A belated report as I work fifo in WA....
I'd researched our trip on the BTF and had heard a lot about the various airlines. We had already booked with Garuda by then and as it turned out were very happy both outbound, on Thursday 22nd May from Perth, and return on Sunday 1st June. We would certainly fly with them again. Faultless service from the cabin staff, actually surprisingly nice food for a plane and smooth take offs and landings from the man up front! Really, what more could you want!?
We stayed at the Bali Garden hotel for the duration. The pool areas were great, water clean as. Gardens were being maintained as were the pathways being recovered with pebble dashing. It was looking nice. All staff were very friendly and helpful. We didn't tumble for a revamped room so that was the only downside for us as the room we had was decidedly tired. We would stay there again, though. Oh yes, one thing had me stumped....the lights in the wardrobes. They were on all the time and I searched the room/bathroom and passageways outside for 2 days, for the switches, unsuccessfully. Then I discovered the doors were connected to the lights as they are in a fridge! This only added to my wife's hilarity and I don't talk about it much, now....
It'd been 13 years since our last visit so we were really looking forward to all the usual things, shopping, massages and dining out, plus a couple of other things too. I wanted my teeth whitened, to look for a few pairs of drum sticks, to get a pair of real/copy Doc Marten shoes, renew the watch straps on 2 of my Seiko's, we both needed new prescription glasses and the missus wanted to go on one of the Bali cookery day classes with the early morning market visit! This from her that thinks there's only one 6 o'clock every 24 hours! Anyway we'll get to that later.
SHOPPING.
First day on the Friday we went to Ketuts fixed price shop in Garlic Lane. Nothing out of the ordinary bought here, pants, shorts, t shirts, cushion covers and table runners.
Then on to Anton shop as I'd gleaned from the forum that this was the place to go for men's Levis. Don't know what I was expecting but if it hadn't been for the taxi we'd never have found it. It was just another shop like all the rest. Anton was very nice mind and I picked my jeans and asked to try them on. Ok and he pointed to the back of the shop so off I went. I couldn't for the life of me find anywhere to try them on, then the penny dropped! There wasn't anywhere...just the back of the shop! And I couldn't just buy without trying on, I'd learned that from the forum, too, so I just had to drop me pants there and do the necessary! Perfect fit, so back into me own pants again and look around some more. Fancied another colour so picked them out and, oh...better try them on like they said in the forum. Got away with it the last time, no one in the shop, see. Be ok again, so off I trots down the back and drops me pants while the missus was looking for her 'stuff'. In between pants, as it were, about 3 ladies appeared at the shop front browsing and to me that seemed like a bus load as I went into hyper drive to redress. Just made it. Anyway, bought a couple of pairs and over the rest of our time I managed to get a few more pairs from other like shops in Kuta. The rest of our shopping went ok.
Bali Brumby's made me a pair of Doc Marten look alike shoes in red leather with black leather ankle padding and the DM yellow stitching around the soles. Not the proper air soles, though, but they put in extra padding and they feel quite like the real thing. And the leather is so soft. They also made to measure 2 pairs of copy Levi jeans for my wife, 1 black pair and 1 blue. No rivets, though!
I got my drum sticks from King Audio JL Bedugal 51 Denpasar, for just under $2 a pair for Carmine Appice Pearl 7A's. Unbelievable, as I'd reckon they must be around $20-25 a pair here, guessing!
We looked all over the Kuta area for Seiko watch straps, but didn't find any. However in Mataharis, Kuta square, we found that upstairs they sold Seiko watches. Fatal! The day before we flew out I was the proud owner of yet another Seiko! So in a way I did get my new watch strap!
For our prescription glasses we went to the Honeyman, outside the Bintang supermarket. He wasn't there when we arrived so we asked the girls at the mobile phone stall just out side the supermarket. They said maybe an hour and he'd be there so we went to the café on the corner to wait. Within 15 minutes he came over, the girls must have pointed us out, and we did the deal there over coffee. Took our recent prescription with us, did a couple of lens tests with those very attractive opticians spectacle lens holders...in a public place, too! We both got progressive glasses, my wife getting hers transitional while I just wanted clear. Delivery would be 1 week, so that would be the last Saturday of our stay. They were ready early and the Honeyman delivered them to our hotel on the Wednesday evening. We were very pleased with them. He is a very nice fellow and we have no reservations about recommending him. His number is 081 7471 4740. Oh yes, we did ask how he was called the Honeyman when he sold glasses. Apparently he sold honey on the beach for a few years before he changed to glasses. So there you are.
Dvd's and cd's were 10,000rp a copy and the best selection, by far, of music dvd's that I saw was at a shop called Megah Disc just over the road from the Discovery shopping mall, Kuta. And they changed one disc that wouldn't work no bother at all. There is a lane just up the side of this shop and up there about 100m on the left is a little laundry we used 3 times. Great service and lovely smelling clothes when you get them back, and so cheap. Just before the laundry is a small tailoress' shop where my wife got a couple of pairs of trousers taken up, too, for a song. Can't remember their names but they are easy to find.
Flo, my wife, fancied a hair style change so she went to Johnny Andrean's in the Discovery mall. She had short hair but fancied a spiky top style so took the plunge. She was happy with the result which made me very happy as Flo with a sad hair style is not a pleasant thing! And the price was for nothing. About $5 did the hair style with wash and dry, and 2 tubs of hair cream as well.
My teeth whitening was done by Dr Retno Agung Jl. By pass Ngurah Rai No.4A Sanur - Bali, Tel : (62 361) 288 501, which is opposite McDonalds in Sanur. She is a very competent dentist and for just under $400 my teeth were cleaned and had the whitening process done and had top and bottom imprints done to make moulds so I can bleach them myself with the 4 syringes of bleach she gave me. Not a fantastic difference in whiteness, mind, but that was probably due to my teeth being so old!! I was happy enough, though.
Massages were taken mainly by Flo and mainly at the BGH. The aromatherapy massage was great, as were another type of massage, can't remember the name, and facials.....feet....and so on! I, on the other hand, had a back injury a few years back and rather fancied one of these therapeutic massages to sort me out. A fellow called Mr. Novian, who I'd seen mentioned on the forum came to our hotel and I had the massage just on the bed. He was good, has studied in Japan, and I felt not bad afterwards. I made another booking but he asked if we'd come to the SenSpa where he had the proper room, bed, shower, etc so we did, and dined there afterwards.
Now I thought it was uncanny the way he found the sore spots while in our room but that was nothing to when he had me at proper working height on a massage table! I was sore in places I didn't know I was sore or there were places...and he found every flamin' spot! The high point was the part where my calf muscles got a work out, did I know I was alive then! But the coup de grass was the between the toes treatment. He really amazed me here! How did he know when to stop just before the right hook was to be unleashed!! Unbelievable! But at the end I felt great, showered and dined, buying him a large Bintang to boot! A good thing but not for the feint hearted!
And that brings us to Flo's cookery class. I'd tried booking the Aneka class before leaving Australia, on 3 occasions, by email. Not one answer did I get so I thought bugger them! I then emailed the Bumbu Bali cookery class run by Heinz Von Holzen and received a return email within a few hours. The booking was made and off Flo went in her 6am of the morning taxi to meet her classmates at the Jimbaran McDonalds. She was surprisingly alert for that time of day as she is definitely not a morning person, but she does love cooking and was really looking forward to the day. The market visit went great with tips galore on buying herbs, spices, fish, meat and poultry. Then back to the class where the 14 course attendants cooked up about 29 dishes including starters, mains and sweets. Refreshments were available throughout the class, lovely fruit juices and sweet cakes, and at the end everyone sat and banqueted on the dishes that were cooked. She thoroughly enjoyed the day, wouldn't have missed it, and got a course recipe book which has had a bit of exercising since we got home. And the result was well worth her efforts! Their email contact for info on their courses is hvhfood@indosat.net.id
To continue along the food line, we had a list of places to go and eat at, all obtained from the forum. We didn't have a hope of visiting them all but here are the ones we did manage.
Mades warung, Jl Pantai - chicken curry with brown rice and chips, butterfish on leeks with mashed potato, sauce and coriander. Banana split with all chocolate ice cream and no nuts! (I hate 'bits' in me splits!) with a carafe of wine and beers this was about 330,000rp. The wine cost nearly half at 150,000rp. Meal was lovely, though. Will go back.
The Chinese in the Dynasty hotel. This was a disappointment. We were the only customers in here all the time we were there, and we had 4 wait persons ready to pounce. Meal was nothing flash. Won't go back.
Boardwalk at the BGH. Chicken parmigiani, beef strips and salad followed by chocolate mousse. Nice meal and nice surroundings.
SenSpa, Jl Plawa. Chicken curry and chicken with coriander sauce. Food was nice in a garden setting which has yet to mature. New business but would definitely go back. Have a massage here, too, before eating.
Bali Agung, Poppies 1. Chefs salad, spring rolls, garlic bread, and a ham, cheese and tomato jaffle with chips. The inevitable banana split with chocolate ice cream and no 'bits' and 3 large beers - 99,000rp. Really enjoyable. Will go back.
Impala beside the Dynasty. Fillet steak, chips and vegetables, lovely and tender, and tuna steak, chips and vegetables, lovely, and another banana split - no 'bits'. Portions were not large but adequate. Reasonably priced.
Secret Garden, Poppies 1. chicken sandwich and chips and I had an avocado salad followed by one of their 'Cornish' pasties. I have never seen a Cornish pasty this big. It was lovely but be hungry when you order it. With Bintangs and a water, 118,000rp. Will go back.
Swells, Poppies 1. chicken satay, garden salad, Bintangs, water, iced lemon tea and another all chocolate banana split with no 'bits' all for 97,000rp. Lovely and will go back.
Café Enhay, Gang Benasari, off Poppies 2. Flo had chicken in a basket and I had the slice of snapper with potatoes. Very nice. I'd go as far as to say this was the nicest piece of fish I have ever tasted in my life. The sauce topping was something else and the cook wouldn't divulge what his secret was! All he'd say was 'it's magic....abra cadabra!'
And that's it; I'm going to disappear meself. We loved our holiday and look forward to the next one. I fly to work again tomorrow, shame it's not Bali......
Toodle pip!
G.