RAFTING :
We booked our rafting from the tourist stall outside Mataharis and before he even attempted to give us a price I let him know that we have been rafting many times and last time we paid $20Aud each. I told him if he comes close to that I'd be happy to book for 10 people. After a few phone calls he gave me a total cost of 2 million rp with Bahama Adventure on the Agung river. When we take the kids we always go on the Agung and when it's just adults we do the Telagawaja as it has better rapids and a nice drop at the end to get the adrenalin pumping!
I have the brochure with the advertised price in front of me and it states $66 US per adult and $42 US per child,WOW ! That would mean if we didn't ask for a discount we would've paid $540 US instead of $200 US. So it just goes to show that you really need to remember what you have paid before and what you can pay when you ask for a discount!
I found this company as good as the other two we have previously used and we all had a great time.
There was enough white water to give the kids a thrill .Lunch was average,I suppose thats where I noticed the difference.I'm not too keen on eating out in the middle of nowhere anyway.The kids were offered a free soft drink and we purchased our photo at the end.The only concern I had was they didn't have a small life jacket so we had to put my little one in an adult size.She also had her floaties on,so she was fine.They also told as that there was no insurance for her,which I didn't worry about.She was all strapped up with floatation devices and we wedged her between me and my husband on the back of the raft.
We had an absolute ball, most of the time was a few minutes paddling with a rest as we were manouvered through the rapids by our guide.These guys are so fit they really do alot of work. His English was limited and he would sing song in a dead monotone voice :wuuunnn, toooo,wuuuunnn,toooo over and over again to keep us paddling. We got stuck several times on top of a boulder because we had most of the weight in the back. He would jump out and push and we would rock and jump our bums up and down until we broke free!Then he would lunge back in just before the rapids took us away. We gave him a 100,000 tip because I feel they do a lot of work just to keep us entertained! And we made it back in one peice,LOL.
I forgot to take a sarong with me,as I only wear a bikini under my life jacket.So,as soon as we were on dry land the lovely ladies were waiting to sell us any item of clothing at very funny prices!Well put it this way ....I cracked up when she asked 200,000 for a plain sarong! I wrapped my arms around her and said there was no way I was gonna even consider that.Somehow I don't think she understood why I was laughing or why she got a hug for being such a character!
I told her that 25,000 is what I usually pay .Thats when she started laughing!! I then decided that I could do without the sarong and march up those stairs with all my wobbly bum and jiggly boobs for everyone to see. As I set off she kept over my shoulder sticking to her crazy price and wouldn't let up.Maybe if I run I can get far enough ahead cause I was getting tired of saying 'no thankyou'.
There I go running as fast as I could up the stairs ,wobbling and heaving and after about 15 stairs I stopped to someone breathing heavily in my ear!! She was on my heels chasing me! What a darling ,the look on her face was one of exhaustion and plea,ok !,ok ! she said 25,000 me not run anymore! And we were both trying to laugh through gasps for air. I gave her the 25 and a well earned tip for her persistence.I didn't care if I had just paid triple.
BOWLING:
This is something we wouldn't usually do when we are in Bali, but we needed to do something indoors as we had all got a bit too sunburnt the day before. Paradiso Bowling is in the alleyway between Bubba Gumps and the Slingshot. We all had lots of fun,it is a large place with lots to offer including lots of pool tables,but there was no one else there.It did have a feel of desertion,like we just walked into a ghost towns bowling alley! Maybe it gets busy at night?? Don't really know.
The cost was no different to home, 2 games for the 6 of us was 375,000 with shoes.None small enough for my 4yr old and she had these lime green and fluoro pink shoes that were huge!! She looked like Ronald McDonald,lol. She loved them.We purchased new socks at a cost of 6,000rp each pair. Again we laughed lots and yahoo'd the afternoon away.
Hard Rock Hotel:
We take the kids to this hotel for a day out everytime we go.The pools are awesome,the cabanas are luxury and there are always activities to participate in with an activity crew getting people motivated. We had a game of volley ball in the water.Last year I did it on the sand/beach that is in the middle of the pools and it nearly killed my knees!
They also had a 'walk on water game' the kids enjoyed.it was a lenghth of big foam blocks roped from one end of the pool to the other.You had to race across before sinking and falling.Many laughs were had by everyone in view of this activity.
The cost of a day use of pools and a cabana for our family was 350,000rp and I would also advise to get a locker in the change rooms.This included towels. The food is expensive,but if you want to indulge it is 5 star quality and worth every dollar.
We went twice this trip and on one day they had no cabanas available,so you need to pop in and pre book a day before to guarantee one.
They also have vests like waterbom for little kids,and sometimes have floaty rings.Take your own if your kids want one. The kids were in awe of all the music memorabilia and they have some great music pumping in the afternoon.Do yourself a favour and check it out.I could never afford to stay there,but being able to indulge the day away is just as good!
There is still lots more to tell you all about, I hope you will benefit from some of my diary writing!
Cheers,Lynette