“The cooler part of Bali, that paints the picture of romance.”
The travel to Bali central highlands
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Featuring Tobi and
Zara and Dries Van Noten
I have lost count the number of times that I’ve missed my flight. We arrived in Bali from Singapore Changi airport 2.5 hours later than planned. The supposed morning journey to Central Bali highlands turned out to be an afternoon journey. It happened to be the week of Galungan celebrations.
Apparently, this means commemorating the triumph of Dharma over Adharma, or good against evil. And it’s also this time that ancestral spirits visits the Earth. To a certain degree, I got a little spooked out. I heard an internal scream from my little heart but I need this holiday. And we pursue on, towards the less crowded highlands of Bali.
As we drove through town, we sighted the entire street lined with intricately decorated poles, curved at the top, hanging harvest items such as rice, fruits, coconuts and coconut leaves. Later I learned that these are called Penjor, where each household will erect them at their door to symbolize the dominance of good (dharma) over evil (adharma) as well as to offer thanks to the gods. It’s a beautiful sight, especially for first timer like me.
The journey up to the cooler highlands took around 3 hours from the airport. As I pulled on a sweater with the temperature dropping, I knew we are nearing the hotel. The surroundings starts to unfold into a majestic view of the green lower lands and a huge lake. Peace is the word to describe this scene.
Winding down the car window, I ran my fingers through the tingling cool wind and fog. Perhaps right ahead, I may see Captain’s Sparrow Black Pearl floating by. The road suddenly became very bumpy, rows and rows of blue hydrangea greeted us, and I heard my driver announced jollily “We are here.”
Checking in is a breeze since we are the second last guest to arrive. Our villa is as how I expected: beautiful and spacious, with a mixture of balinese and contemporary decor. We have our own private garden, with a view of northern bali where the sea afar can be seen on a clear day, a large bathtub (which was filled with pink flower petals) and an outdoor shower. All my stress are immediately dissolved.
(Right to left) The pretty orange flower Lei are given to us upon check in. The little elephants is made from towel,holding a greeting message from the management.
(Below) Morning fog at the entrance to our villa
The resort seems like it came right out of a romance novel. Every morning, a layer of white fog hangs over the resort, oozing a sense of mystery, as if we are living in a fairytale. The air is crisp and fresh, the sound of birds and insects sings a melody that is so welcoming and calm. A big contrast compared to the usual rush sounds of engines in the city. The average temperature is around 15 degree in the morning (or so it feels it), thus I have a chance to play around with layering of my outfit. I layered a fuchsia shirt from Zara, and Dries Van Noten skirt over a dress from Tobi. Fashion is always about being adventurous, fun and styling in an individual’s own creative way. I love how the sheer floral mesh of the dress peeks through the contrasting material of dark short green skirt.
Sashaying in my layered dress, towards the lobby for breakfast, I felt like I’m on cloud nine (literally). It’s surreal. Please don’t let me wake up from this beautiful dream.
The pool with an infinity edge is the main highlight of Munduk Moding Plantation resort. A pity that the fog is our best friend during our two nights stay at the resort and the far view cannot be seen. Nevertheless, never have I been having so much acquaintanceship with fog, making all photographs taken in this resort looking so romantic. The temperature starts to rise as the hand of the clock turns further clockwise.
I am starting to feel hot too, but the fog has not lift. We were intending to explore the nearby waterfall but with the earlier rain, it may be too slippery to climb down to the waterfall. And so, we end up just chilling in the resort with a big banana leave. Talk about called self created fun.
(Above) Wearing the lovely pink mesh dress from Tobi.
(Above clockwise) The heated Jacuzzi that we managed to dip in after dinner. The main dinning room. The sumptuous dinner platter that we need to order 24hours in advance, and the green rice cake with coconut for breakfast.
The two days of slowness, of not doing much, of only being able to see at most 3 meter ahead, of getting our hair all damp with the mist, it has been good. Our soul thanked us for this break, away from the maddening crowd in the cool zone of Bali. The real Bali surrounded by local villages. The way a traveller should experience, outside the tourist traps and scenes.
Outfits
Outfit one: Zara embroidered jacket (Similar here), Tobi beige dress, Zara pearl sandals (I like this too)
Outfit two: Zara shirt, Tobi pink mesh dress, Dries Van Noten skirt
