In Reply to: Bali circa 1974 thru 80's - memories posted by bunga on Tuesday, 24. July 2012 at 17:21 Bali Time:
I am about to leave for my 19th trip to Bali on saturday for a month and after a break of 3 years cannot believe how excited I am to be going back. My first trip was in 1986 - a 4 day stopover on the way home from a 2 year working holiday in Europe. My parents had been there 2 weeks before us and left us an envelope with money for food with the Receptionist at the hotel. Legian Street was still mostly dirt and potholes and there were still all open drains along the edge of the roads. I remember when they built Kuta Square and they left the esculators for Mattahari's out in the street for weeks covered in plastic because the building wasn't ready for them yet. I don't miss the street sellers who caused me such frustration when they would follow you for miles and never take no for an answer. I remember the day we got back from a trip to Kintamani and they had layed bitumen in Garlic Lane (previously a dirt road) and we laughed that we had helped pay for it with all the shopping our family group of 12 had done up and down that street. I remember that the Orchid Garden Restaurant in Melasti St was everyones favorite and became a tradition for me to have my first and last meal there on every trip. Roll on Saturday - i can't wait to get back