The journey started with a 24 hour flight from Toronto with stop overs in Alaska and Hong Kong before landing in Bali. I will say that Cathay Pacific was an amazing airline, they kept feeding you constantly and what seemed at the most strangest of times.
At the airport I had no problems with customs and no sign of any long lines that I was warned about, lucky I reckon. Once outside I was hit with that Bali sunshine, I was also facing about 300 people holding name cards. Before arriving I had arranged for transportation to meet me at the airport, well isn't the guy with my name the shortest one of the lot, and he standing in the back of the crowd enjoying a ciggar, it took me 20 minutes to find him I couldn't help but laugh.
The 20 min drive to the resort was a culture shock, motorbikes everywhere. I saw a family of 5 on one. The father was driving 2 todlers in the middle and mother on the back holding a baby on her side and a basket on her head, it would have been funny if it wasn't for the fact no one was wearing a helmet. My driver gave me a gift of a bottle of Bali wine which later on I quite enjoyed.
At my resort I found waiting for me 2 Balanise dancers who greeted me with a cold drink and a dance, both were great. After hearing the low down from the resort manager I was escorted to my room wich was big clean and better than I had hoped, the Club Bali Mirage is beatiful and I would urge all to go.
At this point I can honestly say after all that travel I stank and was in desperate need of a shave and a shower! Well shaving in the nude(what the hell I'm on holiday)I heard a bird in my room I came out of the bathroom to investigate but nothing was there so I continued when that bloody bird started chirping again so I started to crawl on all fours searching under the bed and sofa when someone knocked on my door. I opened my door to find the porter had brought me my suit case, thats when I realized 2 things, 1- was that my room had a doorbell that sounded like a bird chirping, I felt like an idiot when I learned that I was searching for a bird that wasn't there and the 2nd thing I realized was that I was naked, this was my first 3 hours in Bali 2 more weeks to go!