Back almost a week after just 8 days in Bali. It was a bit of a whirlwind but worth every whirl.
Flight
We flew with Skywest on their package taking in the mail run up the west coast from Perth and it was a great way to fly. The plane was roomy with very comfy seats and friendly staff. They provided a meal and juices, with soft drinks and alcoholic drinks available for purchase. There was no movie although with landing in both Broome and Port Hedland there was plenty do see from the window. It was good being on a domestic flight departing from Perth as we didn't have to be at the airport hours before departure time. The plane left at 7.40 am and we only had to be there half an hour before.
We landed at Denpasar airport with what seemed like thousands of others from all over Asia, but still managed to be out of the airport in pretty good time.
Coming home the flight was pretty delayed at both Denpasar and Pt Hedland because of the effects of Cyclone George, but after a lot of hanging around we arrived back in Perth only half an hour late.
If you want to buy any duty free goods make sure you do so at one of the out of airport stores before your departure date as there is nothing available at the Pt Hedland airport.
It's a good and cheap way for West Aussies to get to Bali. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Accommodation
Our original package was for seven nights at the Matahari Bungalows but they were booked out, so we ended up at the Puri Etnik. It took a bit of settling in as it is very basic, but the rooms were clean, the bed comfy, the shower was good and the aircon did it's job well. There are a few different types of rooms there, some more renovated than others. Ours were almost at the end, with a nice view over the garden rather than across from other rooms. The verandah was roomy and if we did spend time at the hotel most of that time was spent sitting there. The sound of the ocean was wonderful. The smell of dead fish for the first few days was not quite so wonderful, but that gradually disappeared.
When we first arrived we couldn't work out what the huge green monster was the whole length of the property, reaching way up into the sky. We wondered if it was a huge water tank (with thoughts of it bursting all over us). It is the strangest looking thing. The next day when we nipped through the side entrance of the hotel to walk down to the beach we discovered just what it was. A three story building, with shop fronts on the ground floor, and two floors above each. I would never have guessed from the back view.
The pool at the hotel was very nice, small but sparkling and deep. We didn't use it as much as we wanted to.. a week is such a short time, especially when there is shopping to be done!.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that breakfast was included.. good toast, fruit or juice and bali kopi or tea. For an extra Rp5000 you could add eggs done any way. We had the eggs one morning but mostly found the fruit and toast was more than enough.
I'm not sure if I would stay at the Puri Etnik again, but we knew we were getting basic and that's what it is... with a few comforts thrown in.
I took lots of photos of the hotel for the benefit of anyone who may be considering staying there, but have yet to upload them to webshots. I can email them if anyone would like to have a look before I get around to posting them. Just let me know.
Shopping
Bought the usual t shirts and shorts from Debby in Garlic lane for the family. Also bought them numerous pairs of 'Oakley's' to replace the lost and broken ones since the last trip. With lots of birthday presents to buy I had to shop pretty hard (shame) but I did find that it was more difficult to find things that I wanted to buy this time. I can usually go berserk in Matahari's finding things for my small sized daughter but I had to struggle this time to find anything she would like. The styles and fabrics were much more 'Asian' oriented. Understandable considering that the majority of the tourists now seem to be Asian. Prices were also higher than I remember but perhaps I just missed the sales and big discounts.
I bought a few DVD's, some CD's some more of the green pottery, a harmony ball for my daughter and a pair of giraffes that were the last thing I really wanted to buy. We had got friendly with one of the ladies with a shop in Benesari Lane, and each day we would stop and have a chat. She of course really wanted us to buy something from her shop and the only thing that I liked the look of were the wooden giraffes. So .. more hand luggage. They were really awkward, and with all the on and off planes that we had to do I really questioned my sanity. But.. now that they are sitting next to my tv and looking great, I am so glad that I went through the drama of bringing them home. More than anything I'm glad that I was able to spent a little bit of money in Ketut's shop, as I'm sure she was doing very little business, if any.
Restaurants
Oh so many to choose from and so little time! We ate mostly Indonesian food and every meal we had was lovely. Our number one favourite was The Three Monkeys in Ubud. It's a beautiful restaurant with a delightful setting. The back of the restaurant finishes in a rice field, which is a total surprise considering that you enter the restaurant from Monkey Forest Road. Other places were La Monde, Aromas, Gosha, The Corridor in Sanur, Crackers and some others that I can't remember the names of. The Aussie cheeses, olives and bickies eaten on our verandah and washed down with Aussie wine and good company one night was pretty good too.
Most meals came to around the princely sum of Rp 100,000 for two, and that included a drink or two as well. I think our most expensive meal was Rp150,000 (for 2) which was at the Three Monkeys and that was not Indonesian food.
Bus trip to Crackers Bar and Grill
Well this is one I will never be allowed to live down. Friends that were staying in Sanur arrived bright and early and we wandered off to the meeting point in Legian, arriving with 10 minutes to spare before pick up time. After waiting around until 10.30 (pick up time was 10.00) we realised that we must have somehow missed the bus. I ducked into an internet café to have a look on the Forum to see if there had been a problem. Yes there was a problem..and we had well and truly missed the bus... by a day!!! Did I walk out of that place feeling like a fool, and feeling dreadful as we had all been so looking forward to a great day out. I'm not sure quite how I managed to muddle the days up, all I can put it down to is that my brain always turns to mush as soon as I get of the plane in Bali.
We decided to hire a driver to take us on the same route and still had a great day. The girls at Crackers told us that the day had been a great success, with about 30 people on the bus. They stayed at Crackers for 4 hours, and going by some of the comments in the visitors book, a merry time was had by all! Pity we missed it :o(
We had really amazing weather while we were there, with pouring rain and strong wind most of the time. It was freezing cold and we all wished we'd brought something warmer to wear. It felt like we had left Bali and were in a totally different climate. It was however great to experience a different Bali.
We hired umbrellas at the temple on the lake but they just kept turning inside out in the wind. One of them was so old and rusted out that it just totally collapsed and fell to bits. The strength of the wind was amazing. Certainly gave us a few laughs.
Ubud
We decided before leaving Perth that we would spend one night in Udud. After searching the Forum for accommodation options we decided to try the Adi Cottages in Monkey Forest Road. We decided that we would probably only need a fan room as everyone talks about how much cooler it is in Ubud. This ended up being a good choice as the strong winds that Bali experienced because of Cyclone George in Australia wreaked a bit of havoc in Ubud. This caused the power to be out for about five hours. Because we had a fan only room it was all open windows with fly wire around the top of the room. Much better than a sealed up room with an air conditioner that doesn't work.
The hotel was nice and the staff were lovely. We didn't have a swim there as the pool looked really dirty. The water looked almost oily. In the morning it was being cleaned which helped, but it still didn't look very inviting.
The included breakfast was nice with fruit and a choice of toast or a pancake (banana or pineapple). Coffee and tea are set up at a little buffet which you can help yourself to at any time.
We paid Rp200,000 for the room.
We wandered the streets and markets and visited the Antonio Blanco Gallery. Not my choice of art but still a very interesting place to visit. It was Rp20,000 for entry.
One of the things that we really enjoyed when we were driving through the villages was seeing the ogah-ogahs being built for Nypei. We saw lots of them, but all without their heads. Finally on the way back to Kuta from Ubud we saw the finished product. They are very cleverly built, and certainly look pretty scary. It was a shame that we were leaving before Nyepi. Maybe next year.
Massages
We decided to try out the foot reflexology at the little salon just around the bend in Benesari Lane from the hotel. It's called Laksama, or something similar. The little Balinese girl that I had was about as wide as she was tall, and it was all muscle. At one point I wondered why anyone in their right mind would pay money for such torture! It certainly was an experience, and I kept telling myself that the results would be worth it! She worked on all my 'blockages' like a little trooper, determined to unblock the lot. At one point I remember saying.. oh my god!! This is worse than childbirth!!
We decided to book a full massage for the day we left, but opted for the 'relaxation' massage. A nice relaxing massage before getting on the plane sounded like a great plan. Silly idea.. little Kadek was still on a mission to unblock all of those damn blockages. So much so it took an hour and a half instead of an hour as expected. I think the relaxing part must come in when you leave and are so pummelled that you can't move for the rest of the day.
Seriously tho, the massages were excellent and the girls there do really know what they are doing. The price was very cheap, with the foot reflexology being Rp40,000 and the massage Rp60,000. The salon is nice, with cool air con and nice music, and the oils that they use are a nice quality.
The very best part of the holiday
As always .. the people. They warm my spirit and teach me so much about how I should be living my life.