My Bali Holiday And My Balinese Brother
Hi everyone. It
is me again, Tisha. Now I am going to tell you about my holiday in Bali. The
first time I visited Bali was in 2010 and the second time was last year, 2013.
Bali, “THE LAND
OF THE GODS”, is a beautiful and amazing island. It is the smallest province of
Indonesia. It is located at the westernmost end
of the Lesser Sunder Islands between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. The capital of Bali is
Denpasar.
I have many sweet memories about Bali. I was 7 years old
when I first visited Bali with my family and friends. I went there for 9 days
and had a wonderful time.
We were very lucky to meet a wonderful and honest driver cum tour guide who later became our friend. His name is
Eka Sarta also known as Putu. I call him Putu Gogo. Gogo means “brother” in
Chinese. Putu Gogo has become our close friend because he is kind and friendly.
This
time we visited Putu Gogo’s place that is Negara, West Bali. It is 86 km from
Denpasar, the capital of Bali. He lives in a village called Desa Yehmpang. The
journey took more than 4 hours. As we travelled along the coastal road, we saw
paddy fields growing at the fringe of the Indian Ocean. What a BEAUTIFUL
SIGHT!!!!!!!!
Putu
Gogo’s house is on top of the hill surrounded by paddy fields. He has even built a temple in his house compound.
He has an
extended family. He lives with his parents, grandparents and his uncle and
aunt. His family is very friendly. His
father, Pak Made, mother, Ibu Iro, uncle, Pak Keropok, and aunt, Ibu Tu.
His shy grandfather, Kakek Ner, and lovely grandmother, Nenek
Ner.
Putu's beautiful girlfriend, Dewi who is working in Padma Hotel, a 5-star hotel in Bali
His cousins, Adek Kadek aka ‘Smiling
Face’, Ngurah and Jepang ( looks like a japanese boy) welcomed us and made us
feel at home.
We
had a fantastic Balinese lunch prepared by Putu Gogo’s mother, Ibu Iro. She
cooked for us coconut Balinese salad, gado-gado ( vegetables) with peanut
sauce, babi kecap( stewed pork with soy sauce), fried tempe ( fermented soya
beans), pork sausage, boiled kampung eggs ( village chicken eggs), ubi ketela
soup ( sweet potato leaves soup), and fruits.
As a finale, we were served fresh
and sweet homegrown coconut water. What a feast!!!!
All of us enjoyed this
fantastic food and we had a good time there with Putu Gogo’s family.
We feel
honoured to be invited to Putu Gogo’s house. I guess not every tourist will get
a chance to be invited to a Balinese home.
I
would like to say something about Putu Gogo. He’s one of the best tour van
driver. Besides this, he is a very reliable and responsible person. He takes
care of his tourists and he loves children just like me.
On my first trip to
Bali, Putu Gogo took care of me when my mummy and her friends went shopping
from morning until night. I can say that Putu Gogo is a very patient person
because he had to wait for many hours without complaning for my mummy and her
friends to finish their shopping.
I like Putu Gogo because he takes us to many
beautiful places for sightseeing and also to taste many yummy and delicious
local Balinese food such as fish satay (skewed grilled fish), babi guling
(roast pork), pork chop, dirty duck (actually the duck is marinated with local
spices and fried) and others.
If
anyone of you who are reading my blog is interested in visiting Bali and needs
a good and friendly tour van driver, you can contact my Balinese brother, Putu
at his email ekatheblackjack@yahoo.co.id <ekatheblackjack@yahoo.co.id>;
EAT PRAY LOVE
HAPPY
VISITING BALI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P/s
: I will write more about the places that I
have visited in Bali in my next blog.
