Cafes in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Bali will always have a soft spot in my heart because it was where we had our pre-wedding photo shoot. ❤ However having been to Bali quite a number of times I've had quite enough of Seminyak and Kuta area so this time round we explored Canggu which is slightly further up from Seminyak and I'm really super loving this part of Bali. 😍

STAY: The Slow

I think I made the best decision to book this hotel because it was absolutely gorgeous! From the restaurant to the rooms, every corner was #homegoals #interiorgoals.

Falling head over heels with the decor over and over again.

Restaurant 😍  Love the botanical set up!

Home away from home 🌿

EAT: Cafe/ Beach Club Hopping

📍 Poké Poké
Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong No. 58

The poké is very good! I really enjoyed the marination of the tuna and the bowl has bits of caramelized peanuts, crispy wonton, crispy Japanese noodles which added to the crunchiness for each bite.

📍 The Lawn
Jl. Pura Dalem

Similar to Potato Head, The Lawn is a beach club where you could chill or tan at the lawn (as the name suggests) or take a dip in their infinity pool facing Batu Bolong beach. There is a live band too! Food is not bad for beach club standards but obviously can't compare to cafés/ restaurants.

Love the laid back vibes.

Watching the surfers 🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️

📍 Crate

Very popular place and it's worth the hype! I saw on Tommy Wee's IG that he visited Crate and promptly told C that I needed to be here too. 😂  Love the crowd here and coffee is good! Would love to try the food and dessert here but tummy's bursting.

Do note that the location is different from the Google Maps address; we were circling around the address in vain for quite awhile before we decided that we got the wrong location. If you are an Apple user please use Apple Maps instead!

📍The Loft
Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong no. 50A

I have a penchant for loft designs so I had to stop by! However the food here does not have the wow factor for me even though Google ratings and reviews are high. Perhaps I ordered the wrong dishes from the menu?

📍Old Man's
Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong
Everyone was taking turns to take #ootd with the mural so I had to be different and do a boomerang. Hahaha.

📍Shady Shack
Jl. Tanah Barak No. 57
Came here for brunch and love it!

Shady Shack gave off a very Australian laid back chill kinda vibe. Food and coffee was great! The menu has a huge selection, I would definitely be back again.

Dinner on our last night was at The Slow's restaurant itself. It was magical with the botanical feels and warm lights when the night fell, reminiscent of our wedding night. Food was DIVINE (we could smell the grilling of food and was salivating even before we reached the restaurant) and service was impeccable. I really can't stop raving about this place, 'nuff said.
~~~
This trip to Bali has been a series of unfortunate events in so many ways. It was meant to be a hens trip with all the bridesmaids for a dear girl friend in October; everything was booked and brief itinerary planned but there was a lot of uncertainty of Mt. Agung erupting at that time.

There were six of us including the bride consisting of 2 cliques and we couldn't settle for a final decision whether to go or not to go. I could understand that because everyone has different risk threshold. In the end the bride decided to pull out and so we split, my clique decided to go ahead and I was perfecting fine since my clique is going! Unfortunately closer to the date due to circumstances another girl friend had to miss the trip so we called it off. 🙁

I have to admit it was disappointing because I really needed a getaway. Thankfully due to the situation, Scoot allowed us to change the dates at no additional fee. However with everyone in different locations we decided to reschedule separately and thus I booked another ticket for C!

Fast forward to December, the volcano situation STILL hasn't improved. However in this aspect I'm quite "garang" so of course I went ahead. 😂  AND THEN I fell with serious abrasions. So no island hopping, no beach, no swimming, no water. Oh wells.

/cues quote, "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade."

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there were visibly fewer tourists due to the news but imo it was the best time to visit Bali. Not too crowded yet enough travellers to feel the Bali vibes and atmosphere. It was business as usual, everyone was doing their daily activities as per normal in the tourist areas. Airport and flights are functioning!

Bali life, happy life. There is no better place to spend the last few days of #2017!

✈ Lombok, Indonesia x Jeeva Beloam x "Off The Grid"

My birthday this year was the most unforgettable and special one yet. There were many firsts - first birthday spent overseas, first time in Lombok, first time being somewhere so close to nature.

With the location being a surprise destination, the only hint I got from C was that it was "off the grid", which made me even more curious and anticipative of where he was going to bring me. Upon reaching Lombok International Airport, we were whisked off to the secret location. The journey was about 2 hours. By the time we arrived at the destination, the sky was pitch-dark and I was told to retire early for the night. There was very minimal light, we used a lantern lamp to guide us back to the resort and I could barely make out the surroundings.

Snapped a quick picture before we rested for the night

What greeted me the next morning was a sight to behold. Opened my eyes to this amazing view! I could really get used to this!

And so, it was finally revealed to me that the secret location was Jeeva Beloam, deep in a 55-hectare nature forest preserve and facing the Timor Sea. Our resort, home for the next few days, or Beruga Pantai as they called it, was one of the eleven Berugas in Jeeva Beloam (yes only eleven, for the exclusivity as well as preservation of nature).

As the Beruga is built using wood, bamboo and alang-alang roof, it provides a cooling shelter from the afternoon sun and allows the sea breeze to waft in. The sleeping area is actually air-conditioned but most of the time we loved to laze round in the terrace on the daybed, feel the sea breeze and listen to the waves crash against the shore, over and over again.

Due to the exclusive location of Jeeva Beloam, all three meals were provided for daily with a varied selection of Western and Indonesian cuisine. The menus were rotated regularly and for the period we were there, we got to try different varieties.

The chefs were also very accommodating to special requests. As a spicy food lover, I have to highly recommend the sambal chilli, it is spicy and provides a punchy kick!

And off we went to explore around Jeeva Beloam!

Oh glorious sun, sea and sand! This place is an untainted paradise, where we truly experienced the beauty of nature along the beach facing the Alas Strait, so untouched and clean.

For two days, we took a short drive to Pink Beach and set sail on a local fishing boat into the blue to the nearby islands for snorkelling and water activities!

The waters are so clear that we could see the corals and sea bed just by looking in. How precious are these clear blue waters, I hope this little piece of God's creation will remain unpolluted for the longest time possible.

Our guide brought us to a sand bank, which is a deposit of sand forming a shallow area in the sea, seemingly disguised as an island. What a surreal experience being the only two persons on it!

Here's a photo I googled for better illustration:

Photo credit to Source

On our last night, the staff at Jeeva Beloam arranged a barbeque by the campfire. I did not manage to capture any stills, but it was a night full of stars. So beautiful. My heart was filled with so much gratitude that night.

It has been an incredible experience. Many thanks to Jeeva Beloam for the awesome hospitality and C for planning this surprise birthday trip!

Jeeva Beloam Beach Camp - Lombok

+62 (0) 370 693 035

res.beloam@jeevaresorts.com

Jalan Pantai Beloam, Tanjung Ringgit,

Sekaroh, Jerowaru

East Lombok - Indonesia 

✈ Osaka Travelogue: Christmas Light Illuminations

As cliché as it may sound, Christmas is indeed my favorite holiday season of the year, where it is the time to rejoice, spend time with your loved ones and show appreciation to your family and friends by giving.

This year, spending Christmas in Osaka has certainly exceeded my expectations. I hadn't expected Osaka to be big about Christmas, in fact I was all cool about just having a simple casual dinner with my other half and enjoying each other's company in a foreign land. Little did I know that there is actually a committee set up to plan and put together a structured program which includes a series of events and illumination displays that were lit across the city center of Osaka! Trust the Japanese to be so thoughtful and organised. For more information, you may look it up here.

There was little research to be done with all the information readily available at the website. We were on a mission to see all the lights illumination at "Festival of the light in Osaka 2013". Let the merry making begin!

The Christmas carols playing, bright lights shining, with streets all beautifully decorated with ornaments and trees, have really lifted the Christmas spirits. 

Osaka Hikari-Renaissance 2013

Miotsukushi Promenade  @ Nakanoshima Park 

Christmas stalls selling hot wine, sausages, turkey legs and the likes near the vicinity of Osaka City Hall. So reminiscent of the Europe Christmas markets I have been to during my school exchange days!

Super pretty 3D lights display on the facade of Osaka Central Public Hall

Twilight Fantasy @ Osaka Station City

Merry Christmas all, xoxo