Travel

UPDATED 14th JUNE…

Continued from Part 2…

It’s Batara Beach guys and girls… get your sun block cream and swimming trunks ready!

Day 5: Water Sports

The second van arrived almost half an hour late so the gang from the first van and I decided to indulge in the water sports first. 🙂 So we tried parasailing.

L-R: Lynna, me, Stephannie.

Sailing in the parachute while the speed boat pulls me around the beach. I tell you, the view up there was simply magnificent! I wished I was up there even for a while longer. 🙂

The second troop arrived in time to join us in parasailing before we all indulged in other water sport activities at the Batara Beach. And what do you know? John Mann couldn’t do away with some smack talking. 😉

John Mann: “Damn this is too easy. Let me show you how it’s done back in my time…”

“… and while I am at it, I might as well see if I could see the United States from up there.”

Kevin Riley: “I used to be Rambo when I was your age. Even Stallone could learn a thing or two from me.”

Aurelius: “Awww, this is going to be a piece of cake. Let’s show those old folks what we young people are made of.” 🙂

I also tried the Flying Fish, whereby the speed boat pulls the inflated raft at high speed thus hovering it over the water surface.

Two participants occupy on both sides of the raft while the instructor sits in the middle to control and balance the direction of the raft. The air and excitement was real as the speedboat zoomed through the strips of beach and into the ocean, back and forth.

After climbing into the Flying Fish raft. HOO-AH!

Shahfir looked like he could really use some morale help here. 😛

Next up: Banana Boat. L-R: Me, Jimmy, Stephannie, Ladan.

The Banana Boat ride was equally fun especially when the speedboat driver made a surprisingly sharp turn that sent us all into the ocean as the boat flipped upside down. 🙂 I’m glad I wore a life jacket (secret: I can’t swim!)

Team #2: Frank, Aurelius, Alan, Maria (Lynna’s sister), Kevin Riley.

Kevin: “What? You want my autograph again?”

Priceless picture taken by Dee. ‘Kapow’. 😛

The Scuba Diving Group: Lynna, Aurelius, Maria, Frank, Dee, Shahfir.

Three other friends and I went on with the snorkeling program simultaneously. Unfortunately we didn’t take any photos when we were snorkeling in the ocean as none of us brought water proof cameras.

Day 6: Crazy Rafting

Team #1: Me, Ladan, Aurelius. (the playful instructor sits at the back of the raft)

Team #2: Frank, Alan, Maria (not in picture)

And down we go…!

Buffet Lunch & Stare of The Mighty Aurelius

Super Shopping at Kampung Bali

By the way, I also want to take this chance to give Wei Wei the share of the spotlight.

Wei Wei had been kind and generous with his time in driving us to many wonderful places in Bali throughout our week-long stay, and the report of this trip would be incomplete without him. 🙂 Thanks a bunch Wei Wei!

Night in Sky Garden and Discotheque

Since it’s the last night before all of us go back to our respective countries (and resume our Internet Marketing careers), some of us used it up to the max – like going to Discotheque and Sky Garden.

L-R: Kevas, me, Jimmy, Stephannie.

Kevas has a surprise drunk guest who confessed he fell in love with him on first sight. 🙂

Two chicks strutting out their stuff by our table at Sky Garden.

At the dance floor at Discotheque.

The Bali Experience Wrap Up…

I hope you enjoyed reading my account on the Bali trip with the gang. I would like to put up more photos and dive into further details but unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of time to resize and upload all of the photos we took on my blog (we took thousands of them) so I gotta run for now.

Until the next time and I will write an account of my trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, my next destination after Bali. 🙂

UPDATED 19th JUNE 2008…

Continued From Part 1…

Day 3: Pasar Seni & Visiting the Gods

We had Kevin Riley joining us to Pasar Seni Guwang Sukawati, where a rich variety of local arts and crafts are for sale.

I came to learn that bargaining with merchants is huge part of lifestyle and survival here in Bali (and for most parts in Indonesia as well). Unlike most other countries, one usually doesn’t pay the price pasted on the price tag. Heck, most of the things for sale here don’t have price tags! It can be good and bad – you either walk away with a bargain or pay more than necessary.

This is also where being able to speak some Malay pays off. The Bahasa Indonesia shares many similiarities with Bahasa Malaysia, which makes going around and communication among the Balinese easier for a Malaysian. 🙂

L-R: Kevas, Balinese Merchant, me, Kevin, Balinese Merchant #2, Ladan.

After having lunch, the group went to the airport to pick up both Jimmy Chen and his girlfriend Stephannie Chin, both who also hail from Malaysia.

Shortly after, we went to visit the Gods of Trinity… carved on statues of course. 🙂

This guy (who works here) told me an interesting tale about the three Gods that the Hindhus believe in. They echo familiarity about the things I used to read when I was in school but my mind was too relaxed and focused on having fun in Bali I forgotten most of the tale. 😉

Group photo.

Kevin: “What? You want my autograph?”

We also visited the Monkey Island where hundreds of notorious monkeys live life on the edge, pick on tourists and get cheeky before stealing valuables from unsuspecting passer-bys. 🙂 Perhaps this is what inspired a computer game of the same name?

More New Peeps…

More and more new faces and former acquaintances from last year started to show up in the hotel lobby at night… Lyna Murray and later her sister Maria (new), CW Teo, Alan Cheng (new), John Mann (new), Kevin Brown (new), Shahfir Ahmad… and my two buddies from Australia, Aurelius Tjin and Frank Bauer!

With Aurelius Tjin… my PLR Secrets Exposed! partner, and I’m his #1 affiliate (that’s what he says!) 🙂

With Frank Bauer… German dude with strong Australian influence! 🙂

Day 4: New Peeps and Group Tour

Finally! Now everyone in the group had already arrived to check into the Sanur Beach Hotel. We were chilling near the beach, outside the hotel before we embarked on another group tour on the island.

Meet Alan Cheng, the British speaking Chinese from Hong Kong.

And hey hey, look who’s here? It’s Cornelius a.k.a. Sugeng! 🙂

Lynna Murray a.k.a. Galadriel a.k.a. Kak G.

Just when I thought the Singaporean Internet Marketers registered a ‘no show’ suddenly CW Teo shows up! 🙂 Shahfir Ahmad from Singapore came too. These two guys appear very frequently in most seminars and Internet Marketing events that I’ve been to in Malaysia and Singapore for the past two years. Very hardworking! 🙂

Group Photo. L-R: Kevin Brown, Jimmy, Ladan, Dee, Frank, me, Alan, Kevas, Aurelius, John Mann, CW Teo, Lynna.

Buying Souvenirs and Going Down Monkey Forest

Crazy Slingshot Gadget

This slingshot can catapult two people 50 meters into the air in just 3 seconds. I have to admit I was very intimidated when I saw the words ‘Kiss Your Arse Goodbye’ printed on the steps to the wicked gadget. And the thought of replaying the freaky scenes from Final Destination 3 didn’t help but feed my fears of height. I still have a long life to live and few more Product Launches to pull off. 🙂

Still, Ladan and I were the first to climb into the catapult.

That’s me signing the papers. *gulp* So, we climbed into the ball and had ourselves strapped for blast-off.

(Thanks to Frank Bauer for the video.)

And yes, we survived! 🙂 So it wasn’t as scary as I had thought. Okay okay, I was still scared (only a little bit) and I could feel like legs turn to jelly when I was back on the ground safe again. Man, Ladan sure was brave and I realized I did most of the screaming when we got slingshot into the air. Still, we got to enjoy the view from the top for less than a minute and the people and curious on-lookers suddenly looked like ants.

Now it’s Jimmy’s and Alan’s turn. Kiss your butts good bye. 🙂 Final Destination, anyone?

The four of us who climbed into the slingshot… and survived. 🙂

Having Dinner at a Chinese Seafood Restaurant

To Be Continued in Part 3…

UPDATED 10th JUNE 2008…

The Bali Experience, as I would call it, is nothing less than awesome. Perhaps the understatement of the year? I am in Jakarta, Indonesia right now as I am writing this. It’s only been a day since I left Bali for Jakarta and I am already missing the island! 🙂

The beauty of the island is more enchanting than I had expected, and the environment is definitely something you cannot get the feel merely over the TV screen or in books we read about. And yes, there is certainly more to the Island of Gods than just strips of beautiful beaches, nude statues and merchandise items resembling private parts. 🙂

Day 1: Checking in the Sanur Beach Hotel & Kecak Dance

Ladan and I left for the KL International Airport early in the morning and it was going to be our first experience in boarding a flight with AirAsia. The low budget aircraft was mighty crammed with people like a flying sardine. 🙂 We arrived at Bali (Denpasar) in 3 hours by flight, and another hour of wading through the crowd at the immigration point.

Hectic? Yes. Worth it? Yes, too!

Dee Ferdinand and his friend Kevaz Mighty Xavier picked us up at the Bali airport almost right away and we had lunch nearby. I’ve known Dee on the Internet or more than two years and I found him to be highly hospitable, friendly and selfless.

This was also my first time meeting his friend and V.A. Kevas. His real name is actually Lucky. Yes, I didn’t believe it was his real name (so did many people) and that was why he changed his name. 😉 He’s an animated, funny guy and laughs easily. He reminds me of Disney cartoon character Goofy, really.

Eating seafood for lunch, just after we arrived at Bali (DPS) Airport. L-R: Ladan, me and Dee Ferdinand. I was flashing the 50,000 Rupiah note but don’t be fooled by its voluminous figure; it is worth a little above $5.00 when you convert the note to US Dollars. 😉

With Dee at the Rice Field.

Then, we checked into the hotel shortly, though both Dee and Kevaz were staying in another hotel just 10 minutes away. Soon after, we were racing to a traditional stage nearby to watch the all-cultural Kecak Dance.

Watching the Kecak Dance live on stage. A group of approximately 30 topless men greeted the audience doing the dance and chanting ‘chak chak chak chak chak’ and ‘ouw ouw ouw ouw’. Okay it sure sounds crazy but when I heard them chanting like that, they sound just like me when I am at home. Maybe I’ve found my roots here in Bali? 😉

Full explanation on the Kecak Dance and its origin are here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kecak

Shita and Trijata enters the scene.

Now it’s the white monkey. According to the storyline of the popular Indonesian folklore, the white monkey is of good nature. He sure looks otherwise here, though.

Flying monkey!!! The Kecak Dance we witnessed tells a brief story found in the popular Indonesian myth (which in print it’s a thousand pages long). After the main story was told and acted through the traditional dance, two little girls show their dancing talents on stage.

And what ensued was a wild dude breakdancing on fire!

Nah, just kidding. 😉 The man was stomping on fire with his bare feet, though. Talk about feat.

That’s me, just after the Kecak Dance performance was over. 🙂 And here are some more photos we took on our first day in Bali:

Day 2: Walk at the Beach, Discovery Shopping Mall, Seeing the Sun Set…

We spent most of the day in Kuta, in which we came back now and then throughout the same trip. We walked past a long street of merchants before we reached the beach.

L – R: Me, Kevas, Ladan. Strolling down the street teeming with busy merchants driving for a hard sell.

Having lunch with Dee.

I also visited the monument and site where the Bali Bombing occurred in Year 2002.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Bali_bombings

After a long walk, we finally reached the shore and… the beach is very beautiful! 🙂

Unlike in Malaysia, the day gets darker by 6.00 to 6.30 PM in Bali so we went on to catch seeing the sunset from outside Discovery Shopping Mall. Bummer that the clouds were blocking us from seeing the sun set. 😉

And yep, the clouds sure look like a pair of chicken wings. 🙂 Here are some more of our photos we took…

To be Continued in Part 2…

CREDITS TO DEE FERDINAND: Thanks for your generous share of excellent photos! 🙂 Guys if you need any graphic design done for your products, I highly recommend Dee’s service: http://www.MiniSiteGuru.com. (No, he didn’t pay me to advertise – his service quality speaks for itself) 🙂

I’ll be going to Bali in the morning and will be there until 9th June. I will then spend the next three days in Jakarta, Indonesia before I return to Malaysia. I understand there is WIFI access in the hotel lobby but expect limited connectivity, and thus no updates to this blog until I return on the 12th June.

Customer/Member Support: please contact my helpdesk and I will give priority to answering your queries.

Thanks and I’ll be back!

Did you know that I used to stay in an obscure, blind spot of Malaysia at one point in time? The place is called Gelang Patah. My mother, sister and I used to joke about Gelang Patah being ‘Nowhere Land‘, just like the one in the cartoon show “Courage the Cowardly Dog”.

Today, Gelang Patah is rapidly growing in development and a lot of people – Malaysians and Singaporeans alike – can be seen using this small town as a means of transiting via the Second (Tuas) Causeway Link.

I haven’t been here for more than a year, almost two in fact. The roads to Gelang Patah are long and winding, with nothing but forest on the left and right. It’s like one of those interstate rides on the North-South Express Highway.

Two reasons brought me back to Gelang Patah this time. To settle my car loan in full… and to get a haircut. 🙂

I first arrived at this little, obscure town in the last quarter of Year 2003. My family moved out of Petaling Jaya earlier, and after a lot had happened, I continued my last days of high school in SMK Gelang Patah as a substitute student. When I came back here this time, there was more traffic than usual. And I suspect it will be a big town in years to come, possibly sooner than I think.

My mom stayed here for most of the time until we all moved out to town area in early 2006, whereas both my sister and I were here on and off. I got my first and last full time job in PJ in 2004 and then started my Internet Business from here in 2005. When we moved out of this place eventually, the small, little town was going through signs of development since Gelang Patah is strategically near Tuas, the second Causeway Link to Singapore.

Even though I didn’t grow up here, nor did I spend years growing up in Gelang Patah, it sure is a ride down Memory Lane. I was greeted by development and bittersweet memories when I came back here. A lot of things have changed since.

When I was here, Internet connection was dreadful. The one and only Cyber Cafe I knew was 10 minutes walk from home and it was old, drabby and mouldy… and so 56k. That time, the entire Nusa Perintis is fully monopolized by TIME NET, and you know what that means? Yep… Dial-up Internet connection!

Yet that was how I did my business online back in the early days. Looking back, wow… I actually paid RM700 – 900 a month for snail paced Internet access!

Today, they have this uber awesome Cyber Cafe right here in this small town.

When I entered the cafe, a lot of people were playing DoTA and a host of ‘dance dance’ games like crazy. And there’s even my favorite Company of Heroes too! I’m never a fan of DoTA but damn… I came and go two years too early. 😉 I also reckon that Broadband connection may have reached this town already.

Right outside the Cyber Cafe, I saw this.

Now they’re planning to build a mini amusement park here too? Amazing! I must be missing a lot. I sure am getting envious! 😉

They’ve built this new Community Center right in front of the football field too. Notice that there are no skyscrappers around? Yet some things still remain the same.

This was the backalley ‘short cut’ we always used to get to the Grocery Store to buy our goods and return home. Again, notice that there are no skyscrappers around? 🙂 This is still a relatively peaceful place to be in.

Oh, and we used to stay in that house too. 🙂 Can you imagine? Rent was only RM480 a month! Great deal for a small double storey house. Even so, money was tight back then and paying up for rent in time was a trouble too.

Even though the house was small in size, Mom and I kept good care of the house and we cleaned it very often to maintain a homely environment. It’s amazing in many ways though: this house has seen the best in me when I studied hard for my exams like never before (in spite of the 3-month abscence handicap)… and this is also where I made my first dollar online. 🙂

I would have finished my schooling in SMK Damansara Jaya if not for my parent’s divorce that took effect the same year, which most people would refer to as ‘the best year of your high school’.

Instead, I finished school in this alien environment where no one speaks a word of English. I’m a banana so you can imagine how I had to face going to school every day with 1,200 pair of eyeballs always staring in my direction during assembly, recess and leaving school. I kept mostly to myself but I guess many people were just waiting to know me. Only if language wasn’t a barrier.

This may be a government school on the outside but, it’s ruled heavily by religion. Going to this school for just three months was hell too. Gang fights are a norm every day at this school, and they predictably break out every last bell. Racism was the order of the day too. I must have created a default fourth faction of my own when I entered this school: The Banana.

There was a great silver lining behind all the dark clouds though, however, and I have had learned a handful of priceless lessons ever since. The teachers at this school were great and showed no boundaries in their dedication. They were not motivated by money at all when they helped tutor me for free after school hours, what I needed most when I was also at my most broke too.

I must say that their sheer value and dedication had shamed many of the teachers from my former school. Seriously. I still remember their lessons by example very well, and I continue to practive them with spirit in my business everyday.

After settling my car loan in full, cruising around the town and reminiscing memories, I wrapped up the mini trip with a haircut.

BEFORE…

AFTER…

When time permits, I’ll put up some photos from my earlier school days back in SMK Damansara Jaya. I won’t be updating this blog for a while though, as I will be going overseas from April 12th through 19th.

Until then! 🙂