Wisnu in the GWK park
Earlier in June before I left Singapore for Nanjing, ZTE Corporation, a publicly listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, launched three new ZTE smartphones; including its flagship product Nubia Z5S Mini, Blade L2, and KIS 3 at Grand Nikko Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali. The launching was part of ZTE Corporation’s efforts to strengthen its presence and build its brand in the Southeast Asia region.
For Singaporeans interested in getting your hands on the ZTE smartphones, they will be arriving on our shores soon. Earlier this week, Polaris, a Singapore-based holding company was appointed the exclusive distributor for ZTE in Singapore, and three new ZTE Android smartphones, ZTE Blade VEC 4G, ZTE Blade L2 and ZTE KIS 3 were launched. The phones are the first China-manufactured smartphones to be running on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, and are packed with features, bringing smartphone technology to consumers at an affordable price. The ZTE Blade VEC 4G retails at S$299, Blade L2 at S$169 and KIS 3 at S$99 (all prices are without contract). The Blade L2 is available on Lazada.sg, and the Blade VEC 4G and KIS 3 will be available at all SingTel outlets from August 23.
For my trip to Bali, other than witness the ZTE launch, I had about a day to explore Bali. I know Bali is a common travel destination for Singaporeans, but it was actually my first visit there.
We stayed at the Grand Nikko Hotel resort and I was able to enjoy the beach and sea breeze there for the night:
The resort
Reception lobby
Hotel bar
Bar lounge
Balinese craft vendor at the lobby
Beach pool
Inside the room
Welcome pack from ZTE
Bedroom
Bedroom from the opposite angle
Bathroom
Deck chairs in the balcony
Poolview from the balcony
Lovely isn’t it?
View of the venue for the ZTE launch party by the beach, from my room
Checking out the pool area
Spa
Guest rooms
The next day, we visited Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) and Pandawa Beach.
GWK is a 240 hectares private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island. It is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu, and his mount, Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion.
Currently, the statue of Vishnu is 23 metres high, although the original plan was for a 146-metre gold-plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11-storey entertainment complex. Garuda wing span will be 64 metres across. When it’s completed, it will be the largest statue in the world. Construction has been going on for a long time and it seems they will still take maybe a decade or more to complete it. Nonetheless, the completed part of the park is still quite sight:
Entrance to GWK
Balinese wall motifs
Posing for pictures
Large stone blocks everywhere
Nice weather to stroll around
A white statue
Another statue
The vast park
From another view
Garuda’s head
Back of Garuda’s head
Another more complete view of the head
Group picture
Completed part of Garuda
The site where the completed GWK statue is to stand
Wisnu
Back of Wisnu’s head
The full statue is to look lie this – still a long way to go…
Balinese dancers
Comedic dance
Interacting with the audience
Another Balinese dance
Large Balinese puppets
After GWK, we headed to a resort in Pandawa Beach for lunch:
The resort
Really awesome beach
Sea-facing infinity pool
People playing in the sea
Beautiful water
A lady enjoying the waves
One last look at the beautiful beach
I had to take an earlier flight back to Singapore as I was flying off to Nanjing early the next morning. 2D1N was pretty rush and I wished I had more time to soak in the Balinese charm. Till next time. Maybe when ZTE has another series of smartphones launch for the SEA region. 