Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

For the complete listing of day by day posts on my Bali trip, hop over to Blissfully Bali 2009 – A 7 Days/6 Nights Getaway …..

1. Red, Orange, Yellow and Green. Feel the heat yet?

Life’s hectic lately. So kindly give me some leeway, and allow me to write a much shorter post, than the usual ‘incessant’ ramblings. This is part 8 of my Bali posts, covering the first half of the 5th day we were in Bali. We were still staying in Ubud, by the way. And after the previous whole day of free & easy in Ubud which saw us digging into the Babi Guling at Ibu Oka’s, followed by a 1 hour and 45 minutes of pampering at Venezia Spa, we continued the daily tour itinerary on the fifth day. We started our journey early by venturing to Pasar Seni Sukawati (Sukawati Art Market) for some cheap shopping, then a visit to Goa Gajah, and followed by a tour around Denpasar, a bustling city with horrendous traffic.

2. Pasar Seni Sukawati – A most pleasant place to shop for good deals

3. The Art, The Culture, and The Belief

4. Most organized arrangements – Bikes, Pushcart Stalls, and Heaps of Clothings

5. Nuts about Snacking?

6. Bakso Ayam Stall in front of Pasar Umum Sukawati (Sukawati Wet Market)

7. Jostle with the Locals for a taste of Home?

In comparison among all the other shopping venues we have visited in Bali, Sukawati Market offered some of the cheapest and better quality goods, and not to mention a commendable variety, from the array of beautiful paintings and ornaments, to less than RM10/USD3 per piece of shirts, as well as an assortment of fresh produce and snacking opportunities.

The Bakso Ayam for one, was being sold by a few peddlers around the market. To be enjoying a good, wholesome bowl of Bakso (meatball soup with noodles, or rice cakes) like how the locals do, sometimes you have to brace the scorching sun, sweltering heat, sweaty bodies and even scramble for a space to place one’s bowl of Bakso. Or you can just do what some of the locals do by grabbing a plastic or wooden stool, and dig in unrestrained with one hand supporting your bowl of Bakso. But beware, for the ‘sambal’ is very, very spicy. Had me sniffing and sweating away, no thanks to the synergistic heat from the chillies and the sun. (IDR5,000/ RM1.80 / USD0.50 per bowl – dirt cheap?)

Bakso Ayam Stall in front of Pasar Umum Sukawati (Sukawati Wet Market)

Opens for breakfast/brunch.

8. Pocari Sweat made locally – Some electrolytes never hurt, after we sweated like camels. Wait, do they sweat?

9. Ayam Betutu Set (Balinese Steamed Chicken with Spices)

10. Gilimanuk Famous Ayam Betutu, Bebek (duck) Betutu, and Ayam Lalapan (Fried Chicken)

For lunch, our driver, Komang Triawan (yeah, still the same guy, albeit a little awkward now after the slight confrontation) recommended some Balinese classic dishes, which was the Ayam Betutu, or Steamed Chicken with Spices. The tender, braised meat of the ayam kampung (free range chicken) almost fell off the bones, and the slightly spicy with a tinge of herbs gravy complemented the chicken well. The taste was not overwhelming, and subtle enough to taste the sweetness and chewy texture of the meat. But minor gripe was the rather measly portion, and the gravy was a tad oily. The duck (bebek) version was not as good, with only slivers of meat, and lots of small bones. The accompanying plate of mixed vegetables provided some punch, with blanched bean sprouts, leafy watercress (?? not sure bout this one) and a most zesty mix of peanuts, onions and chillies with sambal belacan.

Ayam Betutu Set, Ayam Lalapan Set  – IDR25,000 / RM9 / USD2.60

Bebek Betutu Set – IDR 28,000 / RM10.20 / USD2.90

Take note that the price of the dishes was NOT printed in any menu, or on the menu board. Hence, I cannot be sure that this rate is for tourists only, or for the common public. Feel free to ask before you order, in case you’re quoted with a much higher price tag. Or if much lower, don’t rub salt into my wounds, ok?

11. Goa Gajah – Not the most interesting destination, yet a famous landmark since nearly a century ago

12. Enter the cavern of Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)

13. Nothing much to see inside the cave? Come lie down with me …..

14. There really was not much to see at Goa Gajah, for IDR 6000 / RM2.20 / USD0.60 per entry

Goa Gajah (for a brief history of Goa Gajah, click HERE) was our next destination, situated in the Gianyar Regency, about 27km from Denpasar town. Once again, those wearing shorts are required to wear ‘sarong’ (plain-coloured ones this time, not as decorative as the ones at Tirta Empul Temple in Tampaksiring). Personally, Goa Gajah is a place one can omit if you’re on an extra tight schedule. There really isn’t much to see here, but there are eager guides all around, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting tourists like vultures on a hunt. Yeah, payment’s expected, so if you’re not keen on listening to the explanation on the background of Goa Gajah, be polite and walk away.

15. Pasar Badung @ Denpasar, Bali

16. Pasar Badung – Where the locals go for their bouts of shopping, and merry-making?

Pasar Badung in Denpasar, is the largest traditional market in Bali, trading in dry and wet goods and catering to the mostly local crowd. We bought nothing much, except for some souvenirs and art pieces which were on par with some of the price tags in Sukawati, but being sold in shops with signboards and such, it was a definitely more assuring purchase. (In comparison to the make-shift peddlers who do not fix their prices).

17. Friendly chap cutting away on the ‘tofu’ aka beancurd

18. And hopeless me have no recollection whatsoever on the name of this snack ….. Selba, HELP? ^_^

We tried a type of street snack, beancurd or ‘tofu’ in the local language, served with chopped peanuts, tiny bean sprouts, and a starchy, peanut-based sauce. Resembling a pasembur (Indian rojak) most, the kick came in the form of an accompanying piece of cili padi, or bird’s eye chilly! Yup, but we did not push our luck by biting into one, for fear of undesirable consequences. (A trip to the most unhygienic loo came to mind). Pardon me for I have no idea whatsoever of the real name of this snack. Yeah, I did ask, and yup, he did tell. But in the midst of confusion (hehe), I neglected the need to jot the name down. Whoops. But we saw this same snack being sold at Sanur beach.

19. Stairway to Heaven?

And there you have it, a rather short and concise (yeah, right ….) post on the first half of our 5th day on the beautiful island of Bali. By then, our skin was a shade or two darker. But bear in mind we have yet to visit a beach in broad daylight. 24 hours later, we embraced the sun like no other, and came back perfectly sun-kissed (or sunburnt, depending on how you look at it!) ………

For dinner, we had a most satisfying meal of berbecued pork ribs, but not before we went jumping at the Sanur beach, and camwhoring at Denpasar’s most prominent monument ……..

to be continued ……..

Psst ….. Wanna know what J2Kfm had written since Day One? Click HERE to find out.