Hello everyone!!
Firstly, in response to your queries. The salon is called Bella's Treatments. L'eon's Hairdressing is run out of the same salon, and the prices are really very good. They have at least 10 staff members on at any time, so the place can get really really busy, really, really fast, but they always manage to squeeze you in.
(L'eon is an absolute darling by the way! Definitely ask for him if you are getting anything done to your hair).
Day 5.
We had a lovely lie in on Saturday (after another night at Peanuts bar)... too much of a lie in actually. We were booked in for our hair extensions at 11am.. we wandered out for breakfast at around 10am (according to my phone), only to find that it was nearly 11:30 and we were rather late!
Oh well.. its Bali time right?? Belinda dashed up the road to Bella's. (near the JL Legian end of Poppies II), and I quickly changed some money at the Kodak shop opposite the Bounty Hotel and next to the yummy Rainbow Cafe.
We were greeted at Bella's with big smiles, and I was quickly ushered into a salon chair. Within a few minutes I had 5 staff members clustered around me, and hair extensions were being added. I had a choice of glue or loops for attaching the extensions, and chose loops.
My hair is a variety of colours at the moment... by choice. I have light brown, blonde and red foils throughout the whole thing, and I was a bit concerned at first that they would have difficulties matching the colours. I shouldn't have been. They (admittedly), were drying lengths of freshly dyed red hair when I arrived, but the other colours were natural and all suited perfectly.
3 hours later, 250 hair pieces (I have VERY thick hair, most people would be fine with 120 - 150 pieces), a new hair cut, blow wave.. and we decided we had a bit of a problem. My natural hair is short... short short, and naturally wavey. The extensions are a bit straighter. The difference was making the extensions seem too obvious.
We decided to chemically straighten my hair, which L'eon did in record time. The results are great, and I don't regret paying the extra 150,000.
By now it is nearly 5pm and Belinda and I are being collected for the Peanuts Bar Pub Crawl at 6:30... so we dash back to the hotel, quickly eat, and perch ourselves in the lobby at the Bounty waiting for our ride.
hehehehe... what a ride! It might sound horrendous when I tell you that we were picked up in a rusty, faded, worn and very very very loud, mammoth convertible from the 1950's... but it was actually a definite hightlight of the trip!! Roaring (and I do mean roaring!!!) down Jl Legian, and through peak hour Kuta, hair flying everywhere, being assaulted in the best possible way with the smells of Bali, was just brilliant. Belinda and I really whooped it up!
We arrive at Peanuts Bar, and find ourselves once again treated to VIP treatment. Now we know its because we're reasonably big spenders (Shooter anyone??) but its nice to be welcomed anyway!
A barbeque dinner is included in the Pub Crawl price of 100,000rp each (we paid less, but only because we caught the Owner in a drunken moment... I still don't remember his real name, but Bel nicknamed him Elvis and we stuck with it!)... and a t-shirt, bandana, etc. etc. But we had already eaten and quickly dived back into the mean machine, and headed for our one (and it turns out only) stop... Rickys bar.
This was actually rather convenient... we had toyed with doing the Rickys Pub Crawl instead of Peanuts, and it turns out we did both for the price of one.
A few very well priced drinks later, and we hugged all our new friends goodbye, and bounced back into the roaring wonder that was our transport for the evening. At our request, we went back to Peanuts!
Unlike the previous evening, the bar was definitely filling up tonight. A birthday party, live band, and lots of expat regulars helped to liven the place up, and Belinda and I quickly did the rounds greeting friends old (in comparison) and new alike.
I definitely recommend Saturday nights at Peanuts Bar over Friday nights!! We were the only people there on Friday...
Anyway, a few hours later we dragged our happy little selves back to the hotel and slept.. and slept... and slept!
Day 6.
We woke up.. looked at each other, and loudly announced. "LETS MOVE!"
It turns out both Belinda and I had been putting on a brave face regarding the Bounty Hotel, and had reached our limit.
Its a great hotel if you are on a strict budget, want to be right in the middle of noisy, busy, hectic Kuta, and either look like a gorgeous young barbie doll or don't mind being compared to one.
We minded... got sick of the young Aussie yobbos commenting on our non-barbie status everytime we walked past the pool areas, and wanted out of there!
A quick internet search.. a taxi ride out to Nusa Dua (80,000rp via Blue Taxi), and we booked into the Novotel Bali Benoa. BLISS!!!
We headed back to Kuta, packed our bags and within 45 minutes had checked out, and were back in a taxi with sssooooo much luggage! Thank goodness we were heading out to the Orphanage with most of it the next day!
At the Novotel we weren't entirely happy with our first room (After Bounty I wasn't willing to settle for anything less than perfect!) and were quickly moved into a room with pool views. Lovely lovely lovely! I do however feel VERY sorry for the poor porter who had to lug our 2 heavy suitcases, huge sportsbag, water filled box, and 5 other miscellaneous bags up and down three different flights of stairs. :(
Dinner at the Novotel Uluwatu Restaurant buffet ($20 per person), we both pigged out big time, enjoyed the nightly entertainment, strolled down to the pristine beach with its beachside restaurant, and hundreds of sun lounges, and then off to bed for an early start in the morning!!
Included in our 117 US dollars a night charge is a buffet breakfast. Really really good. You won't go hungry here!
Day 7
Amlapura Orphanage here we come!!
We had arranged for Nyoman Budayasa (Buda) to collect us at 9am. Buda was about as friendly as you could hope. Speaks really fantastic english, and was an absolute gem! He has visited New Zealand a couple of times for work over the past couple of years, and has a little girl who is nearly 2yrs old.
First stop was Makro for supplies! We had had difficulties understanding Kadek at the orphanage the night before, so Buda quickly called her up and got a list of requirements. Sugar, Rice, Garlic, Onions, maybe some snacks for the children and if we could help out with some clothing.... Not a problem!!
Makro is great... we had no problems signing up for a one day pass, and with Buda in charge of the trolley we started shopping. I went a little nuts.. Belinda went and started doing some private shopping and left me to it (always dangerous!), so poor Buda soon found himself with a very heavy trolley indeed. Despite that, large quantities of the food supplies requested only totalled 1.7million rp. Not bad at all!
We then jumped back into Buda's roomy 4wd and with the smell of garlic and onion wafting up at us, we headed towards Amlapura via Klungkung.
We found the most perfect little fixed price shop in Klungkung, and bought soccer balls, skipping ropes, school supplies, ribbon for the girls hair (an absolute essential afterall!!!), and heaps more. SOOO cheap! On the main drag, right hand side as you drive in from the coast, just after an atm. I am so sorry that I didn't get the name, becuase this shop is priceless, and sells everything!
Opposite and down some stairs is a local market. Lots of sarongs, which is perfect! We needed to purchase 30 ceremonial sarongs for the kids.
Buda was sooo wonderful. He really got into the swing of things, and was as tickled pink about helping the kids as we were. He did all of the bargaining (no english here!), and managed to get a pretty darn good deal. However, please be aware that Buda actually sucks at bargaining.. he gets embarrassed, and Belinda and I were the ones pushing for best price. 17,000rp each for 30 good quality sarongs, including sashes. and something a little more special for Kadek! We're finished shopping and onto Amlapura (via somewhere for lunch)!
We had a great lunch at the Lotus restaurant on the beach between Padunbai and Bugbug, and then the final stretch into Amlapura.
Now it actually takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to drive to Amlapura.. but my goodness it is worth it!! Nusa Dua, Kuta, Seminyak, Denpasar, and all the hundreds of villages and towns we had passed along the coast didn't hold a candle to Amlapura for beauty.
Very few tourists here, more relaxed lifestyle and so green.
I thought the rest of Bali was green, but no no no.. Amlapura is up in the foothills, and is just bathed in foliage. The streets are pristine, everything is clean, and the people are so friendly and unjaded!
When we reached the orphanage, we were greeted by Kadek, and the boys quickly helped to unload the car. Good thing too, I didn't think we were ever going to get the smell of garlic out!
The kids here are great... mostly over 8yrs of age, and so very polite. Kadek and her husband do a great job at keeping the kids healthy, clean and well mannered. I was really impressed to find that the children do extra schooling at the orphanage as well, so they are really being helped out!
It definitely lessened my fears regarding the older kids. Some of those nearing 17yrs of age are just about ready to leave.. and its nice to know that they have a chance to make a good life for themselves.
That being said, both Belinda and I were ready to shove 16yr old Julie into the car and take her with us forever! Such a sweet heart!
After a few hours, playing soccer, getting the grand tour of the pristine grounds, handing out all the different supplies, and watching the boys and girls trying to choose their new sarongs (a hilarious event I assure you!), we reluctantly had to depart, and began the 3.5 hour trek back to Nusa Dua... via rice paddies.. and slow trucks.. and heaps of traffic.
7:30 we are back at the Novotel... a quick meal and then bed time!! Belinda has a 5:30am wake up in the morning for her first Bali dive.
If you are wanting to contact Buda (apparently he has had little work since he last returned from New Zealand), he can be reached on 081 338 250 300 or via mangboll@hotmail.com
As for me... I'm off for a bit of Becky rather than slow Belinda paced shopping, and then a laze by the pool!
xxx
Becky