JHR4 - WHARFIE CHRONICLES - Breakfast with Tiffany....Monday 9th August
I know it's only a 2 hour time difference but it sure is messing with my body clock, it seems strange to be having breakfast at 11am BrizVegas time and going to bed at 1am. Anyway, that's how it is, and for a few days , how it will be. Having quickly got ready this morning, I was more than up for the daily critique of breakfast, and hoping things would improve
Alas, it didn't , Mrs W and I are in total dis-agreeance (no change there) as to the standard of 'petite dejeuner'..( girls, I like a bit of French ).. and today went down a notch because of the absence of chicken sausage. I think the Novotel at TB has such a better selection of fruit, breads and hot food, but Mrs W says that the Outrigger wins hands down. So, no HP sauce, and no chicken sausage, what a shocking start to the day. I'm that disappointed that I won't even bother commenting about it any further today.All I will say is that today seems less busy and the egg man would be in my bottom three for elimination in any Wharfie Masterchef competition! Another annoying thing is that Mrs W's array of Tiffany jewellery is getting more attention then me and my presence. I will have to make moe of an impact... yes....pool towels !!
We have decided to walk off brekky, and head off to Kuta. To do this, we skip down the steps of the Outrigger head north along JL 66 as I know it intersects with Jl Kuta Pantai. Now, I may sound a bit naive, but in all my times in coming to Bali, ( complete with short immigration queues), I never realised that this stretch of road contained some of the BTF well mentioned hotels...Jayakarta, Ramada, Kumal Pantai, Sari Beach , Melasti Beach, Mandira ...simply because this was a new path I was treading. As we ventured along, exiting turnstiles and restaurant spotting, I commented to Mrs W that I had never been to Sami and Suzies.. and that I should try find it. Having always assumed it was adjacent to the Melasti Beach resort, I was surprised when I eventually tracked it down further north, over the 'road' from the Mandira and close to a beach life savers hut thingy. Sami was just setting up as I passed, and I stood and got my bearings for later that afternoon.Sami realises I am looking his way and comes over to shake my hand.I must have some sort of notoriety, as I tell him I am the great Wharfie, he laughs and tells me about the BTF and all the people who attend.I promise him I will return for a sunset beer or two, and we continue our walk towards Kuta. I'm slightly perturbed by my rumbling belly which still hasn't fully settled since I arrived.
We walk and walk, we cross over the corner where JL Pantai Kuta turns and heads for Jl Legian, and head towards the Hard Rock...which seems to be undergoing some renovations. Only then does a cold shiver go down my spine, it's the realisation that I am heading to the Discovery Centre, and in particular my nemesis that is SOGO. Oh no, I have to endure walking round a shop that I have already walked around a million times before, and visit clothes racks that i could be on first name terms with. So, in we go..Mrs W is in her element and I immediately look for the sanctuary of a seat in a quiet corner, Wharfie is sort of resembling a naughty schoolboy, and this where I stay.Only when it's time to pay for the wares do I venture from my seat, and then , rupiah sorted, for we head upstairs to the department store thingy. So now it's the turn for shoe shopping, again, I find a seat, looking completely bored, I assume the pose. Three pairs of shoes later, again I stand up to pay, hopefully for the last time today, but little did I know that a visit to Matahari was still to come !
Having finally escaped the Discovery Centre, we decide to have lunch at Kafe Batan Waru, diectly opposite Waterbom Park, and right next to the roadworks. Here we have Mie Goreng, Nasi Goreng and some prawn parcels.This place was distinctly memorable for the mocktail Mrs W had, which was full of lime, mint, lemon , soda water and honey. Food was OK here, but was quite expensive for what we had.
Mrs W has decided she would like a massage, and always likes to go to Melasti Spa every time she comes here. Mr Bluebird gets us there quite quickly and I take the opportunity to slinkily peel away, head to the beach, and go have the beer with Sami I promised him a few hours earlier. I bid farewell to my fair maiden, and turn right and head for the beach. Mr Security asks where I am going, and refuses me entry to the MBR grounds to access the beach.What a cheek !! So, tail between legs, I head the opposite direction and cut throgh the Sari Beach resort. I'm feeling quite like thumbing my nose at everyone as I elegantly negotiate the paths inside the resort, past the swimming pool, out onto the beach path. Then...oh no...another tummy rumble, I need to find a loo.. do I turn around and use one in the Sari Beach club? Fortunately as I head towards S & S, I see the sign for a toilet about 100 metres past them on the left hand side. As I approach, I can see that is a 'manned' facility and I am asked for 2000rp to proceed. I gladly pay and head towards relief. Shock!! No loo paper, and, I have never used one of those squirty things to...ahem...clean up. Now I can tell you, when I get home, I'll be off to Bunnings for 20 metres of hose, a high pressure nozzle, and a localised water supply...yes..it was indeed a highlight of the day
Talking of highlights, and having now got soggy daks , I head back towards S & S. It's with a bit of trepidation that I approach the red esky, and Sami shakes my hand and thanks me for returning. I am given an icy cold Bintang , ( that should help my dicky tummy!), a plastic chair, and seat amongst some fellow attendees. I am asked where I am from, but no mention is made of the BTF, so I decide to maintain anonymity by not saying who I was. As usual , it is the women sitting quite close to me that engage my smile, and we spend 45 minutes or so putting the world to rights. I enjoy a further beer, and then notice that one hour has elapsed, and I have to go back to meet Mrs W. There were a heap of people at S & S... but I felt sorry for Abdul, as he was only accompanied by a half drunken Sprite, a chip packet and a strange looking dog. So after 8 years, I finally manage to visit the well mentioned S & S...and what a really nice couple they are
This time, crafty Wharfie has a plan, to get back to the Melasti Spa, I go through the restuarant and up the road that separates all the accomodation, as I know Mr Security will be at the top, and, this time, can't stop me from getting to the road. I see him.. he is talking to another guy and by the time I say hello to him, I have completed my mission. I am quite surprised that Mrs W is waiting outside the spa for me, and she has had a one hour massage and paid 115,000rp for the priviledge. we walk back along JL Padma and head back towards the Outrigger, I stop once to haggle for two pairs of sunnies for Mrs W, and we make a mental note of a couple of laundries close to our hotel
Instead of walking all the way down Jl Padma until it hit JL Arjuna, we go down a laneway that we feel sure will put us on 'double six'.It sure does, and we end up by the side of Blue Ocean restaurant, and then we decide on a late dinner at Lanai , ( I think this was previously Benny's cafe?)
Here we share a 'killer nachos' , and I'm still waiting to find out what the killer bit was supposed to be, unless it was the high heels that the waitress was in that served us.They woudn't have done my back much good, I'm pretty sure about that ! We also share a piece of lemon meringue and two short blacks, pay the bill, and then stop and buy some of those light up slingshot twirly things from a street seller
Another day almsot at a close, but still time for me to pamper myself with some L'Oreal for men...you know why? Because I'm worth it...
More soon...thanks for reading..love Wahrfie..xxx