Posted by Keith on Monday, 19. October 1998 at 12:29 Bali Time:
Hello all:
Ayako sat on the veranda in the morning and read a book while I slept late. After all, it was our last day. A wonderful breakfast arrived around 9:00 am, which included some excellent banana pancakes with piping hot Balinese coffee.
We decided to spend the day poking around some more shops in Ubud as our flights weren't departing until after 10:00 pm. Yoman and Imade stowed our bags in their room after we checked out.
Found a small tourist agency on Monkey Forest Road offering shuttle trips to the airport for only 10,000/person, so we bought two tickets. Taxi's were asking 60-70,000.
Purchased several bags of Balinese coffee to share with co-workers. American coffee just doesn't measure up.
Walked back to the Juwita Inn to pick up our bags. Imade had already prepared some afternoon coffee. We had an hour before the shuttle, so Yoman pulled out the guitar and strummed away as Imade sang Balinese songs. Very nice.
Imade got a bit choked up as we said goodbye. You could tell he was a sensitive guy.
Shuttle picked us up at 5:30 pm for the 1.5 hour drive to the airport. Met a single American woman on the shuttle who said she too was heading to Saipan after a 4 month trek through SE Asia. Only scary time for her in Asia occurred the previous night in Ubud when the innkeeper pounded on her door from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am. Didn't sleep a wink that night and was visibly exhausted on the shuttle.
Arrived at the airport 3.5 hours before my flight and 5 hours before Ayako's flight. After checking our bags, Ayako and I found ourselves a quiet corner at the restaurant upstairs and relaxed. I was hoping we could check our bags and then find a restaurant in Denpasar. Found out this wasn't possible.
My flight was called, so I said sayonara to Ayako. She too was visibly upset at my departure as the tears flowed. I'm not one for weepy goodbyes, but I must admit my stomach churned a bit as well.
Fell asleep in my window seat as the sound of the gamelan played in my mind.
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Thanks for all the wonderful responses to my daily reports. I hope someone does the same on their adventures in Bali as I too enjoy reading such reports. It doesn't take but a few minutes to say a few words and it needn't be everyday - every 2nd or 3rd day would be great. Once again, thank you.
A few more things.....
*Be sure you keep at least 50,000 rupiah on hand for the airport tax.
*Upon arrival, exchange as little money as necessary at the airport as the rates are better outside the airport (Kuta, Ubud, etc.)
*Unless you prefer to lug heavy bags all over the place, take at most a 3-day supply of clothes. Overnight laundry at the hotels is very cheap. (I brought way too much).
*Prices substantially lower for shuttles from Kuta-Ubud and Ubud-airport than taxi's.
*Just about everything is negotiable.