This holiday came about because a lovely person on this forum posted about cheap Garuda airfares. I don't remember who it was but thank you very much. It was back in April last year and I felt very decadent booking a 2 week holiday for March this year while I still was in the planning stages of a 10 week trip to Europe in September! But I just couldn't let $350 return tickets from Melbourne go begging.
I went to Bali for my 50th birthday, just my husband and myself and have very fond memories of that lovely romantic trip. Every other trip we have had to Bali has been with kids or other family and friends. Always great fun but a different holiday.
After I booked I got the guilts, keeping this great bargain to myself so I let my sisters know and before you know it they had also booked and one sister had her children and grandchildren along for the ride as well. Oh well.....the more the merrier!
Our first 6 days was in Sanur at Villa Puri Ayu. We had stayed at this hotel a few years ago and enjoyed it so thought we'd return. We don't usually stay at the same hotels but this little hotel offers great value and we had come to enjoy this southern part of Sanur.
This holiday was just to relax and a good excuse to drag my husband away from our small plumbing business. If we are home, he works. So the only way to have a break is to leave home!
March isn't an ideal time to go to Bali. Well for me anyway. It was very humid. The best place to be was by the pool. But of course you need to get out and buy supplies etc. We got drinks from the little supermarket at the end of our lane and a SIM card from a small kiosk round the corner.
We happened upon the Linga Longa Bar I had read about in Dutchnat's JBR. I was going to find out where it was so that saved me looking for it. We had a beer and checked it out for Sunday nights Babi guling. The others were arriving on Sunday so I thought it would be a great first night dinner altogether.
I hadn't allowed for the time difference though! Melbourne is 3 hours behind Bali so by the time we all sat down and the roast pork was served the others were really feeling it. They'd had a long day and roast dinner at 10.30pm, Melbourne time was taking its toll. We ate up and hurried back to the hotel where their beds were calling them! They were plum tuckered out!
The next day was Nyepi Eve. One sister was going over to Legian to visit their kids and grandchildren. We wished them luck as there were many road blockages and ceremonies but they managed to get back to the hotel in Sanur in the afternoon.
There were already many shops and restaurants closed. We had lunch at Cemara Beach Restaurant down on the beach and it was quite nice. The manager was asking if we'd like to come back for dinner but we declined his kind offer until a trip down the road showed many closed places. We had wanted to go to Kesuma's but we weren't sure now if they would be opened so we ended up back at Cemara Beach just to be sure!
We were told the Ogoh Ogoh parade would end at the Mertasari Beach about 7 o'clock so we headed down there along the beach path. Bugger, Kesuma's was opened! Upon arriving at Mertasari we were surprised to see an arena set up with a tall stage and grandstands. One was labelled VVIP! It was already busy and the crowd was growing steadily. We took up a position along one side of the arena and waited.
I wished I understood Indonesian because the crowd seemed very entertained by what the announcer was saying at times. He did make us laugh with his funny voices and throaty laugh. After what seemed like ages, we were all told to sit down....obviously the people in the grandstands couldn't see. We sat cross legged in the sand and waited and waited and waited.
We saw the heads of a few Ogoh Ogoh gathering at one end of the arena and finally it started. Having never experienced Nyepi before we had no idea what was about to happen but it was extremely entertaining. Each Ogoh Ogoh was carried out by a group of usually children or young people and they charged around the arena with the announcer making all kinds of amazing voices to the thrill of the audience. Each group took it in turns and with more Ogoh Ogoh still to come dancers came out and an elaborate performance took place.
By this stage we had been sitting cross legged for about 2 and a half hours. People had crushed in behind us making a solid barrier. Children were leaning on my brother in laws back; a mother handed her toddler to my sister to sit on her lap so she could see better. We no longer had space to shift our legs. My smart sister who had decided to stand up the back managed to get a drink to us. It was very funny hearing all these Balinese calling our names and passing the drinks across to us!
We decided to attempt to remove ourselves for the sake of our legs. I was worried about crushing someone as my now dead legs climbed clumsily over and through the crowd. I was at first embarrassed; i hoped they didnt think we were being rude but no one seemed to care....our little space was immediately filled! Phew!
There seemed to be as many people wandering around outside the arena area as were watching the spectacle. We had all imagined a parade of Ogoh Ogoh coming down to the beach where they would set them alight, sending bad spirits on their way. Obviously it was far more elaborate than that. I don't know what time it finished but we saw only one Ogoh Ogoh thrown on a small fire. Many more were carried away. I don't blame them. They were so well made it would be a shame to burn them. We did see a few displayed around in the following days.
Everyone should have a day of absolute silence.....Nyepi. It was lovely...nowhere to go, nothing to do! "Isn't that what a holiday is" I hear you asking but no, there's always a pressure to go out and see something or buy something, get changed for dinner etc.
I spent the day in my bathers and threw my dress over the top to go over for lunch and dinner. I had a Madmen Marathon afternoon with my iPad and basically we all just relaxed. It's amazing how fast the time goes when you are doing nothing!!
Imagine if Nyepi was done everywhere. We can't even do Earth Hour!!
In the evening we had a quiet swim and we adjourned to our rooms with the curtains drawn and only bedside lights on. There is no television but you can watch DVDs! I loved it but some of the men went a bit stir crazy and couldn't wait to get out again!
The following morning after breakfast we walked from the hotel along the beach path all the way down to Sindhu Beach area. We had one drink stop along the way at Kami Sama. It was so incredibly hot and humid, by the time we found this cafe to collapse into, we were soaked in perspiration.
Revived we walked on and checked out the Gazebo Hotel. Half of it has gone but the other half is still functioning. Fond memories of the Beach Cafe took us there for lunch. Some things are best left as good memories!! Lets just say it was just okay.
A taxi to Bali Galleria so hubby and sister could buy themselves some sunglasses and after the boys had some more retail therapy we finally got back to the hotel at about 4 o'clock.
We organized for Ratatouille restaurant to pick us up for dinner. Some of our group had a delicious meal here on their last trip and the ribs were a highlight....along with the black rice pudding. The ribs were delicious! And we enjoyed black rice pudding again!
An aside - My husband had a partial upper denture made last year here in Melbourne and was very unhappy with it so he wanted to get a new one made in Bali. He had booked an appointment at Bali911 Dental Clinic and we found them very thorough. The denture cost $350 Aud. They first made a wax one to check the fitting and then a final denture. Three appointments in all.
Next stop Nusa Lembongan.