hahaha, well thanks for all your kind words down below, yes I think the markets at Bedugal (or whatever theyre called) are definitely worth a visit, but then, I havent been to the markets in Kuta or Legian so cant tell you about the spices, but they abound up in Bedugal and so fresh!!!!
I havent mentioned my visits to Dr Sucipto the dentist. My first appointment was the 2nd night we were there at 7.30pm. Hes a real sweetie and I told him his picture on his website doesnt make him look as good as in real life, and it just so happened that his website designer was sitting there (along with I dont know how many others) in his office on the computer, so he looked up and laughed and agreed to take a better photo.
Now look....Im gonna tell you they dont always use gloves on BOTH hands in the surgery, but I think if you were really freaked about it, you could ask and they would, but it didnt really bother me, as I saw them continually washing their hands.
So we had a look at my teeth and then sat down together and wrote a plan and costing of what I wanted done, which is a crown, about 3 replacement fillings (replace the amalgam with the new white stuff) and a possible root canal treatment.
The cost for all of this is possibly 4,150,000 and at the rate of 7100 thats about $600, which I think is pretty damn good. Anyway, it will take all of four appointments of which I have already had two, one to take a mould of my tooth and put the temporary crown in and one to put the porcelain crown in, which took all of about 10 minutes and is such a great fit, well compared to the temporary crown, which wasnt such a great fit, but I wasnt worried as it was all free until they had put the crown in, oh and an x ray at the start was 250,000. So, so far with the crown 1,500,000 and the xray Ive spent 1,750,000, and Im really happy with it all. They even work on a Saturday and money from that work goes to a childrens charity that I think he started. The fillings are between 200,000 to 400,000 he told me, so we will wait and see. For those of you who dont know, Im going back in August, got some free tickets as a result of a disastrous flight with Air Paradise last September. So I wasnt really worried about the work not being completed on this trip.
Which brings me to another chapter, accommodation!! I think I spoke about the Kumala Pantai briefly in no. 1, well the Presidential Suite is kinda cute and very very big. Huge dining table with even huger (is that a word)??? chandelier hanging over it. Then a great big two seater overstuffed lounge with two lounge chairs and another huuuge chandelier!!!! Whoa, takes a bit of getting used to, then..two bedrooms either end of the living area, with heaaps of space and big bathrooms with both bath and shower, and of course, the how could we forget, ginormous beds you get to sleep in over there. So I reckon if two couples or two families with cot age children were going, it would be cheap as chips to hire, thats around $100 per couple including breakfast...is that cheap?? I think it is, but then like ive said time and time again, Im a bit of a princess when it comes to accommodation over there.
Anyway......on to Uluwatu, we decided to take the surfies that we met on the plane advice and finally get back to Uluwatu, I tried to find it last year, but apparently the driver only took us as far as Pedang Pedang and I just knew it wasnt Uluwatu. Off we went, I actually wanted to go to the clifftop resort above the beach and then go down to the beach, WELL, we never made it any further than the resort. GORGEOUS, what can I say, Blue Point Villas, just heaven, expensive but heaven, $230 U.S. for the smallest villa, but there are only thirty and they all have amazing views apparently, I couldnt go and check any out, cause they were all fully occupied. Anyway we are still standing in reception looking at this amazing layout cause all you can see is the infinity pool and ocean and blue blue blue and then off to the right there is this amazing glass church!!!! They have alot of koreans, taiwanese and japanese stay in the place and obviously get married there as well. I would too, if I had the chance....garrrrrryy!!! hahahaha
So it costs you to use the pool, I think it was $150,000 per adult and jordy was about 50,000 BUT that included a lunch meal and drink AND...the meals were HUGE!! I ordered Nasi Goreng and I couldnt finish it!!! Jordy had spaghetti which Gary kindly finished and Gary had a hamburger, cause he has a verrrrry unadventurous palate, but thats OK.
Anyway my big point is, there was NOONE else around ALL DAY, it was like our own private idaho, and apparently from what I have gleaned since, it is like that alot.......woohooo baby Im back there, next time, if I could stay there I bloody would, but alas it is a little expensive, just one night, pleaaaase!!!
So thats about where I got most of my sunbaking done, cause apart from not alot of people around there is NO shade in the pool, so you get quite a bit sun for the day, for sure AND it seemed that the sun shines more in Uluwatu as it certainly wasnt out when we left Legian.
Umm back in Legian, we looked at Legian Beach Hotel, which is crossed off my list forever, they have really only beautifed the reception area and kinda painted and updated the soft furnishings in the villas, definitely not worth the $170 U.S. they are asking for them because we also went to Le Meridian for lunch...at Tanah Lot. Huuuge resort of course, but their rates in comparison, well to me there is no comparison, were quite reasonable when you think about it.....they were asking $190 U.S. a night for their one bedroom villas some with golf and some with ocean views. Its a beautiful resort, someone told me there was alot of controversy about it being built, but my way of thinking is..they built it and it should be used or else the ground it was built on and the building is for nothing. I know, I know, Im not here to start an argument about it, thats just how I feel!!!! And all around the edge of the resort, well around the pool area, they have these gorgeous canopied day beds, that you can lounge on, and they are right on the edge so all you would see is crashing waves against the cliff.....HOW romantic dont you think, come to think of it, I did see a couple kind of getting cosy, anywayyyyyy!!!!
We checked out the Lokha in Legian, great little resort, rooms are nice but not oversized, for me anyway, but a good price, I think it was about $90 a night, just cant remember if thats american or australian....sorry. The only thing I dont like about it is, there are too many stairs for a little toddler and the pool area has no shade whatsoever, couples probably great, but for me with a little one, yea, no good.
We also checked out the Casa Padma, now heres a great deal, $115 per night including brekkie (I KNOW, I KNOW but I think its cheap)!!!!! for a suite, on the ground floor, at either end of the hotel, and the pools shallow areas also happen to be outside these two rooms!!! Perfect for us. Its a very small resort and I think in the afternoon there is no sunlight, but thats ok, it will force us to venture on to the beach and do the lounging thing there, which Im not really a fan of cause you get hassled so much, but it will only be for the first couple of days!!! So Im really looking forward to it as this is the place we've chosen to stay in August. So will fill you in on more detail then. One thing the receptionist told us was, alot of business people stay in the hotel so during the day around the pool its especially quiet as they are all out, so that suits me too, noone to see me looking uugh in my bathers!!!! Might not even worry about the old bikini line this time...hahahaha...sorry....I know bit tooo much information.
Ok well I think thats about it, oh hang on I havent told you about the tupperware party. I got a call from dromomaniac (Sue) but her forum name apparently means someone addicted to travel. Now her delightful husband is a Purser for Qantas, so we can see where the addiction comes from. ANYWAY, we set up to get collected from our hotels in the one taxi as Fiona was coming along as well, another sparky forumite, they were both a pleasure to meet. So off we go and after a few fatal turns in Denpasar down some real local back streets, we found the house, well kinda house, it was filled to the brim with boxes of tupperware!!!! I think it was her office actually, now before you all ask, Sue has ALL the details of the rep. over there, so you will have to wait another two weeks before she is back to get the details from.
Me not being a HUGE tupperware addict, only bought a couple of things, but from what I can gather from Sue and Fiona, alot of the stuff was pretty well priced and alot of the stuff had prices very similar to Australia. Their system for hostess rewards are a little different to ours, depending on how much you spend, is how many points you get awarded to spend on hostess gifts. And as we managed to spend over a 1,000,000 rup, Sue got not some bad gifts, AND she was sweet enough to let Fiona and myself get something as well. I made sure the rep knew it was a PARTY and not just a browse, so that Sue would get something extra out of it, good for you, good for me!!!! As they would say.....well, not me, her!!!
Anyway I will let Sue fill you in on the important stuff!!! We also met the next morning at KuDeTa, which is my all time fave place for brekkie especially, and as they have put a roof over the seating closest to the beach, its now easier to sit there for a very long time and not get sunburnt!!! So we all got to meet each others partners and kids, well sue had two daughters and an extremely delightful husband and Fionas other half who was lovely as well, great morning!!!!
Did I tell you we also went to the Living Room, well its moved across the road now so a bigger outdoor area, which means MORE candleabras than before, the poor girl in charge of the candles, it would take aaaages to light them all, but oh what an ambience, and the food is really delicious, and the desserts, well they are just so gorgeous to look at, and from what my partner said, they were extremely tasty but of course for the last week I hadnt been able to taste anything, I couldve been eating cardboard, which wouldve been much, much cheaper and it wouldnt have mattered.
Well thats about it from me, I have heaps of other little tidbits but too boring for on here, hahaha. Hope youve enjoyed and definitely will fill you in on the next trip.
bye for now, and for sure email or post questions if you have any.