I turned 40 this trip. I was only asked once how old I felt. About the same as when I turned 30. About the same as when I turned 23 to be honest. 40 phftttt.
We told the family that we would be in Bali for my fortieth and should anyone want to come along then they should feel free to do so.
19 people in total made up our expedition. It would take some organising and it may even produce a the odd angry outburst and I quote 'If you're f@#%en mother changes her flight once more I swear to god I'll send her home via Vietnam'. Well my mum and dad enjoyed Vietnam but not quite so much as Bali.
They'd planned the whole Vietnam thing but reckon it was maybe one day too many over there. They flew Perth/Singapore/Bali then Bali/Singapore/Vietnam/Singapore/Perth. The flight time was about 12 hours but they wanted to save money. They wouldn't do it again and they would listen to their daughter in law next time......
I like to plan. I like to research. I like to find new things to see and do. I also like to laminate everything. Hell I'd laminate my kids if they sat still for long enough. Don't laminate the receipts you get from Myer. They just turn black when they heat up.
I wanted to make sure everyone was picked up when they should be picked up. They were dropped off when they should be dropped off and everything I wanted to see or do could be done in the two weeks we were in Bali. Not everything went to plan.
We did make it to WaterBom Park twice. Bought a two day pass and arranged discount through Raceng. A representative from the park will come to your hotel and writes out a discount docket. I'm sure you could probably get the same deal at one of the road side agents but this was easier.
Gazebos 23 and 24 are probably two of the best for people with kids as they side by side and next to the kid's pool. Any gazebo in the 1-10 or 40-50 would be great if you're the Grinch who stole Christmas or just plain hate kids. The gazebos can be pre-booked. You just go to the customer relations desk near the entrance and book them for the next day or the day after.
The food has improved here. We found it a bit hit and miss last time. Oh yeah and if you hire a scooter and say leave the key in the ignition and then blame your wife for losing it, the security check the car park throughout the day and will hold onto your key for you. Oops.
What I didn't manage to do this trip was, ATV buggies or the Tree Top Adventure Park. I had also planned to do Kandi Kuning Markets, which Raceng tells me are pretty good.
We did get to The Umalas Equestrian Resort.
JL Lestari Br Umalas Kauh Kerobokan
+62361731402
contact@balionhorse.com
www.balionhorse.com
My daughter rides and has her own horse. She had been speaking about this the whole trip. I learnt from a previous trip to do horse riding at the end of the trip because I would be sore for about 3 months afterwards.
It's only about 20-25 minutes from Tuban. We stayed at The Santika. Nice hotel. Great brekky and the staff are wonderful. Rooms 118-119 and 120-121 are interconnecting and over look the pool. And despite its 4.5 star rating, just like any Bali hotel, occasionally, the pipes pong a bit.
We booked Umalas through Raceng again. He earned his money this trip. I could have done it myself but I like him to do the networking for sake of his business. We booked a day in advance. When we arrived I was told I wouldn't be able to ride as the limit was 95 kilo's. Don't quote me because I can't remember.
Now I recently had a lap band put in, not because I was huge, in fact I carry my weight well (So I think) but my family have a history of diabetes and that was the one thing I hadn't inherited yet from my parents. God knows I got everything else. Striking blue eyes, a wicked sense of humour and a full head of hair, which I will keep until the day I die (Thanks Pop). Anyway, I'd dropped 21 kilos in the last five months but was still 5 kilos too heavy so had to miss out. Sweet Jesus there is a God! You're all trying to work out how much I use to weigh aren't you? That whole paragraph was a little religious wasn't it? I'm not.
Bali was actually a great experience when it came to the whole lap band thing. I didn't get it loosened, as some people do, because it's about a life style change for me not a safety blanket. I didn't have a problem the whole time I was in Bali and noodles are my friend.
I paid by card and walked down to the stables. The horse my daughter got was a pi-ball and 18 years old. Very quiet and in great condition. The stables were clean and well kempt.
The grounds were lovely and there is a small pool and nice restaurant in the middle of the complex. I walked along side Bella while she road through the bad lanes and alongside the rice paddies. The ride is described as the rice paddy ride but you don't ride through them, just near them but regardless it was really nice. There is heaps of development going in Kerobokan and Umalas area. Lots of villas and shops opening up. It'll be the new Seminyak in a few years.
I took lots of pictures including one of a three legged dog. I was quite impressed here. Their horses were in good nick but so were their dogs, cats and chickens. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they kept the three legged dog and that it was in such good condition. They even have a draft horse cross with only one eye. Apparently it got saw dust in it. Poor buggar.
They have local and German instructors but the German instructor is not always there as she travels to and from Germany, funnily enough.
We got back with about 5 minutes to spare so the local instructor took Bella into the covered arena and let her trot for the remainder of the time. He was pretty impressed with her riding and so was I given she hadn't ridden in two weeks.
We arranged with the manager to have a tour while we were there. The rooms are really nice and though they are directly above the stables they don't stink. They have four rooms with doubles and one suite. All can have extra beds and the suite can house five easily. The fixtures are really nice and the bathrooms are spotless and in great condition.
So over all, great experience at Umalas. Funny thing was when I was about to leave with Bella on the ride I saw, through the window, my wife trying on a pair of earrings. She can find something to buy anywhere. I reckon if we were on a 6 month Antarctic voyage, she would come back with a set of snow shoes, in pink, with tassels and a matching clutch bag. By the by. I was wondering what she was doing and when we returned I found out.
When I paid for the ride, I paid for two people, despite the lady at the register telling me I couldn't ride. I think she thought my other daughter, who doesn't like riding, thank god, was riding too. So my wife, being the bargain hunter she is, took the opportunity to strike up a deal. She liked a pair of earrings the lady was wearing.......tricked ya. But you were all waiting for it weren't you? They had a jewellery display in the front office. She picked a pair of earrings rather than go through the hassle of reversing the transaction.
Then we went shopping.........the nightmare that is Unagi.