3rd May: Today we had booked to go on a cycle tour with Bali Baik. Up early and picked up in a van at 8am, joined by a couple of ladies from Africa. We headed north to the mountains, stopping along the way to size some bikes for the littler kids and then again at a coffee plantation. We saw the famous Luwak coffee machine (aka small furry cat like creature that eats the coffee beans then poops them out again!). Got to sample some cocoa or coffee, whichever took your fancy. It was included in the tour price, except if you wanted to sample the Luwak coffee which was an extra Rp. 30,000 a cup. Hubby loves Bali coffee and quite liked the Luwak but balked at paying over US$50 for a small box to take home!
Continued our journey north, weather got cooler the higher we climbed. Reached Kintamani and stopped for breakfast at some touristy joint overlooking the volcano. Was a lovely view from the balcony whilst eating, and the food was acceptable... eggs, nasi goreng, something that tasted like KFC popcorn chicken, fruit etc. It was after 9am by this time so we were pretty hungry!
After eating we headed to our starting point. Joined by some other tourists, from France I think. Sorted out who got which bike, kitted up with helmets for all, a few rules (keep left, single file, don't go too fast, don't crash into dogs, children or trees!) and then we were off! The vast majority of the ride was either flat or gentle downhill slopes. We rode through lots of villages that were teaming with life as it was a Sunday and there were lots of children around. The kids all had huge beaming smiles, yelling 'Hello! Hello' and high-5ing us as we cruised on by. My favourite sight was their little faces popping up over the top of the compound walls, smiling and waving. There was rice laid out on tarpaulins all along the village roads drying in the sun. We stopped numerous times... for a stroll through a rice paddy and a lesson in rice farming, to see the women threshing the rice in the paddies, to watch some children flying their homemade kites, for a rest by a big Banyan tree and temple (cold water provided) and once at a village Banyar meeting hall and temple where our guide explained many aspects of Balinese spiritual and cultural life. Was fascinating and we were able to ask lots of questions. Towards the end of the ride there were a couple of short hills. Some were easy enough to ride up in 1st gear, there were one or two that some of us just got off and walked up. There was no rush and there were always 2 guides with us, one at the beginning of the pack and one following the last of the riders. One of the African ladies got too hot and bothered right towards the end so you she got a lift to the finish point in the support van which followed us the whole way. My dear little brother (who is 36 years old!) thought that it would be fun to teach my children how to do skids... well, it is always fun until someone gets hurt! Luckily for him it was not one of my children who got hurt! In fact it was the dear little brother who tried to do a skid, swerved and ran into a coconut tree! It was very funny at the time (he really didn't hurt himself much)!
After about 2 and a half hours of riding we were pretty tired so were very pleased to see the transport van waiting for us around a bend. We were provided with some cold towels and water to freshen up with. Then we were driven to the family compound of the owner of the bike company, Wayan. His lovely wife made us a delicious Balinese meal and we sat around talking, eating and drinking and were also invited to explore the family compound. It was a wonderful and fitting end to an amazing day. Quite possibly the best tour we had done in Bali! Very highly recommended.
A short 30 minute drive and we were back at Sri Ratih. Swim and drinks by the pool was bliss!
This evening, we decided to try out Café Wayan for dinner. There was a buffet on offer (Rp. 130,000) but we decided to just order off the menu. Wonderful environment, terrific service and superb food! Can't get much better than that! The toilets were pretty special too, with your very own water feature to contemplate as you sat!
4th May: Dinner was so good last night that we decided to head back to Café Wayan for breakfast. Turned out to be an excellent decision as I had the best banana pancake that I have ever eaten here! Bacon and eggs were apparently very good too.
Another lazy day browsing the shops, bargaining at the markets, swimming.
We headed to the famous Ibu Oka for lunch of suckling pig. The place was packed with both locals and tourists alike. When we arrived at about 12.30pm there was a huge pig on the slab being carved up. When we left at about 1.30pm there was almost no pig left! The food was cheap, plentiful and delicious. I didn't try the black sausage like thing on the side of the plate though.. it looked too much like petrified dog poop! Maybe it would have turned out to be a taste sensation but I just couldn't bring myself to try it! In fact none of us could! Great dining experience!
Packed up our belongings in the afternoon. As we had given away 2 suitcases of clothes in Amed we now had plenty of space for all our purchases.
Lazed the afternoon away.
Had dinner at Kafe Batan Waru. Very nice Indonesian fare. Great service. Once again the kids ate and drank to their heart's content (picture 3-4 drinks each, starters, mains and dessert!) and at less than A$20 a head I was happy! With 5 children, 3 of them male teenagers it is often difficult to shovel enough food into them. We don't eat out a lot at home as it would cost us a fortune. But in Bali, they had a ball trying new fruit juices and milkshakes (try the peanut butter milkshake at Life in Amed!!!), Indonesian snacks and main meals and desserts to make you become an instant diabetic! For a developing country, there is nothing developing at all about their restaurant industry. Could not have asked for better service, food or value for money. We were spoilt rotten!
5th May: Our last day in Bali. Sad.
Had a quick breakfast at Bridge Café (delicious as usual), before being picked up by Jacob in a big bus... enough for 9 of us and all our luggage. We had fortunately not spent as much money in the two weeks as we had anticipated so we decided to splurge and go to the Bali Safari and Marine Park for the day. Not a cheap outing at US$35 per person, with no family and/or child discount. Not only has the price gone up since April, but now you can only go on the safari tour once, pat only one animal, and only one free ride in the fun park. However, it was very good fun! We went on the safari tour... saw hippos, lions, various deer, cheetah, zebras, elephants etc. Watched some elephants having a bath, fed an elephant mummy some carrots and patted her 2 month old baby... very, very cute! Saw the elephant show... bit contrived but the kids thought it was funny. Saw the lion ‘cub'... getting a bit big for cuddles now and he really didn't look impressed with the attention. His handlers were having a rough time trying to get him to sit still on his bench. Hubby patted the leopard... he looked bored too (the big cat, not hubby)! The highlight for me was holding the orang-utan. He was not much of a baby anymore, about 18 months old I think but he was very, very gorgeous. He too was quite bored with the whole process and was really only interested in the peanuts the handlers were bribing him with. Had lunch at the café... reasonable food.
Then headed to the fun park for our free ride. There were only certain ones that were part of the free deal. We opted for the bumper cars as they were the only ride where we could all go on together.
Last stop was the water park. Spent about an hour and a half here just cooling off. Kids had fun going down the slides. Hubby and I had fun lying in the shallows.
Left the park at about 4pm and turned our noses south to Legian. Had arranged to meet up with hubby's family for dinner (they had left Ubud a couple of days ago for the bright lights of Kuta/Legian). They chose the venue and we ended up at a local hang out run by an Australian fella. Not the type of place I would usually eat at, but the service was good, food was acceptable.
After a quick meal, we changed at the rellies hotel and then hopped back in the bus and went to the airport. The ever-patient Jacob was terrific about shepherding us around all day, waiting and guarding our luggage. Arrived at the airport at about 9pm. Checked baggage in and headed to one of the lounges... can't remember the name but it was great to be able to sit and relax before hopping on our flight home. We were all very tired by this time. Flight home with Jetstar left a little late... only about 15 minutes... and we arrived back in Melbourne at about 7.30am and 10 degrees! Freezing! Had parked our car at Andrew's Airport Parking so waited for the shuttle bus to pick up up and take us to our car. We had arranged for them to wash the inside and outside whilst we were away so it was lovely to hop into a clean car! Drove home and had a big nana nap in the afternoon. Woke up to the realisation that I now had to cook, clean and do the washing! Tragic!
We had an amazing time in Bali. Full of fun, laughter, adventure, culture and memories. Was terrific to catch up with all our family members. Was incredible to share in the wonder of the children's first experience of another way of life.
Unfortunate that we won't be able to make it back until the middle of next year now! Planning to head back in May next year to celebrate my 40th birthday! Thinking 2 weeks of wandering, eating, hanging with the locals, going feral for a while! Going to leave the kids home next time and just have a lazy couple of weeks with my lovely husband... and I think my sis might be planning on joining us too! Can't wait!
Well, that is my story done. I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry to those who want detailed blow-by-blow accounts of what we ate, what we bought, how much each item or dish cost. I just can't remember and to tell you the truth I really don't care! I had a good time, I ate and drank whatever I liked, I didn't cook or clean or do any washing for 2 whole weeks, I didn't spend all my money, and I supported the Balinese economy! Can't get much better than that!