Bali and Malaysia

It’s good to be home though sometimes I wish I could just travel the world for leisure anytime I please.

Back from a 9 day vacation, which was wonderful by the way. We went to Bali, Indonesia and Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. 6 days in Bali was pure bliss. We nestled snug at Ayodya Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali. Thoroughly enjoyed walking around the charming village. The Bali Collection Centre was a hub of activity with massage parlours, restaurants, supermarkets… The food was wonderful. Picked up a range of curry pastes to sample back in Bangalore. We walked around quite a bit. Snooped for little treasures. Played at the beach. We headed to Ubud from here for 2 days. On the way we stopped at a gallery and bought a pretty painting. The Batik centre and wood carving did not really impress us much because we see the same stuff back home in India. The town of Ubud is picturesque. It’s so quaint and nice to stroll around. Peek into the Monkey Forest to see hoards of monkeys everywhere. We had to haggle for everything. We ate good Babi Guling, which is suckling pig and one of Bali’s most famous dishes. We dined at this wonder place called The Dirty Duck. Around Bali you’ll see lots of stores selling Quick Silver, U.S. Polo, Paul Smith and Billa-Bong among many other brands.

Malaysia was good too. KL is simply huge. There’s one level of shopping one can do at the high-end malls like KLCC or Pavilion. Then you have Suaweng Mall and Berjaya Times Square which cater to those who prefer nominal rates. Chinatown as one can easily guess is where you go to buy the fakes at negotiable rates.

The experience overall was great. Basic civic infrastructure is in place in these countries. I wonder why India can’t catch up.