The Melasti Beach Resort
Thanks to everyone who helped us decide on the MBR. We wanted a hotel that was within Careena's budget that had all the usual facilities with a good location.
What a find this place was.
The MBR is fantastic, we are easy to please and as long as the room is clean, roomy and comfortable then we are happy. As soon as we pulled up outside the MBR we knew we would love it. We were in the superior suites in the new wing. We had interconnecting rooms 156 and 157 directly opposite the reception area across the pool on the ground floor, exactly what we asked for. The welcome drink of icy cold orange juice was just what we needed and so appreciated. We did have a peep into one of the standard rooms and I am glad we paid a little more as these rooms have no balcony which would have driven me nuts. The bigger suites closer to the beach look very impressive but we did not look inside.
Our rooms were ideal, very roomy and clean. The breakfast was included and great. It got a little boring towards the end of the holiday but it was so convenient to be able to fuel up for the day ahead.
The layout of the hotel is great, we loved the pool in the new wing that has like a river running around a central island with the kiddies pool at one end and the swim up bar at the other. Many cocktails were enjoyed at the swim up bar.
I think the MBR is a three star rating but to us it was better than five star. If you want to be picky then I guess you could find faults but some people are just like that. So what if they forget to put towels in your room one day or there is a spot of mould on the bathroom ceiling. Chill out you are on holidays.
I did try without success to get the grumpy old bugger at reception to smile. The girls reckon he smiled at them. Maybe it's just me Hmmm!!
Seriously though the staff were very efficient and friendly. My girls thought the security guards were cute. There was one little fellow who always saluted us and had the widest most sincere smile I have ever seen, not the sort who would make Osama crap himself but we all thought he was great. He was so sad when we said we were leaving. He is a genuine wonderful man, one of God's special people.
Drinks were expensive at the restaurant (24 hour bar) but this is always the case when you drink at the hotel.
The road works
OK this is where I get a bit negative and will probably get a few people off side. They are my opinions though and I am entitled to them.
This has gone on long enough and Jakarta should be doing (or should have done) something to get this project finished quickly and efficiently. Bali is the main tourist destination in Indonesia and the worst of these works are happening right in the middle of the busiest time. As soon as we left the airport and drove through Tuban it became apparent just how bad the mess was going to be. What they lack in machinery they certainly make up for in manpower, those poor workers slave away till all hours doing a truly magnificent job. The scale of the project was surely calculated before they started though and I feel it should have been planned a lot better.
From a personal viewpoint it was not a big issue as we avoided the worst of it by choosing to walk into Kuta and getting a taxi back so as to avoid spending ages in the taxi going up Jl Legian. Many shop owners who should be benefiting from increased trade are sitting beside a twelve foot trench watching there friends over the road doing all the selling. Who is going to cross a busy road and negotiate a narrow plank over a bloody huge hole when they can buy the same thing on their side. We crossed the road at one stage to go into Poppies 2 and were confronted with a twelve foot trench with a two foot wide crumbling pathway into Poppies lane that was being shared by hoards of people and countless bikes. We did get through but looking into the trench we could see that they had constructed about six feet of reinforced concrete at the bottom, sticking up from the concrete there were metal rods, need I say more? The next day we returned to the same area and it was all back to normal. I think someone realized the potential for disaster there.
We were having dinner in Jl Melasti one night when there was a huge commotion and screaming outside. I jumped up to see what was going on and a young Japanese girl had literally disappeared into one of the holes in the footpath (sidewalk for our American friends) All I could see was her hand sticking out which was quickly grabbed by a number of other willing hands. The poor girl was badly shaken but appeared to be OK. Back to the hotel for a very long and very hot shower I would think.
I am not a political genius and I would never try to understand the system of government in Indonesia although I am sure someone is about to lecture me on the subject. They are trying to win back tourists and it is wonderful to see the crowds in some areas picking up but when you have the busiest time for tourists in the middle of the worst of the road works Hmmm!!
OK off my soap box.
Sari Memorial
This is somewhere we had to go for a number off deeply personal reasons. Careenas's fiancée played football a few years ago for Kingsley and knew many of the poor souls who died on that awful night. I work with a girl who was terribly burnt and my visit was to pay my respects to a very brave survivor. I will not dwell on the emotions of the moment but I hope something good will eventually come from this awful event. We went back before we left Bali and the memorial was closed and in the process of being dismantled. I think they are moving it to a permanent site, possibly at the GWK Park. Does anyone know?
Kim Patra's book
In the arms of the angels
I was on a mission to find this book and was lucky enough to get a signed copy in the Cyber Café. Kim I don't know if you read this forum but I hope someone passes this on to you. You are a very special person who must have gone through a terrible torment re living these events in order to share them with the rest of the world. My Father was a medevac nurse in Vietnam so I can relate a little to your story.
I hope you can get a wider distribution and greater recognition as an author. It would have been my absolute pleasure to meet you. Good luck to you and your family.
Adopta Co shop
Just sticking with the awful events of October 2002 for awhile. Meeting these ladies and giving them our support was something we all wanted to do. We eventually found the shop one evening after walking up and down aimlessly for awhile but sadly they were closed. No big deal, we would return in a day or two. Sadly we left it till the day before coming home only to find that once again they were closed. We left a note and a small donation. I am so sorry we missed you girls. Good luck with your shop and I hope all your dreams come true. To all those behind the scenes of this wonderful venture, good on you.
Accurate directions to the shop can be found in the archives but if I can help anyone get there please let me know. Spend up big folks; your money will never go to a better cause than these brave ladies.
More to come
Thanks for reading
Cheers
Frank