Back ground info - we're all from perth; there were 6 of us this trip - me (jess, 26, 3rd trip); gav (my partner of 10 years, 3rd trip); my sister, Bj (2nd trip); her boyfriend, scott (1st to bali though he has travelled most of indo surfing); and my parents, mum (57) and dad (62); it was probably about their 10th trip. We were unfortunate AP ticket holders so this was a trip we had to make the most of!
I'm onto the fishing shop card too, I just haven't had much time to organise myself this weekend as Gav and I got engaged Thursday last week and life has been a little tiddly and somewhat hazy since. I promise I will find it and whack up the info tomorrow.
Day 9 - WEDNESDAY 4th JANUARY 2006
Well I'm glad my belly is back to normal because today is a big one! Up early and a quick breaky at the LPH before the shuttle bus to Benoa harbour arrived - its Bali Hai day. :)
The shuttle actually arrived on time this year (7:55) and we were at the harbour by 8:15. We had to wait about 40minutes before we could board the boat but it was a great chance to look around at some of the boats moored there. It really is amazing the extremes between pure luxury and the dead carcasses of what was once a boat. Seeing how much the tide changes gets me too, when you see a relatively flash boat literally beached on a sandbank that would be totally submerged at another time of day.
Time came and we boarded, had our photo taken with the ladies in traditional dress at the end of the gang way, then straight up to the top deck. The boys took their boards with them just in case it was breaking near the pontoon and Scottie hated leaving his baby down the bottom of the stairs, 'where anything could happen to it' :)
Up on the sundeck - for sunscreen, laughs and the best view. The trip wasn't long with the excitement of the day and the Indo band playing its heart out (....welcome to the hotel California......) We boarded the pontoon and were straight into it! From the top deck were our stuff was, down the waterslide into the water and right into the snorkel and flippers. The current was a lot stronger than last year but the clarity was great and we swam around for ages looking at all the beautiful fish and coral. It was exhausting but stunning. Then out and onto the banana boat - love the banana boat!
We used up all our breaky energy then headed over to the island and the Bali Hai resort for lunch. I had been so looking forward to this. They put on the best bbq spread, it's a buffet and it is all mouth-watering. The one little thing that I really love about it is the sao biscuits and cheese. I found it on the buffet last year and it was delicious and this year I went straight for it and eureka - saos and cheese. I don't know why but it hits a craving spot in me that I seem to get after a week or so in Bali.
After lunch we had a couple of Banana Ramas by the pool (my favourite cocktail) then Gav, Bj and I decided to do the ‘Village Tour'. Gav and I did it the year before and knew Bj would really love it. So off we went, in the back of the open truck, up and down a few hills to the little seaweed village. The people of this village work so hard growing and harvesting seaweed it is amazing. They seem to wake, breath and sleep seaweed. I respect them so much as it seems like such a difficult life that they embrace and make the best of. A people of such great spirit.
Across the road is a little market that we stepped into and bought a couple of t-shirts. It was funny as there were two shops and Gav and I went into one each, determined to help the local economy. I greeted my shop owner in Indo 'Salamat siang, apa kabar?' and she pressed her hands together, nodded her head and replied with the biggest smile (speaking a little Indo goes a long way!) We were straight into business and I paid her first price for the Lembongan Island shirts I chose which was 20,000 each. It was more than I paid in Kuta/Legian but when you are offered such a fair price straight up it is ridiculous to try and barter over 5,000. It was a pleasure meeting her and on I went to find Gav struggling to get the same shirt for 50,000 next door :) He ended up getting it for 50,000 and it was a fun little shopping pit stop.
Then our little village tour moved on to the Gala Gala underground house (cave) which really is a must see. The tour guide we had this year was a little impatient and tried to move us through really quickly but Gav and I knew the story of the man who built it so we slowed him down and told Bj all about it. It is a spectacular story how one man built this underground house with his bare hands and some very simple tools; what one man can do. The cave tour is free if you do it with the Bali Hai but some people try to charge through other tour groups and hotels. While we were there, there was a bunch of tourists being charge 120,000 each to go in and have a look.
So it was back to the resort and to the run-about and back onto the pontoon for some more snorkelling and banana boat riding. The swell had picked up and the visibility had deteriorated so the banana boating was it for Gav, Bj and I while Scott stared out at the rising break and got cranky. He knew it was nearly time to head back to Benoa harbour and he'd come all this way to see the break finally pump and he had no time to surf it. (As other surfers and their partners would know, this is not a good thing and makes for a very grumpy surfer!)
So we boarded the Bali Hai 2 and headed back. Back to the harbour and back to the LPH. Bj's scalp had got a little burnt and it was time for her braids to come out so we sat and had a binnie on the balcony and painstakingly removed them.
It was showers and duty free on the balcony before we got motivated to hit the All Star Surf café. The boys got stuck into me about not drinking enough of my duty free vodka (kept on the binnies for too long) so we did some damage to that and were well and truly merry when we met the parents at the café. The food at the All Star isn't that crash hot but we had to make a stop so Scott could check out all the memorabilia. We had a cocktail, took each others photos on the wave wall and headed back to JL Legian and La Porchetta for some delicious Italian.
It was the first time any of us had tried out this restaurant and we would eat there the following two days (which were the last two for my parents). The staff we fabulous and the food was some of the freshest and most well presented we saw in Bali. The chef is apparently the head chef from the Dynasty hotel and you can tell he is well trained. The price was reasonable (775,000 for cocktails all night, at least 4 or 5 each, 6 mains and 3 entrees. We all just loved it!
We left la Porchetta at about 10pm and headed back to the balcony at the LPH and into a bit more vodka. What a day! I love Bali!