Well I'd better get down to it and try to remember all in the right order, HA!
Now as you read just rememebr that I really am dyslexic so take pity on my spelling/typing its apalling!
Flew out of Perth two weeks ago with Air Paradise. No probs though I must say I was less than impressed with their food, a soggy meat pie with no flavour on the way out - Mrs Macs it was not! and a cannaloni on the way back that wasnt even cooked soggy pasta and green veges no amount of salt and pepper could improve it. So just eat well before you leave and take snacks - especally if you have kids. Everything else with them great.
Paid VOA in Aussie dollars no probs, no probs Customs etc.
Its a wonderful feeling as you imerge from that dark Airport into the warmth and bustle of Bali. This time we took our daughter who is 12, it was her first Asian trip so we were watching her reactions, thoguh we had forgotten to warn her about the porters! By the time we had sorted out the taxi to Seminyak she was surrounded by Porters holding her bags and looking totally bemused.
I thought we would see some great reactions from her on the drive to the hotel as I had fought with myself over the previous weeks to not make comments on the Bali drivers, but no not a comment partly because it was a quite Sunday and partly cos I dont think you appreicate it if you dont drive yourself!
Well hotel was Bali Ayu where we stayied last time, nothing special but great staff and good pool next to rice paddies but close to great restaurants. I took disinfectant etc to scrub showers loo etc but was pleasantly suprised that it looked god and my tough scrub madde no visbable difference.
Quick swim then off to Bintang Supermarket for supplies. We bought two drinking cups (after reading about teh one rag for loo and dishes etc - yes I had wondered about that too!) Our cups were like what I used for Jes (daughter) when she was abay but bigger about 350ml. They had a sealed top - tupperware style with a plastic straw in them - decoarated with cartoon fruit - very mature! They workewd really well we poured out grapejuice into them and kept them in our fridge (lids were colour coded per person) topped them up as required washed daily, it meant that ants couldnt get in if yu had them on the table beside you as you popped the bendly straw back down and they were spill proof - well here endith the lesson on drinking cups!Black grape juice - my system cleanser instead of raspberry juice and bottle in OZ too! - 3l Berri 42,500 2l P & N 27,500rp. other esentials heineken can 330ml 34,600,heinken beer btl 13,000, Guinness 330 can 10,600,that was my husbands essentails now mine milky bar 45gm 3350 and Oreos about the same. Dont forget to bring sun screen from home its 55,100rp for 100ml!!!!!!!
Next day I think we hit the shops with the little black book filled with prices and shops gained from ths forum.
Went to S & S on sunday night met Sammy and Suzie, the Fisho family and Bali crazy and husband. Nice sitting there on the beach swapping stories. Went for dinner with teh Fishos at Bubba Gumps yes expenisve by Bali standards but not Ozzie, great night beautiful food would definately go again.
Next day what did we do...oh yes shopping....
Off to Dolphin Leather in Sahadewa St, to order leather jacket (which I have been wearing like a second skin since I came back into the cold and wet of Perth!) They made me a jacket that is shorter than 2/3rds with a belt and three buttons, beautifully made. On the off chance I asked if they made money purses, they showed me what they had. Not what I wanted, I showed them mine - a vinal one bought at Matahari's last trip just giving up the ghost. They gave me one of their's while they took mine to make a copy. Now thats Service! Two days it was all ready - perfect! and $25.00AUD paid visa for all left a deposit in Rp and was given back when paid in full.
Then off to Aristos at Merrys Leather, Jl Padma Utara - we walked from Dolphin, bit of a walk daughter loved it with the "hello darling's" even one hello sexy -we wont be taking her back once she turns 15 till shes married! Best call I thought was "hello sexy love your Mother!!!!!" that resored myself confidence! Bought the fake sunnies some shell necklaces etc sticking to forum prices or a bit above it was great knowing what was fair, it took much of the stress out of it and we and the shop keepers had fun.
Stopped at Divi disk (between Dolphin and Merry's) and hired DVD player for the stay I think 240,000rp for the 14 days he tried a bit higher but I was able to say you hired to someone else on the forum for 210,000rp for ten days so??? He laughed, we bought some DVDs and all were happy.
Merry's again great, thank you Colleen, I took some fabric from home for winter coats for daughter and I, again two days and a beautiful job. Daughters 3/4 in sueade beautiful cut and made for her to grow with out me asking. Mine a boucle for wearing over jeans great.
I have size 9 ladies feet and had got feed up in Matahari's with all these beautiful shoes tht were just too small ouch! I tried the ugly step sisters have nothing on me! So I order a pair of sandals from Merry's shoe maker. Simple thongs with a strap over the top to form a triangle, they had a pair just like it on display. First time I went back they were ready but one foot was too lose. Went back in two days this time the other strap - same foot was too lose. I have to conclude that the measurements taken werent right. I doubt my foot was shrinking in the heat. So back to the maker for more adjust ments. He offered to bring them out to our hotel in Seminyak but I didnt want to take him out of his way. They still arent right, one foot is neat the other slopy fit.
Never mind I'll go back for the tayloring 300,000 rp ea for our jackets Beautiful! I sent five ladies that we met in Pemuteran to Merrys after they admired our jackets.
Next day off to Waterbom park with the fisho family from the forum, great time as the girls were the same age so they went and did there own thing. Adult 175750rp and child 90250rp then there was the 15% discount due to the voucher that we picked up from the tourist info booth on the street. We had a great day the meals werent as expensive as I thought they could be when you are a captured audience with kidz meals 30,000rp inc drink and dessert. Towels were 5000rp to hire an dlockers about 10000 I think - its fadeing from the memory now but you have to put down a deposit on both. Again very reasonable I thought.
Remember to take shampoo and soap for shower afterwards.
We had to laugh at the life guards. At the end of one of the rides a poor Japanese chap shot out of the tunnel and paniced, he began thrashing around in the water & going under (he actually could have just stood up - we saw him latter on other rides having great fun so he recovered just fine) the "lifeguard" on the side of the pool - 2 meters away from the man- blew his little whistle and instucted a customer to rescue the man!!!! I dont think that the life guards like to get wet!
Our two families were there from 10.00am till close had a great day.
Hit the Surf factory outletson the way to dinner two tee shirts both Roxy I think 90,000 and 117,000rp Then Planet Hollywood for dinner, same price as Bubba Gumps - same people eatting- but not as good. Bubba Gumps had a theme and they met it but Planet Hollywood didn't feel as if they had acheived it.
We spent seven days in Seminyak ate at some wonderful restaurants.
RESTAURANTS: all in Seminyak.
La Luchianos: Had breakfast one day nice, thought the hash browns would be one, so ordered a plate each found they were four per plate and a meal in themselves! Nice suprise. No Blueberry pancakes!!! did i get it wrong I was looking forward to them!
Venue at the Moon. Jl Petitenget Kerobokan, just up from the new Living Room other side of road. - this is where I used the internet for the price of a drink. Beautiful pineapple,lemon and lemon grass - to die for! We had breakfast there on the last day sorry but it beats la Luccainos! French toast with smoked bacon and oh dear I've forgotten something else. Huge helpings and pancakes with bananas, great big thick banana pancakes like piklets but well cooked beautiful flavour. its a pretty slick looking place not the sort of place I would normally enter but the food it to die for. Owned by an Ozzie - though I never sighted him.
Rumours, Jl Lesmana Oberoi - wonderful as normal.
Punto & Basta, Jl Lesmana Oberoi - new, describe themselves as contempory flavours, wonderful meal - I cant find the bill ( I have the card) but it was very reasonable. None of us can remember what we ate, we all remember there being alot of food on the menu that we liked and it was a hard choice. I do remeber having an apple and cinnimon drink very nice.Very clean good staff opposite side of road to Rumours.
Laundry: we used Hotwave laundry just up from the Living room. We had to laugh at their disclaimer on the flyer - please note that I just cant 'do' other languges (lets face it I have enough problems with English!) and take my hat off to anyone who can so I am not taking the micky but this does make me giggle.
Note
We will do everything professionally and we'll taking care all of your stuff extra carefully, but if we missing or destroy your stuff, we will change with 10X free washing with the same time kind/ material.
This price can change any time with confirmation first.
Despite the fear that they would DESTROY! our clothes we trusted them and they did a wonderful job - twice and ran a very tidy laundry - beats washing it all myself like last time - hey I'm on holiday too! and for under 50,000rp for atleast tthre days gear for three of us I'm very happy!
After Semiyak we went off to Pemuteran for four nights.
Beautiful fantastic!
It is right up in the North west corner and takes a little over three hours to get there but is well worth it, up a bit from Lovina. We arrived 29th and left on the 2nd.
You take a boat and guide out to Melgean (my guide books have gone back to Library not sure of spelling now but it translates to deer island) Island it costs $25.00USD per person - child or adult includes guide, two 'dives', lunch, and hire of goggles, snorkel and flippers plus boat trip.
One of the people we met at the hotel was a Tasmainain who had dived at New Guinea, Fiji, Great Barrier etc he said it was very comparable with them and possibly even better. My husband had dived around NZ and was also impressed. There are a variety of differnt places they can take you so you could go more than once - some of our party even saw Nemo - I'm still looking! It was absolutely fantastic the most beautiful fish everywhere, and I didnt even dive down just floated along on top.
We took disposable underwater cameras and though I missed the zoom and LCD screen of my camera I was pleasantly suprised with teh quality of the photos. I wil admit that each photo has a beautiful fish in it and some times you are hard pressed to find it as no zoom but sometimes it cos the little begger turned just as I pushed the button. The photos are all clear which suprised me as I thought with teh water movement and fish swiming etc that there would bw a lot of blurs but no. I took three cameras - one each Agfa, Fuji and one other whos brand escapes me all bought at Big W yu can not tell whichis which in the develping as all preformed well. two went to 4 meters depth and one deeper not that I tested it! I am planning to get ablogg up and running soon and get the photos on it. With some playing atound onthe computer I should be able to find those elesive fish I hope! got some wonderful photos of drop offs and coral.
Our daughter is 12 years and managed it easily there are buoys along the area where they take you for you to hold on to if you get tired. No current easy swimming.
The gear they hired was fine.
You can also snorkel off the beach in front of Yos diving where there is an artifical reef - however we tried it late afternoon but the visbabilty was not good aparently it is better early morning.
We stayed at the Aneka Bangus in one of their villa's for $40.00USD per night plus a $13.00 USD charge for our daughter including all breakfasts which were very nice. If your intersted contact them though there own web site and negotiate. I went though a internet travel agent but they do the same price direct.
There are tweleve villas all separate and very pictureques (?)with Alang alang roofs and an outdoor hot and cold shower. Nice bathroom, individual safes,TV's and small fridges. I was a bit worried as I had only seen photos on the internet - no recommendatinson the forum - but it was just like it shows on the net, a pleasant suprise. They also have standard rooms in a block. There were four cats all named Lobby! It turns out tey all sleep in the lobby at night - apart from the one who slept at our door with her kittens, they ended up being named smoochy Lobby, Nosiey Lobby (our one) bashfull Lobby by my daughter - most of the guest were sneaking food for them.
The company who orgainised all the diving was Yos Marine Adventures
you can look up their website yosdive dot com
any queries email me I have photos that I can scan.
We went on a bush walk with Yo, orgasied though hotel, we didnt find any black monkeys or anything, pleasant walk -2hrs- but not that exciting.
Others from the hotel went fishing and had fun caught, I think, trevelli, small and they gave to locals as they were leaving.
Great pool overlooking sea, beautiful gardens just like web site, restaurant fine.
Pemuteran was the highlight of our trip and I would recommend that anyone interested in snorkling or getting out of Kuta try it. There are no hawkers and it is just bliss for relaxation.