In Reply to: JBR 20 years late posted by Sandybear on Monday, 12. July 2010 at 08:01 Bali Time:
Cost $373 for Qantas flight, 1 week at the Segara Village, breakfast included. Exchange rate maybe 300Rp to the $AU.
Segara very small with only a row of 2 story rooms and 2 thatched bungalows around pool.
Spent our days mainly at the pool or beach at the Segara Restaurant. It had a sand floor. Ate grilled BBQ crayfish for $2. That's where the big crayfish stood on the beach. Great little markets behind in those days.
2 trips included. Kintamani and Mengwi Temple. We also had a Dinner and Dance with Babi Guling. Got the worst case of BB. Lasted 3 weeks. Begged for milk while sick in bed, Husband decided to get it from bar. They mixed up powdered milk, sugar and water. BUT he stayed to watch a Title Boxing fight on TV while I was waiting.
Roads were just 1 strip of bitumen and dirt. Bemos were the covered backed little utes with seats down each side. Rarely see them now. Kuta had little shops and they were mostly made out of canvas with large canvas pullouts to block out hot sun. You would trip over the rope stays and nearly break your neck. Lord knows how they coped in the wet. Made Warung was a large shed near the beach, great fruit juice. Hardly anyone spoke English and we had trouble getting a taxis back to Sanur. Poppies was a sandy track to the beach, mainly fields with cows crazing; all had wooden bells around necks and it made a great sound.
The Airport was a treat and there were soldiers with machine guns when we landed - a bit off putting. Seemed to take ages to get out. They wanted to go through everyone's case and hand luggage. Took our magazines from us.
Not many shops in Sanur and just a dusty road most of the way. They seemed to be a few large cars used as taxis. Chevies, etc. The countryside was wild. Everyone waved as though we were very strange.
BUT it got in our blood. WE have now been back 30 times over the years. Took the kids with us when small and then their friends too. when older. They both have 'Bali in the Blood' too.
We still remember the wafts of frangipani and aircraft fuel as we stepped on the tarmac and the old frangipani trees near the entrance to immigration.