Hi everyone,
Since its been awhile since my last JBR instalment, thought I would post my previous ones for those of you who haven't read them to get an idea of where I am coming from! I will warn you beforehand, they are long winded, but I hope you do get something from them.
Part 1
http://www.balitravelforum.com/archive200508/68570.html
Part 2 - Shopping
http://www.balitravelforum.com/archive200508/69361.html
Part 3 - Activities & Tours
http://www.balitravelforum.com/archive200508/69636.html
Now onto Part 4....
EATING OUT
Indonational in Garlic Lane - went here on our first night & it was a favourite from our last trip. Larissa had the seafood plate, but I can't remember what everyone else had. Introduced Jodie to the Planet Melon cocktail, which has watermelon juice in it & goes down like a dream! Dinner for the 3 of us was 225,000RP, inc 2 courses each a few cocktails each. Very cheap!
Uncle Norms, Jl Melasti - we went here a few times because it was close to the hotel when Larissa was too sick to venture out too far (refer to below under the Incidents heading!). Food here was always good & the guys here were always friendly, calling out as we passed on the street during the day. They were pretty concerned about Larissa as well, which was nice! Their fruit tingle cocktail was yummo!
Papa's Café, Kuta Beach Road - this place is awesome! We went there on our second night (go early for half price cocktails from 5pm & watch the sunset...awesome!) and also on our last night before heading to the airport. Fantastic food, but I think the food portions had decreased when compared to last year & we did not get any bread sticks that we got when we were first seated. Other than that...fantastic! Larissa & Jodie had a seafood platter the first night, which was massive and very cheap (can't remember the exact price, but I know it was cheap). Saw the famous kintanami pizza & that did look awesome, but we didn't have it. Oh well, better put it on the agenda for the next trip! Toilets were A class as well.
Joni's, Jl Padma - we stopped in here for lunch a couple of times. My favourite was their potato skins with salsa, cheese & guacamole.....my tummy is grumbling just thinking about them! It's a good place to drop in & have a quick bite to eat, even if the service was at times very slow! Their missed fruit juice is to die for!
Legian Snacks, Jl Padma Utara - Jodie & I stopped in for lunch one day & we were pretty disappointed. She had a steak sandwich (hey, she is from Dubbo!!) & said it was terrible. I had nasi goreng, which was ok, but I've had better elsewhere. All I can say was that the prices are pretty cheap! Once again, had a mixed fruit juice, which I think was the yummiest thing there!
La Monde, Jl Padma Utara (both restaurants) - went once for dinner with people we met at S&S at the restaurant near the Padma Hotel (had nasi goreng.....best I had all trip!) and then I popped in for lunch by myself at the restaurant up near the Jayakarta. It was pretty funny actually, what I thought I was getting was a roast beef & salad sandwich (as per the description on the menu), but what came to the table was a steak sandwich! Oh well, just go with the flow, I say! Had a mixed fruit juice here as well...hmmm, see a pattern emerging here?? J I basically had a mixed fruit juice with every lunch I had. Absolutely love them & they are sooooo cheap!
Bubba Gump Shrimp, Jl Kartika - went to dinner & had a ball here. Yes, the prices are expensive for Bali, but the food was great (servings smaller than last year though), as was the service! If you do go, you HAVE to order a margarita! Very funny! Made us want to watch Forrest Gump again, so we went to Sakura DVD shop on the way back to the hotel & bought it! It was good fun.
Poppies, Poppies Gang 1 - Larissa & I went here for lunch while we were out shopping in Kuta. Food yummy as always & very cool surrounds. Toilets were fantastic here as well, if a little bit squeezy to get in & out of!
Sharky's. Jimbaran Bay - we called the place direct to book & they sent out a driver to pick us up. Seafood here was fantastic, as well as their cocktail list. Last year we went to Aromas at Jimbaran Bay (organised through our hotel....never again), which was a lot more expensive than Sharky's, but only had beer as an alcoholic beverage, which was fine by me, but seeing that Larissa doesn't drink beer, it was a bit of a let down. Anyway, Sharky's have a great cocktail list & I think that the whole dinner, which consisted of 1 lobster, 1 crab, calamari, 1 red snapper, & heaps of king prawns, plus a couple of cocktails each, came to about 650,000RP.....only about $87 aussie. A bargain in my books! And that sunset is magnificent!
La Lucciolas - went here for dinner and for our last breakfast in Bali on our last day. Dinner was nice, but I was a bit disappointed that the menu hadn't changed at all from October 2004. It was a lovely view though! Now breakfast was the best....everyone should go at least once while in Bali, even if you have brekkie included in your package. I had the sweet tooth breakfast, which consisted of caramelised bananas with macadamia nuts, pancakes with cherries, an iced granita and a cappuccino.....yummo! I think this cost around 70,000RP...money well spent I say! We also had a serving of hash browns....they are divine and have to be seen to be believed! Was told by Larissa & Jodie that their bacon & eggs were delicious & so much nicer than the stuff being served at our hotel for breakfast. Definitely go there for breakfast!
Billy's Bar, Garlic Lane Legian - we went to dinner here one night when we were pushed for time and couldn't find Kori's (walked down Poppies 1 instead of Poppies 2...oops!). We had to get back to French's leather in Garlic Lane before they closed, so decided to hop into a taxi & go to Indo National, which was way too busy, so decided to go to Billy's. It was fantastic, food, service, drinks......yummo & very cheap as well! The guys there were very friendly (a regular occurrence in Bali!) & it was a pity we did not drop in there a couple more times.
Legends Bar, Garlic Lane Legian - we had an early dinner (before 6pm!) straight after we went on the ocean rafting (refer to previous JBR). Food & drinks were very nice & cheap again. However, something totally put me off my food while I was eating...refer to the Incidents heading below!
Hard Rock Café, Kuta - wasn't really my thing, but Jodie was really keen to go since everywhere she was travelled to in the world, she has been to a HRC & wanted to mark Bali off her list! The food was ok, but expensive for Bali standards. The staff, however, were totally rude and very pushy, hardly giving as a chance to look at our menus before coming over to ask what we wanted to order....and they did this a couple of times! Also, we were made to throw out our plastic water bottle, which was filled with water only. Now, I guess it is fine that they are beefing up their security & I can imagine them being a prime target, but seriously...a plastic water bottle?? We thought that was weird. Not a place I would be keen to go back to.
Fuel, Jl Legian (near bombing memorial) - went here for dinner after it was recommended by a couple we met on the way to the quad bikes. Now, I don't know whether we were early for dinner (I think we got there at around 7.30ish) or if it was a Thursday night, but we were the only customers in the place. It was a shame though, as it looks brand new & the food is fantastic! Price probably a bit expensive for Bali, but still cheap when comparing to what you would pay in Australia. Toilets here were tops as well.
We ordered room service one night when we were too buggered to go out anywhere (think it was after our all day trip to North Bali) & thought that the service was ok, as too was the food. Also, when we were having relaxing/lazy days by the pool, we ordered lunch there as well. The pizzas at the LBH are great, but I'd stay clear of the chicken....refer to the incidents below!
GOING OUT
We aren't big ragers or anything like that....last time we didn't even bother going out to any clubs, as we were happy to go out for dinner, have a few cocktails, & then meander back to the hotel. Of course shopping along the way!! This trip, we had our cousin along, who is a bit of a rager (especially in her younger years!! LOL) so we thought we would venture out into Kuta on a Thursday night.
First stop was to the Rivoli, which I thought had all you could drink cocktails on Thursday night at a ridiculously cheap price. Well, we walk into the place....and we were the only ones there! And this was just after coming from Fuel restaurant! We were beginning to think it was us! Anyway, no one offered the all you can drink cocktails, so we just ordered one each & left. They did have a band playing, who were very good, but I felt so bad for everyone, as they (the workers) were all just standing around looking at each other. Subsequent readings on the BTF have indicated that Monday nights might be the night to go (the all you can eat & drink)....but from what I have read, don't think it would appeal to me at all!
After Rivoli, we headed down to the new Paddies Bar....so this is where everybody is!! Had a great time, drank way too many illusion shakers & had a bit of a boogie! It was a great place & the music was great, but started going into the dance stuff later into the night....we are more into rock, older songs, etc.
After a while, we decided to check out the Bounty......I think we lasted a whole 10 minutes there! Not really our scene at all to be honest, but each to his own! I think we ended up leaving about 1.30ish & I was amazed at how different Jl Legian is at that time with all the shops closed.
S & S MEETING ON 6 AUGUST
This was the day we went WWR, & we had the quad bikes the next day. We were resting in our rooms when I started to get ready to go down to S & S to meet fellow forumites. Asked if anyone else wanted to go to the beach and got a resounding no.....however, when I mentioned S & S, Larissa was like 'bugger forgot that was today!' & came down with me.
We met Kiwi Carol & her family, Perthdodgy, C_Shell & her friend Wendy, Tracy, Dennisc & Mrs Dennisc, Smudge UK, and Travella (please forgive me if I have forgotten anyone!). It was great to talk to fellow forumites that have such a passion for Bali and all their adventures they were having. Kiwi Carol's daughter Anna (hope that is right Carol!) was volunteering at a birthing centre in Ubud (I think) & we all chipped in what we had for donations for the centre. Subsequently learned what the money was used for (refer to Kiwi Carol's JBR) & had I have known beforehand, I would have brought a bit more money with me & donated a lot more. Carol, you must be very proud of your daughter.
Anyway, when it got too dark to see what we were doing, most of us headed to the GVC Bar, had a few quiet bintangs (well, everyone excluding C_Shell & Wendy... LOL!!) & then headed across the road to La Monde. I think the 2 girls & PD kicked on at the Bounty afterwards, but seeing that we were stuffed from WWR, plus had a big couple of days coming up, we left around 11ish. Unfortunately, didn't get another chance to go to S&S again, so we did not see any of them again, but hopeful I will one day in Bali.
INCIDENTS
We had quite a few this trip, especially compared to last year!
* Larissa got gastro on our second day in Bali. She had a bit of a cold to begin with, so her immune system was probably a bit low. I think we narrowed it down to a chicken dish she had by the pool at our hotel. Sure as hell blasts the 'only eat in the hotel & you wont get sick' theory out of the water! Also, the night before she was sick, we turned our air con off during the night....the first & last time we will ever do that, as we all had sleepless nights due to the humidity. Anyway, we woke up to the sound of Larissa throwing up....nice!! Jodie & I then went to brekkie, came back to our room & we could smell the toilet before we could even enter! We had gastro tablets, but she couldn't keep them down, so we arranged for the hotel to get us a doctor from Denpasar.
We waited about 1.5hrs for the doctor to come, who prescribed all sorts of pills. Anyway, 900,000RP later (which we got back the other day from our travel insurance), we were all set & Larissa took the pills & the vomiting/diahorea ceased immediately.....which leads to our next incident...
* The doctor told us the drugs were pretty strong, but did not tell us to stop taking them once she was better. However, we thought that she should continue with the antibiotics & finish the course as you do in Australia. So, she kept taking them. The result? Sleeping about 18 hours a day, & when she wasn't sleeping, looking very anxious & unable to relax at all. As she said at the time, this is what she imagines being on speed would be like! We eventually got her to stop taking the drugs & she was fine after that. We laugh about it now, but we were pretty scared there for a while! Anyway, the doctor called our room 2 days after she dropped by & we asked her about it & she said that she should have stopped taking the pills as soon as she was better. Hopefully, no major damage done!
* This is another 'serious at the time, but funny' moment. Since we were located close to the beach front at the LBH, we would use the beach road entrance to get to our cottage. And that means crossing the road on the corner of the Kuta Beach Road & Jl Melasti corner.....a very busy section, that has a mega steep gutter from the footpath to the road. Anyway, we jumped down this gutter plenty of times, each time saying to be careful of not falling over. One night we were coming back from Kuta & walked back to the hotel, as there were no blue taxis. Jodie goes to jump off the gutter onto the road, I am about to yell be careful, when she somehow gets her thong caught up and face planted face first onto the road, spread eagled, with her phone, camera & wallet sprawled out on the road. Well, Larissa & I panicked, telling her to get up quickly. Luckily, there was a big gap in the traffic & no cars were coming for a while & Jodes (the trooper that she is!) got up, got her things together & got back onto the footpath. Luckily, she only lifted up the nail on her big toe (which subsequently turned a dark purple colour), but the damage could have been a lot worse! Of course, now I just remember her face planting onto the road & have a bit of giggle about it!
* I am not a cat fanatic, but those out there who are, can you answer something for me? Is August a prime mating season for them or was I just a magnet for attracting mating cats? On 3 separate occasions at 3 different places (with different cats, I think!) I was confronted with mating cats....nearly actually walked onto some cats fornicating on a pathway to my room at the hotel. Another couple happened on the stage at Legends Bar, right in my line of sight, thus putting me off my food. Now, I am no prude, but I did think that the cats had it in for me!
I hope i haven't bored you all to death yet, but if you are interested in looking at our photos, below is the link (just close the gap between web and shots.
http://community.web shots.com/user/becmarkey
I will wrap up the JBRs in the next day or two.
Cheers!
Bec