Last one guys...
Bali Trip 8th June - 16th June
Part 4
Wednesday (Day 7)
Woke up early this morning, not singing 'Who likes Pina Colada's?' anymore because I'm already missing Bali and I know today is the last full day we have left and tonight we will have to pack and I'm very very sad.
We thought we'd do Waterbom Park today as we still have the vouchers and have already paid so might as well use them. BF, Lil Bro and I are going and at breakfast Uncle asks if we can take the girls - Miss 14, Miss 11 and Miss 10 as Mum, Dad and Grandpa have given them their vouchers - okay the more the merrier I suppose! Straight after breakfast we run down to Helgi's to pick up more DVD's???? Why we need them I do not know but I guess it's a bit like my need for handbags hey? He is very happy to see us - I think we are his number 1 customers for the week and on the way back book in at the Green Garden Spa for a Royal Bali Spa (Mum and Dad went a few days ago) for 240 000RP (AU$33) - 3 hours of pampering - yay! Booked in for 5:30 tonight and that was at a stretch they must have gotten busier in the last couple of days because when Mum booked they got in within 2 hours! Oh well.
Back to Bali Hai, round up the kids and ordered the taxi. While waiting BF and I laid down the ground rules - well one mainly - tell us where you're going and reminded them that we, obviously, don't have kids so don't know all that kid stuff so they need to tell us if they need something - everyone happy! Got to Waterbom and the kids took over - booked a Gazebo and a locker and hired towels and took us to the Gazebo and told us that if we got lost we should come back here and what you need for each ride and how to get there. Sunscreen on, sunnies off and off we go into the Lazy River then the kids decided it was time we went on a slide so okay lets go. We get our rafts and walk along the path chatting happily then we get to the bottom of the stairs - stairs? Who said anything about stairs? I just got over my last experience with stairs and now here is another five flights in front of me. The kids reassure me that I'm going to be okay. So I go up and I take it one step at a time - this ride better be good! It was but I prefer the Macaroni - double raft with BF in front - backwards! You go really really really fast. The stairs do get a bit easier - a bit. After a couple of Macaroni's Miss 10 comes running past and tells us we have to go on the Smash Down so okay - we'll go. We all go up the stairs and up the stairs and when we get to Macaroni level Miss 11 and Miss 14 stop and refuse to go up the next set of steps but Miss 10 is still egging us on - okay but BF and I are getting a little scared now - what exactly is the Smash Down? We get up there and Miss 10 shows us. Okay so it's like a vertical slide - isn't that a bit scary, dangerous...whatever? I didn't hear her answer because Miss 10 jumps in the slide, crossed arms, nose blocks and hurtles herself down it - no fear! I am pleased to say we did survive. It was fun. I did it three times and that was enough but apparently I should have kept my eyes open and no body warned me about the ginormous wedgie you also get as a thank you for climbing up to the Smash Down!
TIP: Do go to Waterbom park it is an excellent day out and especially if you have kids. There is a kiddie area with slides etc for the little ones as well and you will enjoy yourself, it is such good value for money and you will never find anything as good back in Australia. Also DO go on the Smash Down at least once but be warned the wedgie is big!
We all met back at the Gazebo and went for lunch. We got pizza's and hamburgers - it is pricey compared to other Bali prices but doesn't break the budget. I think kids meals were between 40 000RP (AU$5.50) and 50 000RP (AU$7) and adult meals were a little more. After lunch we had a few more slides and then called it a day and made our way back to the hotel. Kids went for a swim and Mum, BF and Miss 14 took the plaits out of my hair. Next time I think I'll just pay someone to do it because it took almost as long as it took to put them in and was much more painful! On that note - I saw a post recently about sunburn and plaits - yes be aware of it. I didn't get badly sunburned but went a bit pink and very easily and it is most uncomfortable so wear a hat especially with the littlies - it could get nasty!
Had our spa at the Green Garden first went in the Jacuzzi then the steam room which was lovely. BF and I were in the same room. The massages were beautiful except for the head massage - I understand it is traditional Balinese massage but they really pulled my hair - and BF's. The lulur wrap and scrub was great and the staff were friendly it was just unfortunate that we booked so late because all they really wanted to do was go home. They kept talking to each other during the massage and we could hear staff outside talking and then during the facial they went outside and sat with the staff. BF didn't get his hot rocks or pedicure - he got a facial instead and he also didn't get his hair bath thingy just got a hair wash and then they laughed at how quickly his hair dried - the hair is a bit of a sensitive subject with BF (uh oh bet I'm in trouble now!!). I would go back but only if I could book earlier in the day and I would request for staff that were recommended by somebody else.
Unfortunately the first half of the spa treatment was more relaxing than the last half so we went back to hotel not feeling as wonderful as we planned so just ordered room service and packed our bags - dinner cost 115 000RP (AU$16). All the others went to Poppies and said it was just wonderful - not sure what they had and I don't have a toilet report either. They didn't, Mum noticed give out cold towels like most places.
Went to sleep wishing we still had another week at least to spend in paradise.
Thursday (Day 8 - last day)
Not singing any Pina Colada songs today. Just frantically trying to figure out when and how soon I can get back here and it hasn't stopped. I've been back two weeks and everyday I've been planning my next trip and driving BF nuts.
Went to Legian to pick up the sign - all is well it looks great. Went back to Ketut's shop - she had my skirt and we bought heaps more shirts for BF and I, boardies for BF, a couple of handbags (yes I really do need more!) and hats and promised to come back as soon as we can!!!!
Mum, Dad and Lil Bro went back to the hotel and BF and I wandered around a little and found what I think is the shop that Ketut gets her little beaded purses from and they had so many more sizes and colours! I picked out three and asked how much. Got told 270 000RP (AU$37) for the 3. I couldn't be bothered with the barter so just told him I was going to give him one price only 80 000RP (AU$11) and explained how I came to that - 30 000RP (AU$4) for the medium sized ones (this is what I paid at Ketut's - didn't tell him that though of course!) and 20 000RP for the small one. Okay he says - everyone happy yet again!
Caught a taxi to the Surf Factory Outlet as we had heard so much about it. How disappointing! I'm not sure if we got the right one but I think we did. While the prices are cheaper than back home they're no cheaper than the surf shops in Kuta and there was nothing there. We couldn't find anything worth getting. So we caught a taxi back to the hotel and packed our bags and checked out.
The latest we could check out was 1pm but then we could leave our bags with the hotel staff until we left. While our bags were just left in the foyer there was always staff watching it and all was good. Aunty and Uncle were having their spa today so the rest of us caught a couple of taxis to Centro and had lunch at a café in there. It was clean and the staff friendly but it took half an hour to 45 minutes for our meals to come out. The milkshakes are beautiful though!
After lunch went back to the hotel and asked for our transfers and went to the air port. Walked around for a while and bought some Bali souvenirs and before we knew it we were on the plane and on our way back home. The flight was quicker than planned which I suppose was good because it was less time traveling but bad because it meant our holiday finished sooner!
Getting through customs was a breeze - we had a few wooden things to declare and they were all fine - much less scary than customs at the other end! The customs officers were so nice and Perth was so cold. The poor Misses were still in their bathers and sarongs so we threw them into a taxi as soon as we could and said our goodbyes while we waited for ours. Then for the next week we compared everything to RP and tried to pretend we were still in Bali by occasionally saying 'you buy you buy' 'transport' and 'it's free to look!'
I wish that I'd gone to Bali sooner and will definitely be going back as soon as I can - hoping for February/March next year. After lurking on the BTF for the past few months I thought you'd all gone a little crazy with your Bali-it is references and posts about smelling sarongs etc etc but now that I've been and come back I've got it - real bad and while I haven't gotten to the smelling sarongs point give me a few more weeks and I'll probably be there with the rest of you!
For any one considering a holiday to Bali - GO! You will not be disappointed. While there were a few negatives - there will be wherever you go and the positives in Bali far outweigh the negatives - you will love it.
I didn't get to do as much as I would've liked this time but hey - there is always next time and the time after and the time after that and the time after that.............. It won't be long before I'm singing 'How many sleeps till Bali?' and 'Who likes Pina Colada's?' again!
THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
Book tours over in Bali not in Australia that way you get a better price and you're not locked in.
Not eat at the hotel so often - the food and experience was boring compared to the times we ate out.
Go down the beach - I didn't go down there this time
Spend more time relaxing and doing nothing
Drink more Pina Colada's
Not book Hotel Transfers
Not change money in Australia
Only take one suitcase over there and buy another bag over there
Not take as much crap - i.e. first aid stuff and clothes.
Stay for longer
While I had the best time I think that I spent too much in the one place and would've liked to see a lot more of Bali and its people. I'd love to get to the Elephant Park and I'd probably stay in Legian next time. I most definitely would not eat at the hotel next time.
A special thank you to everyone that posts on the BTF you provided me with so much advice - not all of it that I listened to but most I should have - and helped make our holiday wonderful!
If anybody has any questions please post and I'll try and answer them!
Hope you've enjoyed reading my JBR's and hope I will be able to write many more in the months to come!
Terima kasih.