This tale is one about friendships old and new, and the old adage of laughter being the best medicine, is true.
Originally planned as a 20 year reunion with a friend I had met in Bali in 1985, this trip over a period of months turned into one big party with around 15 other friends traveling to Bali to catch up with, throughout the month I was there.
My story begins in Adelaide airport where I upgrade my ticket to the re-instated Paradise Class, once again being offered. For the additional $150 each way I would highly recommend upgrading. Priority luggage, additional 10kg allowance and on the return leg, access to the executive lounge money well spent in my opinion.
So, we leave on time and I have front row to myself. The 4.5 hour flight goes without incident and I am able to stretch out, lay back and enjoy. Thankfully the crew is now all Indonesian, no longer the dour faced Dutch crew who frequently scolded passengers.
The service is efficient and smiling, and they were forthcoming with requests for additional alcoholic drinks.
Arrival on time. As I always enter Bali on a 2 month visa, I am the off the plane and first thru immigration [foreigner with Visa], no waiting in queues for this little black duck. The airport staff actually said welcome to Bali, enjoy your stay. Luggage off quickly being ‘priority' and customs weren't interested in my two bottles of Moet. I was out within 15 minutes of arriving. Yeeha!!
Too smooth you might say, yeah well that was all about to change but I didn't know it yet.
As I exit the airport my long time friend is waiting to greet me. It has been a difficult year for him. This is my 3rd trip to Bali in 8 months. In January when I returned to Australia his young daughter died suddenly, and when I returned home again late in April, some 3 weeks later his son 1 week shy of turning 4 also died quite suddenly, although he had not been well. He is a broken man and I can see the sorrow in his eyes. There never seems to be adequate answers as to what happened and he doesn't want to discuss it so I don't push him.
We head into Legian making a stop in at Billys bar which is like a second home. I want to stop in and see Jack before he ends his shift and overstay when I should have gone and checked into the villa I was staying in for the first few nights....well I thought I was staying in...
The first thing I noticed on this trip was the amount of traffic on the road. Having only been there 4 months before I was amazed at how much traffic there appeared to be. First time trying to find the Villas we missed the turn off and came to a stand still in a traffic jam on Jalan Rum Jungle, some 30 minutes later we found the Villas.
As I don't want to give poor publicity to the property I am not mentioning the name of it. The owner could not have been more obliging in trying to sort out accommodation for me. The man who had been staying in the villa I was supposed to have, had the keys and informed the owner he wasn't returning until around midnight and wouldn't be leaving until the next morning... He then switched off his phone so he could not be contacted...Oh great!!!.... To me it really wasn't a huge issue except I didn't want to change my accommodation 3 times so I contacted Danny who is part owner of Reflections restaurant in Seminyak.
I was staying in his brand new villa for three and a half weeks of my 1 month stay. He had contacted me just prior to leaving Oz to tell me that if I wanted the villa for the entire month it was now ready. I originally declined as the other property had gone out of their way to accommodate me for the first few days. As fate would have it I ended up staying in Bali Guarida II for the entire time and loved every minute of it. To look at the villa go to the website www.baliguarida.com. [The villa is listed on the website as Bali Guarida II. ]
I regret to inform anyone interested in staying there that this villa has now been rented for 3 years. Soon, however, Danny and his business partner Simon will have another 3 properties for rent and will update the website with pics once renovations / refurbishments and pools have been completed.
So, a little tired, a little stretched for patience we arrive at Guarida II where I draw breath and settle into my home for the next 4 weeks. My first 2 nights in Bali I am on my own as the first friends don't arrive until Saturday lunchtime. I have a dozen bottles of champagne waiting for me courtesy of my darling friend Angie [Angiec on the forum], and it doesn't take long to crack the first one....
Later in the evening I make my way to Billys to catch up with all the boys and hand out the new shirts for them to wear as uniforms. 28 shirts take up a hell of a lot of room in my luggage...I drink too much and laugh till I am sore. It's good to be home again...
Quick note: for anyone who knows Alex from Billys, sadly he has left the bar and is now working behind the bar at Losari Hotel on Jalan Sahadewa [formerly Ketty Club].
To be continued...