Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Bali

I have earlier arranged with Pak Made to take us to the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces in the Tabanan region. The Jatiluwih rice terraces is a Unesco-nominated World Heritage site. It is unique due to its irrigation system (subak) which has its roots in the Tri Hita Karana, the essence of Balinese cosmology, a philosophy that seeks to maintain a harmonious relationship between God, humans and the environment.

Our drive from Tanah Lot to Jatiluwih took approximately 1 ½ hours by van. We passed many small villages on the way up and saw for ourselves the daily rituals in a Balinese’s life. Fortunately for us, there was a religious celebration in one village and all along the road were prayer altars set up in front of every single home. We also passed by a wedding party waiting for the arrival of the groom and we managed a smile from the bride when Pak Made told her that we’re tourists!

Pak Made also pointed out for us avocado and coffee trees growing in the hills. The difference with a personalized tour and a full-fledged one is that the experiences you encounter are much more personal and interesting.

You just can’t miss the imposing presence of Mount Batukaru rising above the rice terraces. Our lungs were thoroughly nourished by the cool crisp air in Jatiluwih. It’s such a treat to breathe in clean air after the acrid air in Malaysia’s haze-filled skies. We took a walk along the road to take in the natural surroundings and also show our daughter how rice is planted by the farmers. It was an interesting experience for her because growing up in a city does not afford her many chances to experience something like this. Every time we visit a country I try to look for places, activities, cultural events that’ll make up part of her education. Each of these experiences are priceless and cannot be learnt in school.

Le Meridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort, Bali

This is a long overdue post on our holiday in Bali on September 2007. It was a free and easy holiday as we did away with the usual tours since this is not our first visit. Instead we booked our own van and driver to take us around the island. Our guide and driver, Pak Made Widana, was introduced to us by a friend and we booked his services via email. He was very obliging and regaled us with his anecdotes on the Balinese’s way of life.

Our Air Asia flight arrived at Denpasar airport at 7:45pm. As we’re told it takes between 45 mins to 1 hour to get to the resort at Tanah Lot, we requested Pak Made to drop us at the nearest KFC for some takeaway. That would be our dinner for the day. The KFC meals were different from those in Malaysia. Instead of the usual fries to go with the fried chicken, in Bali steamed rice is served with the chicken instead.

We finally arrived at the Le Meridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort at 9:15pm. A gong was sounded in the lobby entrance to mark our arrival, followed by a hotel staff who greeted us with a frangipani lei. It’s the first time our daughter has been greeted this way in a hotel, so she was very pleased. As with all Starwood properties, check-in is done in a very comfy sofa in the lobby where guests are served a welcome drink. Once check-in is completed we were escorted to our room by the guest services officer.

Our room was located in a separate building as the Le Meridien Nirwana’s grounds are vast and wide. Our superior room is located a short walk from the pools. The resort features 4 magnificent pools including a wading pool for kids. Beautiful cascading waterfalls are part of the pools’ features as well as water slides. Our daughter had so much fun playing in the pool this resort definitely gets her vote!
The lush 18-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman has been awarded “Best Golf Course in Asia” for 4 years in a row.

The best part of the resort for me is the view. The first thing that greeted us the next morning when we opened our window, was this breathtaking view of the sparkling emerald green Indian Ocean! This just took my breath away! The iconic Tanah Lot temple can be seen from the resort grounds, so breakfast at Cendana Restaurant was a treat, both in terms of food and first-class view!

Landscaped gardens and rice terraces are also integrated into the resort grounds. Local farmers tend to the rice terraces and proceeds are split among the villagers. The rice terraces are easily accessible so it's a wonderful learning opportunity for city kids. Le Meridien also organizes activities for guests in the morning. Of all the Starwood resorts that we’ve stayed in, Le Meridien Nirwana gets the vote for resort with the most breathtaking view. It’s simply unbelievable to open your window and gaze out at the Tanah Lot temple perched majestically on a rock in the Indian Ocean.