Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Sunset @ Tanah Lot – Of warm sun setting on the horizon, and rippling waves crashing at the shores ……..

After the slews of temples visit, and a half-hearted attempt of a lunch, we adjourned to Tanah Lot, hands down one of the MOST popular spot for sunset-watching in Bali. In and around Tanah Lot, one can find the grounds with lots of traders doing brisk business by selling clothes, accessories, crafts, souvenirs and such. But of course, bargaining is a MUST. Some may argue that the souvenirs (or ‘oleh-oleh‘, in their language) at Tanah Lot are way cheaper than the other places, such as Sukawati, and Goa Gajah. But personally, I had no problems settling for some T-shirts, key chains, fridge magnets and the likes, at a much lower price over at Sukawati Art Market (to come in a much later post).

Cafe Santai (literally translated to Relaxing Cafe?) – Where we had the huge-a$$ fresh coconut juice, and the colourful display of temptations at Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is about 45 minutes – 1 hour from Kuta, and about 30 minutes or so from Ubud. On that note, allow me to ramble something off my mind before my memory fails me again.

Throughout our 7 days journey in Bali, we probably spent more time sitting in the microbus (what’s a microbus? refer to the previous post to find out) driven by our designated driver, Komang Triawan, than spending those precious hours shopping, relaxing, or even sleeping. Okay, maybe not sleeping, as most of us dozed off in the microbus in an instant. But to get from one location to the other, at least 30 minutes or so is expected. Some places are so far apart, we fell asleep, woke up, to realize that we were not even halfway there, and fell asleep again. Yup, most places may need more than an hour of traveling. Which may not sound much on paper, but after the umpteenth journey, you’d be pulling your hair, wondering if the ride’s worthy of the time spent.

Therefore, a word of advice here. DO plan before embarking on your travel, or booking your driver online before departure. He may set an itinerary customized to suit most tourists, but remember that you’re the one who’s paying for the trip, hence in the end, it all boils down to your preferences. Feel free to drop places you feel redundant, consider listing interesting (or out-of-the-way) locations that typical tourists do not wander to, and discuss openly with your driver to maximize your traveling time without feeling battered, bruised, fatigued and half-dead at the end of the day.

Sunglass-ed chap on a roll, Live bat upside down, LURVE Bali bag and the sandals, and the colourful apparels.

Entry per person to Tanah Lot is chargeable at IDR10,000 / RM3.65 / USD1. There are several rows of stalls lining the streets leading to the temple of Tanah Lot (Pura Tanah Lot) at the cliff overlooking the sea. Ladies would have a whale of a time choosing between the accessories (almost dirt-cheap), clothing apparels and whatnots, while the husbands might have a tough time playing hide and seek to avoid that vacuum in their wallets.

Pura Tanah Lot, the Man by the cliff, and the Seas of Humanity anticipating the gorgeous sunset

The sun sets at 6.15pm in Bali, Indonesia. Yup, they’re THAT precise in estimating the time. Which surprisingly, proved to be true, as 10 minutes thereafter, the sky was darkening at breakneck speed. Amazing accuracy.

A sight for sore eyes

The crashing waves was soothing, serenading the eager crowd ……

Gorgeous, for as long as it lasted.

Scenes in and around Tanah Lot – Itchy finger pointing to nowhere ……

The sun-kissed terrains of Tanah Lot

And the flock of birds (swiftlets?) flying home after the sun has set on the horizon ……..

There are few famous spots to watch the sun sets in Bali, one being Tanah Lot, the others being Uluwatu (which we went on the last day), and Jimbaran beach (where one can enjoy a scrumptious spread of fresh seafood while watching the sun goes down).

And then, it’s time to appease the drumming/growling tummies, after a whole day of travel ………. How about some Mexican food then?

TJ’s California-Mexican Bar and Restaurant on Poppies Lane I in Kuta

Clockwise from top left : Nachos (IDR25,000/RM9/USD2.60), Chimmichanga Grande (IDR 50,000/RM18/USD5.20), Tacos (IDR45,000/RM16.50/USD4.70) and Chicken Enchilladas (IDR45,000/RM16.50/USD4.70)

TJ’s Mexican Bar & Restaurant is situated on Poppies Lane 1, a hidden pathway off Jalan Legian (the main road of Kuta town). Maneuvering oneself through the dark, cramped alley may need some guts and determination, but along the way there are a lot of stalls selling crafts, souvenirs, and such. Just be careful of your belongings, and your safety for the small lane is opened to traffic, mostly motorcycles zooming by.

Serving a delectable mix of Mexican food, and Tex-Mex cuisine, the dishes are priced rather reasonably, even if compared to the American diners and Tex-mex restaurants in Malaysia. For instance, a Fajitas set is priced at only IDR 55,000/RM20/USD5.70, while a set at TGI Friday’s can easily cost you RM30 and above. Though portion-wise, TJ’s serving a comparatively smaller one.

Clockwise from top left : BBQ Pork Ribs (IDR 70,000/RM25.55/USD7.30), Pescado Veracruz (IDR50,000/RM18.25/USD5.20), Chicken Fajitas (IDR55,000/RM20/USD5.70) and Mole Poblano (IDR50,000/RM18.25/USD5.20)

I won’t go into details of the ingredients in every dish (you can view the full menu from their website HERE), for that will possibly take me all night listing every single ingredient that went into each main. Most notably, the Pescade Veracruz (Sizzling grilled fish with salsa), pork ribs (but there’s another better version in Ubud, to come in later post), and the Enchilladas (rolled tortilla stuffed with meat, vegetables and cheese!) were good. The others range from so-so, to above average. In fact, most of the dishes were tasty, and none that failed miserably. Or maybe we stuck with the recommendations, instead of venturing far from the norms.

A meal for 6, including drinks and 15% tax came to IDR443,000/RM162/USD46.

Yammmmmm …… SSSEeeeennnnnnggggg ? (IDR17,000/RM6/USD1.77 per small bottle)

Location and Contact :

TJ’s Mexican Bar & Restaurant

Poppies Lane 1,

Kuta, Bali, Indonesia.

Tel No : (62-361) 751 093

And the Sun sets on the horizon ……. Adios?

to be continued ………

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