What is the magic of Bali that we not only become totally hooked on revisiting each year, but have to convince friends and relatives that they too should love it as much as we do? This year our annual visit was with three other couples - best friend J and her husband R, two of their friends E & E, and sister D and her partner S. My husband P and I first visited Bali in 1991, booking a package for ten night's accommodation and airfares for $1,000 each. We have returned a total of ten times now and the only thing that has changed is that since we joined the 'SKI' Club we now spend a bit more on accommodation. Over the years we have visited lots of places around Bali and on this trip planned to kick back and enjoy time with each other after a very busy year.
day 1
We left Sydney all very excited, met in the Qantas lounge and had a great flight with Garuda. We landed on time about 2.00pm behind two 747s. Took 1½ hours to get through the system. I changed A$200 at the airport and got 8,750rp to the A$. The hotel cars picked us up and the new General Manager met us in the foyer to welcome us back, he sympathised with our delay through the airport chaos and said that the hotel now had an express system to bypass all the formalities and whisk us straight through to the cars. Note to tour organiser (me) investigate for next time - bet it costs a mint though (might be worth it). We then moved into our lovely rooms, the ones we had requested. We ordered coffee and sat out on the balcony looking at the beautiful lagoon - a squirrel came and stole a biscuit off our plate. The eight of us walked around the resort, visiting all our favourite places. Then off to dinner on the beach - it was a seafood buffet/bbq for 527,000rp for two. I thought it was delicious and ate four lobsters. After dinner we all went for a long walk along the beach, it was very breezy and we passed by lots of beach parties, bands and dancing.
day 2
Woke up at 6.00am after eight hours sleep. Friend J and I sat in the bale' right on the ocean front and watched around 200 Malaysians of all ages walk from the direction of the Westin, heading towards Melia Bali, they walked past and all stared at us as if we were on display in the zoo. Just as they finished passing a guard walked from their direction and I asked him who all the people were - he said "what people?" We nearly wet ourselves laughing, so much for security! We then went to yoga for an hour before breakfast - the meditation calmed us a little. The breakfasts in Laguna are a feature and absolutely delicious. Hxxxxx came at 11.00am with our DVDs that we had ordered via email. I bought 89 DVDs for 750,000rp, D got 21 DVDs, worked out 8,427rp each or 96 cents with a free DVD case. E bought about 200! I buy about 100 DVDs each year and so far have watched about 20 of them - oh well, the grandchildren love them. Bought a sarong on the beach for 60,000rp - I really needed another sarong (not), but the beach ladies are great fun and somehow I always feel obligated to try and buy something from all of them. We just worked on A$1 equalled 10,000rp - not quite correct, but a lot easier to work out in our head. That afternoon went shopping at The Bali Collection for supplies. Later discovered a supermarket in Nusa Dua (Hardy's) that is a lot cheaper for the basics. That evening we went for dinner in the Lagoon Café, had sweet & sour fish, Caesar salad, noodle Nasi Goring 205,700rp for two).
day 3
Went down to Nusa Dua to order our clothes from Rezky Tailors. We have something made from them each year and have been very pleased with the results. The lovely lady was pregnant last year and we were very sorry to hear she lost the baby, but delighted she is expecting again. We hired a car for four hours for 180,000rp and spent the day shopping in Kuta. We wasted a lot of time looking for the Climax Swimwear to have swimmers made - costume 225,000rp and matching wrap 104,000rp. We went to Kuta Mall, bought Revlon lipstick and concealer for 117,000rp, and had lunch of a coke 11,000rp, juice 22,000rp and Nasi Goring for 29,000rp. Back at Laguna we saw a wedding on the beach - just the bride and groom in the full regalia with everyone standing around in swimmers. It was very beautiful and romantic, but I wondered where all the family and friends were. We had dinner at the Ocean Terrace restaurant - prawns, lobster bisque, fig tart 163,000rp.
day 4
Spent the day in the balé in the back lagoon - one of our favourite spots. The rest of our group hired a bus to 'drive them around the Island and see the 'north shore'. We wished them well and were relieved that we wouldn't be sitting in a bus for six hours 'seeing the sights'. When they returned they were exhausted and realised that Bali is a lot bigger than they thought. We had been invited to a temple ceremony by the hotel staff to bless the hotel, the guests and the staff, and were also invited to dress in traditional Balinese dress. After donning our costumes and taking lots of pictures we all went down to the beach and after about three minutes some of our group decided it was boring and left. The staff had gone to so much trouble for us and we were the only guests invited to participate in costume so I was a little disappointed in some of our group as I felt very privileged to be included. The rest of us were fascinated by it all and took lots of pictures.
day 5
Hubby and I had a lovely day by ourselves, we caught a cab up to The Peninsula Hotel in Benoa - very ordinary, but a chance to look at another location. It was R's 55th birthday and E & E's 26th wedding anniversary. In the afternoon the staff came to R's room and wheeled in a chocolate birthday cake and an arrangement of flowers. We had arranged a six course degustation dinner in the hotel restaurant to celebrate (US$30 per person). The General Manager met us and gave E a huge bunch of flowers. They had printed menu cards with a photo of E & E on the front (we had given them a photo taken at the temple blessing ceremony). The whole evening was something to be believed, E was teary and said it was better than their wedding. The waiters, supervisors, chef and kitchen staff wheeled out a wedding cake with a huge arrangement of flowers (there was another one in the middle of our table) clapping and pushing the trolley with the cake and flowers. We had the cake cutting, ate a slice each and then they did the same again with a birthday cake and candles on it for R. We ended up sharing the cake with the other restaurant patrons.
day 6
We didn't go to breakfast, I had enough to eat the night before so we ate fruit on our balcony. All went to Rezky to pick up tailor made garments, P paid A$50 for his trousers. Afterwards the girls hired a car for 200,000rp to take us to Climax Swimwear for our swimmers, then we went to Carrefour (a huge combination store like Woolworths and Big W combined). I bought three packets of headache tablets and two packets of band aids for 10,750rp. Got my Martha Tilla Biokos products, powder for Mum for 49,450, two serums at 125,150rp each, night cream and day cream for 94,990rp each, plus toothpaste for 4,450rp. Lunch of Nasi Goring 16,000rp, pineapple juice 11,000rp. E bought water and complained that it cost her A$3.50 until we told her that 3,500rp was about .35 cents. Then went to Mata Hari department store and bought beaded bag for 129,000rp, sandals for 109,000rp, Kenzo perfume 475,000rp (with 6 purse size samples). We were invited by the General Manager of the hotel to a cocktail party in the Imperial Suite with a few other guests. It was superb, we were greeted by a man in the traditional monkey costume and two beautiful Balinese ladies in traditional costume. Met a fascinating guy from Germany who had just come over from the Gold Coast after making arrangements for the next series of 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here'. Loved hearing all about the gossip from behind the scenes.
day 7
Hubby and I had massage in the hotel (his first) and afterwards had a long swim and spa. We spent the day away from the others (a little 'us' time) and had dinner with the whole mob and another couple that I had chummed up with at the wedding on the beach - Barbara and Fred from Chicago. Had scallops and salmon, seafood soup and mai mai fish for 347,875rp. Each afternoon the hotel puts on a 'high tea' and features something special each time along with the great cakes and snacks. That afternoon all the little children came in and paraded in traditional costume - they were beautiful and so well behaved. I mentioned that I liked mangosteens at the cocktail party the night before and the restaurant manager brought me a plate over for me at breakfast, then the butler brought a plate to our room for me - and then at dinner that night the restaurant manager at Ocean Terrace asked if I would like some mangosteens. The staff sure know their guests and their preferences. Very impressed.
day 8
After breakfast we went back to the rooms and packed up. The cars arrived at 11.45am and we all piled in for our trip to Ubud. We stayed in The Chedi Club (our third visit). This is a lovely boutique resort of 21 villas scattered throughout a rice terrace. P and I spent the afternoon in our villa's pool, unpacked and settled in. We had afternoon tea in the restaurant and decided to have cocktails at 5.00pm - I had two pinna coladas, which went straight to my head, I think they were 'doubles'. Lovely snacks. We met a lovely couple from Houston, they were both doctors and born in India. They joined us for dinner and we 'solved the problems of the world'. They travelled to Bali through Japan and were enjoying their first stay.
day 9
J, E and I did yoga for over an hour, then to breakfast. We all got dropped off at the Monkey Forest; it was great walking through and seeing all the monkeys, especially the babies. Afterwards we all walked up Monkey Forest Road, seeing all the shops and buying small things here and there, ended up at the markets and had a snack in a restaurant before heading back to the hotel. We all had afternoon tea then the others went off for dinner. P and I had cocktails with the Indian couple and then dinner in the restaurant.
day 10
J and I did yoga, E dropped out, then off to breakfast. The mob went to Mas to look at wood carving and P and I went for a short trip to Ubud, joined later by the others. J and I had a pedicure - with the flowers painted on. Dinner in Ubud at TaraZa - lovely meal.
day 11
The mob went off to the Bali Bird Park, P and I went down to Ubud and P then went for his appointment with the director of the Bird Park. I stayed in Ubud and shopped, then had a massage and a manicure. I was sitting talking to a New Zealand lady who was a pilot for and Indonesian firm in West New Guinea. She had a fascinating story, came over to Ubud every two months for a bit of pampering. She lives in a compound with 50 men, no women. I asked her if she travels alone, and she said there was no way she would travel with the men as they made no secret of the fact that they came over to drink and find women. The manicurist overheard us and told me that lots of men came to Bali and had the three hour massage and I asked her if they had "extras". She didn't understand so I said "sex". She said yes, here, they could have the "women massage" or the "man massage", whatever they preferred!!! I don't think I misunderstood her but was quite shocked.
day 12
J, E and I did yoga for the final time. After breakfast went to Tangalalang Road. Absolutely fabulous shopping, so cheap. The jewellery shops are amazing, I bought lovely necklaces and bangles for around 10,000rp, and my only regret is that I didn't buy heaps more. A lot cheaper than Ubud markets. I was after kites for the grandchildren and bought two terrific ones like dragons for 80,000rp. We thought we could catch a taxi back, but there were none so we hired a car and driver from a shop to take us to the famous rice paddies and back to the hotel. It was the most beat up old car, but we didn't worry about the safety aspect because it wouldn't go over 30 kilometres per hour. It was a very slow trip. We arranged to have dinner together in the hotel restaurant and had a beautiful meal (all except D who had a terrible beef soup)
day 13
The four girls arranged to go for a final shop for all those last minute bargains we might have missed. We had a final swim, a final afternoon tea, said our goodbyes and then left for the airport and the flight to Darwin to visit with our daughter and family. Was disappointed that Qantas didn't have a Qantas Club check-in and even more disappointed when told that Qantas doesn't have access to a lounge. After enquiring from the Qantas Club in Australia we were told that Qantas does have a lounge on the 3rd floor at Denpasar. The flight back to Darwin leaves at 9.20pm and gets in around 1.20am. We usually fly Garuda but their flight into Darwin left at 1.30am and arrived in Darwin around 5.30am which seemed an ordeal especially as by the time we arrived at our daughter's home the grandchildren would be awake and it would become a very long 24 hours without any sleep!