Before I continue, it occurred to me that everyone we met wanted to know WHY? we would pick Bali to get married since we were both Americans. After having to think about it, I just remember seeing the Balinese ladies performing their dances on National Geographic some years ago. I just knew it was a place I wanted to visit before I died. It just so happened that my fiance shared those exact same sentiments including the desire to have a small and private ceremony in some far away place. So, it was off to Bali....really just on a whim shared by the both of us.
Upon arriving and settling in a bit at Sri Phala, we decided to walk the beach. Afterall, there was still 2 hours of sunlight left and we figured we should fight the urge to sleep so we could become accustomed to the new time quickly. Also in the back of our minds was the fact we still had to visit the US Consulate for our CNI (Certificate of No Impedement), Bali Weddings Int'l to work out any last minute concerns, AND get our wedding certificate photos. Again with all the negative things that happened prior to our actual arrival in Bali, we were in paranoia mode as we only had the next day available to us as it was a Friday. We were getting married the following Monday. So, if we didn't accomplish those three task....it was very likely that we wouldn't be able to marry according to our plans. So naturally, it was off to Sanur beach to calm our minds and try to release some anxiety. Sanur was very beautiful and although we too are from a very beautiful coast here in San Diego, there was an added element you couldn't quite put your finger on about Sanur. Perhaps it was the faces of the wrinkled old fisherman and their toothless grins, the scattered offerings we found ourselves tip toeing over, the almost freakish way that all the Sanur dogs look exactly alike as if from an experiment gone awry....yes I know, my wife says my imagination runs rampant sometimes....but, it was a dark night a few nights later that she ended up agreeing when we were "followed" by a pack of them.....a bit uneasy, scary, and cool at the same time. Anyway, we walked the exposed shore as it was low tide. Being an aquarist myself, I was quite pleased to observe all the sea creatures milling about in the tidepools. It appeared that the locals were also collecting something out there. But, I never did find out what it was.....clams? crabs? This later proved to be a cycle of sorts. High tide, the boats would go out past the reefs to fish. Mid tide, the fisherman would wade out about waist deep and fish with poles. Low tide, the locals would go out and harvest something and then the cycle would start over again. Sanur was a bit sad beyond the beauty there. It was a bittersweet experience for us. We were so happy to be fortunate to afford this trip and take in the pleasures of this paradise. Yet at the same time, the locals were hurting badly for business. It was quite amazing to me to watch a little balinese lady drag heavy teak tables and chairs out onto the sand for an anticipated evening dinner.....all decorated with fancy table cloths, candlelighting, formal setting. As we passed, we only wished we were hungry enough to stop and enjoy....we simply weren't hungry though. Later, on our way back.....nobody had stopped to dine there. The lady stood there with a welcoming smile with just a look of hope on her face......we felt terrible for her. None the less, she did this every evening throughout the 5 days we stayed in Sanur. And each time we happened to pass, nobody sat down to dine.....yet, she smiled on. I started to gather what it was about Sanur and later it proved to be the whole of Bali. Bali spirit, pride, humbleness, respect, or simply the essence of the human soul. I came to realize that these folks were on some hard times like I've been fortunate enough to have never experienced myself. Yet, they are always milling about, working, making offerings, smiling, talking, and just "going on" despite their well being or more appropriately, their lack of it. I've been to a lot of places in the world and Bali is the only place I've been where they have it so bad yet, I never came across a begger. You can't cross into Tijuana for more than 10 steps without being accosted by beggers and panhandlers. The Balinese always seemed to have something to offer in exchange or to "earn" their keep. Anyway as it was getting late, we decided to have a beer at the Bonzai Gardens. I really wanted to eat but just didn't have the appetite as our bio clocks were all screwed up due to the time change. So, it was my first Bintag for me and some gingerale for my wife while we sat and just watched the "goings on". We began to plan the next day's itinerary and figured we'd come back to the beach and check out the shopping and such. So it was off to our villa for a quick dip in the pool and a heavy heavy sleep. We requested a wake up call. But my paranoia proved to be my alarm the next morning as I woke up at 5:00 a.m. Too early and too anxious, I headed for the upstairs balcony where I enjoyed my morning coffee with my wife.....this later proved to be our morning routine and evenings too, only Bintangs instead of coffee in the evening. From our balcony we could see the outline of Mt. Agung (not sure?). It was a bit majestic in the morning light. We watched the bats fluttering about catching the early rise of the insects and making their way back to their hang out. One such hang out just so happened to be right above our heads. I thought it was a bit odd to find seeds and guano in the exact same spot on the balcony every morning. We found out later that morning that the crest of the inside of our balcony was home sweet home to a good size (think chihuahua with wings)fruit bat....if not home, at least a nightly pitstop for it to eat the nights goods. Soon after the bat retired for the day, the roads came alive with motor bikes buzzing about. We headed down to the dining area for breakfast. Now I'm not sure if Sri Phala serves food to people that aren't staying there. But, it's worth checking into it as their food was very good be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Most of our breakfasts consisted of Nasi Goreng with a fried egg on top, pickled vegetables (which seemed odd for breakfast...but damn good)a choice of bacon, sausage, or ham, a small piece of fried chicken, bali coffee, banana pancakes, and whatever juice you can think of to wash it all down with. Our breakfasts were included with the price of our accomodations so we didn't pay extra for them. Other meals however, were NOT included but, prices were extremely reasonable and the food was great and good size portions. Since we're talking cost briefly, accomodations at Sri Phala were open to negotiations for me. So, I would certainly recommend corresponding with them before hand and negoatiate a rate instead of just paying their published rate. I saved substantially!!! I won't give you the info on my rate as I feel what I got was "earned" through courtesy, consideration, and respectful communication with their manager. I did overhear another tourist there mention their rate for a double room. They paid 1/3 more than we did and they got about 2/3 less when comparing their ROOM to our VILLA....so do your homework. After breakfast, it was off to accomplish "The Three Tasks". After being so nervous about having enough time, I was delighted to find out that all our destination points were within minutes from Sri Phala.....the gods were smiling on us!!! A quick taxi ride (blue taxi)over to the US Consulate was our first stop. We used the metered taxi and requested them specifically as I read here on the BTF to go with those taxis. We used blue taxis exclusively for our whole trip except when hiring a driver.....more on that later. Anyway, the taxi driver was more than happy to wait for us even though we didn't have any idea how long it would take. We pulled up in front of the US Consulate gates. The gates were some 5 meters high and we had to explain to a guard while talking through the irons before he would let us in. Upon opening the gates, the guards decided to search us and our belongings. Our backpacks were hand searched inside and out. Our bodies were patted down and scanned with a metal detector. And our passports were checked and recorded in a log. After that, we were pointed to another guard down the driveway. Initially, it seemed intimidating. But then again, we felt SAFE. We figured if this security is in place for couples looking to get married, no chance someone without official business is getting through the gates. Inside, a quick process to fill out forms, exchange some needed signatures and "walla!" we had our certificates. One down and two to go.....we were off to Bali Weddings Int'l. BWI was literally just down the road from Sri Phala about a 10 minute walk. My wife thinks I planned all that and she constantly congratulated me on fine planning......again, I just figured the gods were smiling on us and couldn't help but remember the old Indonesian lady that blessed us at the airport......hmmmm? All was going good. Our original planner had to scurry off to another wedding. So, we had to meet with a different planner who assured us that everything is as planned and there shouldn't be any further problems. A quick confirmation of our wedding day plans and adding a stylist and makeup person for my wife and we were out the door. We did notice while in BWI that they had copies of $100USD on the table. The lady there told us that the banks were NOT accepting those bills that had serial numbers which began with CBxxxxxxxxx. I later check all the bills I brought with me and 8 of the 10 I had, all began with CB....oh no! Well, I later changed them anyway at a Kodak shop in Sanur. They didn't blink at the "CB" serial number. So, I figure they were okay or perhaps that money changer had yet to be denied at the bank....who knows? On a side note, I never found any reason to exchange money with anyone other than a Kodak place. They were always honest and always counted the money right under your nose. They also never started the exchange without first pointing out the daily rate as well as never ended an exchange without offering me a calculator to double check the exchange. At the Sanur beach Kodak we were getting 9,350 rph for $1USD. Back to the JBR.....A few paces down the road, we entered a Fuji Film shop to get our photos done for our wedding certificates. We got like 10 pics for something around $2USD!!!....incredible as they charge up to $14USD here in the states for a lowsy 2 pics. The Fuji shop even delivered the pics to Bali Weddings Int'l for us at no extra charge. While in there, we ran into another American girl who coincidently was from Encinitas, a small town just a short drive from where we live in San Diego. Unfortunately for her, she was there to replace a passport that was in a bag that had been ripped from her shoulder while crossing a busy street somewhere near the Sindhu markets. She told us that it happened so fast and too much stuff was going on, that she barely realized that she had just been robbed of her purse. So as it was, we learned that even in paradise....S$%T happens.
More to come.....meeting our driver, the first bite of the shopping bug, and few reviews of places we ate at.