Part 2
Forgot to mention in my 1st JBR that our Flight to Bali had only 4 vacant seats. Only a small plane 737 with seating as 3 and 3 with isle down the middle.
Laundry - Just outside our hotel was a small laundry that was very cheap. Clothes came back smelling beautiful but our whites were a paler shade of grey after 12 days. Laundry name was Rame's and our washing bill per couple was approx 7,500rp per day ( 2 changes of clothes per person - except my underwear - nobody but me washes that!!!
Half way thru our 12 days we visited David and Moira at Pacung Indah and stayed 1 night. Our drive there was quite eventful. I was in charge of the directions whilst Handyman did the driving and unfortunately I am one of these females that needs to turn the map around (including upside down) to work out which way I am going. Needless to say a trip that should have only taken 2 hours took 5. After settling into our roomDavid jumped in the car with us and took us to Crackers Bar and Grill (and yes those toilets are spectacular) where we had lunch and drinks. Unfortunately it started to pour with rain and we didn't venture around the markets. On the way back to Pacung Indah we stopped at an unfinished hotel high on the hill - the views were breathtaking, as was the hotel itself. We wandered around the deserted hotel checking out some of the 140 odd rooms which are all fully tiled with bathrooms etc completed (but not working). Apparently the guy that owns it stopped working on it about 4 years ago and it is just sitting there vacant. Had dinner at Pacung that night and the food was excellent - all of us having something different. Woke early the next morning to the sun rising over Mt Agung and had breakfast looking at the view.
After leaving the Pacung Indah we made our way to Ubud once again we took a wrong turn (this time Handyman made the mistake) and we ended up about 40km in the wrong direction. I must tell you that we have been driving in Bali since 1978 and this is the first trip that we have made so may wrong turns. Still it all adds to the adventure and we saw places that we had not seen before. In Ubud it was pouring with rain and we were the only tourists in the markets. We bought plastic ponchos for 24,000rp each and carried on shopping.
Shopping - We did all the usual shopping that everybody does - T Shirts, DVD's, shoes, make-up etc. Shopped at Ketuts for our basics and also visited Ramayana, Matahari at Kuta Galleria and Kuta Square, Tiara Dewatu has a great shoe shop in the mall and a fantastic supermarket. We went to Makro to buy the basics for the fridge and also bought some King prawns to make garlic prawns back at our hotel for an afternoon snack with our wine and beer. The sales are currently on in Bali (they are probably on every day) but I found that most of the western size clothing and shoes were all sold out. I am usually a size 39 or 40 in shoes and most of what I liked was not available.
There are some beautiful paintings around now but we found our best buys in Denpasar at the MEGAH PAINTING SHOP in the concrete markets near the river (2nd Floor) I paid 40,000 for the 50 x 60 size and 120,000rp for the 40 x 150cm size. We had them taken off the frames and rolled.
We found that most prices are still the same for all your usual shopping items that they were when last in Bali in October 2005.
Handyman had his hearing aid serviced while we were in Bali. Had to be sent to Jakarta and took 1 week. One of the capacitors had ceased working properly - cost was 50,000rp. We did not get any prescription glasses made this trip but did find that prices for the progressive lenses have risen since last there.
To be continued. Handyman's wife visits the ARC CLINIC