I had expected long queues on arrival at the airport but we walked straight through VOA desk , we paid in US $ and having heard from one Australian couple who paid nearly A$75 each, I'm glad we did. My suitcase was filled with donations, including multiple bottles of children's vitamins for Ibu Robin's birthing centre in Ubud and I was prepared for problems. And what we got was a wide smile and a 'Welcome back to Bali, taxis outside round corner, thanks Mrs'.
Paid for the taxi, escorted by the driver to his car and off into the traffic. Just the two of us, a mother and daughter reunion, since my move to Queensland we don't get enough time together, so its Kate 28yrs and Mum (I admit to over 50)
Hotel Vira in Tuban, what a find,lovely boutique hotel a central pool lined in cool blue tiles it was really, really cold water though, Ah well, we were hugely impressed by our room opening onto the pool. Within minutes we were sat outside sipping a mocktail, after all it was only 2.30pm and yes Kate had her first Bingtang.... Flicking through a copy of The Times (Bali and Lombok that is) we noticed
'DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF ANY GUIDEBOOKS OR PERSONS THAT RECCOMEND THAT TIPPING IS NOT EXPECTED OR APPRECIATED IN BALI/LOMBOK' (the writers capitals not mine)
... the article inspired us both, the list of monthly wages was shocking , Waiter $40 per month, taxi driver $50.......and we agreed that we could easily incorporate more tipping into our trip and do the other thing that was asked ... SPREAD THE WORD. If ever there is a time for those of us who come from more affluent societies to share with our fellow man this is it. The article also gave a term for this down turn in tourism ‘musim miskin'... season of the poor......not difficult to make sure we always had small denominations for tips and a definite new slant to the holiday.
I had been to Bali in 2003 at the time of the bombers trial and Kate well a virgin.....my Bali experience had been sedate Sanur and a quiet, very quiet Ubud, and now here we were in busy Kuta. I know the forum says there are lots of tourists but I couldn't help but compare with Surfers where the pavements and shops are packed, it isn't all that busy and the Balinese just tell you its getting better but nowhere near the pre bomb numbers, lots of Europeans and Japanese though. So another word to the wise, keep coming , they need us.
I know you are not supposed to buy the first day but Kate armed with a business card headed off to Jody and Sari's opposite the Dynasty. There were lots of calls of ‘Hello Darling, you buy Mrs ? etc ' on the way and on hearing my 'Tidak Terima Kasih' Kate was quick with ‘You're not telling them to piss off are you Ma' as if I would. Jody was great, Kate, who is not a small girl and had taken my bring an empty suitcase literally (undies and PJ's and that was about it) was overjoyed to find singlets, shorts, boardies etc, she even got my very practical girl in pink. It was it turned out a good deal and some of the most reasonably priced everyday clothes Kate bought in Bali, there were some shorts that didn't quite fit and they were more than happy to exchange them the next day.
And after that we just wandered, Centro for a look see and coffee overlooking the water... Black Canyon does great coffee both normal and iced ones, we came back several times when I needed a coffee fix. I had forgotten quite how bad the Bali coffee is and as for Kate's cuppa, non existent really just coloured water......then window shopping in Kuta Square, where every store seemed to have a 'Sale' sign, then round to the beach just as the sun was going down and then up Poppies 1. I was amazed at how far we had come and how sore my feet were feeling, (an aside here, if your not used to wearing thongs and I'm not, don't wear them for hours, the blisters from the first and second day lasted the whole trip )‘Ida Jeris', fixed the sore feet, just walked in off the street, great reflexology, only to the point of wince and two young men who were more than happy to practice their English, they came from Java had learnt massage and English and want to work on the cruise ships.
First meal was at Poppies Restaurant, I had spotted it on the way up the lane and it was on my list , thank you forumites. Delightful Garden with soft lights and the sound of tinkling water. Indulge me if I mention the meals we had, I love to cook and the things we ate have been the most highlighted things in journal.
Shish Kebab on a small brazier brought to the table for me, watch out for the piece of chilli in the skewered vegetables and Kate went with the imported steak, double the price and she said it was great. This was the only place we chose imported steak and to be honest in most placed the home gown option was fantastic.
Being organised I wanted to have cash for the next day and used an ATM in a Circle K, Kate noticed we were being followed by a woman, so we did a quick taxi hail and vowed to make sure we only used them during day and preferably the banks glass booths. A great first day.
And while I'm here... Taxis..... I know everone says use the Bluebird ones but after a while we used whatever came first, everyone had a meter going and I could not see any that were running fast. On the odd occasion the traffic snarled badly, drivers gave us option of taking longer but easier driving route always letting us know if it would cost more. On my longer trips to places like Macro, they considered me local tourist and talked about families, politics, the handover of prisoners (most balinese would like to see any criminals in our system brought home to be near their families, no different from us), and all of them are so proud of the children that they have in school. So I reckon give all the taxi companies a go.