When you're staying at a hotel with a bunch of your family, always make sure before you rip open the curtains and yell 'Boo' that it's someone you know and not the poor guy from housekeeping who has come to turn down your bed. He was a brave man coming into our room after that. He got a tip. 'Never knock on my door when my brother is staying in the room next door'. Then I paid him to never speak of this again.
There is a chain of shops in Bali called Shine. They sell all sorts of buttons, bows and things that make my beautiful daughters even more beautiful so I like Shine. I like Shine because it's also cheap. I also like shine because I bet it's owned by a man. I say that because only a man would think to put a DVD shop in the same building as a hair accessory shop. Either a man or a woman who use to be a man and went to Thailand to have an operation to become a woman. You'll find Shine everywhere.
There is a shop similar to Shine called Storberi (yep that's the spelling or as close to it as I can remember) in the Bali Malls. The wife and kids were like chooks in here pecking away at the various displays. You can picture it can't you? They managed to fill a basket which the shop assistants took and put everything back on the displays. Not sure why. Not sure how but the wife was crook, coughing a lung up and gagging for water so maybe they thought she needed first aid more than the 57 pairs of earrings. Nope, 'Honey get me some water and then tell these people I want everything back'. She's a quiet person and very gentle in nature but when she's crook and in the zone (shopping zone) don't cross her.
Bali Malls is always good for a day out. Ace Hardware is here and there is a homewares place upstairs where a foodhall use to be. Ace Hardware is awesome and has just about anything you can imagine. The thing find of the trip was the price of fish tank and pond accessories. Their air and water pumps are dirt cheap. You simply need to change over the plug when you get it home.
Jenggala Keramics (That's how it's spelt) is worth a look. It's in Jimbaran. They do nice ceramics here and the prices are very reasonable. Nowhere near as cheap as markets but the quality is fantastic. We bought a box shaped satay warmer for $20US. We've used it twice already and I rate it. The other thing you can do here is pretty cool too. The kids can paint their own pot, or cup, or plate and have them fired to take home. You pick them up three days later all finished and packed for you. The kids painted a dog bowl and a cat bowl. That was about $10US each. There is another place in Sanur opposite Hardy's that does it too. Don't know the name of that place.
While we were in Ulawatu I checked out CCTV cameras at Bali Digital CCTV. I found them when I did an online search of the local phone directory. I wanted to price out CCTV cameras. I've bought a few PIR (passive infrared) on Ebay from Hong Kong. They're OK but for around $70 each aren't great quality. The three I looked at in Bali Digital were $100-$170 and great resolution. Well worth the money. Unfortunately they didn't take credit card and the ATM down the road was out of order so this will have to wait for the next trip.
Bali Digital CCTV
JL Kembar Kampus Udayana Pertokoan #3 Jimbaran
0361 2081313
www.balidigitalcctv.com
Spa treatments. Never had one and don't I hear about it. The girls had many and varied treatments while they we in Bali. They found the best near Santika was Mango Spa.
Mango Spa
Kartika Plaza 90x/2
0361 759905
Email: mango.spa.bali@gmail.com
My brother went with his wife and their two kids. They all had some treatment or another. It didn't make my brother any more handsome, at all.....but it only cost $70AU in total for four people. Wasted money on him but no doubt very enjoyable.
When we visited Ubud the girls all went to Alila Ubud and had treatments there. It's not fair to quote the price we paid as we got 50% off but regardless the girls said it was worth paying the full price.
We waited in the lounge area by the pool with the kids and had drinks. Alila have a program where the kids from the local area come in and do their dance lessons in the hotel and the guests can watch. It was awesome to see how some kids who are so young are so involved in learning their culture. My kids are pretty down to earth but they'd be more interested in the latest DS game than learning barn dancing like I had to in school. Oh the misery.
A friend of ours brought measurements for two children's suits with her. The measurements were for a friend of hers who wanted to page boy suits made. We contacted Raceng who recommended Wendy.
Wendy
MB: +62 81337090523
Using just measurements given to her and with no one to actually measure, she had the suits made in two days and did a wonderful job. $125.00Au each for the suits including material. Haven't found out if they fitted yet. Gutsy!
I enquired about printing on shirts while we were there. I had a look at Duabelas.
Duabelas
Jl Kartika Plaze No. 9x-22 Tuban
+62 361 762423
Email duabelas.print@gmail.com
Screen print only on a shirt that you supply approx 40,000rph or about $5.00AU. 3 hour turn around. Didn't ask about embroidery.
The wife bought, well everything in Bali, and a pair of proper Nike Joggers from Centro. 40% off 449.000rph or about $40.00AU.
We used Arya Laundry which is only about 100 metres south of the Santika down a small alley. For 51 pieces 127.500rph or about $13.00AU. Good laundry service. The wife didn't rate Drop Zone and let's face it, she's the expert in the field.
Cool Teen in Bali Mall. An interesting shop. All licensed clothing from what I can see and heavily discounted. Nice gear for tweens or eccentric 14 year old English neighbours who are looking after your parent's chooks while you're away.
Just found the business card for Biku and the receipt from the two times we went to the Surf Factory Outlet. Funny how you can be happy then sad in a split second.
Biku Jl Petitenget 888 Kerobokan
Tel 8570888
www.bikubali.com
Rotiboy, always a winner with the kids. How they make money from selling just one thing, soft plain buns that smell a little like coffee and are filled with butter, has got me beat. But they do.
BreadTalk. Rate it still. Don't rate the very, very overweight Russian lady who kept picking everything up with her hands and then putting them back down again. Had to have a laugh at her expense. She was quite horrible and in no way indicative of the true Russian. I've seen Enemy at the Gate and a From Russia With Love. I know what Russians look like.
I walked up to the counter after the kids made their selection and I tripled what they picked. The Russian, shall we call her Olga (Because I never stereotype). Olga starts picking up the cakes next to the cashier and despite me standing there for about 30 seconds before she got there, she stood in front of me. I did the cough cough thing. She steps back like I had the plague and apologises in Russian or maybe she was blessing me because she thought I actually had the plague. Anyway, I gestured that she could go ahead of me, because despite the fact she was rude for pushing in and disgusting for picking up all the food and putting it back, I am still, I think a gentleman.
Anyhoo, the girl at the register tells her, in English, that because she bought one particular cake she gets two for the price of one. Olga, thinks the girl is trying to sell her another cake and in Russian, a language I don't understand, tells the girl she doesn't want to buy the cake. The girl tries again to tell her it's free. Olga gets mad. This goes on for a bit until I tell the young girl, in passable Indonesian, that 'The overweight Russian lady does not understand a word you are saying'. She giggles, I giggle, Olga grunts and walks away complaining to her husband in Russian about the girl who was trying to make her buy another cake, which she definitely didn't need.
I might have made up the bit about what I told the girl. I just told her, in passable Indonesian, that the 'The lady doesn't understand what you are saying'. She did giggle, I did giggle and Olga did grunt.
Dinner and yellow shirts (not the ones shooting each other in Thailand)