The Serenity of Candidassa, Bali

Candidassa, a beachside village with a Big heart.

Candidassa used to be a village that was far from the maddening crowd.  It still is, only that it is quieter now, somewhat forlorn like a hero fallen from grace. 

Yet, as the hero that would not die, he picked himself up and continue to show gaiety and strength.  It is because of its not-die attitude, Candidassa is luring tourists to its long-alluring stretch of cafes and warungs along the beach.  And also, the village has some of Bali's greenest and aesthetically landscaped resort and spa center.

Ari Homestay.

I did not know about Candidassa.  That was usually how I travel.  I will not know a place until I stumbled upon them.  Either some locals told me a place and I would go or over some strange but amazing encounter, I will discover the places.  All these lovely places never fail to astound me.  One of which is Candidassa.

A resort hotel that is sprawling with serenity and bliss.

I was on the small tour van that picked me up from Amed ( another beachside village on the North Eastern side of Bali, I went to Amed, like my usual travel style, because a local Balinese told me about it - this story, another time).  Our destination was Ubud.  From Amed to Ubud, it will take about 2 hours.  En route, the van, with some passengers, stopped by the Perama Bus Office to check on some administration.  The van-driver told us to alight and stretch ourselves or go use the toilet while he checked if there were other passengers to pick up to Ubud.

I have no shorts, so went out with my sarong.

I came down from the van and immediately felt the soothing breeze.  I looked around and found that the place was quaint.  The breeze was soft, the palm trees lining the walkway was swaying gently, the traffic was slow, I could see a few people lazing out in the shades on their sampans.  Little push-cart stalls selling Bakso and sate.  Still, it was quiet.  As if, the whole world had traveled to Mars and back twice, and they are still lying there in their sarongs, in their sampan, thinking of nothingness.

I like that.  I just like it a lot.  Somehow, I felt I like to know this place, I like to feel it, rather that just passing it by to go to Ubud.  So, I asked the driver what place that was.  That was when I knew the little village close to the sea is called Candidassa.

Clean room, attached bath.

Just right opposite the road where the van stopped, there was Ari Homestay.  The driver told me that was a good place to inquire for a night's stay.  I just said ok, told the driver that I decided to stay in Candidassa and I will take the van to Ubud the next day.  That was when I learned that Perama buses allow passengers to have a stopover at the places en route to their respective destinations.  No extra charges when they pick you up one or a few days later.  You board with the same ticket to your stated destination.

That was great.  I thought.  And checked in immediately into Ari Homestay, which I found out that it only cost me Rp80,000 (RM28) for a room with a double bed and attached bathroom.  The owner, who is Australian with a Balinese wife, happily told me that the room came with a Big Breakfast.  so, what is this big breakfast all about?  Beaming, he said he is cooking the breakfast himself and it will have sausage, eggs, bread, tomatoes, cheese and beans.   I just love Candidassa and the people there, small village, Big heart, Big breakfast.

Having Big Breakfast on the upper patio in front of my room.

Candidassa used to be a very popular tourist beach destination in the North Eastern side of Bali, but since diving and sea sport are made popular in Amed, Candidassa seems to have taken a back seat.  Nevertheless, it is one of the sweetest village I have been in Bali.

The entrance to the spa where I had a great aromatherapy massage.

Guest waiting area for the spa treatment.

Throw in a 2-hour aromatherapy massage, facial and body scrub, flower bath and foot bath, all for a mere RM120 (USD40), I was drown in everything beautiful and spiked in perpetual bliss.

Saint-Paul de Vence, France

St Paul-de-Vence, this is whole village.

It has been quite a while, in fact, almost two months, since I last updated my blog.  I must admit that when sometimes I feel like writing, and the idea is brewing, I will start out looking for the appropriate pictures in my iPhoto for the story I am about to tell.  Most of the time, while browsing the pictures, instead of deciding on one aspect of the travel destination to write about, I will instead, reminisce the joy being there.  As if I am walking through the streets in India, in Italy, in South Africa and in so many wonderful where I left my footsteps behind.

The memories are so vivid most of the times because I spend time walking, observing, feeling the presence of everything that is there at the moment.  Even cramping into a bus that is full of people, that is already so memorable.

The village map. That's all to it.

This is the little place I so fondly remember as I go through my pictures.  A place nestled between Nice and the French Riviera, close to Cannes, is the small fortress village of St Paul-de-Vence.  The village is so quaint and so charming, walking on the cobbled stone becomes a fun thing to do.  Marveling at the shops with little doors and artistic display of their goods are a great pastime.  Then move around the fort enclosed village to find a corner with small old-fashioned chairs and tea-tables, order a glass of the local wine or a latte and a piece of chocolate fondant cake, a specialty of St Paul.

That will be a beautiful day spent in the confines of the picturesque and peaceful village.

An artistic display of a street name on the wall.

A garden-like entrance to someone's residence.

Shops have artistic display of beautiful items.

A hotel for the discerning few.

Lavender is in abundance here.

Tourists favorites.

Lavender is used in their food products too

Walkabout Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne sky line

I have been to Melbourne twice.

The first time, in 1989, more than 20 years ago. I could remember the year clearly, not because I still have my stamped Australian Visa in my old passport. It was the year when the Tiananmen incident happened.

I checked into a backpackers hostel in a red-light district. All I could remember seeing when I walked out from the hostel were shops selling all the toys and accessories, including movies in VHS that most parents will forbid in their homes. That was where I was brought to by the bus driver when I told him to bring me to a backpackers hostel. I still have not idea why that happened then. Is it because backpacking wasn't as popular in Australia back in the 80's that there were so few choices or was I taken for a ride?

A shopping mall in Melbourne

It was cheap then, nevertheless. The bed cost only about A$12. There was a courtyard where all of us could watch TV anytime we wanted. So, that afternoon, a lot of the backpackers were gathering in the courtyard and many were showing sense of distress watching the news. I inched closer to the TV, and watched the scenes of the Tiananmen incident happening on TV.

Recently, in 2007. I went back to Melbourne for a walkabout. Well, nothing astounding has changed. Except that there are more backpackers hotels in downtown Melbourne now. How do I know that? It always start from the airport. When you ask the driver of any public transport to bring you to the place you want to stay, you will get a glimpse of how the city is. Because the most popular places to stay among backpackers will give you an indication how the traveling industry has grown over the years.

Melbourne is still quiet and very care-free. It is like you are not bothered with anyone or anything in your surrounding, you just be you. Like the willow in the wind, sway and stay with the breeze. That's how I feel about the city.

Lead Pipe and Shot Factory, what remains is now an attraction of the shopping mall.

There is a very unique shopping mall, it is housed in a historical site. In the middle of the mall, stands a tower that is the remains of the Lead Pipe and Shot Factory. Once it was the tallest building in the city. Even in the mid-50's, it stood six meter higher than the then city building limits.

Lunar New Year decoration in a Mall, Hotel in Melbourne

This time, I was there during the Lunar New Year, so there were colorful display of lanterns and everything Chinese.

This is the best attraction.

It was a really lovely time to spend in the city, just walking and enjoying the breeze. Looking at the wide selections of pastry, just drooled me to pieces. I will usually just sit in a cafe, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the selection while watching the Melburnian play kites, family laughing, street entertainers performing, colorful buntings flapping to the wind. Such great life!

Siwa Oasis, Egypt

The ancient fortress of Siwa, in the middle of Siwa town.

These photos bring back loads of memory. I am feeling just so thrilled about all the places I have set foot, having flashbacks about the rooms I have stayed at only USD1 in Nepal. Riding the camel into Bedouin villages in Egypt, witnessing the ceremonial slaughtering of the herd of cows for a mass village funeral in Sulawesi. Staying on top of a buffalo shack in the mountains of Nepal and being in Dalai Lama's monastery in Dharamsala without having the slightest idea that that place existed but I was led there nevertheless. Oh, all these are just memories I treasure. In the quietest moments when these flashbacks occurred, they all bring a twitch on my mouth to expand into a smile that exudes the feelings of satisfaction and whole. 

Heaps of pita bread loaded on a cart pulled by donkeys.

Looking at the photos taken in Siwa Oasis, Egypt, ignites that feeling of awe mixed with joy and freedom. It is like suddenly there appear in front of me a wide open space with blue skies, trees that have wide umbrella-like branches full of green wide leaves. Stretching right in front is undulating plains of green green fields, while I run across the fields with wide stretched open arms, my small face lifted up towards the blazing sun, feeling the warmth on my lips, my cheeks, my brows, feeling the wind in every cell in my body, and invoke the lightness as if I am taking flight. Yeah, that kind of feeling, the feeling like you have achieved something so great you can just flap your wings and know that you can just take off to the sky and fly.

Olives and dates, palm trees are abundant in Siwa

When I first heard of Oasis, reading about them in my geography books, I thought that oasis is just a puddle of water in the vast dry desert. Nothing in sight, no buildings, no people, perhaps just a few palm trees. Then nothing. Just windy and sandy as far as the eyes can see, just brown sand dune undulating towards the horizon. I thought that was what an oasis supposed to be.


And perhaps I had watched some old movies like the Lawrence of Arabia or Sinbad, where the views of slim curvy-shaped ladies in colorful silk arabian "wrap-arounds" like I-dream-of-Jeannie kind, they all swayed to the beat of the enchanting music while gyrating her steps to get water from the oasis. Then walk seductively with a jar of water over her head, tracing her steps back to her tent. That was what I had in my mind all these years. Funny, isn't it? how I can conjure up an image which is not true but based on what I was shown to believe. It must be the magic of TV.

A mud brick house with beautiful kid beaming from their window

The bus from Alexandria took 9 hours to arrive at Siwa Oasis. If someone comes from Cairo, they will usually break their journey in Alexandria after a 3-hour bus ride from Cairo. It was an air-cond bus so the windows can be shut while the dust and sand piled upon us all the way. 

There were not many tourists in Siwa Oasis. Local people ply the route from Alexandria to Siwa Oasis because of commerce, the buying and selling of goods. It was a surprise to find so many fresh produce from Siwa Oasis. 

It was truly an eye-opener for me to see so many colorful fruits and vegetables in an oasis. I thought they only export dates and olives. They also supply mineral water bottled by a factory a few miles away from town.


I learned that they have an airport there already. So, Siwa Oasis is more accessible now. Looking for an adventure?

Fresh produce in the market every morning. Bustling activities.

Take a trip to see an oasis and feel the adventure as was so fondly told in all 1,001 Eqyptian tales.

Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge

Looking past Stonehenge is a beautiful living picture, of sheep.

The public bus that ply the route to Stonehenge

As the ubiquituous white and red double decker bus glided its way into the countryside, the scenery open up to a narrow road flanked by beech trees and coniferous woodland. The bus was quiet with a handful of passengers. The woodland washed the windows with its pale grey wintry air. Only the whooshing release of air from the hydraulic gear that can be heard distinctively from the bottom of the bus gently breaking the freezing silence. 

As the cleanly shaven botak beech trees retreating to the rear of the bus, the woodland yawned itself to full view. Till the last of the few conifer trees came to end, Stonehenge, with its colossal vertically erect structure, stood monumentally stoned in the middle of the meadow. Green sprawling field, wide open space invited into view the iconic structure that has baffled men for centuries, lay in its encircling setting. 

Mystical. 

Mysterious. 

Magical.

Stonehenge can be viewed from roadside while driving by.

Entrance to Stonehenge, entry fee applicable

I boarded the train from London Waterloo station for a day trip to Stonehenge in the winter months. Moreover, as I have all the time in the world, I chose to use the special offer for off-peak ride. It is best to buy a return ticket for the cost less to do so. The price is about £30 one-way. If you buy both ways and returning on the same day, you pay about £30 too. The train ride is about 80 minutes. It runs on the track so fast you hardly feel the time. I alighted at Salisbury Station and waited for the public bus which ran from Salisbury to Stonehenge to elsewhere.  

There is a Tour Bus that takes tourists to Stonehenge and to visit Salisbury Cathedral all in one day. Only £18 per adult. 

Stonehenge was built some 5,000 years ago. Maybe longer. As some experts have estimated that it needed 20 million hours to complete the construction.  Some said it was a holy site for healing to take place. Some said it was a scientific observatory. But who built them? And why? 

Stonehenge stood menacingly in the afternoon sky.

As I walked on the tarred pavement that surrounds the stones for a closer view, I think I heard the stones guffawed : "ahahahaha .....we are not telling, because you wouldn't believe us anyway!"  

Stay & Ride in Bali

When you see Beauty in everything - you are in Beautiful Bali

Some good accommodations in Ubud

Low-cost rooms and beautiful view of padi fields in Ubud

Hi Mr Tham,

I came across your blog about traveling in Bali alone. I am interested to do that as I have a short break. Do you have any recommendations of places to stay (safe for a single lady) and contacts for transportation?

I would really appreciate your input.

TH

Perama provides easy and low-cost transport to many tourist spots in Bali.

Hi TH

Good to know that you have some time off to take in a little bit of Bali on your own.  Truly, Bali is to be visited and enjoyed bit by bit, not in a rush.

It is a very safe place to be.  Single women or men.  You can walk in the dark and there will be people who are willing to give you rides to places without asking for anything back.  I have those experiences.

The choice of accommodation and transport are subject to your budget.

These are a few recommendations :

Use taxi - still very affordable, from Kuta to Tanah Lot, about 1 hr journey cost you Rp200,000

Get a bike to go around some nearby places - about Rp50,000 - Rp80,000 per day depends where you are.

Use public transport such as Perama buses, very good and will bring you to many tourist spots. Eg from Kuta to Ubud Rp50,000. And you get 10% off for your next trip to another destination covered by Perama.  Ask around, the friendly people in Bali will lead you to their offices.

I had used local public transport (those crankety vans) but the system is kind of chaotic in Bali, although it is the cheapest mode of transport. I paid only Rp2,000 when I left Tanah Lot, but the van dropped me at a junction to hop on another van (which you won't know what time they will appear), get to the main depot, then take another one to Gilimanuk (I had to get to the jetty to cross to Jawa). But if you have the time, try it, it is an experience worth the time spent.

All places to stay are save.  They are pretty good with price. When you take Perama buses, there will be small hotel or home owners who will approach you.  You can check the room by going with them.  If you take the taxis, just ask to be sent to a reasonably priced hotel.  I have stayed at clean room with attached bath that cost me only Rp88,000 (in Candidassa with hefty American Breakfast too, cooked by the friendly hotel staff and owners), anything less will not be suitable.  I have stayed in Ubud and paying up to Rp120,000 with breakfast.  The price really depends on where you are. More touristic, more expensive.  I have also stayed in those which is priced like USD70 per room per night.

But really, Bali is very very safe. So is the world!

Hope this helps.

Do feel free to write again.
Have a wonderful trip.

On Regent Street, London

This is Ted Baker's store at Regent Street. I was so intrigued with the revolving upmarket dressing room in the center of the upper boutique floor that I had to video it to see its effect.  I felt like it is a velvet wall carpeted dressing room with 3-side mirrors, well, if I am going to design a dressing room, it should look like this.


Strolling on the streets of London on a cold wintry afternoon, with blue skies is the best past times. There will be streets where you will find most of the bookshops like Foyle, Waterstones, WH Smith and some smaller bookstores that offer spectacular prizes for hard-to-find books.  There will also be streets for world-famous musicals like The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and many more.

For anyone who loves Chinese food, just turn another corner and walk into Soho, one of the most colorful China Town in the world. You will find to your amazement the best BBQ pork (charsiew and siewyok) in London (perhaps, better than the ones you have in Hong Kong).  And we will never miss our Chinese style comfort food - the best we have been eating so far - the si chew chao hor, kueh teow with black bean paste, lots of colorful peppers and onions. Like the Chinese used to say, it even takes in the smells of the hot wok.

I think you can just spend your entire day just walking around and getting all that you want from Leicester Square to Piccadilly Circus to Regent Street.

You can find John Lewis departmental store, H & M. Massimo Dutti, National Geographic Society and many more. There is so much to see, eat and do.

I like walking the streets of London. Taking the tube. Just sit in pubs and order food from the bartender. Yes, you get food, real comfort food, from the bartender. It is like a cafe, only that you place you orders at the bar counter.

Loving London evermore each time there.  It has the unpretentious acceptance of everything, everyone, everytime. The diversity tolerance is so apparent esp when in the tube. It is like people from all around the globe are on the tube at any one time. There will be 3-5 languages used in conversation during a 30-min journey. And nobody is *(^%$!! about anybody. You can be all that you want to be.

This is one of Apple Store's ongoing workshop sessions in one of the biggest Apple Store I have visited thus far. This is like a theater. The trainer is going through the Garage Band software. I was amazed with the sound effect of this open "theater".

Apple store is packed. I felt like the whole world was there to check out, iPad? The Macbook and iMac are all turned on. We can access internet at every computer as long as we want. And, it is free.

I like these apps icon. So colorful when they are all hung like drapes on the front window.

Notice the transparent staircase leading up the first floor. This Apple Store is huge. The staircase is like a fashion runway, chic and stunning.

Play On, Johann, Play On!

Long long time ago, when I was still straddling my bike to school, I will come home and hear The Blue Danube played over my late dad's tailor shop. He may have one of the best hi-fi in the 70s. Blaring out hits of western classical music, ironically, influenced through all the Cantonese melodrama of the silver screens. Imagine Patrick Tze Yin with Chan Poh Chu, the golden darlings of the 60s, waltzing to Johann Strauss The Blue Danube.

The melodic expression through the flare of the dancer's gown, the flow of her sweeping sequins, round and round the dancers will go, the rhythm lingers on long long time after.

When I stood in front of Johann Strauss world famous bronx statue in Stadtpark in the city of Vienna, round and round, The Blue Danube, danced in my head.

We stayed in Hilton Vienna Hotel, Stadtpark is situated just across the street from the hotel. Visiting Stadtpark was not in our Insight Tour Eastern Europe tour itinerary. The day we were on the city tour, I was curious to see a group of Asian tourists walking into the Park. I wondered what was so great about the Park that the group made it as their visiting stop. While our bus was moving, I looked across the garden and I could make out the little bronx statue, a figure I was sure I had seen it somewhere. Immediately, I pulled at Peter's sleeve and asked him to look too. And there it was, gleaming in the morning winter sun, the violin on his shoulder, standing rhythmically astute.

I got excited. Since we didn't have time that day, I told Peter we will wake up early the next morning to take a stroll to the park.

Hilton Vienna had one of the best breakfast spread in Europe. Hot breakfast too. We had our noodles (yes, noodles in Vienna, for breakfast, what a joy, coming from Malaysia!) We were very satisfied with Insight Tour. The hotels were top class and close to the city. Walking distance to many exciting shopping malls and interesting sites.

It was freezing in February. But I wanted to see the statue. This was our last day in Vienna, so I better make the best of the time before boarding the city airport train. The train station is strategically situated just in front of the hotel, so making walking everywhere really convenient. (We took Easyjet : London-Vienna-London)

The Park was beautiful, even in winter. I was astonished the statue was small. I always thought that it will be a big one. I think it is maybe 2 feet taller than me if I were to stand beside it on the platform. Nevertheless, it was very inspiring, knowing that a great musician was once forbade by his own father not to play the violin, and his tenacity has turned him into the Waltz King as we know him now.

Amazing photos at Lantau Island, Hong Kong

As I walked up the 268 steps to the statue, this is a picture taken with Canon IXUS 860IS, 28mm wide angle lens. I captured the offerings by devas to Buddha. And the clouds open up to receive the blessings too. I like this picture. I cropped it and made it into a black and white shot. It gave it the wow factor.

I have been to Lantau Island many times. Each time when I am in Hong Kong, I will take the whole day to just be in Lautau Island. Waking up late, take it slowly, finishing a hefty crunchy beef ball noodles with all the beef's "spare parts". Order myself a tall glass of Hong Kong lady's panty-hose milk tea, which has a distinctive taste that only Hong Kong can create that so far.

Then, take the MRT to Central Pier for the ferry to the Island. Upon reaching, alight a bus that will take almost an hour to reach the foot hill of the world's largest bronx Buddha statue. (About 2 years ago, MRT has extended its service to Lantau Island, but you still need to take the 1-hour bus to the peak.)

From here, it was a full array of inspirational photo taking.

The last trip was exceptionally art-stimulating. There were plenty of flags planted at the Heaven's Altar (Tian Tan). The Heaven's Altar is the smaller version of the one many tourists will visit in Beijing's Forbidden city. The Hong Kong flags made a significant display enhancing the composition of the pictures.

This one I took it standing at the edge of the Heaven's altar looking up at the Buddha statue, accentuating the sky with its peaceful glow.

This is another picture taken as I walked the trail at the Heart Sutra, 38 obelisks planted on the shoulder of Lantau Peak. It is about 20 minutes walk from Po Lin Manastery. It was only open to the public in 2005. I have been there twice.  I purposely tint it to orange so that the silhouette of the person sitting on the rock stands out conspicuously. Thus, adding a sense of care-free spirit.

Noah's Ark in Hong Kong

Noah's Ark has docked in Hong Kong.

Apparently, it is the biggest replica of the biblical famous Ark in the world today. It opened middle of 2009. When I was there end Sept, I just needed to make a trip there to see it myself. Moreover, taking a trip to Ma Wan island (also known in English as Park Island) where it is located, is in itself a breezy weekend walkabout.


There are quaint little shops the moment I got down from the ferry. I took the ferry from Central Pier 2 to Ma Wan Island. On my way back, I realized that taking the ferry from Tsuen Wan is closer to the MRT station and also cheaper. It is HK$20 from Central to Park Island, one-way. From Tsuen Wan, it is only HK$8 one-way.

It was an easy getaway from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong activities, you can stroll freely on the road or just walk by the beach. There are hardly traffic plying the road. I guessed maybe it was a weekday. Many would have left for work.

What I don't understand is the location of the Ark, why is it built almost below the Tsing Yi bridge. It is underneath the highway leading to the airport. Even taking a picture will definitely frame in the bridge in the background.