Well I need to go to Bali not just for a holiday but to support my fiance with her Fiance interview at the Australian Embassy in Bali.
For a change I ended up booking the flight myself on the net with help from BTF friends advice!! Did this as it was impossible to get a ticket in June from normal TA, I work for the RAC in Perth and even our travel people could not get me a ticket.
We got told only a week before the interview it was going to happen and I had to book my ticket myself, only way I could get there was from Perth to Bali via Jakarta, This was not a problem and I found the airport in Jakarta was easy to find your way around although most staff not as friendly as Bali, but still good. Stayed the night at the airport as my conecting flight was 14 hours apart. Left Perth 5.15 pm got to Bali at 10.50 next morning. More on Jakarta hotel later if you want to know?
Ok so the flights sorted I leave Perth on the 17th of June 5.15 pm and get to Bali 18th June 10.50 am, stoping in Jakarta overnight
Oh did I tell you I booked my flight on the Saturday then on the next Monday morning get an email fron Australian Embassy Jakarta saying our interview was Monday 18th at 8.00 am yeah over two hours before I get to Bali!! ouch, well after a few emails and calls to Jakarta I got the interview changed to Tuesday 19th 1.30 pm.
Flew Garuda as per usual and was great as I said before stayed at the Jakarta airport hotel, which by the way is on the second floor of the airport and overlooks the main runway! Great if your a plane spotter. No noise to worry about windows are double glassed and flights stop about 12.30 am.
As Agus from Camplung Mas hotel is like a brother to me booked the hotel with him one sms to say how long I will be in Bali with Dian and its done. If only life could be that easy all the time.
Well got to Bali picked up by Agus and Dian at the airport a hug from Agus and hello brother and a hug *** from Dian and we are off to the hotel. I have stayed at the Camplung Mas hotel now 10 times 9 times since 2004, and stay here for two main reasons first the staff are just the best and make you feel like family not just another guest, and second its in the best spot if you want the beach (one street away) shopping food so many great reastuarants within walking distance these incluse Ours which pardon the pun Dian and I both call our new favourite, was Nero's which is great and a close second.
Monday just reintoduced myself to old friends (staff) and people I knew from Perth and Melbourne that stayed in Bali at the same time Dian and I were at Camplung Mas.
On Tuesday we got up early and had a good breakie and went to our room to relax and Dianwanted to get ready for the big interview, normally she is a very happy and relaxed lady but now was passing up and down the room and asking me was it time to go yet?
We get to the Embassy at about 1pm as Dian must be there and is as vervous as a cat on a hot tin roof, I do my best to calm her and by the time we are inside the main building she was calm and ready.
Interview was different than had inspected but went well, the lady we had been corresponding with in Jakarta was here in Bali to do the interview and Dian was able to do the interview in indo, which again made her feel relaxed as she was told may need to be done in english and although her english is great she will like most balinese have the occassional problem with a few words or explaining things they want to say. Once the lady who was indonesian introduced her self she said she will interview Dian alone first and later me if she feels she needs further information or to clarify anything. 20 to 25 long minutes later they came out of the interview room and after asking I was told I would not need to be interviewed as Dian had been able to give our interviewer enough information. I asked if we could find out when we would be likely to get a answer as to our visa? We were told one week, oh no maybe two or three weeks. After saying thank you we went back to the hotel.
Our driver was waiting around the corner as you can not park close to the embassy now after the first bomb in 2002, so a quick call and we are picked up, on the way back to the hotel dian notices some smoke coming from unger the front seat which is where the engine sits!! Frankie out driver from the hotel pulles the van over to the side of the road and we get out onto the foot path as he looks in at the motor, I tell him to be very carefull as ther could be fire there.
After a long so sorry about his van we call a taxi and head back to the hotel, taking Frankie with us so he can call someone to get the car!
We settle back into our room long enoutgh to change and cool down before heading to the pool bar for a long cold drink, even dian who does not drink looks like she could use a bintang or three!! LOL I'm not a big drinker but that first bintang went down so good, as did lunch.
remainder of the afternoon was used relaxing by the pool and talking with friends that were leaving that evening.