Stay out of Potato Head Beach Club!!!

On my second day in Bali I decided not to book any tour but instead I slept the entire morning to recharge and take a breather. It felt like my body was clamouring for rest and good sleep. #downtime When I woke up it was already lunch time so I went out to eat  and then headed out to the beach.

Kuta Beach

This is one of the busiest beach in Bali. It has a long stretch of grey sand that connects to Legian and Seminyak, the two other towns in Bali. You can rent a board and surf or get a henna tattoo or just simply soak under the Bali sun. There are pop up stores that sells refreshments with their own sun beds. 

Surprised to see that they also have Kalesa. 

I tried walking my way to Seminyak through the beach but it was just too far and the heat was excrutiating so I hailed a Bluebird taxi instead. 

What to do in Seminyak?

Seminyak is located at the north side of the beach. Its the same color of sand but it is sorrounded with high end resorts. Most of the tourists hang out at Potato Beach Club and Ku De Ta Resort. There are also local botiques and pop up stores in case you need an extra swimsuit. 

Potato Beach Head

Coming to Bali, I've been looking forward to visit this resort because of the hype its getting over the internet. I needed to see the sunset from their infinity pool and experience the cool vibe the resort gives. They don't have an entrance fee but their drinks and food are a bit pricey. Food, Service and Security is very good though. You can leave your stuff and not worry. Waiters are always at your service. They provide towels with no fee in case you want to swim in the pool as long as you order from their restaurant. Their sunbeds are always full and its on first come first serve basis. Don't bring food and drinks because they'll confiscate it upon entering the premise. 

Hallway

Restaurant 

Sunbeds

With Live DJ!!! 😂

Pool bar. 

Infinity pool. It was gloomy that afternon so I was worried the sun might not show up but the sky cleared later on and voila.

Sunset!! #thiswhatyoucamefor

Pool is lit! The wind was giving me shivers but the pool was heated so I was alright. 

I definitely enjoyed my whole afternoon in Potato Head. Hanging out by the pool with my Bintang, looking at the sunset, chatting with other tourist and exchanging stories. I did regret not seeing the North side of Bali though but I would regret it more if I didn't experience Potato Head. 

W Retreat and Spa

This is located right next to Potato Head so I had to see this hotel and check out their tiered pools looking out to the beach. Their is no fee to go inside and use their pool but you need to purchase food and drinks. The hotel is stylishly huge and has some really nice day beds. Staying true to its brand as an international chain of hotels. 

I just adore their pool.

Read from somewhere that this place is fun bit I guess todays is different.

I want to take one home. 😂

Unlike Kuta, beaches in Seminyak are less crowded and free from clutter mainly because the private hotels run them.

My BALI is a Wonderland. (South Bali Tour)

After a 5 day beach bumming in Boracay with my friends, I booked a connecting flight to another ultimate beach destination, Bali, Indonesia. 

I based my itinerary from blogs and tripadvisor FAQ's that fits my travel dates. Choosing the destinations to visit was a struggle because there were too many beautiful sightings in Bali but I have so little time. For my accommodations, I booked them months ahead from www.agoda.com with a help from my friend, Kaye. 

I arrived in Ngura Rai Airport in Bali around 8am and got out an hour later after going through immigration. I already changed my Pesos to Rupiah while I was still in Manila so I just walked out to look for a cab. Taxi service at the airport has a fix rate. Since I was on a budget I waited for a cab outside the airport. Just walk through the parking lot in front of the arrival area and you're already out. I suggest you take the Bluebird taxis as they are the trusted taxi service in Bali.

KUTA 

If you're looking for the backpacker area and party place this is where you should stay. Poppies 1 and 2 and Beach Walk are the go-to streets. You'll find everything here. 

I was too early for my check-in at Funky Monkey Hostel so I had breakfast first at Bakung Sari Hotel. I also booked my South tour from the same hotel.

600,000 Rupiah 

FUNKY MONKEY HOSTEL (P350.00)

Free pancake all day and Aussie eye candies. Bali is near Australia so a big percentage of the tourist are Aussies. The distance from the hostel to the beach was a little inconvinient given that I don't drive the motorbike so I make sure I have everything before I leave the hostel.

After check-in, I went back to Bakung Sari Hotel to start my South Bali tour. Restless and exhausted coming from my sleepless nights in Boracay and a connecting flight but still went for it. I'm not complaining though. My schedule was just intense. Whew! 

What to see in South Bali? 

Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Luwak Coffee, GSK, Padang-Padang Beach, Uluwatu Surf Beach, Single Fin Bar and Resto, Uluwatu Temple, Kechak Dance

GSK

Vishnu 

Garuda

GWK cultural park

Still under construction.

Kechak Dance

Lotus Garden

PADANG-PADANG BEACH

This beach was made famous because of Julia Roberts' movie , Eat, Pray, Love. 

Looking ahead, Joseph Bardiem maybe waiting for me. LOL

This is a short stretch of white sand with pop up stores selling food, drinks, souvenir and sarong. 

Panorama of Padang-Padang

Non Pro surfers gather on this side because the waves aren't too big. You can rent surfboards from the pop up stores in front of the beach. 

ULUWATU BEACH

The waves here aren't too friendly. They are huge and will really eat you alive. I didn't surf but I can tell from where I was sitting the struggle the surfers face out in there.

This is a short descend from the parking lot. Just follow the surfers and you won't get lost or you can always ask around. The locals don't bite. 

SINGLE FIN BAR

Best place ever! Come a little early to get a good sit up front because this place gets crowded once the sun starts to set. The vibe is really cool, good music, lots of tourist, no entrance fee and food is good. The price isn't so bad because you'll be paying for this beautiful view. Don't forget to try Bintang, their local beer.

Restaurants and Hostels in Uluwatu Beach

ULUWATU TEMPLE

Didn't get to the far end because the Kechak show was about to start. 

Asked the Chinese lovebirds to take this photo. I'm Wearing a sarong because shorts are not allowed inside the temple. 

KECHACK DANCE

Kechak Dance is their national dance and its really intresting how they chant and dance at the same time. Really gets your attention. 

Sunset at the Kechak dance stadium. Beautiful! 

To get to these destinations you can either hire a private car or rent a motorbike. Keep in mind you need to have an international license to drive in Bali because if you're caucasian, the Police here will ask you to pull over. Saw this happen a few times while on tour. 

I skipped the beaches in Nusa Dua and Jimbaran and the Luwak Coffee tasting because I wouldn't have enough time to visit the places I highlighted on my checklist. Plus they're just white beaches and I just came from Boracay so l'm sure it would just be a downer. 😂

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Saigon 

The third and last country in our 7 day Indochina trip was Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam or formerly known as Saigon. 

Siem Reap ➡️ Phnom Penh ➡️ Ho Chi Minh

How to get to Ho Chi Minh from Siem Reap?

By Plane

You can book through any local airline (Airasia). Travel time is 1hr.

By Bus

Book at any travel agencies anywhere in Siem Reap, along Pubstreet, Night Market or from your hotel. You can also book it online through www.cambodiaticket.com (Giant Ibis and Mekong Express are two of the trusted bus companies)

I recommend taking the sleeper bus at night to maximize your travel time and for a more convinient ride. Travel time is approximately 12 hours and costs around $4-26 depending on the bus company and type of transpo(bus, van, minibus). From Siem Reap, the bus drops you off in Phnom Penh and then take another bus to Ho Chi Minh. There are bus companies that offers direct transfer from Sieam Reap to HCM. (check out www.catmekongexpress.com) There's no central bus station both in Sieam Reap and Phnom Penh so the bus companies operate on their own office. They will pick you up at your hotel or the travel agency where you booked your ticket.

We took the night transfer but unfortunately all the sleeper bus are fullybooked and we didnt wanna be chance passengers so we took the ordinary bus instead. The Sleeper bus has builtin beds and toilet. It looks compact and comfortable whereas the regular bus is just the same old sitting position. The travel time is the same except that most locals take this bus. There was only 1 expat inside the bus and the rest were monks, Kmers(locals) and then us. We look like Kmers anyway so we were easy to blend in. I suggest you book ahead of time if you want the sleeper bus because the price can be really hefty during the last minute. 

Kaye and I just slept the entire trip and although I had a scare at first, the travel was nothing different from when taking a night bus in Manila. I was being paranoid because we were in a foreign land and we are travelling night time and there wasn't much tourist inside the bus like we were used to. 

We arrived in Phnom Penh around 2am but we didnt have any transfer booked to Ho Chi Minh so we just asked around and we were brought to 2 ticketing office. The first was fullybooked but the second office we went contacted a bus company who have a few seats left. So we took that and left the city around 4:00am. 

This was another bus company that most locals use so there were no expats inside the bus. No eye candy. Boo. When we got near the border the bus conductor took our passports(no fee involved) got off the bus twice, first at the Cambodia exit jand then next at the entry point to Vietnam. There was no contact to any immigration officer. It was a weird and fast process but I'm not complaining. 

Since we took a local bus, we were dropped off at the companies office which was around 3 miles away from Pham Ngu Lao. If you're taking the tourist night bus from Phnom Penh you will be dropped off directly in Pham Ngu Lao. #loosers We exchanged our remaining dollars at a nearby bank and then took a cab to our hostel in Pham Ngu Lao. 

Saigon Backpacker.  

Millionaires. 

After our check-in and a quick bath, Kaye and I went outside to look for a place to eat and then some. After filling up our stomach, we walked our way to see the famous landmarks in Ho Chi Minh. 

Pham Ngu Lao is the busiest street in Ho Chi Minh. This is the backpackers area so we were not surpised when we saw expats almost everywhere. Every street has restaurants, clubs, hostels travel agencies and spas and shops. You will never run out of things to do here. 

Flower Park

Ben Thanh Market

Chu Tich Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Saigon Opera House

Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral

Saigon Central Post Office

On our second day, we booked a half day tour in Cu Chi Tunnel that you can book from your hotel or at any travel agency in Pham Ngu Lao.

First Stop

The artists.

Stories about the Vietnam War

Paying attention 

#touristshot

After our tour we went back to the city to check out the museum, parks and some more tourist spots. 

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Independence Palace 

And after a day of walking and endless picture taking we finally had a good meal at Pho 2000, the famous restaurant in Ho Chi Minh where President Bush had a meal located just beside Ben Tahn Market. After dinner we went back inside the market to buy souvenirs and a Northface bag for a friend but I ended up buying for myself too. Kaye had no plans of buying  while in Vietnam but she was forced anyway. Here's the deal, I don't know if this only applies during Chinese New Year, the first customer can't walk away without a sale  because it'll bring the vendors bad luck. They will force you and will really hang on to you until you buy the item. One lady did try to force me but I gave her THE look with a hard resounding NO so she let me leave, but I ended up buying the bag from her because she gave me a really good deal. Kaye wasn't able to ditch the vendor she asked but she did love the romper so it was still a good buy. She too got a good discount. 

Dinner 🤗

The items sold in Ben Thanh Market are both legit and "Class A" items. The lady where I bought my bag from was honest to say that we are buying a class a bag and not the real one. I'm not sure if it applies to other stores. Its like Divisoria and Baclaran in one level complex with rows of stalls selling items from RTW,  Shoes, Bags, Food, Spices and Souvenirs etc. 

Night Market

At night, the streets beside Ben Thanh are turned into a street market. The people selling inside creates makeshift stalls in the street. Maybe around 6 or 7pm you will notice a group of shirtless guys running, pushing their tents, securing a good spot in the street market. The guys were aggressive and runs really fast. Its just so amazing how they managed to push their tents through a very busy street. 

Club Scene 

There are tons of pubs and clubs to choose from in Pham Ngu Lao. Notice the tables and red chairs set up in their tiny streets.  Its the best place to make friends and new acquintances. Also make sure to try their local beer, Saigon. 

Motorbikes are the It-Vehicles and they dominate the streets and sidewalkes of Ho Chi Minh. They drive through pedestrian lanes like its nobodys business so keep a wide eye when crossing the street or walking in pedestrians. 

There were decorations at the city square in front of Ho Chi Minh City Hall in lieu of the Chinese New Year. A program was conducted with personalities(no idea who they were but I bet they're famous) and performances complete with colorful costume and large props. The entire street was filled with locals and tourist to witness the celebration. 

After our whole day activity we went back to our hostel to get our bags and took a quick shower. Our booking was only for 1 day so we already checked out early in the day before we started our Cu Chi Tunnel tour but the hostel was nice enough to let us leave our bags and use their toilet to take a shower. They also allowed  us to stay in their living room while waiting for our airport transfer. We booked our transfer at the same agency where we booked our Cu Chi Tunnel. It was almost the same rate as when hiring a regular cab from the streets of Pham Ngu Lao.