Trying my hand at Balinese cooking in charming Ubud

I've never joined a cooking class before. For this trip I really wanted to try learning basic Balinese cooking. Lobong Cooking Class came highly recommended by Tripadvisor and touted by some as their best experience in Bali.

Reservations were made through email and Sang Made was very patient in answering all my questions. They only accept a maximum of 8 participants per class so you can be assured of individual attention.

I chose the morning class which included a trip to the local market. We were picked up at our hotel by a uniformed driver in a new Toyota Innova. We passed by one other participant then went straight to the local market where we were met by Sang Made and two other participants.

The local market was small and not much different from our small palengkes here but I guess for foreigners it can be an informative experience.

We didn't really buy anything in the market. Sang Made just brought us around to explain the different vegetables and fruits, their origins and uses.

Random images from the local market trip

After the market tour we went to Sang Made's family's compound where we will have our cooking class.

Kuta Sights and Shops

Since this was supposed to be a steady relaxed trip, I really just wanted to stay in Ubud. However, because we arrive in Bali late at night, it might not be such a good idea to travel for over an hour to get to Ubud. So we decided to give Kuta 2 nights and one full day.

Original plan was to walk around Kuta then hire a cab to go to Uluwatu for Sunset then Jimbaran for dinner. But due to some unfortunate events and too many surf shop bargains, we just ditched our plan. So the day was spent walking down Jalan Legian and this alone can take up hours of your time if you’re not careful. Roxy. Billabong. Rip Curl. Quicksilver. Ralph Lauren. Keep repeating until the end of the street.

We stopped by the Bali Memorial which is dedicated to the 202 people who died in the Bali bombing of 2002. It was built on the site of the original Paddy’s Pub which was destroyed by the terrorist attack. The memorial lists the names and nationalities of all those killed in the attack. It is a beautiful reminder of lives that were unnecessarily lost.

Bali Bombing Memorial

Names and nationalities of the victims

Bali: Touchdown and First Impressions

Our Jetstar flight to Bali from Singapore landed past 9p.m..  The Ngurah Rai International Airport is relatively small and reminded me of some of our own domestic airports because of all the wooden panels and local carvings. As you line up at the immigration you may notice a small holding cell to your right with metal bars covering a small window. It was somewhat disconcerting especially when you remember the very traumatic experience of two Filipinas just a few months back. Anyway, we just distracted ourselves from any negative thoughts by checking out the numerous maps and flyers for Bali tours and rentals that were in abundance near the immigration counters.

Fixed airport taxi counter

My Pulag Packing List

I can't remember how many hours I spent scouring the internet for packing lists for a trek to Mt. Pulag. It was my first time and I was beyond excited. Plus I wanted to make sure that I had everything I need to survive the whole thing.

I didn't have any mountaineering gear so most of my stuff I got from R.O.X. or from Park Square (Johnyee Campsite, Coleman and True Value). These are great places to get camping/travelling/mountaineering gear.