Our friend Ketut picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel (Bali Dynasty in Tuban), we were happy to see him again. As soon as we got there we went for a swim and went down the waterslide. We had dinner at the hotel because we were all tired.
Today Mum, Marnie and I had a look at some other hotels near ours, they were OK but not as good as the Dynasty. We then got a driver to take us to Geneva Wholesalers in Kerobokan, it was massive, Mum bought lots of presents because it was so cheap. Kardi came and looked after us at night, we got to order room service, I had chicken satay. We went for a swim at night time and my brother went and caught some frogs. Mum and Dad went to a big Quicksilver sale and bought me a few t-shirts.
We have breakfast at Daddy's Café every morning. I always order banana pancakes and a chocolate milkshake. We went and saw our friends on the beach. Michael sells watches and sunglasses and I bought a pair.
Dad and Andy took me and Kalani to Waterbom Park. We went straight to the big waterslide tower and went down the Macaroni slide. Then we went down the fast racing slide and Raft River. We had to have a rest from climbing lots of stairs and went to the water park, there are huge water pistols there and a big bucket that fills up and tips over every five minutes. I went with Andy on the new Boomerang slide Dad and Kalani couldn't go because Kalani wasn't tall enough. You go down a tall windy slide then at the bottom you come out really fast and go up another ramp like a quarter pipe, we nearly went to the top. It was scary the first time but heaps of fun on the second and third. Kardi came and looked after us again because we were too tired to go out, I had Nasi Goreng (fried rice) for dinner, it's one of my favourite things to eat in Bali.
We bought lots of DVD's (about $1 each). Dad bought me a BB gun and pellets. We went and visited Ketut at his stall, Mum and Dad bought heaps of clothes from him, Dad accidentally shot him on the arm with the BB gun, it left a red mark. We went back to our room and watched a DVD and packed up to got to Nusa Lembongan, and Island about an hour away from Bali. We were very excited because we haven't been there before.
Ketut came and picked us up and took us to Benoa Boat Harbour were we got on the ferry to got to Nusa Lembongan. It was the biggest boat I had been on, it could carry 400 people. When we arrived we met Komang, he was the Manager of our villa. The staff carried our bags on top of their heads up the hill, they were heavy. Komang showed us the villa and we had our own pool.
Nusa Lembongan is very small, only about 4km long. There are no big shops, only little markets and two local villages. The locals farm seaweed and catch fish to eat. There aren't many cars, mostly motorbikes. Komang took Kalani and me for rides on his motorbike. We went across a bridge that went to the next island called Ceningan, it is smaller than Lembongan. It is a suspension bridge, only one motorbike can go across at a time, you have to go really fast because the bridge swings. Komang also took me and Kalani to his village to visit his Grandma to get some coconuts off her tree, Komang made us a drink with the coconut milk.
We hired an outrigger boat and went to Crystal Bay at another island called Peninda, this island is a lot bigger than Lembongan but there is less people there. We went snorkeling and saw a sea snake and lots of tropical fish and soft corals. My favourite snorkel spot was Mangroves, you drifted with the current away from the boat, then swam out to the deeper water and the current would take you back to the boat. You have to be very careful of strong currents around the islands, Komang said people get swept away lots.
One day we hired a bemo (a truck with bench seats in the back), we went the whole way around the island. We stopped and had a look at the seaweed farms, they smell a lot. There were old ladies carrying baskets full of seaweed on their heads up stairs, Dad guessed that they weighed about 30kg. We also went to the underground house. It took one man fifteen years to dig the house out of limestone, it was about two metres underground. It was built to hide people from his village.
Komangs brother, Made is a chef and he came and cooked all our meals at the villa, he is the best chef on the island! My favourites were the Balinese feast night (satay, curries, fish, rice), fish wrapped in banana leaves and all the fresh vegetables. He also made us deserts, I really like the black rice pudding and spring rolls with fruit in them.
Mum only booked four nights at the villa, which was called Rumah Kami (means my home) but we ended up staying a week because it was the best place we've been to in Bali. I can't wait to go back to Lembongan.
We caught the ferry back to Bali and Komang took us to Ubud in the mountains. We stayed at a hotel called Tegal Sari in the rice paddies. We went for a Kalani and I went for a walk through the rice paddies, Kalani fell in the mud and he stank. We had a spa in Marnie and Andy's room with lots of bubbles.
Mum and Dad took us to Bali Zoo park. We got to hold an Iguana. There were lots of different animals from all over the world there, my favourites were a crazy toucan bird, komado dragon, lions, tigers and noisy monkeys.
Mum took me to the Ubud markets, you can buy everything there, fruit, clothes, toys there are thousands of stalls and lots of local people do their shopping there.
We went to a warung (local shop) and had Babi Guling ($2) for lunch. It is roasted suckling pig that is cooked for three hours and tastes great. We saw the cooked pig arrive on a motorbike, Dad asked where his helmet was. It is the best lunch I have had in Bali, it is very spicy.
We left Ubud and went back to the Dynasty Hotel for our last night. Komang and his family came and saw us to say goodbye. Our plane didn't leave until the afternoon so Mum and I went to Centro shopping centre and I bought speaks for my ipod. We went and said goodbye to all our friends, I was sad and didn't want to leave.
I love Bali because it is lots of fun and there are heaps of great people, I can't wait to go back next year.
Jordy - Year 6