In Reply to: love to know posted by mackas on Wednesday, 5. July 2006 at 10:21 Bali Time:
From getting off the plane to relaxing in the hotel lobby, these were our first impressions.
Nicely hot - not oppressively oven-like, not sticky, not clinging, the trade winds make it refreshing!
Hustle and bustle - busy, lots of people doing things, selling, talking, hustling ...
Organised chaos - traffic noise - tooting - so many motorcycles (with so many riders).
Laid back but busy and bustling all at the same time.
Contrasts - shops with handwritten signs vs McDonalds or KFC. Opulent buildings such as Discovery Mall vs roadside stalls.
A certain smell - not a bad smell - just not the smell of an Australian city.
Security - from the many officials at the airport to the boom gate and thorough checking of the vehicle at the Mercure we were completely at ease.
Best of all - people with great big welcoming smiles!!
These first impressions were reinforced and added to - right up until we left to come home.