Next day ( Sat ) we just slacked around the hotel, there was a fair old breeze coming off the ocean so we went across the road to the hotels back pool which is well protected from the breeze and has some nice shady spots before going out to dinner.
A week before leaving for Bali we had a phone call from a Forumite couple in Adelaide on their way to Bali with a stop over in Perth,we had them over home, delightful company and we sent them on their way with a good meal and recieved an invitation to visit them in Kuta which we did. This lady is Indonesian and her tucker is prepared to epicurian standards ( don't reach for the dictionary, it means she's a wonderful cook ) she does a lovely meal and her Martabak is to die for. Well done and thankyou little sister. We walked back for Poppies to Tuban and caught a cab back to TB from there.
Sunday, Amlapura Day. Always like to make a 7.30 start, gives you a go with the traffic because the hotel shifts have changed over and the touristt are still having breakfast. Well that's the theory. Clever stuff, down there for dancing, up there for thinking. What we didn't know was that there was a Triathalon on and part of the bike ride was on the Nusa Dua by pass in and out of ND and back on the by pass to Kuta. 100 metres from the hotel and that was it, Jl Pratama was cactus, we actually walked from the traffic isalnd on Jl Pratama to the traffic lights on the By Pass in ND and watched the riders go by. Finished up going past Hardys at ten past nine, normally a cab ride of around ten minutes and of course once on the main road there was an hours worth of traffic in front.
Bit of good news, the road up to Candi Dasa is now completed except for one bridge, finished up arriving at the orphanage at 11.55. with a numb bum.
The children at Guildford Grammar where I drive the bus chucked in a decent amount, you ladies in WA when you shop for lettuce make sure you buy it marked The Loose Leaf Lettuce Company Gin Gin because they were, and not for the first time, generous again as was the Dingo Bus Company in their donations for the orphanage. The only down side to the time spent there is that we go to Hardy's with the carer, Kadek and shop, let me tell you, it's not a quick job getting rid of a heap of Rupes, you gotta go around with a calculator to make sure you don't bust the budget with every purchase. You gotta be a bit transparent too, not only is it our money but it is from people who willingly give, what we do is we get the supermarket reciept, that puts a smile on my face because it's sitting next to me on the table, why the smile, I just measured it, it's ( never mind about the metric I know how tall I am ) it's 3" taller than me and I go 6' 1". Your problem folks, you work it out, see if I care.
The children, well what can I say, growing now from tots to strikingly beautiful young ladies and handsome young men, little things, for example walking through the check out and having a drop dead gorgeous young Balinese check out chic give you a hug. She's finding her way in life, got a job at Hardys and in her own words
" Paying to go to school to get good English." (Enough of this rubbish you silly old sod). The situation has improved for them for the better, and you know what there are several Forumites out there that have helped. Thankyou one and all. The carer Kadek, I've said this before, the woman is a living angel, she cares for each and everyone. The hardest part of going is the leaving and herself takes a box of tissues, me ? I just laugh at her and call her a silly old tart at the same time careful not to look her in the eyes.
More good news about Amlapura, we have no end of emails over the years for details, got a request earlier this year again from Forumites, they visited and they have taken stills and a video, well done you two. Have a look at
www.filmmakersonline.com.au/amlapura-orphanage.html
it covers what I have benn rabbitting on about in JBR's for years.
I've had enough on this machine. Theres more to come, if you don't like my JBR's use them as a seditive !