Airport to Jimbaran, Bali

After a little over 20 minutes from landing (kasama na ang yosi break dyan ha), here I was out of Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, in an airport taxi, on the way to my resort, in Jimbaran. Not bad, eh?!
airport road exiting ngurah rai international airport, bali
The distance is only some 7 kilometers, so I knew this was something like just about 10 to 16 minutes drive - that I, in a way, even wished could be slower! Why? Because things were looking new and nice!

Good wide roads are everywhere now.., Bali has gone from an 'exotic island' to a modern metropolis!
toll plaza at the airport road exiting ngurah rai international airport, bali
Tulad nyan, a toll plaza at the airport, akala ko tuloy nasa NLEX o SLEX ako! For parking fees lang yan! By the way, to my back as I took that picture was the 'gigantic' statue of I Gusti Ngurah Rai in a rotund.

I noticed though, their airport parking fees here are not as expensive as it is in the Philippines..,
toll plaza at the airport road exiting ngurah rai international airport, bali
Take the first line as an example, one hour parking of a Sedan, Jeep, Pickup or MiniVan is 3,000 rupiah OR hindi pa umabot ng Eleven Pesos! Pag kalahating araw, aabot ng kulang-kulang 108 pesos. Ganun!

Anyway, eto pala, nasilip ko ang pangalan ng airport, even if we were zooming fast on the road..,
airport road ngurah rai international airport, bali
It's a name of a hero (soldier na namatay sa bakbakan, hindi politician). "I Gusti" is/was his first name.

Here's a cute trivia.., at first I thought that phrase meant something like "I 💖 Ngurah Rai"! Because of the colors, y'know! I thought "Ngurah Rai" was the full name, and "I Gusti" was like an Italian-sounding phrase meaning "I love" or "I like". Yun ang akala ko! But I learned "I Gusti" is/was really his first name!

So here we were, cruising along the front of the international terminal going to the end of the runway!
airport road ngurah rai international airport, bali
Yep, Jimbaran is south of this airport, so travelers must skirt around the runway to be able to reach it.

It's like this: the Ngurah Rai Runway 09-27 straddles the width of the island (east to west) at this area in Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali. We can't tell (yet), as to why of all places, they made their runway here, to span all 3,000 meters from coast to west. I'll need to do more research on that. Thus, land vehicle traffic passing north to south or vice-versa need to circle around this runway via a single bypass road!

Fact: that is the reason why the Bali Mandara Toll Road was constructed and now in use!

Anyway, going to Jimbaran does not pass by that toll road. But at least, traffic is easier now because those going southeast like Nusa Dua or Sawangan, etc., need not take the bypass road or Uluwatu St.

We were still cruising along the airport complex (at right) but the villages at left are appealing..,
airport road ngurah rai international airport, bali
Most entrances to temples and villages have this kind of "gate". These are probably the equivalent of the Philippine "arko", the only difference is.., these ones in Indonesia have cultural/spiritual meanings.

Walang mga pangalan ng pulitiko o businessman ang mga 'yan. Ni walang mga date at lista ng kung sinu-sinong epal na "honorable" kunohay! Wala rin "donated by"! Yun ang basic (or glaring) difference!

I think that kind of gate welcomes us from the outer realm to an "inner peace or serenity".

By the way, after the 'gate', on the garden-like island (sa kanan nung Avanza), there is a brick structure written with "Selamat Datang Di Kabupaten, Badung" (maligayang pag dating sa bayan ng Badung). It also is just a 'wall' of bricks with no other writings of names, political party and/or government office.

Ang linis! I mean not just the signage pero pati ang budhi nila! Eh tayo? Aber? The only similar thing I can remember is that sign at University Avenue near Philcoa that say "Unibersidad Ng Pilipinas 1908"

A few meters onward, there is this corner island with a wonderfully fascinating garden park..,
Satrya Gatotkaca Park, Kuta, Bali
The "Satrya Gatotkaca Park". He is the Indonesian version of India's "Ghatotkacha" (Mahabharata). He is a powerful warrior (with a heart) popular not only in the wayang-wayang but even in mobile legends!

That monument is a great masterpiece about a great character in the country's world of wayang. And what an apt place to immortalize this superhero, the airport! His greatest superpower was being able to fly without wings! "...his speed when flying in the clouds was like lightning and wild like thunder"...

O di ba? I still remember, yey!

By the way, I am sure you already heard that Indonesia is the biggest Muslim country in the world. But did you know that in Bali, only 10% are Muslims? Yes, most the population here (87%) practice what is called 'Balinese Hinduism'. Gatotkaca is part of their epics, anak sya nung isa sa 5 Pandawa brothers.

Which reminds me, just behind that monument, doon sa likod, are a Protestant Church (GPIB ekklesia) and a Muslim Mosque (Masjid Nurul Huda) situated beside each other. Unity In Diversity nga sila dito.

Tas sa di kalayuan meron "Pie Susu"! Huwag kang humalakhak, that only means Milk Pie hehehe!

Anyway, fastforward tayo until we veered right from the bypass road where houses look like this..,
Jln Ulun Siwi, Banjar Jeruta Jimbaran, Bali
In this town, so many places still look like the compound at left - one big wide concrete fence that has blocks and blocks of residential houses with little alleys in between. Seldom are 3 level structures.

This is "Banjar Jeruta Jimbaran". I saw signage saying so at right. Going straight is already the beach, but we still needed to make a left-turn in the next corner and 1km more is Intercontinental Bali Resort.

Let's be there next!

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