The Long and Winding Road.....

Thursday - Day 4
Slept in a little again this morning.
I never seem to do this at home, maybe I'm more relaxed or maybe it's the really heavy "block out" drapes. They're pretty effective as it takes me ages to convince hubby it is really daytime.
Late breakfast by the seaside as we check emails and plan the day.
We need to get the phones sorted as neither of us can make phone calls etc and I really can't understand the Indonesian message that replies every time I try and make a phone call. Figure we may as well do this at Discovery Mall as that's where we bought the sim card and hopefully they can explain what the messages mean.
Might as well try and find one of the fixed price shops in Tuban (Jenny) that people on TA mention while we are down this way, which means I better reschedule our massage at Briella Spa for Saturday.

We grab a taxi to The Ramayana as I want to check out the "Poolside Cottage Rooms" which our neighbours are staying at later in their trip.
I can see Trevor's face fade as I give the taxi driver the address. "Not more hotels to look at...."
Sorry hun, but we need to find somewhere to stay for our last 4 nights and as I often get "whatever you choose is fine by me" then I still need to do my research, it's not like I have TA in my back pocket, (although that would be handy all the same).
We are shown the upstairs room, (3rd from the left of the next photo from their web site). I really liked the cottage rooms but all that is available for our dates is an upstairs one and I think I would break my neck if I had to go up and down those stairs too often.
We viewed a Resort Club Room as well as they wanted to show us this, but it didn't do a lot for me.

We wander down towards Discovery and decide to walk through the Bali Gardens to see what the grounds and pools are like as we've heard there is one for adults only. It's so much busier than the KP.

Up to the phone booth at Discovery and find out that our phones are out of credit, I'm sure I have only rung my friend Sandy twice and sent 3 or 4 txts. I don't know how one can survive with only pre-paid mobile credit, I certainly wasn't doing very well in a foreign country.

Phones sorted we decide to have a refreshing drink at Sugar Mamas, I choose the lemon & mint drink, really refreshing but all of a sudden I could almost taste the missing pieces - lime (not lemon), white rum and soda. Mmmmm.....Mojitos!!!
I could hear this little voice in my head saying "its 5.00pm somewhere in the world"
Nope still too early in Bali, maybe the sun might come out today and I can sip on a Mojito while watching the sunset.
Now that is something to look forward to, especially if I can find a little frog like this to go with it.

We continue down towards Jenny's shop, I remember reading it's opposite the Santika or Dynasty, so we walk along that side of the road hoping we can find it. The potholes haven't improved over the last few days making it a little difficult to look to the left while walking forward. I really am going to end up breaking an ankle the way I'm going.
We see a sign showing "Jenny" just ahead but we decide to look through the Santika rooms first.

I didn't realise there are two reception areas at the Hotel Santika Premiere Beach Resort and we head to the middle one asking if we can view a Premier Deluxe room.
Following the porter he turns in the other direction from where I expected to go and we are off to see a Deluxe room instead.
We are shown a ground floor room that looks great, is nice and clean and close to the pool.

The rooms are as per the website
http://santika.com/bali-premiere/accommodation.php

We get back to reception and ask if it's possible to view a Premiere room as well.
This is when we find out about the two reception areas.
I think the one for the Premier rooms is referred to as the Lobby, its on the left as you walk down the driveway and is more of an open lounge type area with a desk.
The Premier rooms are just beyond it and we view an upstairs room on the 3rd floor. We took the stairs but I know there is a lift as well. Again a nice, cool, clean room with a sofa inside as well.
For some reason it reminds me of the Patong Merlin in Phuket but I have no idea why.
The bathrooms seem to be getting smaller the more hotel rooms we look through, not sure if it's because our bathroom is so big at the KP.
I was quite impressed with both rooms, but I would only like to stay on the ground floor if we stay here.
Back to the Lobby to inquire about availability (I know they have Premier rooms) and I nearly fall off my chair when told the price. It was way more than I was expecting.
Thanking them for their time we skedaddle out of there with me muttering that it's much cheaper when I checked the price on-line.

I'm starting to think I should have titled this blog the "Lee's hotel reviews or similar", as it's all we seem to be doing, so I must apologise.
I already know how much Trevor enjoys it "NOT"

Over to Jenny's shop now for a look and hopefully some shopping (not for me either).
Trevor is looking at some shorts and is standing in front of the ones with size 36 on the rack, when Jenny calls out "you need bigger, you need 38."
Trevor stood there with his mouth hanging open until she said "always need bigger size in Bali, too far to come back and exchange later" with a laugh.
Glad I'm not looking for anything in particular, I'd hate to hear what size she thought I would need.
I chatted to a lady in there who was stocking up as they were heading home the next day, OMG was she a shopaholic!!
Trevor finally got his Bintang singlet and a few shorts plus some for my stepson (we chose size 36 for him), all the while hearing Jenny's comment ringing in our ears.

We grab a taxi and get him to take us back to Legian, but not to the KP.
You guessed it - one more hotel to look at......

Legian Beach Hotel has been on my radar for ages.
I booked a Deluxe Garden Bungalow via Expedia for our last 4 nights approximately 5 or 6 months before this trip, but once I read about the restaurant renovations I contacted the hotel and after much contemplation chose to cancel.

The restaurant was meant to be re opening on March 31st, but I know how slow building can be and the idea of a makeshift cover for breakfast didn't appeal especially if the weather was bad.
We'd wandered though the hotel grounds a couple of days ago and liked the area where bungalows 30 & 31 were situated (to the right of reception) as they seemed to get some breeze, but as we were dodging showers we didn't stay around to view the rooms.

 

Unfortunately we were shown a Deluxe garden bungalows to the left and behind reception, right next to the pool pump plant. I think it was number 37.
It was very hot along here and we felt the bungalows opposite were too close and would allow no privacy.
The bungalows were in groups of 3, the middle one had a double bed only and the ones on either side could be both twin or double with the beds pushed together.
The bathroom was very small and in the mirror reflection I could see Trevor miming "its not even big enough to swing a cat" and although that's not meant to be funny, I got the giggles big time and it was very hard to keep a straight face while the reception lady was giving us her rundown of the rooms.

Back to the KP for a swim, finally able to contact Sandy and make arrangements for a catch up at their villa in Sanur tomorrow arvo. We relax by the pool for a while before the daily question of "where are we going to eat tonight?" flows into the conversation.
I'd had enough of wandering around today so we decide a pizza at the KP "Ristorante Italia" suited us nicely. I think Trevor was secretly pleased.

Again no sunset but the wind & waves sort of make up for it.
I find it relaxing sitting here with the waves crashing across the road and the cooling breeze stirring the leaves of the trees above our heads.
Unfortunately no Mojitos on the menu either, but their Margaritas aren't too bad.
Our pizzas were quite good and we were treated to a Legong Dance which was beautiful to watch.
I even thought I had managed to get a recording of it, but there was nothing on the camera when I checked it later.
Oops, maybe too many Margaritas........

Friday - Day 5 
Another lazy start to the day, I can see a pattern staring here.
Following breakfast we head out with our washing. Turning left from the KP entrance there are two laundries to choose from

• one on the corner diagonally opposite and down the lane 
• the other a little further around to the left heading towards Jl. Double 6. Opposite and parallel with the KP driveway. The entrance is just off the street and down a short hall way

We choose the latter and arrange for pick up the following morning.
Wandering back down Jl. Werkudara towards Mugshots we have a browse around the shops near the Kodak money changer.
I had been chatting to a couple of ladies at the KP who had both bought the same dress in the shops near the laundromat.
Good job they weren't both wearing it at the same time. It was quite nice and a little different from the ones I saw everyone else wearing.

Eventually, I find a nice dress that doesn't look too bad even though I don't usually like animal prints, but I couldn't find anything else that fitted or looked ok.
Of course it will be cheaper if I purchase two, yeah right!!
I have to laugh at how the shop owners call your partner "daddy" and like to make sure they get their opinion as well.

My nice dress

While we are out shopping I ring Sandy, and as they are feeling a little tired after a late night, we decide not to head over to Sanur till around 3pm. We can stay and have dinner over there.

Now that we are in shopping mode it was good to keep going.
Neither of us had any idea what was the average price of goods as I hadn't checked PLTT's shopping guide for ages.
We stopped at the group of shops behind the Jayakarta and really never got much further.
Trevor bought a few t-shirts and boardies, but really wanted some "cargo shorts" which then became "shorts with lots of pockets", but no one seemed to have anything similar even though they had heaps of other shorts.
Then the guy we bought the T-shirts from comes back out of his shop and says he has what we want, (no idea where he got them from), but in we go again. He presents 3 pairs of "Billabong" cargos in Trevor's size and asks the most ridiculous price. Lots of laughter later everyone walks away with a smile knowing someone got a good deal, but not really sure who. Each one has what they want and that's all that matters in the long run.

Off to Mugshots for an Iced Chocolate as shopping really isn't my forte and I really needed one of their ice cold towels to cool me down.
Free WiFi means we stay here longer than I anticipated.

Feeling refreshed we decide to head down the the beach via the Gang that runs between the Niksoma & the Maharta (trying to sneak a look into the Maharta through the fence along the way, but it was hard to see anything worth mentioning).
This Gang also joins into the Niksoma car park and entrance from the beach road, so we decide to check out a Deluxe room at the Niksoma while we are passing. Never miss an opportunity, I say!!

We are shown a deluxe room on the upper floor, I didn't notice the room number but it seemed to be the first one as you alight the stairs.
Not much of a view (you looked over the other buildings), but we could see others that had a much better view as they faced the sea and the one we were shown faced north.
Lovely looking pools and nice atmosphere around the hotel. Staff were very professional and free WiFi included in the price of the room. I could be tempted for our next trip in October.

Just as we get back to KP I remember I want to go for a walk up the beach path towards Seminyak and see what is along here, so Trevor heads back to our room with all the shopping.
Crossing over Jl. Double 6 or Jl. Arjuna, I pass Coccoon and wonder if this might be worth a visit at some point. There was something on the following Sunday afternoon so I'll keep that in mind.

Wandering past a massive building site peering through the gaps in the fence, I'm glad we are not staying nearby as its very noisy and really only in the initial building stages.
The building noise we sometimes hear at the KP is so minimal compared to this.
It wasn't till later on when I looked at a map I realised it was the old AJ Hacket Bungy Jump site which I remember reading closed last year.
I also read they are building apartments here, it looks massive from what I could see.

The walk from Legian to Seminyak is different to walking from Legian to Kuta.
The weather is still overcast and it's pretty windy. There's virtually no one at any of the beach shacks and bars.
I walk past the Crystal Palace, but I'm really hoping to find La Plancha.
But I could see nothing like the photos I've seen of La Plancha below.
There were no colorful bean bags or umbrellas, although I did see a few Air Asia ones.

I pass a hotel which I now know is the Puri Saron, and I'm sure I'm near, but it's beyond me and I'm running out of time.
La Plancha is now like the elusive sunset I'm yet to experience, but I'm determined to find it one day.
http://www.laplanchabali.com/

I really need a swim once I get back from my hot and fruitless walk.
Trevor decides to try on the boardies he bought at Jenny's only to discover they are a size 32 and definitely far too small.
Bother, that means another trip down that way either Sat or Sunday to change them.
GROAN!!!
What was Jenny's comment about exchanging things.....? Lucky we haven't left Bali yet.
It was so nice relaxing by the pool we forgot what time it was and didn't end up leaving for Sanur till after 3pm.

OMG, it is so hard to get a taxi at this time of day and we end up walking all the way to Jl.Padma before we manage to grab one that someone else was alighting from.
Of course she decided to argue loudly with the driver about the fare before getting out and the poor man seemed quite flustered when we first drove off.

The traffic was pretty scary driving over to Sanur at 3.30pm on a Friday afternoon and I was sure we were going to make mincemeat out of one or more scooter riders.
We were traveling behind this small truck and tailgating it so closely I felt we were going to slam into the back of it every time he braked, yet 2 or 3 bikes would zig-zag between us and the truck every time our driver hit his brake pedal in response. Too many trips like this and I'll need to find a hairdresser to cover all my new gray hair.

We get to The Lazy Dog Villa around 4pm and I can see why Sandy & John love it so much.
It really is just as beautiful as the photos on the web site. Had to include one of the pool.
http://www.thelazydogvilla.com/en/Gallery.html

We feel so relaxed the moment we step through the gate.
Sandy shows me around and my eyes are popping out of my head. It's absolutely divine. I love the board on the wall with welcome messages for new guests.
The pool really is gorgeous although it does get deep quick.

We meet Ray who is related to the owner of LDV and have a conversation about our search for accommodation for our last 4 nights and you can see the wheels turning as he's trying to think of suggestions.
Sandy and I are chatting about the Bali Emerald Villas and that we might like to stay in Sanur for these 4 nights and next thing she has arranged a quick visit to check out a villa that is available.
WOW, I thought I was getting pretty good, but she totally wears the crown.
They sent a driver within 10 minutes and after viewing the Villa B17, we felt pretty confident that we had finally found somewhere to stay.
Ray had also spoken to the owner of the villa next door to Lazy Dog ("The Frangipani Villa") and arranged to show Sandy through the next morning, so we may have to choose between the two villas.
Talk about feast or famine!

After a few more relaxing drinks we wander up to Cafe Jepun for dinner.
It is a very pleasant walk, so easy to wander along chatting. The more time we are spending in Sanur, the more I'm enjoying the contrast between the west coast and the east.
I really feel this would be a good place to spend our last few nights relaxing before heading home.
Food at Cafe Jepun is good too, although I note the restaurant is pretty quiet compared to what we we've become use to in Legian. Sandy suggests we stick to beer as the cocktails are a bit tragic, but I decide to try a glass of Hattens Aga White as I can't drink a lot of beer, it was ok.
The artwork on the walls here is amazing.

Sandy and her family had been in Bali for over a week and the weather had been a bit hit and miss during this time.
Her daughter had only just got back from The Gili's after staying a few extra nights due to no boats being able to make the crossing from the Gili's to Lombok or Lombok to Bali.
Trevor kept joking about the weather for the upcoming week and how it would be terrible if we had to transfer to Nusa Lembongan during a storm as we had done this when crossing from Krabi to Phuket a few years ago.
Another bad trip also flashed before my eyes and I daren't make a comment about it in case I jinx everything, but I know he's remembering it too.
Damn Pest!!

Sandy and John had spent 2 nights at Candi Dasa earlier in the week and they were very impressed with the restaurants they dined at.
We were originally heading to Candi Dasa for Nyepi but had changed plans when friends had been hoping to join us. Unfortunately they never made it and by then I'd fallen in love with Sandy' photos of The Point in Lembongan.
Oh how I wish we had more time to go everywhere, even though I know it's our first trip and we can't fit it all in.
Maybe another option for our next trip.
The night seemed to go far to fast and before we know it we are jumping in a taxi to head back to the KP. We'd had a great night catching up with our dear friends after such a long time.

Saturday - Day 6
Overcast again, is the sun ever going to shine.......?
My gaze wanders over to the beach and I see some guys out surfing this morning.
One of the things I'd noticed during my walk up to Seminyak yesterday was nobody was in the water. Although there were heaps of guys riding around on bikes with surfboards hanging off them, no one was venturing out.
Maybe the weather is improving at last. Now hold that thought!!!

After dropping off our clean washing we head down to Jenny's shop to change Trevor's shorts.
I had seen a row of ATM's from the taxi and we walk back towards where I think it is.
Well after another 5 or so minutes I'm starting to think I imagined them (well Trevor is anyway). The stubborn pig headed person I am is 99.9% sure I saw them.
We walk up and down a few more times and give up in disgust, I also wanted to head back to the tourist info place we visited last time we were down this way as I had picked up a great map and I wanted to get another one for Sandy.
Surely this would be easier to find...? Nope, can't find that either.
Eventually I found both, but they were much closer to the Stadium Sports Cafe and Flapjack's than I had thought. I always say I have no judge of distances and I just proved it yet again.

Over to Discovery for some A/C comfort and a cool drink.
We decide to go up to the top floor as we haven't done so before and it is so hot.
I managed to find the shoe department of SOGO (I think).
My absolutely favourite Charles & Keith dress thongs which I bought in Singapore airport 5 years ago decide to break 2 days before we leave Perth and I'm devastated.
I'd read about a Charles & Keith shoe shop somewhere in Bali, but if it was at Discovery I couldn't find it and considering I'm Imelda Marcos' twin I will cry if someone tells me it is.
I actually managed to find a pair of replacement thongs and a pair of strappy sandals in SOGO and paid around $28 for both of them, which I was happy with.

After stopping for a cool drink at our favourite spot we grab a cab back to Mugshots in Legian.
It's become easier to use the free WiFi here than buy time at the KP as it's quicker and more reliable.
I can't believe we don't have another hotel to look at.
I've rung & sent an email to the Emerald Villas booking manager and Sandy rang and said The Frangipani Villa is lovely, very different to LDV in design but very clean and spacious.
But they don't have a generator if there's a power failure, so we'll hold off till we see Sandy's photos on Monday.

We wander over to Briella Spa at 3pm and sit there wondering what our head, neck and back massage will entail.
I have to admit I have never had a massage in Asia till now, even though I have been to Thailand 3 times. Trevor had one in Koh Samui and he said the Thai lady was very strong, so I've been very reluctant to try it. Not sure what I was worrying about now.

Trevor decides to book a Reflexology/foot massage for the next day once we are done.
Feeling very relaxed we float back to the KP to get ready to meet another TA member Kathy and her partner Jim at the bar.
They have been in Bali for about a week staying in Ubud and Candi Dasa and have one night in Legian before flying home the next day. Kathy and I have chatted on TA since 2006 when we were both planning a Phuket holiday, and had made tentative arrangements months ago to meet tonight when we realised we were finally crossing paths in person.

It's funny trying to imagine what someone will look like when you have only seen a few photos of them on the computer. We were walking into the restaurant from the hotel side when a woman wandered back the other way and I stopped for a second and wondered......but as she was unaccompanied I thought keep going.
We got a drink and sat at a front table eying off every couple in sight (well I was anyway).
I noted a single bloke sitting a couple of tables away with two drinks on the table and wondered again......??
I didn't have to wait much longer as his partner came and joined him and of course it was the woman we had passed on the way in.
We catch each others eye and laugh, already knowing that we are both looking for each other.
"Hi are you Kathy?" "Your Lee" and the awkward moment that one dreads when meeting someone like this never happens.
We join them, offer introductions and the boys soon realise that it's much easier to have a conversation about anything other than holiday planning.
Shortly after we are joined by Glenys and Nick and after another drink we're ready to head to Mozzarella by the Sea at The Maharta for the Beatles Tribute band "Facebeat" who are playing there tonight.

We actually have two bookings, one for two people and one for four. Amazingly both tables were next to each to each other, so we helped rearrange them to accommodate us all and ordered our first of many cocktails. Glenys has been trying Lychee Martinis so I think one of those to start with will go down nicely.
Actually they were very nice, but after two I was happy to switch to Mojitos.
I still think they are only half measures of alcohol as I would be on my ear if they weren't. Trevor was having his usual Long Island Iced Tea so we made him sit out a round or two.
The food was great, although maybe not quite as good as our first night here, but still delicious all the same.

As for the band, they were absolutely brilliant, especially if you love the Beatles.
We were guessing which song they'd play next and then trying to pick our favourite Beatles song. There were so many I hadn't thought of for years.
I was keen to get up and dance but the pseudo courage one gets after a few drinks hadn't set in, so I was happy enough to stand and gig around next to our table. There were plenty of others on the dance floor anyway.
I managed only one photo which is pretty grainy, Trevor took a video with his phone which isn't much better unfortunately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6jpchd_-q8&list=UU9UmshFQiY2iRpu-r8QoHdw&index=1&feature=plcp

The wind has been pretty strong all night, but we hadn't take a lot of notice of it.
Too busy enjoying ourselves as were many others.
The crowd had thinned out somewhat by 10.00pm and not long after the band came back on to perform their encore. We felt a few drops of rain but nothing much to worry about.
I think they were playing their 3rd and last song when all of a sudden the heavens opened up and we were grabbing our possessions and diving for cover.
The wind and rain just came straight off the sea and it was soon apparent that "being undercover" wasn't doing shite. The waiters were trying to get everyone to move toward the stage away from the seafront.

It's almost a blur what happened next....

One minute we were laughing and enjoying ourselves, the next I was face to face with the lead singer and yelling at him to unplug his equipment. I couldn't believe they were still playing, but it really was less than 15-20 seconds time difference and the band actually had less idea than we did.
They madly started ripping out their cables from the amps. I felt so sorry for them.
Trevor found me and we had no idea where the others were. He saw them to his left and motioned to follow him in that direction. Then the power went out.....

Oh crapp, I can't see a thing other than body shapes in front of me, how I hate being short in times like these.
I need to focus.....he'd turned left so I tried looking past the shapes in front of my eyes when this light appears above and to the left. It's not Xmas so I hope I'm following the right one.......
Thank god I have a hubby that likes to stay abreast of modern technology and had installed an app onto his phone whereby it became a torch.
I moved in that direction and as he met me we heard this horrendous noise behind us as the wind ripped the blinds away and they flapped dangerously inwards.
One of the waiters was carried away to our right and I couldn't even tell if he was conscious. That was enough for me and I headed in the direction they went but couldn't see them.

By this time we were being herded left or right of the wall at the back of the restaurant and down the stairs to the safety of the buildings.
What did my head in were the young female waiters huddled upright against the other side of the wall crying their hearts out. We managed to get two of them to come with us as we were shuffled down the steps and turned right into the kitchen.

Kathy & Jim were with us, so I hoped Glenys & Nick had gone the other way and were safe. We were perfectly ok, just very wet and for me having lived in FNQ through 7 wet seasons (and a few cyclones) in the 90's, I felt as if as if a mini-cyclone had just passed through.

The young Balinese girls were so distressed amid the never ending thunder overhead and unfortunately unable to contact their families to let them know they were safe or find out if their families were ok. You could see it taking it's toll on some of them and I feel this is more upsetting than the storm itself.

I'm not sure how much time passed but the thunder and howling wind had died down so we thought it would be ok to open the doors and see what was out there......
I was holding my breath as we went out, storm damage is never pretty and it felt so much worse as we only had torchlight to guide us as well as being in unfamiliar surroundings. We had no idea what we would be facing.

The rain was pretty full on, but the wind had died down. The structural damage was obvious, the hard part was not knowing what else was damaged as there was no power and we could only see from torchlight.
The staff had done an amazing job, they had put client and staff safety first as we would in Oz.
Yes there would be costs involved to fix things but loss of life would cost so much more.
One of my biggest concerns was our dinner bill, as our table of 6 hadn't paid and I wondered how many others hadn't either.
We reassured the staff we would be back tomorrow to sort out the bill and crept our way towards the sea front to walk home. Kathy & Jim were right behind us, but in the dark we lost them, so I hope they just stayed with the staff for a little longer.

It was still raining heavily and although we'd sort of dried off in the kitchen at The Maharta, we were drenched within seconds.
We are walking home without any of the people we set out to dinner with, it's cold, windy and the last few hours events have left such a downer on what was a wonderful evening.
Wandering through the KP it looks like the damage I've seen in Cairns following a cyclone. There are branches from trees laying around everywhere.
I think the KP was running on generator power as many of the garden lights were not on.
Glenys and Nick's lights are off as we pass but I doubt they are back yet.
I try and ring Sandy to see if they are ok as I know her sister and friends were going to Sanur this evening and I can imagine how awful the drive back to Legian would be in those conditions. However my phone is not working (again), not sure it it's because of the storm or what as Trevor's wont work either.

After a hot shower we sit out on the patio of our room trying to put our visions of the night into perspective. I didn't ever feel scared, but it's hard to comprehend how sudden and ferocious this storm was.
Again I'm reminded of the fragility of life and the how much we take it all for granted.
Glenys and Nick must have come home when we were inside, so I'm thankful they are ok. Fortunately they went to the hotel area of the Maharta and were given towels etc, although a couple staying at the Maharta had heaps of water leaking from their ceiling.
We stay and chat for a while and head inside to bed. I can't sleep and I'm wondering what the next day's weather and daylight will bring.
For the first time, I'm concerned about going to Nusa Lembongan in weather like this. I'm starting to wonder if we should even be contemplating going over there at this time.
Eventually I fall asleep, disturbed by vivid dreams and awake in the early hours of the morning unable to shake off my nagging doubt.

Millions of Rupiah, Elusive Sunsets & Monkeys Galore

Monday March 12th 2012 - Day 1
The day has finally arrived.......Woo Hoo!!!!
After months of searching & planning we were heading off on our first Bali adventure for 17 nights.
Unfortunately we are leaving our gorgeous 4 legged babes in dog kennels which we have never done before and I worry as my old girl who I've had since she was 9 weeks, is now 15 years old and struggling a lot with her sight and hearing, as well as a little doggy dementia.
I try to stay positive and make sure I download a pic of them both to the "tablet" so I can see them every day. A bit sad but hey, that's who I am. I pray that nothing untoward happens to them while we are away, especially Kita.

Kita, my old 15 year old girl

Izzy, our wayward 2 year old

Our Air Asia flight is leaving at 4.50am, so we thought we'd sleep late the day before and stay awake till our airport pick up at 1.45am. Good in theory, not in reality. By 11.30pm on Sunday night all I want to do is crawl into bed, who had thought up this crazy idea.....?
I hadn't even managed to sleep in on Sunday.

We get to the airport in Perth before 2am and there is no one around, luggage checked in we look at each other thinking "now what do we do?" I'm not really sure why we thought we were meant to get to the airport 3 hours before our flight but I certainly wouldn't bother again at that time of the morning.
Hubby says he's never catching that flight again, he he....we'll see what happens when the next cheap air fare comes around!

The flight took off on time and was not full, so we had the 3 seats to ourselves. I was surprised to see so many families with little ones on a flight at that time of day, but maybe like us they'd booked their original flight at 1.20pm as we had.
We fly into Bali from the east in daylight and although I knew the airport was next to the sea, I didn't realise just how close.
I hold my breath as we land, do they ever over shoot the runway?

Not our plane, but it still freaks me out how close the runway is

It's 8.25am and within a very short time we are out the door, off and racing to the finish line at the VOA counter (well some passengers were, anyway).
Obviously they read TA. There were a few booths open and no queues at any of them. Paid our VOA and off to immigration within 3 minutes.

Thought this might be helpful for first timers

I keep thinking, "what is that sweet smell"?

Is this the "smell" that everyone talks about when they first arrive in Bali?

Having read about this many times, I've have had visions of some foul "durian type" smell stinging my nostrils and making my eyes water upon my first encounter. Oops, how wrong was I?
Many apologies, amazing how the imagination can run wild without the facts.

We get through immigration and are collecting our luggage within 15 minutes from stepping off the plane. I thought it was going to take ages.

Around we go to the money changer - rate was 9,300IDR to $1AUD, not too bad from my last check before we left. I change $100AUD and she counts it with me, my eyes are enlarging by the second.

OMG all this paper and all these 0000's. How am I gonna get my head around this much money....? Half of it looks the same and it's so thin.
Suddenly makes you realise that our plastic money here in Oz isn't so bad after all.

 

The week before we leave, I decide to arrange for the driver we had booked for 2 day trips to pick us up for the hotel transfer.
I know a taxi is heaps cheaper, but I'm always happy to pay for that very first airport-hotel transfer in a new place. Then I'll get taxi's next time.

We see a driver straight away showing a sign with my name on it and he tells us he is Ketut the cousin of Made who is "sorry he cannot be here to do the pick up as his daughter is unwell".
Well it is Monday morning after all... :)

Trevor is looking at me as if to say "you stuffed up", when I say "no worries we are happy that you have come instead". Maybe hubby should read TA more often.
Ketut offers to go and get the car and within another few minutes we are on our way to the Kumala Pantai.

I've become like Linda Blair in The Exorcist - able to rotate my head 360 degrees, rambling away as I see things that I've read about or seen on some map or a hotel where "so and so" stayed.
Hubby says he is like one of those "noddy dogs" in the back of a car window every time we change gears or change lanes to avoid scooters.
I can feel a few massages are going to be in order after this.

We arrive at the KP and I think I'm doing well and have the money out ready to give Ketut, to my horror he looks at it and starts saying something about Made said.....I look at the money again and think "what's wrong?"
Trevor is trying to do the drop off 4 zero's and says it should be around $10 AUD, then it dawns on me I am trying to give him 10 alright, but only 10,000 rupiah instead of 100,000. How I wish the ground would open up and swallow me. We sort out the right money and send him on his way, thankful he is probably used to stupid first timers trying to pretend they know what they are doing with Indonesian money.

Unfortunately our room is not vacated (and wont be till 12.00 midday), then it will still need cleaning, bother. So much for being able to get in for a "Nanna-nap".
I manage to scramble around in my luggage and drag out some shorts to change into. It's only 9.30am, so we leave our luggage, grab a camera and set off through the grounds of KP towards the sea front to start exploring.

Sitting down at the restaurant we decide not to have brekky as I can't keep still. While hubby is fiddling with his phone, I spy my first squirrel running up and down a tree. They really are so cute to watch.

We set off towards down the beach road and within minutes I know I will be needing a bit of A/C relief sooner rather than later. I'm thinking we may as well go to Discovery Mall to get our phone  cards etc, as it is the only A/C shopping mall I can think of at the time.
Wandering along the beachfront hearing a few calls for us to stop and look at what's on offer, I can't help grinning. It's so easy to smile and say "no thank you", no one takes offense, no one hassles.
We wander past the Jayakarta, Niksoma, Puri Raja and Melasti, I think I'm starting to get some bearings now having used this link as my bible during planning.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=-8.702827&lon=115.1668668&z=17&l=0&m=b

Not sure about the large block of underdeveloped land between the Melasti and the Padma.....how dense is the vegetation in there?   WOW!! 

We grab a Bluebird taxi just past the Padma, and pay less than 20,000 IR or roughly $2 to Discovery, laughingly thinking you can't even open the door to a taxi for $2 in Oz. Sort out my sim card and as hubby is having issues with trying to get his phone to work on international roaming, he decides to pick up a phone and sim card as well.

My stomach is rumbling and we settle down at Sugar Mama's for a cold drink and my first Nasi Goreng of the trip. I had this lemongrass drink that was really nice till you started crunching on the little bits of lemongrass stalk they had added. (I tried the lemon mint drink on another occasion and it was also really nice except for the bits of mint that blocked the straw).
After lunch we walk up to Hotel Santika Premiere Beach Resort for a look around as this is one of the hotels we are contemplating staying in for our last four nights. The grounds and pools look lovely.
 

http://santika.com/bali-premiere/

The Deluxe room's pool

 

The Premier Deluxe room's pool

I know what room I want if we stay here

We continue through the resort and out onto Jl Kartika Plaza and turn back towards Discovery all the while watching out for big holes in the footpath. Inside for a bit of relief from the heat, hubby finds some really comfy "thongs" declaring the ones he's wearing will be in the bin later & change some money. Rate here was IR 9,600 to $1 AUD.

Think it's time for a taxi back to KP as we are starting to get a little weary.
One thing off TA sticks in my head "always use the Bluebird taxis", well that's fine if you think the other taxis will be painted a different colour.

We stand there trying to work out which one of the "blue" taxis is "Bluebird" while two men start yelling at us to get into the taxi at the front of the line. We almost did until I realised it wasn't a Bluebird taxi and then the taxi driver starts yelling at us asking us where we are going? Trevor says how much to the Kumala Pantai and he says "50,000".
Next thing the other two are yelling again and we bolt for the 2nd taxi before someone else has a shot at us. Getting in it hits me, "oops, not a Bluebird taxi either". We have seen taxi and tuk-tuk mafia in Phuket, so we are not sure if this was something similar or what.....?

Trevor asks him to put his metre on and he asks "how much did the other guy ask" I tell him 50,000 and he snorts, I also tell him, I know it should be around 20,000, hoping we have a straight run back to the KP. We are lucky and the metre reads just under 20,000.
Trevor produces 50,000, before I can stop him and of course the taxi driver says he has no change. I'm madly trying to find one of those "green" notes and the taxi driver laughs and hands me one. I then ask for the other 10,000, knowing full well he has one. I give him a silly laugh, and get out the taxi, now I know why one waits for a Bluebird.

It's around 1pm by now and with fingers X'd we check whether our room is ready.
Yeh!!! We sign in and get shown to our room, luggage right behind us. The porter shows us the room features, where and how things work and after a small tip I take a few photos before we mess it up. Then it's off to don our swimsuits and hit the pool.

Kumala Pantai SG-02

KP Junior Suite

After wasting a few hours at the pool we remembered we had to go up to Bintang Supermarket to grab mixers, beer, nibbles and band-aids (I always forget to pack something).
So off we head out the entrance of KP towards Jl Arjuna. The treacherous footpaths abound as well as some interesting shops, but it's getting late and I want to get our supplies and get back to find a good possie to watch the sunset.

We get almost to the crossroad of Jl Raya Legian and Jl Arjuna and can see and hear some form of ceremony, traffic is being directed and if I don't watch my step I'll be down the nearest hole.
We manage to get around the corner in one piece, (I thought I was going for a ride on a scooter at one point) as the footpath turned into the road. We think it was a celebration, but unfortunately no-one could tell us.

Traffic being directed

 

Still buzzing we continue on our sojourn to the supermarket, passing "Silverberry" on our left, I get all excited but then remember the time, adding that to the list for another day.

Bintang Supermarket is pretty much what I expect, a hive of activity and yet so easy to get caught up browsing the aisles to see what's on offer. I think it's really funny how you have to arrange some goods you wish to purchase (my band-aids) and get given a little docket that you present at the cashier and they bring your item.

Goods purchased we head back outside thinking we would get a taxi back to the KP, but the taxi drivers don't want to turn back towards the intersection and say it is probably still blocked.
Sorry Trevor, you just got to walk, no matter what I promised. By the time we get back we are a little hot and bothered again and have missed sunset, so we open the duty free and sit on our patio enjoying a pre dinner drink.

Feeling a little refreshed we decide to head out for dinner, but where...?

We walk out to the beach front and up to Lanai, no table near the front or upstairs, so we put that one down for another night. Check out the menus at Zanzibar and Blue Ocean but I can't decide.
Heading in the other direction we pass Seaside and keep going eventually ending up at Mozzarella by the Sea. I think hubby decides to eat here as he is already sick of walking.

We score the little table on the end at the right closest to the beach road and our order our first cocktail. Margarita for me and Long Island Iced Tea for Trevor. A group of four people arrive at the table next to us and although the tables are fairly close we do not feel as if we are sitting on top of each other.

Looking out to sea, we ask each other the question. What do you think of Bali so far...?
We recount the events of the day with much laughter and realise that we have been awake for hours and although we are quite tired we have had a great start to our first Bali adventure.
We share seafood wontons & spring rolls for entree and for main I choose the Schnapper Bumbu Bali and Trevor has a seafood platter type dish, (he never remembers what he has and it only dawns on me half way through our trip that taking a photo of his dish is the only way I will remember it as well).

The service was great, the food was delicious (although I do think the cocktails are a little weak), but we'd definitely be happy to eat here again if only there weren't so many other restaurants to choose from.

We slowly meander back to the KP along the beachfront, laughing at the sellers with their little "lights" and things they shoot into the sky. It's magical walking along here at night, listening to the waves crashing on the shore, feeling the warmth of the wind gently lifting your hair and smelling the sea, you do almost feel at one with your surroundings.
I have to say "almost" as there are still some scooters heading home along the road which disturb my musings.

Back at our room we sit on the patio enjoying a relaxing nightcap, listening to the frogs and geckos when a group of about 8 new guests arrive in the rooms opposite us and decide to jump in the pool for a swim. Oh well, it was peaceful for a short time but as the mozzies are trying to make a meal out of me, I think it's time to call it a day.

One half or our patio

Tuesday - Day 2
I awake and for a second have no idea where I am. It's really dark and the A/C has gone into overdrive. Make my cuppa, grab my book and head out to the patio to thaw out. Those pesky mozzies are on the prowl again, so I can see I'll be swimming in mozzie spray when I'm not swimming in the pool.
I look up to the sky, it looks like a promising day even though its a little overcast. I realise it's actually after 8am, what a novelty for me to have slept in so late.

It's pleasant sitting here greeting many other hotel guests and staff as they go about their day or walk past on their way to and from breakfast. These Junior suite ground floor rooms at this end of the pool are not as private as the ones down the other end and I would probably choose to stay at that end away from the pool bar if I was to stay here again.

Eventually I go and wake Trevor up and suggest we might want to get a wriggle on. We are heading over to to view the villa that is booked for a forthcoming close friends 50th birthday trip in January 2013, but I want to have breakfast first.
We grab a table near the beach front and manage to get half way through eating when some big drops of rain land on us, within seconds it turns into a down pour and we bolt inside. I didn't even manage to take a photo of the beach.

That didn't take long

We head back to our room after brekky and meet our neighbours - Glenys & Nick from the room next door. We had partly arranged a get together for us and some other TA members prior to leaving Oz and discuss a few options. We both chat about where we ate the night before and low and behold it turns out they were sitting next to us at Mozzarella. Small world.

The rain stops so we head out to grab a taxi to the villa and I realise I don't have the actual address although I know where it is on a map. We walk south along Jl Werkudara dodging puddles and taxi's spraying water hoping to find a place with wifi and manage to see a sign for a cyber cafe upstairs.
By now I can't actually recall the name of the villa either, so we are fortunate Mr Google is being kind to us and I manage to find the website without too much trouble and print off the address and a map.

We've still got a bit of time up our sleeves and notice Mugshots is just around the corner, I think I need a decent coffee. I love the cold towels that you are given when you place your order. Coffee was great, free wifi even better and the toilets nice and clean.

We grab a bluebird taxi to Villa Asih on Jl Sriwijaya, and on the journey decide to head over to Sanur once we're done. Jl Sriwijaya seems a very busy one way street. Our helpful taxi driver Handrik waits for us out the front and we ask him to drop us off at The Griya. He is a very funny man and we had many a laugh (mainly at my expense) on the journey over to Sanur.

It is very quiet in Sanur and even quieter walking though the Griya, Trevor is not impressed and says it reminds him of a retirement village. All I can say is I hope I can find one like this when I need one, however I now know we won't be staying here for our last four nights.

We wander through to the beach and head south to check out the Puri Santrian. For some reason I thought the Griya was half way along the beach, but I was very, very wrong. It was a pleasant afternoon but my feet were definitely aching by the time we reached the Puri. We walk through the Puri and feel it might have some potential.

Deluxe rooms at the Griya

This little Warung on the beach where we stopped for a drink

All the time we've been in Sanur I've been trying to ring my friend Sandy but for some reason all I get is some recorded Indonesian message. I find out why two days later.

We are very hot and thirsty again so we cross the road to the Paon restaurant for a few drinks before looking for a money changer and wandering back to the beach through the Sanur Beach Hotel.

By this time I've summoned up the courage to start asking to view a room.
We ask to be shown a Deluxe Seaview room and start following the porter who decides we need to "run" to the room, not really having any idea why I try and keep up, but he's way to fit for me.
The hallways in one area are all A/C but once you head to the other wing it's all open and a very long walk from the reception area. I think this resort is just far too big for us, even if the view from the room was gorgeous.

Back to the KP for a swim and chat to other guests for whats left of the afternoon. We head inside to get ready to go out for dinner and down comes the rain again. We make it to the bar and have a drink hoping it might clear but it's not letting up. Ever thankful for the big KP umbrella we head to Lanai, disappointed I've missed sunset again.

Wednesday - Day 3
We are getting picked up today at 9am by Made our driver for a trip to Ubud.
Made Sukarma is one of the drivers on the driver list on TA and we chose him as he is Licensed and Insured for Tourism.

http://www.balidiscoveryexperience.com/index.html

Our loose plan was to check out a few silversmiths and anything that sounded good at the time (maybe woodcarving), have lunch in Ubud and a wander around, followed by a visit to Monkey Forest. I also wanted to drive around the neighbouring areas of Ubud and get an idea of the distance  some places really are to the main area of Ubud as we were thinking of staying in Ubud for our anniversary trip in October.

As we drive along, I see signs of places I have studied on various maps. We pass through Batubulan and on towards Celuk observing stone carving and plant nurseries along the way.
We discuss the placement of offerings at the start and the end of the day, the gingham like black & white cloth material we see on many statues and trees at bridges and the colour of the walls of buildings.
Made points out that some are made of "brick" while others are "painted concrete" and we spend a little while checking this out as we turn down a narrow lane way to our first silver shop.
We are there the same time as a few other day trippers and I wonder how the staff can manage to repeat the silver process again and again and again. I watched this lady making these delicate earrings and I was really impressed with the design. I was hoping to be able to find some like this in the store but alas, none to be found.

Narrow streets

Trevor was hoping to be able to find a silver bracelet to replace the one he'd previously bought in Thailand but there was nothing we really liked, so we decided to visit another silversmith.
This one was much more enjoyable than the first as it seemed more family orientated and less commercialised. We even found a bracelet that was different to all the others and we never saw another one like it again anywhere else, but then again we weren't really looking either.
Made asked the older woman if he could show us around their family home while we were there. It was interesting hearing about the Balinese way of life and their beliefs. I could spend hours just listening and learning. The orchids here were gorgeous.

We decided to visit Alam Shanti before we got to the main area of Ubud and Made drove toward Mas and then turned toward Singakerta, turning down Jl Nyuh Kuning around midday.
We saw school kids walking home and Made explained about the Balinese school system. I can just imagine kids in Oz either having to go to school at 7am or not finishing till 6pm at night. Again one realises how fortunate life is here in Australia.
Alam Shanti is gorgeous and the staff were happy to show us around. The grounds are so peaceful and relaxing.

The first room we are shown is the Yamuna room and I would love to stay here or in the Gangga room above. You look out over the rice fields towards Tegal Sari & Greenfields, but just below you is this amazing river flowing past your balcony. I didn't take too many photos as Trevor recorded a rather long video of this room and the Shindu room. See link below.

 Bathroom area

View out of the bathroom window

Link to video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnyY5HrsxSo&list=UU9UmshFQiY2iRpu-r8QoHdw&index=1&feature=plcp

Once we got back in the car we really felt lunch was in order.
Made turned left a couple times after leaving AS, passing Tegal Sari and Green Field hotels as we drove towards Monkey Forest Road. For us as a couple I would not have a problem walking into Ubud from here, but it is a long walk uphill from this end to Jl Raya Ubud. Tossing around restaurant names for lunch we finally settled on Cafe Lotus and were not disappointed.
We chose the Crab & Shrimp spring rolls, Mie Goreng and Pork & Chicken Sate. Service was good and the setting is absolutely gorgeous.

Cafe Lotus

After lunch we wandered around the Ubud markets and Ubud Palace. The markets were pretty hot and I think I would prefer to see them earlier in the day and when I had more time to browse. The Palace was great, but again the time of day meant there were many, many bus loads of people, not overly peaceful.
I can understand why people say Ubud is different once the day visitors have gone.

We walked back to our meeting place and spied a little shop with an ice-cream sign out the front, oooh, just what I need.
We walked outside and chatted to a few other people waiting for their drivers, when all of a sudden a man walking across the road towards us calls out to Trevor and says the old "I know you!" I'm thinking "no way".
Sure enough the guys used to work together many moons ago in Adelaide where we come from. The couple were on a cruise that was docked in Bali and doing a day trip to Ubud. Apprently they come up in large buses and have to take mini buses into the main area as the large buses can't get around.
Talk about small world!!!

Not long after Made found us and we headed north for about 15 minutes and then came back down into Ubud. I had been keen on staying somewhere close to one of the rivers, but now I don't think I would want to stay this far out and need transport to get into Ubud proper. I think I prefer to be walking distance even though it is not for everyone.
Trevor was keen to go to Monkey Forest, so that was our next stop.

The monkeys are pretty cute (from a distance), I couldn't help laughing at the looks on some peoples faces. These monkeys were pretty rough when playing.

I just adored all the baby monkeys.

I didn't realise how much there is to see here and it's not just the monkeys either. I could happily spend hours just looking at the statues and absorbing the natural beauty all around me.

 

When we first entered Monkey forest we could smell smoke and Made said a Cremation was happening. He gave us a brief history lesson and we took a few photos on our way out, but I felt a little disrespectful even though it was all over by then.

Once in the car we head back up Monkey Forest road and turn west at Jl Raya Ubud.
Made points out Campuhan Bridge as we continue up past Kori Ubud as this is another hotel I have been considering for our stay in October. I seriously think this may be even too far out for me. Lot's of decisions to make.

We make our way back to Legian having had an amazing day. Trevor starts getting the noddies and Made and I have some interesting conversations about life as we know it in Oz. As I work in the health industry I enjoy hearing about what this is like in any country I visit.

The traffic picks up as we are chatting away and I do my usual gasps for breath as scooter after scooter dive in front of the car. I really don't think I could drive over here. Made tells me about the petrol increase that is about to take place and I wonder how the Balinese will be able to afford this huge hike in price.

Back at the KP, we give Made a generous tip and look forward to the next trip we are undertaking with him to Lake Bratan, Bedugal and whatever we come up with in the meantime. We wander back to our room and think we'll just have a quick shower and then head out for dinner when it occurs to me.......
OMG.....I've missed another sunset.

Dinner tonight was at Seaside and unfortunately I chose the wrong meal, so we swapped half way through. I still couldn't get my phone to work so we decide to head back to Discovery tomorrow to find out what it wrong.

After dinner I feel the need for a walk after being in the car most of the day. We walked down past Mozzarella by the Sea and make a booking for the Beatles tribute show they on have every Saturday night.

Continuing along the seafront to the Legian Beach hotel we turn left and wander up to Garlic Lane trying to find where Ketut's shop is. We can't find it but we do find the Bali Beach Shack & wonder if we should stop and have a drink, but we figure we'll probably come this way again and continue on our way.

The shop sellers are so funny, I forgot about the things you can be offered as I hear Trevor's shocked voice the first time, "Did he just offer me......?"
Laughing all I can do is nod my head at him. It also amuses me when they say "nice dragon" and offer him more tattoos.
Sorry fellas, not happening!!
We walk out of Garlic Lane and turn right into Jl Padma, again I'm noting this restaurant I want to try or that hotel I'd read about.

Starting to tire we grab a taxi at the corner of Jl Legian and get him to drop us off at the hotel entrance so we can go and book a massage at Briella Spa as we've heard so many good recommendations.
It's raining again, time to chill and head back to the KP for a night cap on the balcony.

After 3 pretty full on days, I think tomorrow might need to be a rest day.....however I think we'll decide on that one in the morning.