H and I had no idea what to expect as we left Seseh for Seminyak. I'd paid $50 on Ebay for a seven-night package at Seminyak Suites. The property looked fine on the website, but then photographers are paid good money to present a product in the best possible way. We agreed that all we wanted was a home base for the week. And we both knew that Tamu Seseh would be a hard act to follow.
What a relief when we finally saw our new home for the next week. Okay, it wasn't Tamu Seseh, but it was really very nice. A spacious room, pleasantly decorated, with big bed and sofa, and a large bathroom/dressing room. A nice pool too, enough greenery surrounding it to make anyone feel like they're in Bali, with the added advantage of a sweet little squirrel, who regularly negotiated a careful tightrope walk along a power line, to move from tree to tree. H and I had a TV, fridge, toaster and kettle in our room; and a table and chairs on the veranda. What more could we want?
Hm... single beds! We were prepared to share a room, but definitely not a bed. We agreed to take turns on the sofa, which was just big enough to stretch out comfortably on.
Our $50 deal was wonderful! Okay, there's no such thing as a free lunch, you're always told. The catch, in this instance, was that we had to attend a presentation during our stay at Seminyak Suites. No biggie...
If you want to be five minutes walk from Eat Street, you can choose not to do the vacation club bizzo; you then pay USD50 a night to stay at Seminyak Suites. We didn't ask the staff, but the property may well offer a better rate, if asked nicely.
We dumped our luggage, and relaxed on our veranda with drinks. A huge fracas erupted on the veranda next door. A rangy white cat was having a very loud argument with a great big tom. Nothing physical, but a lot of screaming and yowling going on! The white cat won, and the tom slunk off.
White cat came right over, to tell us all about her victory. She wasn't the best-looking girl in the world, but she had personality - plus intriguing tabby splotches, and a fascinating tail that alternated between straight and spiral, at whim. I patted her, and told her how lovely she was. She smooched and purred, then stretched out on a wall, paws dangling over the side, and slept.
I could've sat there all afternoon, watching my new friend. But H and I had a crisis on our hands: we were dangerously short of gin, not to mention lemons and tonic. Our nails needed attention, and there were other pressing matters to attend to. It was time to get moving, and move we did.
The rest of the day was go-go-go. We learnt some important facts:
1. DON'T buy your grog at Matahari. Go to the grog shop at Bemo Corner - or, at the very least, shop around and compare prices. Matahari was charging 160,000 rp for a 700 ml bottle of Mansion House gin, vodka etc (around AUD 20). The grog shop at Bemo Corner charged 35,000 rp for half bottles, or 80,000 for full-size ones. 50% less. This meant you saved AUD10 per item - nothing to be sneezed at. (I can never quite understand why it's often cheaper to buy two half bottles of something, rather than one full, but there you go.) We also discovered that Matahari charged 80,000 rp for arak in a fancy woven bottle-holder; the grog shop charged 30,000 for the same arak minus fancy woven bottle-holder. In fact, as we later discovered, Matahari supermarket at Kuta Squre was substantially more expensive for many items than, say, Bintang supermarket.
2. DON'T assume that the tailor who copies your clothes will produce perfect replicas. H had asked for a few things to be copied at Janoko in Poppies II. We went to collect her stuff that evening, and to deliver some items of mine that needed work. Although Janoko had done a good job of copying Heather's clothing, her copies were either too tight or too long (I'm sure H will elaborate). I needed alterations done. For two pairs of pants to be shortened, and a new zip put into a skirt, I was quoted 50,000 rp. Bargain! But H ended up leaving her new shirt, as nothing could be done to make it fit the way it should.
3. DO stop in at Un's for a frozen margarita. Even if you don't eat there (which you should, coz it's a great place to eat), sit at the bar and order a margarita. I know tequila is not part of the frozen margarita mix, but who cares? The drinks are absolutely delicious - and at 25,000 rp++ they're addictive.
We had a long, arduous afternoon. Walking, shopping and crossing roads safely really takes it out on you! (Which is why you MUST call into Un's, for a frozen margarita or three.)
That afternoon, we ate well, drank well, shopped well, and turned in for an early night.
Ahhhh, life was good!
Next: the Big Birthday Blowout