Three years ago, when I was in high school, still in grade 11, to be precise. My school (State Senior High School 1 Grabag, Magelang Regency) held a tour to Bali Island, all students participated in this activity. The activity lasts for 5 days, with details of 2 days for round-trips and 3 days for sightseeing and enjoying the beauty of this island. At that time, I was very excited because this was my first experience going to the island of the gods.
On the first day of this activity, of course, me and my friends traveled by bus to get there. Even though the trip was quite tiring because of the long distance, I was still happy because I saw a good view, especially when passing the Paiton PLTU, which is very large and has beautiful architecture and lights on the building when seen at night. On the second day, we arrived at the island of the gods. At that time, we immediately continued our journey to Lake Beratan in the Bedugul tourist area in the Tabanan regency.Â
After that, we went straight to the Penglipuran village area, where the village is still thick with its culture because it is a traditional Balinese conservation village. After that, we rushed to the city of Denpasar to rest at a hotel. On the third day, we visited the Brajasandi Museum, where we learned about the Balinese people's struggle for independence under the leadership of I Gusti Ngurah Rai. After that, we went to Pandawa Beach and Kuta Beach. When we were on the beach, we not only enjoyed the beauty but we also met many foreign tourists.Â
We tried to practice speaking English with these foreign tourists. After being satisfied with playing and learning on the beach, we continued our tour to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (GWK). Here, we witness the work of art that will become the mascot of Bali, namely a giant statue of Lord Vishnu riding his mount, namely Garuda, as high as 120 meters. There are also performances of the Kecak dance and other Balinese traditional dances. After that, we returned to the hotel to rest.Â
On the next day, our fourth day, we went to the Joger souvenir center. Apart from shopping for souvenirs, we were also able to learn about the application of the concept of entrepreneurship. After that, we went to Tanah Lot. Here we are invited to see a natural event, namely, how fresh water, even though it is mixed with salt water, still tastes fresh. At Tanah Lot, there is also a unique phenomenon in which a snake never moves. Tanah Lot is also the last tour destination on the island of Bali. After that, we returned to Magelang, which was a long journey but still enjoyable.
After the tour to Bali, I was very happy, especially when I first tried to talk to foreigners in English. This also inspired me to continue my studies in the English department at Semarang State University, where I am currently studying, which then made me have a dream to continue my studies abroad in countries that use English as their first language, such as England or Australia. I also pray that this dream can come true, Aamiin