DAY THREE
Wife (hereinafter reverting back to her real name Mary, after she read the last JBR and bellowed "WIFE?...Why don't you just call me 'the bloody missus'") loves to sleep in/waste the day when we go on holiday.
I, on the other hand, always get up at sparrow f@rt and rather than tiptoe around the room for 4 hours waiting for 'her majesty' to arise, grab my camera and walk around the hotel grounds and onto the street out front taking the customary 'here's where we stayed in Bali' photos.
Ubud mornings are just fantastic...beautifully quiet and just a hint of cool in the air.Hotel staff are sweeping the paths, looking up to greet me "good morning" with a big smile.I always return with "selamat pagi" which usually broadens their smile.
This is when I always do my best work with a camera...unhurried shots in good light.
After,(and still too early for Mary) I sit in the small open-air cafe under the canopy of leaves and have a couple of cigarettes with a sweet Bali Kopi reviewing all my photos taken so far on the trip.
This was my routine every morning at Tegal Sari and indeed every morning in Bali.
I have begun to cherish them as a special part of my day.
After a hearty (served to our balcony) breakfast of bacon,eggs and Tegal Sari's famous banana pancakes, Bianca pops around to bid us good morning and promptly bursts into tears.
It seems that Matt has had a terrible night with his colitis and has been passing significant amounts of blood. He suffers from the 'ulcerative' version and it has become quite serious.
I spend the morning talking to the triage nurse at Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) alternating with Matt's mother in Adelaide.
A Predsol enema is the best treatment for him, but not available in Bali. BIMC have a suppository called Salofalk (Matt jokes that Bianca might have to 'pop it in' for him) which is the next best thing..."would you like us to send an ambulance?"
We read the insurance policy...he's not covered for 'pre-existing ailments' that haven't been declared to the insurance company.
I dread to think what a BIMC ambulance would cost for a return trip from Kuta to Ubud so after talking to Matt for his own assessment, decide to call the local Ubud Clinic who send out a doctor.
The doctor prescribes Buscopan,electolytes,pro-biotics,limited food choices,lots of fluids and lots of bed rest and hands us a bill for Rp950,000 (inc. medication) with the words 'gastro-enteritis' on the certificate, despite Matt describing his symptoms accurately.
Matt assures us he can hack it...Hmmmm! and just needs to spend the day in bed. We're going to Sanur (closer to BIMC) for 5 nights tomorrow, so we're going to see how he pulls up today.If he's still no better or worse even, we can drive him there.
White Water Rafting is most definitely cancelled.
We spend the day close to Tegal Sari and in the afternoon Mary and I go for a glorious Balinese massage (1 hour Rp85,000) at Tegal Sari's offsite Pertenin Body Care and Spa. Heavenly!
Leon and Danielle go off shopping down Jalan Pengosekan and Bianca spends the day with Matt in the room.
That night (minus Matt and Bianca) we dine at the very funky Warung Enak (Indonesian cuisine) right next to Tegal Sari. I had been itching to go there since we got to Ubud and we are the only ones in the place. The service is excellent.
WARUNG ENAK
2 sm bintang,sparkling equil,spring rolls,fish ball and egg soup,prawn mie goreng,bebek(smoked duck)betutu,coconut pancakes and black rice pudding with jackfruit and coconut cream...Rp315,000 inc.taxes for 2. Good value I thought.
Leon can't believe how cheap the desserts are...so he has two.
Very good Indonesian food from this restaurant linked to the also very good Lamak in Monkey Forest Road. Highly recommended.
Off to Sanur tomorrow...hope Matt's OK.