Bali Travel Forum is great for lots of things: information, prices, advice, warnings... and making new friends.
H and I first came in contact through BTF, and had been e-mailing each other for nearly a year. We'd nattered on the phone, but we hadn't actually met. Coincidence had it that we would both be in Bali at the same time. The first plan was for us to catch up for a belated birthday celebration in Candi Dasa; the second plan was that I'd meet her and her husband in Ubud, we'd cruise around a bit and wind up in Kuta, when D would go away to chase his waves, and H and I would go shopping. In the end, D changed his plans so often that H and I decided to have a girlie trip on our own, and do all the things we tended not to do when holidaying with our respective families. In the end, D ended up joining us, but only for a few days (and we were all glad he got to experience the very special part of the trip!)
Both H and I had encountered a range of mixed reactions from people on the subject of holidaying with a stranger. Anything from ‘Are you crazy?' to ‘I suppose you know what you're doing', to ‘How wonderful, what fun!'
I've had great holidays with people I've barely known, and ghastly holidays with intimates; you can never tell how things will pan out. H and I knew we had heaps in common, like Bali, an interest in good food, reading preferences, age, family background, etc. We'd discussed our respective quirks and foibles, and agreed on time-out strategies when we needed them. But still, there was always a chance that we'd hate each other on sight...
Even though La Walon staff woke her from a sound sleep at 1.10am on the morning of June 17, to tell her I'd finally arrived, H graciously rubbed her eyes and stumbled down to reception, to meet me.
There we were, face-to-face, grinning at each other. Oh, the relief: we didn't hate each other at all!
48 hours without sleep, and I was too tired to go to bed straight away. A couple of hours, much chatter and a few G&Ts later, H pointed out that it was 3.30am, and we were due to get cracking in four hours time. A busy morning lay ahead (just what I needed!) But once we'd dealt with the pointy end of things, we could sit back and enjoy the real treat of the trip, four nights at Tamu Seseh.
So after H had cruelly shaken me awake around 7am, we leapt into action and got things done: Bintang supermarket for supplies; breakfast; money changing; a trip to Bali Galleria to make a dental appointment and visit Johnny Andrean to get our nails done; then back to La Walon for checkout and a 1pm pickup, to go to Tamu Seseh.
Since booking Tamu Seseh on Ebay, I'd been regularly checking out the TS website, drooling. No shops, no hawkers, no traffic, no cafes. Instead, rice fields and birds and insects - and a superb horizon pool to cool off in. H and I decided to save money by preparing our own meals during the day, and ordering dinner at night. We'd gone to great pains to prepare for our stay there, so we'd have everything we could possibly need without going out for it. Short of an evening at Echo Beach, and a few walks around Seseh village, we planned on doing nothing but eating good food, sleeping, reading, enjoying our environs, and chilling out in general.
Our driver picked D, H and me up from La Walon on time. Car loaded with enough provisions to feed a team of Sumo wrestlers for a month, we navigated carefully around Kuta and Legian. Early afternoon, and the area was already jam-packed with traffic, grime and activity. It was great to be immersed in Bali frenzy again, yet the only thing each of us wanted was be somewhere peaceful and beautiful, to take time out to sit, reflect - and enjoy a G&T or two.
TS had a lot to live up to, and it did it so admirably. We rushed around Villa 3, inspecting it like excited kids at a Christmas party. This was simple luxury at its best. The two bedrooms and bathrooms were separate from the living structure. Both bedrooms were pretty much the same: wooden louvred blinds, four-poster bed with mosquito net, cacky artwork, and a daybed by the window. Nothing flash, but nice all the same.
But then you stepped outside, into the bathrooms. What a treat! Double basins and big round mirrors were the first thing you saw. Under-cover, on each side, sat the toilet and shower. You walked around the wash basins, and there was the main feature: a huge bath, smack bang in the middle of a paved and pebbled compound. It was surrounded by high walls (fortunately), and planted with all sorts of palms, and flowering bits and pieces. I had a banana tree in my bathroom!
We unpacked quickly, then settled down to a meal of assorted cheeses and crackers, quince paste, olives, dips, and large, icy G&Ts, heavily laced with juice from those superb lemons that H had brought from home.
Before I go on, I should mention a theme that will recur over the rest of my JBRs: the trusty Gin & Tonic. G&Ts with lots of lemon don't only taste lovely, but they're really good for you. Take my word for it! Gin relaxes the body and helps prevent stress-related diseases; tonic contains quinine, which has painkilling, fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties (it also helps treat malaria). And then, of course, there's lemon, which is full of vitamin C, and prevents scurvy.
So there you have it: H and I drank lots of G&Ts because we owed it to our general health and wellbeing. Believe me, on this holiday, we were relaxed, stress-free, experienced no fever, and had very healthy gums.
Next up: Tamu Seseh: what to do when there's nothing to do