sanur Beach (lucky me, my hotel is located just about 100 meters from the beach). Also tried a special menu from Bali, called Bebek Bali at a café nearby. Delicioso! But really expensive, haiz..

The beach wasn’t really crowded that time. I asked few people there, and they said that the beach is usually crowded in the morning time, with people wanting to see the sunrise and surfing. Well, tomorrow I’ll try again.

Kinda late at night, I went out for a dinner, walking toward the direction my sales manager has told me earlier to find café or some restaurants. But geez, after a long walk and all, I didn’t find any decent café or restaurant there. Disappointed, I was walking around somewhere, figuring how to reach hotel again. I didn’t want to walk my way to the hotel again. And suddenly this ‘tukang ojek’(ojek = somekind of public transportation by motorcycle) appeared, offered to drive me back to hotel or somewhere else I want. Well, didn’t want to lose any chance, I asked him to guide me around Kuta Beach (the most famous beach in Bali). I only paid Rp 50000 for that, what a bargain, lol.

But after think of it again, I can’t wonder why I did have such bravery to go out with someone I dunno at all! It was so dangerous! *shake head* Lucky me he didn’t have such bad intention, pheww…

Had my dinner at a Rosso Vivo, Italian café at the road next to shore. I picked Spaghetti Carbonara and Black Mango, somekind of mango juice mixed with blackberry. So expensive to have your dinner here, but it was really worth it. I like the pure Italian taste of the spaghetti (unlike Pizza Hut’s spaghetti), not spicy but thick, with enough cheese and milk. The beverage wasn’t bad either, but not too special I think. Will come back here next time I go to Bali for sure.

Day Two: Karaoke Catastrophe

It was a really exhausting day, indeed (lucky it wasn’t as hot as yesterday, but still). Geez, did a really long field trip with the supervisor, named Mr Age. He’s a really nice person, with humble n friendly manner. Really nice to know him :) We went to the west part of Bali Island, area named Gunung Sahari, visiting stores there. This part of Bali is yet to be explored by many tourists; it shows the beauty of Balinese traditional culture and villages complete with wet rice fields and all, still unadorned and peaceful, unlike situation at Kuta or Sanur with their busy and crowded fashion.

errrh... some sort of a tribute statue?

peaceful ambience

some craft shop next to the road

abit blurry...

Got my lunch a bit late that day, around 3 pm. We had our lunch in some sort of traditional restaurant in the middle of the ‘sawah’ (wet rice field), and as our choice, we chose ‘Babi Guling’ (roasted pork), a Balinese special menu. My little brother told me earlier that once I go to Bali I should try this menu. Nyam nyam, he was right, what a delicacy. It is kinda spicy though, like other Balinese dishes, I like it :-)

a stall in the middle of wet rice-field

nyam nyam *gobble gobble*

After field trip, I went back to the office, meet my branch manager, he promised to take me to the famous (and cheap, haha) craft store named Erlangga, I want to buy something something for my family and my friends. Got many interesting stuff there, for a bargain price, haha, happy happy. For myself, I bought few Bali shirts, aromatherapy set and a unique abstract wooden statue symbolizing two men holding hand and ‘twisting’ together. I named it “拥抱 / Embrace”, lol. To symbolize me and Ced Ced embrace ourselves to face our (bright) future together, hee hee. While I bought the aromatherapy set not because I like and believe the merit of aromatherapy though. I just feel like to have those colorful bottles of essential oils, lol. Moreover, they sold at a very cheap price (10 bottles of essential oil for just Rp10000, cheap isn’t it?).

Late at nite, one of my employees, Mr D picked me up at the hotel. He wanted to show me the Bali nightlife. We headed toward Kuta Beach. Always accessible 24/7, Kuta Beach is the center of Bali nightlife, with all those foreign tourists and all. The first place we entered was Hard Rock Café. Mr D knew the manager of Hard Rock well, so we didn’t charged to enter (normally, it would costs you Rp 70000, just to enter the café). He ordered drinks for us, Corona Beer. Haissss, I dun like beer for it’s bitter taste, but well, I still drunk it for courtesy. I actually wanted to order Merlot (red wine) instead, but oh well. Here are few pics of Hard Rock…

live band performing on stage

look at those 'bule-bule'

beer beer, haiz...

men's toilet door, hahaha

And the disaster begins…

Mr D brought me to his friend’s karaoke place. Me, being innocent, just said yes, didn’t know what waiting for me. I thought that it’s like usual karaoke places where I and my friends usually go to. But I was wrong. Totally wrong.

Dark ambience, few guys flirting with girls at a sofa near the entrance hall, striptease pole on the center stage, broke all my expectations into pieces. Never in my life have I imagined that I would be dragged into such kind of situation. I mean, I often see it in movies or TV drama where those businessmen go to a karaoke plus plus place to entertain their bosses or important guests. But I DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ack……! I was silence in disbelief when the sissy guy, which is the pimp there, showed me the girls sitting in line like those in the stadium, waiting to be chosen. The sissy pimp called me “Young Master” and asked me what kind of girl I like to accompany me during the karaoke. If I could, I would answer “I like guys, not girls, thank you”, but since my employees all there standing, waiting for me, I just told him, that I like chatty and funny ones. I chose the one that look most hospitable and started to figure my way out of this horrible place.
After I chose the girl, named Ayu, new misery started. This girl seems fond of me, and unlike other girls my friends chose who always refused to be touched touched or so, this Ayu girl always pulled herself sticking with me, didn’t want to let me go from her side. She even started to caress me and touched my thigh several times. And the worst case of all, raised my hand to touch her boobies. Awwwwwwggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. God, forgive me, please…
Despite of that sexually-aggressive attitude, she wasn’t too bad actually. What I thought of her was right; she’s kinda chatty and funny. BUT…. Still I realized that she practically tried to make me drunk, always lifted my glass for me, and every time I got back from the toilet (toilet became a really comfy place for me to escape awhile from this insanity), I reckoned my drink became more alcohol-tasted, she probably added that “Black-Label thing-a-ma-jiggie” beer to my glass more and more in purpose. So now, every time she offered me my glass, I always pretended I drink it, but in fact, I just raised the glass to my mouth and did nothing. You know, just like those in gangster movies, when the head of the gang pretends to avoid being poisoned by his rival. THE NIGHT SEEMED NEVER ENDS!! And in her last desperate attempts, she whispered me this, “Chris, would you mind come here again tomorrow, I promise I will give you an unforgettable memory of Bali and me.”
See? You must have figured out what she might do had I dare enough to come back the next day. Unforgettable memory = SEX. I just laughed out loud and did a false promise that I would come back for sure. While, of course, my heart screamed, “NOOOOOOO!! I WILL NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE EVER AGAIN!!”
Even bad things must come to an end….at 3.30 am, the karaoke finished and we went back home. Oh, not yet, Mr. D brought us to eat porridge at a stall nearby. He said, eat porridge can wipe out the trail of alcohol smell. There, he also told me that I am smart and good-tasted to choose such a big-breasted woman like Ayu. Geeezzzzz!
Finally, headed back to hotel, that torturing night was finally over…. Thanks God to save me right in time…

Day Three: Beautiful Memory

Was too tired because of last night, I awoke at 9 o’clock, kinda late. Sigh, couldn’t see sunrise at Sanur like I wanted to the day before… But it’s okay, there’s next time.
After bathe and had my breakfast, I decided to go to beach, enjoying my time. Lucky the weather also not so hot, it was cloudy cloudy. So I just strolled down the beach, took a picture or two. The beach also wasn’t really crowded, just there were few foreigners sunbathing. Like a kid, I got excited when I saw beautiful clamshells on the beach, so there I was, collecting corals and clamshells from the beach, lol. I also brought one glass of beach’s sand, so I can put them all in a bottle to remind me that I was once there. Then felt tired, I took a little rest while enjoying beach wind at a gazebo near the shore. Here are few pics of the beach I’ve taken…

the gate of the shore

blue sea^^

lil' Crabby on the rocks

touch touch the water

I wish my Ced Ced also here with me T_T

Then I had my lunch at café in front of hotel, didn’t want to walk so far. I had black pepper steak and some drink called “Singapore Sling”. Fool me, it’s a cocktail. Sunny weather and I drunk a cocktail, what a silliness. My body got warm and warm because of the alcohol. Darn. After ate, I just ran to the hotel right away, cooling myself in my room while waiting for my branch manager to pick me up. Not so long, security guard from my office came picked me up and drove me to the office. Didn’t do anything in the office though, just roaming around in the office, had few chit-chat, and so so, haha. Eh, almost forgot, one of the employees in the company brought me traditional alcoholic drink from Bali, named “arak Bali”. It is some kind of liquor, and I heard it is as strong as tequila, wheeee. Haha, I just kept it and thanked him for his kindness, I would try the arak later, hehehe. Anxious.
After the office hours passed away, my branch manager brought me to the famous shop in Bali, Joger. It sells shirts, keychain, mugs, and other accessories with unique and original quotes imprinted on it. Buy some shirts for myself there, hee hee. It’s not cheap there so didn’t buy many, haha.
Dinner time already, we headed to a Javanese restaurant before the airport, named Pecel Seleco Madiun Stall. Wow, it was so delicious, never before I found East Javanese restaurant that matches my lofty standard of Javanese cuisine (haha). Recommended. Then after dinner we headed toward airport, I waited for my plane to come while smsing Cedy, hehe.

Goodbye Bali, surely I will come back someday (bring Ced Ced with me, of course, lol)…