Penultimate part 6
Did I do any shopping? Well, not really at least when I compare my shopping with what some of you seem to do and enjoy, at least according to the BTF. I do, however, think that the joy of shopping somehow dwindles when the worries about the scales at the airport start to set in. Are these scales made by the same factory that makes the scales at the cafés at Jimbaran Bay, where 200 grams become 800 grams? Perhaps I shall bring a bottle of water and check the airport scales, so I do not get ripped off. I can of course place myself on the scales and claim that since I am really XX kilos and the scale actually shows YY kilos, something is probably wrong with the scale. Naturally I shall not tell the staff at check-in that I had to find a tailor to quickly make me a pair of new, much roomier trousers already after two weeks of indulging.
Somehow I cannot omit to mention the purchase of a pair of multifocal, anti-reflex spectacles with lenses that change colour with the light. I bought them at the Optic Seis in the Kartika Mall at 2.600.000 Rupiahs, a souvenir with a good use. That was less than half what I may pay in Sweden and at the same time as good, or even better. A word of caution: it took Optic Seis almost two weeks to make the spectacles, as (part of?) the job had to be done in Jakarta; at least that was what the staff told me. And also do a thorough check of the new spectacles against the order when you chose the frames and had your eyes tested (the testing is done in a very professional way, same as 'at home'). I almost missed the anti-reflex part and since all my previous spectacles have been anti-reflex, I had not felt comfortable had the new lenses not been treated. But the problem was solved, the staff was very nice, it was all smiles and lots of apologies and thus there were no hard feeling on either side. Again Seis Optic did a good job and I exited the shop as a very satisfied customer.
I bought one (1) DVD. No, please do not laugh at me; I am not really that much into the DVD scene. The staff in a shop near the Dynasty did not understand how anyone could (be so stupid to) buy just one as it was possible to get so many for so little. I was even told that I would get one DVD gratis, if I bought ten. I suggested that I would leave the ten to be bought by others and just get the gratis one. Again Bali proved herself. The staff thought my remark was so funny (=odd?) so I was actually given the DVD, which I happily accepted, at least at first. The transaction was done within earshot of some other tourists and received a loud burst of laughter and a few odd comments. Well, I felt that I could not really rip off the sellers so I wanted to pay despite many 'no, no, it is a special present'. In order to somewhat return their favour I bought another DVD and over-paid intentionally and thus everybody seemed happy and I had increased my DVD shopping by 100 percent.
Apart from these items, I was thinking that the donations to my friends at the Sanglah Hospital were more essential than any wood-carvings that merely collect dust or sometimes crack in dry, central heated surroundings.
Friendship, however, never collects dusts or rusts. And I prefer all my memories that I have tried to convey to you during my Hither and Dithers in Bali, to dust collectors and shelf fillers.
Of course I vividly remember one very special, wooden elephant that I enjoyed very much. At home I heard a sudden, cracking sound as the head fell off and at the same time the back gave in and the tired, round belly ended up laying very much alone on one of my shelves for elephants. It was an interesting ending to this quite heavy, expensive elephant, with long white tusks that always fell off as soon as I glanced at the elephant, before it departed. I had lovingly and with utmost care carried the elephant back from Sri Lanka once upon a time - and well before my travels with hand luggage only. Now I know better as I upon returning place at least smaller wooden items in the refrigerator to gradually let them get used to the climate indoors here. Honestly, it works, and it is a pleasant sight to see the wooden animals together with the edible and drinkable items on the shelves when doing an evening raid to the kitchen.
It is now time to wrap up my tale about the three weeks in Bali. The natural sadness sets in as the departure approaches. As I have tried to be quite open with my feelings through my previous texts, I think I shall not omit one last afterthought.
Since I had been living close to the ocean throughout my stay, I had of course thought of the tsunami that hit parts of the region on the 26th of December 2004, a time when 543 Swedish nationals sadly disappeared for ever, among thousands of other nationalities, mainly Indonesians. The memory of the tsunami made me really think twice about the so called beauty of the ocean, a beauty that may be so utterly treacherous. It was so friendly and glittering and in so many shades of blue and green at the Dreamland Beach. And I remember many early nights before going to bed (before December 2004), standing on the concrete wall outside Discovery Kartika Plaza, by the ocean. I there enjoyed the sights and sounds of the waves, which were breaking against the seawall at high tide. The bigger the splash was, the better it looked. In my imagination the waves were coming from far away places while I was looking at the shooting stars emerge, also arriving from very far away, and suddenly, gradually grow bigger and eventually landing at the airport, after first having distributed a crescent of glittering, moving light on top of the dark ocean.
This time, in May/June 2005, I did stand on the beach with an almost similar view but with mixed feelings. The shooting stars (Garuda & Co) were still there, the white crests of the waves glittering in the strong lights from the Ma Joly onto the beach - but there also was an imminent feeling of an unknown, imaginary and thus unseen danger lurking out there. The ocean had in December 2004 once and for all proved that it is not all that friendly. Seafarers have always been saying that the sea gives and the sea takes. This expression is both very sad and also very true.
I am not going to be a scaremonger here as quite a few - myself included - loves to have a room with a sea-view. And many of us love to take long walks along the never ending beach that start at the airport and curves past Tuban, Kuta, Seminyak etc., like a never-ending story. Well, I suppose that we all take risks when we do what we all love so much, i.e. travelling. We are what we are, and thus tend to forget about the dangers and simply enjoy our vacations - and that is the way to enjoy life.
Yes, inevitably the departure day came. I put my few clothes on the floor and rolled them hard into a roll. With rubber bands around the roll, it fitted easily into the carry on trolley, together with the unexpected birthday present - and there would even be enough space for My Bottle to be bought at Bangkok Airport.
The hand luggage was not too heavy, after the two kilos My Bottle bought in Bangkok, it was a mere ten kilos and together with the topped up camera bag at three kilos, these two small bags were gave me no problem when boarding, neither in Bali nor in Bangkok. Somehow it seems as if today we do not scramble to the aircraft in order to get a seat. Instead we scramble to be able to put things in the overhead bin(s) before the other passengers try to do the same.
Thus a happy vacationer returned to Sweden. The pre-sleep dinner was good, as were the drinks. I had been lucky in the seat number raffle and had nobody next to me, which together with the drinks made sleep come easy. And as I managed to sleep most of the many hours going back, it was a flight to endure.
It is always puzzling me why the flights from Bali via Bangkok (or via Singapore, for that matter, and probably from Australia to Europe, too) to Sweden take longer time wise than the flight from Sweden to Bangkok (or Singapore etc.). Look at a globe and one may realise that it is uphill all the way back to Europe. I prefer to think that it is the good times in Bali that have tied a strong, elastic band to the tail of the aeroplane in order to try to pull it back.
I wish the 18th of September 2005 to come quickly so that I can have a new, longer (six weeks) vacation in Bali. How and where those weeks will be spent I do not know yet, but I am sure the weeks will be filled with more pleasant experiences of Bali. My driver has suggested I should visit the north-western parts of Bali and I am seriously considering his suggestion and advice. The hot springs near Lovina shall be revisited as shall Jatiluwih, then hopefully in all shades of green.
Throughout my Hither and Dithers, I have been grumbling about the Ramada Bintang Bali Resort. You may wonder why. For those who already have their very positive opinion on that hotel, my report shall be but a nuisance, probably something to (seriously) flame as there has already been quite one quite tentative attempt.
To others it may be an eye-opener, especially to those on the verge of booking a vacation in Bali. At least do not stay in room 1231 if staying at the Ramada! Some may not believe that so many things can go wrong in such a short time and believe me, I really wish they hadn't as I expected a carefree, enjoyable three weeks in a five stars hotel. And for those who are not interested in the Ramada or my experiences there at all, my advice is to not read report at all.
My experiences of staying at five stars hotel in Bali before this visit were one stay at the Hyatt in Sanur and five stays at the Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel in Tuban. I have also stayed at the Bali Garden Hotel before it was run by the previous owners, and at the Bali Hai when it still was a Holiday Inn. These hotels were/are well managed by staff, from the general manager down to the trainees, which preferred/prefers to understand the needs of the guest and act accordingly. Unfortunately, at least for me, the Kartika was more than full when I did my bookings.
I have very much appreciated your encouraging comments. Thank you for your patience with my first and also, most probably, last ever JBR. But, again, one should never say never, because never is a very long time.
I hereby send you Warm Summer Greetings from Sweden.