Friday
Up at usual time which is a bit annoying when on holiday don't you reckon? Decided that a power walk around Seminyak would make us feel better about the buffet breakfast to follow. Had a wander up a road and gang we hadn't been down before and back up the beach to the hotel. A great start to the day. Breakfast at the hotel overlooking the beach was pretty good. The Omelettes and Almond Croissants being the highlight.
Later as we sit on the lounges near the beach and have our Mie Goreng and Greek Salad lunch we decide that we are back to Hotel converts. We've been doing villas in Bali for a while now and have enjoyed the private plunge pools, larger rooms and kitchen etc, but this is just great, the pool at The Royal Beach is exceptional and as we have a 2million rupe credit, I think that's going to equal quite a few Bintangs and snacks around the pool. We have to get some shopping out of the way first though I think. So after breakfast this morning we rode off up to the top of Petitenget to change money at the best rate legit money changer I know, got 9960 rather than 9850 I saw on Jl Oberoi. Then we booked in a massage and Body Scrub at the Amo spa for later, finishing off with stops at 3/4 shops before a decent flat white at the corner store.
We got a taxi up Amo Spa as riding back after a massage was going to wreck the relaxing benefits of the massage in the first place. Just as we walk in the door the security guard from the W hotel opens the door and hands me my mobile! It must have fallen out of my pocket onto the back seat of the cab. Much thanks to driver and security guard, really touching that this would happen in a place where we have so much materially compared to the locals. The spa treatments were very good (maybe with the exception of the cucumber salad face mask - I really like cucumber it seemed such a waste) and it's a nice clean, busy establishment. Only thing that spoiled it, was that as we were enjoying our Jasmine tea at the end we had to endure the business meeting the American owner was having in the lounge area. Aaargh why such a loud voice, totally spoiled it, he was raving on about needing a computer program, blah, blah, blah, right!, blah, algorithms, blah, blah, right! Me thinks that if he is worried about losing custom (which seemed his concern) algorithms are not the answer, replacing the 8 receptionists (I'm not joking) who between them didn't have a clue and are probably more interested in chatting between each other than running an establishment, with someone who could run the place would be one answer. The other would be to hold your loud business meetings elsewhere. Unfortunately my telepathy worked, more on that later.
After a chillax in the room we decide on a three venue dinner tonight, well why not! So we take off to Mama San's for Chilli and Lime Margaritas with Honey, Pork Shar Sui, Vietnamese minced pork belly and Beef and Prawn Dumplings. Yum, this will do for starters. Next stop was Thai Corner, we just fancied something a little more cheap and cheerful and had heard on this forum that the food was good here. It's a little like going from the sublime to the ridiculous after Mama San, but the Tom Kai Ghai (25k $2.5) and the Green Chicken Curry (45k $4.5) were pretty darned good (Mar Missus had crispy chicken with capsicum). It was very hot here and the chilli overload didn't help either. We sat overlooking the road in the vain effort to pick up any trace of available breezes, and it was quite fun watching some of our fellow dinners make their way home, some more the worst for wear than others. The lady who was having real difficulty with her helmet was the stand out, she was trying to put in on backwards, which is funny until I remember that Mar Missus was doing the same earlier when stone cold sober! Mid meal the American owner of the Amo spa turns up with more members of staff and starts loudly raving on about algorithms AGAIN. I hate to say it but I even thought about letting his tyres down in retribution, but instead I might just boycott his establishment. I don't have anything against American's by the way, I just can't stand the way they imperiously insist that everyone has to hear their voice. Mind you I'm sure Australians are just as annoying in other ways. For instance while sitting enjoying the view out to the ocean from the hotel pool area earlier, I observed three Aussies tanking along the beach on their Vario's. I'm assuming they were Aussies, they were right? Had to be. I inwardly smile now in hindsight, it's certainly one way to avoid the traffic between Seminyak and Kuta.
We finished off our three venue marathon at La Luchiola where we sat in their lounge and had coffee and Chocolate fondant (soft-centred, Mmmmm yummm) for me and a Gelato for her washed down with a nice cup of tea.
We crashed big time last night and I must say the beds here are uber comfortable and I think larger than our bedroom back home. I awake at 5:30 this morning, why? It's Saturday, I'm on holiday, no get-lag, what is the problem?..... Thankfully I have a good Jeffrey Archer on the go.
May be a bit premature for a poo post, but after the green chicken curry induced fluffy flatulance last night I'm sitting on the loo singing "solid......solid as a rock, bum bum bum bum bum bummmm". Happy days!
Have found a great spot between the pool and the beach and anticipate doing not much at all for some time. More later.