After everyone has gone we move our stuff into the main bedroom and I'm thankful I don't have to run back & forth to our room in the rain anymore and I also hope we don't have anymore shower blockages or we'll have to use the other bathroom again.
It's funny how this place was so full of life a few hours ago yet all we have now is us & "Rooster". I've really no idea of the crowing cycle of a rooster but this one is "like a dog that never stops barking"!!
We head out to dinner at Ultimo as planned, we are shown to a table in the front area and it is very cramped, I mention that my husband smokes and we are whisked away to another table out the back (with all the other smokers, I presume). I thought I'd booked a table out here in the first place...? Never mind, at least this one sort of had over head cover, (just in case) we have a light shower or more.
I have mixed feelings about Ultimo, the decor is lovely, the food is good but the service is a bit lacking. The staff seem to be more preoccupied with establishing your order, rather than delivering it on individual customer requirement.
We are given complimentary nibbles, our entree and main meal all within 30 minutes of arriving. What the.......? I seriously can't eat that fast, let alone enjoy the flavours I'm meant to be experiencing.
I have to laugh at the irony, normally one complains due to slow service and here I am complaining about being fed too quickly. Are we being rushed so they can push us out the door to fit other people in.......?
I'm starting to feel like I'm on the conveyer belt of some well oiled machine.
My main meal (steak with Gorgonzola sauce) was very, very nice. Trevor's meal below, left him wishing he'd chosen the same.
I have no complaints about the quality and taste of the food (I love it when a chef actually reads how you want your steak cooked and then delivers it this way), but I do prefer to dine in more relaxed surroundings. Trying to get a waiter's attention to order another drink after dinner was almost impossible.
Sorry to all who love Ulitmo, maybe I had too many high expectations after things I'd read........?
Following dinner we start walking down towards Seminyak Square to see if there's anywhere to go for a drink but get sidetracked by a DVD shop across the road.
The boys had worked out the hard drive with heaps of movies Trevor brought from home will not work on the TV and as much as it would not bother me having nothing to look at on the idiot box, I know my hubby does not share this view.
We don't usually bother with TV when on holiday as I normally have us gadding about here and there, but knowing we were going to be "house bound for 24 hours" and the TV channels were not going to be transmitting, I was extremely happy for hubby to find something to occupy "his time" (as long as you keep it quieter than a mouse). I'm relishing the idea of silence and getting back to my book that I haven't seen for a few days.
We purchase about 10 DVDs including the "Revenge" TV series. This had only started a month or so before we left and although we had set the DVD to record it at home, I'd love to see what happens now rather than wait.....
We put one on when we get back but it doesn't play, "how typical" I think.
A few of Trevor's pick don't work either, so we will have to exchange them tomorrow, now I know the shop will be open.
I forgot I had rung the Kadek the house keeper for The Frangipani Villa in Sanur earlier this afternoon and inquired about booking it for our last 4 nights after receiving no reply re Emerald Villas by midday. She had sent both an email and message on my phone confirming our booking.
Thursday - Day 11
Waking to my usual early morning crowing, I'm wondering if staying here was such a good idea after all.
Why does "Rooster" crow at 4.00am? Why do roosters crow at all.......?
Oh dear, I think I need more sleep, what stupid questions. Covering my head with the pillow I try and drown out the annoying sound.
I can see it's getting lighter and give up.
I enjoy pottering around on my own, I have a look at my favourite on line map to see how far the beach is from here, maybe I could go for an early morning walk? I get caught up in researching TA for a while before noting blue sky for the first time in days.
By now Trevor is up and we soak up some sun in the pool for a while.
Wondering if we can get some washing done and returned before we leave on Sunday morning, Trevor heads off to check with the nearest laundromat. Again we are lucky in that there are two within a very close distance to our villa.
He's back within 5 minutes with the knowledge that if we can get it to the one across the road before midday they will have it back by 4.30pm today. Grabbing what clothes we know will be ok in a dryer, we bolt out the door.
It was notably quieter out on Jl. Laksmana already and it's only midday. After dropping off our laundry we walk up to Perlu Jewelry shop but it's closed until Monday 26th March. Bugger!!! I knew I should have gone back there earlier in the week.
We walk back and cross over to the Coco mart for a look. They have quite a selection of everyday items including groceries, clothes, alcohol, fresh bread any much more in here. The prices seem comparable to Bintang Supermarket for some things. We buy an umbrella hoping the sunshine will last, we think a little reverse psychology can't go astray.
There is a cafe attached to the supermarket and after smelling the fresh bread inside my stomach is growling. Knowing there's not much likelihood of having dinner at a restaurant tonight, I choose the mixed sate while Trevor has a hot dog "Bali style".
I remind him that most of the restaurants will be closed for dinner, but he's made up his mind. I did notice Sasa Bali was serving pizza till 7.00pm when we walked past earlier, not sure much else will be open.
My sates are delicious, Trevor's hot dog is certainly different.
We ask the cafe staff where the Ogoh Ogoh parade will be tonight and what time it will start. They tell us it will come past between 7.30 - 8.00pm, but the effigies are moved late afternoon to intersection where it starts. Which intersection we ask.....but he just points to the end of our street. I suppose we will just follow the crowds.
Wow! The streets are so much quieter now than they were only an hour ago. Where are all the scooters....?
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| Dodgy holes in the footpath |
The entrance to our Gang Nyuh Gading and the neighbour's dog "Joffa", he used to bark like crazy at us when we walked past till we asked the lady in the villa his name. After that he'd always come over for a pat when he saw us.
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| Down our Gang towards Jl. Laksmana from outside our villa. |
As the sun is shining we decide to go and have a look at the beach, after checking the map I figure we can have a look at Ku De Ta at the same time. Hiring a taxi takes longer than normal and the driver tells us his plans for tonight and how he's looking forward to spending tomorrow with his two young boys.
We get to the entrance of Ku De Ta driveway and the security guards and another woman step in front of us saying "Ku De Ta is closed for Nyepi". They were quite intimidating and we almost called out to the taxi driver to come back & take us elsewhere, but I couldn't think of where we could access the beach.
I actually thought their attitude was a little aggressive which wasn't at all necessary, but it did get my back up enough to ask if they would allow us to walk through the carpark to the beach. All of a sudden they were friendly and smiling and quite obliging.
Not sure how to take this change in behaviour we smile wanly and walk quickly towards the foreshore in case they change their minds.
Looking left back towards Cocoon in Legian.
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Looking over The Oberoi
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Back at the villa we grab the DVD's that don't work and head down the road to change them.
The pool is lovely today and we spend the next hour or so sloshing around in it before getting ready to head out around 4.30pm to see if we can find where the Ogoh Ogoh parade will be.
The streets are really quiet now. We pass a group of 3 boys who are standing with their rather impressive creation and we ask them all about the parade and how long it took to make their statue. We had seen many the week before when we went to Ubud, but they were unpainted and headless. These boys tell us the parade will start around 7.30pm.
We walk up to the corner of Jl. Laksmana and Jl Raya Seminyak and turn left and although there are a few people heading in the same direction, we don't see anything that suggests where the start of the parade is. Wandering along a little further towards Sunset Road and all the other tourists have now disappeared, so we window shop for a while before turning back. Maybe there's nothing happening till later......
So, so quiet......
Walking past Red Carpet Champagne Bar, I decide to check the menu out the front fancying a glass of bubbles but I don't think I need them this much.
http://www.redcarpet-bali.com/
Once we get back to the villa, I decide to go for a walk down the gang in the other direction. Next door to this is a rice paddy and farm (Rooster's home). The gang led to a T-junction but I'm not sure I want to head down here or I'll get lost for sure.
I think I disturbed the people at this villa as the dad and little boy came out the gate. The little fella was so shy, but after I waved to him and said hello to his dad he let me take a photo. I wish I'd been a bit closer.
Around 7.15pm we head back out to the now almost deserted streets armed only with a torch and camera, there are a few scooters around and a bit of activity around the Coco Mart & Coco Cafe is still serving food. Again we wander up to the corner and see nothing, so we walk back to have a drink at Coco Cafe and wait. By this time it's quite dark and we are hoping something might happen soon. It's very busy here tonight and I feel sorry for the staff still working.
Around 8.15pm we see more and more groups of people slowly walking towards us down Jl. Laksmana carrying cameras etc, but nothing else. I'm starting to get a sinking feeling in my stomach, this isn't what I'm expecting to see. We wait a little longer but it's becoming very clear now we have missed the Ogoh Ogoh parade. I'm devastated as I had been looking forward to this for ages. How did I not get it right..........?
I seriously can't believe I stuffed this up.
My thoughts are interrupted by a very vocal woman at the next table.
I had noted her party sit down a little while ago as they very loudly rearranged the tables to fit them all in and she'd been holding court ever since raving on with her knowledge of Bali. Not that I was eavesdropping, but it was one of those times when you couldn't fail to hear someone's conversation. It seems her friends have just arrived in Bali and they have not found anywhere to eat as yet. The waiter is trying to explain that they are closing for Nyepi soon and could not take any more orders. This woman was so rude to the waiter that I wish I could crawl under a rock instead of having to sit here witnessing it. She was demanding her friends be served food as "nothing else is open".
I'm muttering under my breath by this stage "if you are so knowledgeable on Bali..........surely you should already know this"!!
The manager came and tried explaining that the staff still had to travel home to their villages but that didn't seem to matter to her and she actually stated "I don't care".
I'm absolutely appalled and just glare at her, while Trevor is kicking me under the table praying I'll keep my big mouth shut. She calls all her friends together and they get up to leave yelling out that "we now have to go elsewhere to eat, as you wont serve us".
Another mutter "Good luck with that one lady, hope you get Bali belly if or when you do".
We chat to the staff as they are cleaning up and thank them for staying open so late.
Back at the villa, we make sure we have everything ready for our day of silence tomorrow before heading off to bed. I kept forgetting to turn off the garden lights at night, so I quickly do this now while I'm thinking of it. Novea had come by when we were out today and left bits & pieces she thought we might need, so we quickly emailed her a thank you.
Friday - Day 12
I woke in the early hours of the morning to a thunderstorm drowning out "Rooster". It was really loud and I wondered what the day would be like.
As per usual I'm the first one up and I just had to put my head out the door so I could listen for any sound as our villa has been very quiet even before this. I take a peek up the end of the gang, but there is nothing to see and no sound other than the rustling of grass and leaves in the rice paddy next door.
I pull the blinds down trying not to swear out loud (that was a feat in itself), maybe we should of practiced this before, as it's really difficult and when I finally get them all the way down the lounge area has become unbearably hot. So I end up with one half up and one all the way down as I'd managed to let go of the string when I pulled it down. Grrhhhh!!!
It will just have to stay like this till Trevor get's up and fixes it, as I've had enough by this stage.
Checking the computer I see a few posts on TA about others experience of Nyepi so far and spend a little time on here while listening to the rain, hubby snoring in the room next door and of course "Rooster" who doesn't seem to know he's supposed to be quiet.
We spend a very lazy morning relaxing and swimming as the weather slowly picks up. Funny how we seem to be whispering without consciously doing so.
We decide to have our feast that Nengah has cooked and left for us for lunch. The Kari Ayam smells delicious as we heat it on the stove top. We try to work out how to use the microwave so we can heat up some Nasi Goreng and Cap Cay to go with it but this takes a little longer than we expect and by now my stomach is doing somersaults in anticipation.
It was so yummy, she had put potatoes in it and we are both suckers for a curry with potatoes.
I can't believe how much food there is. How many people did she think were staying here......?
We seriously can't do much else but lay on the couch like two fat pigs for the next few hours after this. Eventually we drag ourselves out to the pool for a swim as the weather has fined up a little and the pool is very relaxing. Lucky we didn't sink.
Later in the afternoon we are sitting here trying to be quiet while watching DVD's when I hear some very loud laughter just outside. I open our villa door to the carport to see 3 older teenagers in there. One on a push-bike, one on a skate board and one on foot. Upon questioning they say they will only get in trouble down at the end of our "gang" and proceed to go up & down past our villa till it goes dark. So much for silence.
Not really hungry at all we forget about dinner and spend the evening reading or on the computer until we finally sit down to watch Revenge for the next few hours. OMG, I'm really hooked on this show.
I was hoping for a clear night but the sky is overcast, so no stars.
I stand in the garden for a while just listening.........a frog croaking, & the whisper of the slight breeze are the only sounds I can hear.
Wonder what the rest of universe is doing...............
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