It is with a sense of predictability that we will be woken at 5am - why should this change? - however my mind is prepared and decides to beat the beach workers to it and I am awake at 4.55am! I am not particularly happy about being awake at this time, but I almost feel I am one up on them. Hubby does his usual ignoramus thing and pretends he is still sleeping and I do the usual shuffle to the kettle to start my morning ritual. I have to say the shuffle is ok - I am feeling a lot better in the leg area - so good that I could probably do a light jog along the beachfront....well maybe not, but you get my drift. We are off today on a daytrip to Sukuwati markets and Ubud. Wayan is picking us up at a much more reasonable time of 9am so this will give us plenty of time to do our morning walk, shower and eat breakfast...not forgetting to pillage some croissants for Wayan. We do all of the above and are ready by 8.45 - a record in our eyes. My ear is getting worse and I make a mental note to find a guardian chemist and get something to start the healing process. It is the outer ear (told you!!) as it is swelling into a sealed position. I pop a couple of panadeine forte and note that painkillers will be on the list also as I had only bought 4 with me! The lump on my arm has gone down and I am a lot more limber in general so I am feeling pretty happy anyway.
Wayan arrives, greetings all around and a casual eye cast over the bounty we have for him. We hand it over, he beams and he drives off munching on a croissant! First stop is Sukawati markets. I have been a couple of times to different markets but have never really had the chance to thoroughly explore the little stalls/shops. I have a mission and my mission is clear, I want to buy some cat statues. I LOVE CATS! There, I have said it! Hubby knows I love cats - I have two of them - they are my kids, and they act like it also! So we meander in and out of the market stalls in the quest to find the perfect wooden cat statue. We eventually find what I am after in the first shop we passed upon alighting the car - never mind, nothing like a meander through the markets with a bit of Bahasa thrown back and forwards! I am in a dilemma though - I like 2 different styles - one is a set of 3 cats from tall to short and the other is a cat with a small cat (could be a kitten) by it's side and it is very colourful in decoration. I am pacing back and forth between the two areas, it's another hot day but with a heavy feel to it and the shop doesn't have aircon or a fan for that matter. Hubby is dripping as am I but I don't notice it because I am in shop mode. I think even Wayan is getting a little bit antsy....don't they know this is a very hard decision!!
I usually work well under pressure but when it comes to shopping, well that's different. I can't decide. I really cannot decide. Hubby ventures his opinion about which kind we should go for (We???) but he's speaking in my bad ear and I make like I didn't hear him. This ear infection has a definite advantage! I ignore his huffs, and ignore his attempts to quicken up the decision making process. It feels like the walls of the shop are caving in on us all, it is that hot - suffocating hot, but I still can't make my mind up. What you don't know is that prior to this shopping expedition, hubby had sat me down and specifically told me we only had room in the house for one statue - it's true - we don't have a big house and we already have so much stuff, we don't want it to take on the cluttered look! I just have to milk this for a little bit longer... it works and eventually hubby caves...I knew he would...and tells me to buy them both. Now I probably shouldn't say this on the BTF but I am about to give away one of the secrets of a female shopper. When in doubt, drag out the process for as long as you can, and eventually you will get rewarded! For most men, shopping is a only necessary when in critical times, like new underwear or new work shoes or buying the missus a present that she will like - it's like a bodily function to them, it has to be done, but it's not necessarily a pleasant experience!
Hubby heads off to the car and returns a minute later with a bintang - hmmm he must be feeling defeated - it's not even beer o'clock! Now I have the authority to purchase the two of them - don't forget one is a set of three -and the other well it would just look sad by itself really. I venture over and express my concern about the colourful statue being lonely and it would really look much better with another one to match. I know, I am ambitious, I am definitely pushing it so to speak, but I figure if you don't ask, you don't get! Wayan is laughing - he knows - and he knows that I know, he knows - he would have experienced this same scenario many times over with others he takes around. It doesn't take long and with a look of defeat he tells me ok, and mutters that he better get rewarded for it! Stoked!! I take aside Wayan and ask him what a fair price would be, which he duly advises and I am off to where the lady sits in the corner bemused by the events of the last 15 minutes...yep, that long....STOP! Look at those lovely gecko's on the wall - so colourful - so big - so perfect for our outside wall...I can visualise them crawling up the wall surrounded by our pot plants - looking perfectly natural in their environment - well maybe not natural, after all they are painted with all the colours of the rainbow! I love them - I want them, and I mean to have them! This requires some imagination - I need to include hubby in this scenario, I need him to see the vision, the big picture! 'Honey', I call over....I wait...nothing... 'Babe?' I seek... 'what' he says eventually. Now everyone will know that if you get a 'what' then it's not the best start, but I shake this thought aside and invite him into my lair.... 'Look at these beautiful gecko's' I say and without pausing continue... 'don't you think they would look great out the back?' He looks but doesn't comment. So I push on... 'I think they would look fantastic on the wall where all the pot plants are..don't you think?' 'We could have them climbing up from the plants - it would look hot.' I say. 'What do you think babe?' I invite. He gets it - he sees the vision - he is visualising it, I can tell. He agrees. What?? Did he just agree... YES! Short of punching the air with my fist, I am stoked! I didn't have to beg, nor did I have to make any promises...this is turning out to be the best day ever! I seek out Wayan again for a confirmation of good price and head to the lady in the corner.
My eyes are still on scan mode, but I know I have pushed it as far as I am going to, and so I sit down in the hotter than hell shop and duly close the deal. Now I am amazed at the price - it was such a bargain, and it makes you realise how much they mark things up in Kuta etc. I had already priced said cats prior to coming here and so I know that these shops in Kuta have put a 70% mark up on the statues. The deal is done for the exact amount that Wayan had recommended and there was little to no attempt at bartering. All up I got the 3 cat set, 2 large colourful cats and 2 large painted gecko's for 200,000rp - yes - I kid you not. In the shops one of the colourful cats was selling for around 140,000rp. Even hubby is shocked at the price - i briefly contemplate whether I could push it further and buy more statues, but shake the thought away - he has been such a gem, I couldn't do it to him. We wait for them to be wrapped, briefly ponder how the hell we are going to get them home, and all smile at each other with happiness, it's a job well done.
We are off again and next stop is to buy those silk flags that you see everywhere in Bali (minus the bamboo poles, of course). Wayan takes us directly to the shop we need, this guy is seriously the best - he knows where everything is and where to get the best prices. We had already decided on yellow and white as our colours but a quick chat to Wayan and we incorporate red as well...if we were really going to go all out, then black was the other colour we should have. These four colours are the luckiest colours to have - you will see all the temples with these 4 colours - black and white checked cloth around the bases of the stone and red, yellow and white flags flowing in the breeze. We decide against the black as it won't go with our colour scheme but do purchase the red, white and yellow, 8 in total. The red flags are to adorn our Balinese style gazebo and the white and yellow are to line our fence. Hubby is happy - this was his baby - this was about the only thing he wanted to purchase on this trip to Bali. It was hubby's turn to shine! The purchase is done and we part with 320,000 - they cost us 40,000rp each for the 5 metre length ones - so not too bad at all.
Back to the car and onwards to Ubud. I crack open a binnie, as does hubby and we are off. We have been to Ubud plenty of times (well I have anyway), but hubby has only been once and has never been to the Monkey Forest. So that is where we are headed. We arrive, park and head towards the entrance. I am distracted though - I have decided I am wearing inappropriate footwear (I am wearing my wedge heel shoes) and decide that I need some flats in case I need to run away from any pursuing monkeys. I head into the first shoe shop which is on the corner and opposite the monkey forest and find some beaded slip ins that I like - I like them so much I purchase 2 pairs. These are perfect and they became my favourites. They are not like a thong (I already have blisters from the thong bit rubbing between my toes), they are two beaded bands stuck onto a sole. So you have the double protection and an assurance they are not going to fly off. All up they cost me 100,000rp - they are so impressive that I am not even out the door when an English lady coming into the shop with her husband declares her love for them. I advise her I had just purchased them here and whisper the price I paid for them, and with a general wave in the direction I found them we are off out and onwards.
I hate the monkey forest. I really do. I have been here before and it was not necessarily a place I wanted to return to - but hubby needs to experience this for himself. We pay our entrance and bypass the banana sellers - we are not fools. I know if you purchase the fruit you will be targeted - and I didn't want that to happen. Besides, these monkeys eat so much of the stuff it can't be that good for them. Sweet potato is good for them, too much banana is not. We are in, walking through, there are shrieks all around from those being attacked and after a bit of a suss from the monkeys, they realise we don't come bearing gifts and leave us alone. We do take some good photo's though. It's not long before hubby has seen enough and so we head back towards the entrance. We pass people being terrorised by the monkeys, some in tears because they are not used to it, and again we are happy we didn't bring any food with us.
Wayan leaves us too it and hubby and I stroll around the market stalls and shops for a while, but it's really too hot to be doing this and so we head back to the car. It's lunchtime and we are hungry! We eat at a spot that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of, but its popular and has a fountain in the restaurant - then again so do a lot of restaurants. We order our meals and drinks and discuss what's next. I order the crab & corn soup but advise the waitress I don't want crab in the soup - she duly advises me there is no crab in the soup - so I am left pondering as to why its called crab corn soup!! Hubby and Wayan both order a chicken with spices dish - it looks fantastic I have to say - and I manage to wrestle the fork with a bit of effort from hubby to taste this sensation. You may note that I eat a lot of soup - its true I do, - I love soup and I love to be able to walk away from the table without feeling like a hippo. We are glad we are at the restaurant as there is a sudden monsoonal downpour - the first since we arrived in Bali. It was good though as it really cooled things down for a while.
We finish up and its off to the Royal Pita Maha hotel to have a look - for those who read my WWR experience - this is the hotel that sits on the cliff overlooking the Ayung river. It is a luxury hotel - each chalet with its own lap pool overlooking the amazing greenery that surrounds and down to the river. I am feeling a bit uncomfortable and I am not sure that hubby and I can pass off the look of ‘we are rich enough to stay here so we want to view your rooms'. Wayan drops us off and advises us to call him when we have finished, he is not allowed to hang around so is to return to the entrance of the driveway and wait for our call. I am dressed in a strapless dress so not feeling too shabby but hubby is wearing his Bintang singlet and boardshorts - of all days to choose to wear his Bintang singlet this was probably the worst day! We affect the look of ‘we belong here' and approach the reception desk. We indicate that we are looking at possibly staying here next year and ask for some prices. The receptionist knows that this is probably bullsh*t but hands over the pricelist and surprises us further by asking if we wish to view a room.... The guests that are in the lobby are clearly upper class - they are dressed appropriately and they just look the part. We agree that it would be lovely to see a room - and a man is summoned and we are off in the lift down - the highest point of the hotel is the reception/lobby, the rest of the hotel is spread down the cliff, so to speak. We arrive at a chalet and its a wow - this was one of the cheapest chalets we were looking at but wow - what you would give to stay here - it has an enormous bedroom, enormous bed complete with mosquito net overlooking your own lap pool and loungers - the view is incredible, literally breathtaking - it would not be hard at all to wake up to this kind of view each morning. The bathroom is enormous and has both a large bath (big enough for two) and an enormous separate shower area. On the other side of the bedroom is your own personal sitting room - complete with lounge, tv etc. Simply stunning and all for a mere starting price of US$450++ - yep its a fantasy alright. Our guide is informative and quite happy to show us the rest of the hotel, but we feel we have pushed it far enough. He advises that it is mostly Japanese & Germans that stay here. They do get some Australians but not many. We head back to the lobby and hubby takes it one step further and starts bartering a price. Now I am embarrassed - there is no way that you can barter for a price at this kind of establishment. However he does have a certain amount of charm and a card is pressed in his hand with the number of the sales manager for the hotel group and we are advised to call her for the best price.
They have called Wayan for us - how the hell they did that I do not know - and he is outside waiting for us. Its goodbyes and a bit of a giggle with the 4 porters standing outside and they beg us to come and stay! Nice! My mind is ticking now - we have 3 nights that we need to find accommodation for...could we?? I urge hubby to make the call, which he does and we have negotiated a room from US $450++ to US$300 including breakfast. It is a fantasy - sorry if I got your hopes up - we can't afford to do it this trip but we are seriously thinking about doing it next trip - at least for a couple of nights. I press the situation further (it's a woman's right after all) but hubby is firm and advises it's not the right time and so I let it go, as I look longingly out the back window!
This still leaves us roomless for our last 3 nights so we bypass Sanur and check out the Griya Satrian - it could have been the Puri Satrian - I am not sure. We check out two room types that would be available, but we don't like them. There is not much more they can offer. I have to say I wouldn't have stayed here anyway, as the Reception guy was not very helpful at all and had a real ‘couldn't care less attitude' as did the guy who showed us the two rooms. We depart without a backward glance and head back to Tuban. We stayed at the Patra last year, and this was where we were headed - we liked the Patra, we liked the staff and we liked the spaciousness of the hotel. Yes it's a bit off the beaten track being right next to the airport, but we seriously weren't bothered.
We are greeted at the Patra like old friends. We make our desire known - we want a deluxe suite like the one we had last year. A quick tap into the computer and the lady confirms that yes we did stay here last year, but no there are no deluxe suites available and the next best would be a studio suite - which is one up from the deluxe suites, so therefore more expensive. Hubby negotiates a price - asks for their best possible price, and she is away and brings out her superior. A price is negotiated with breakfast included. It is still way more than we want to spend but we are not about to compromise the rest of our holiday by staying in cheaper accommodation. This holiday was all about us - it was our treat to us for the rotten year we had had and so we were going to end the way we started. Hubby was not really happy with the price and I think was all set to keep looking, but I begged him to just book it and then we can forget about it, which is what we did. He wasn't too happy, I know he wasn't, but c'est la vie. We can always cancel anyway...if we find somewhere cheaper.
We are back at the hotel and I am dropped off. Wayan is taking hubby to buy some denim long shorts that appear to be all the fashion. It's not too long later and they are back at our room, all the carvings in hand and changing for a swim. Its still raining - but only lightly. The pool water is more like a sauna - it was so warm - I opt out and head back to the room and hubby and Wayan follow shortly thereafter. We say our farewells to Wayan and sit back and admire our purchases - well mine really!!
Tonight we decide to eat at IFiori again - we loved their food and we felt like Italian again. We weren't disappointed. The singing chef made her rounds but seemed to remember us from the previous week and bypassed our table after a quick greeting - so I am not subjected to 'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine' which was what I was serenaded with last time.
Whilst at the restaurant the heavens have opened and it is pouring - it is torrential rain at its best. We stay as long as we can before relinquishing our spot to other patrons that are waiting patiently for their culinary experience. We haven't brought an umbrella with us as it was fine when we set out from the hotel. There is no end in sight for this storm to pass and so we decide to do a runner to the hotel - it's not that far after all. I have again done a faux pas and worn a white baby doll top and it goes without question that I will again be baring my wares. We are the only ones on the street running - all sensible people have taken shelter. We are laughing though, boy are we laughing - how can you not? We hit the carpark area in front of the Musro and I fall into a pothole dragging hubby down with me. We lose it - we are sitting on the floor, drenched and we are hysterical. We eventually get up, laughing all the way and finally arrive at the lobby. We are treated with amused looks by all and sundry that are gathered around waiting for the storm to pass, and all the staff that are at their posts. We are leaving massive puddles in our wake but we don't care because we are laughing and having fun! My top is translucent, but I don't care - even hubby doesn't care - he must be in a good mood! We arrive back to our room, disrobe from our sopping wet clothing, shower and off to bed for another good nights sleep. Its Bali - we love it - we are happy....
More to come - but it won't be till Monday and I daresay will be possibly the wrap up! I still have the lost wallet incident to report to you...