thought I'd better get this finished tonite before I get to caught up in the everyday humdrum of life.
just a couple of comments about ubud accommodation for Sharon before I go to amed Jati 3 had other "rooms" the ones we looked at could sleep 2-3 and where 100.000 a nite, It's hard to explain what the accommodation was like, it's not a hotel i guess it's what people call losmens you head down an ally off monkey forest road it's not so nice but at the end you go thru a gate and it all opens up with great gardens and the jungle down the hill it's all set on a slope with maybe 6-7 cottages? breakfast was included which was pretty simple pancakes fruitsalad and jaffles, anyway It was really great and excellent value. Last time we stayed in Ubud we stayed at Dewi Ayu in the new building down by the stream it's also a losman off monkey forest road the old rooms are rather yukky and cost 30.000 nite but the new rooms of which there are 4 are much nicer and cleaner! they cost 60.000 for the room with brekky included, we stayed our first nite in Ubud this trip at Dewi Ayu but cos we couldn't get 2 of the new rooms we decided to move on thats how we ended up at jati3 It was weird arriving in Ubud and getting out of the car to see Gede the guy who touts for the rooms at Dewi Ayu sitting in the exact same spot as he was 2 years ago when we arrived in ubud very much like a home coming for us :)
our trip to Amed was arranged and we were to leave at 9 in the morning the accommodation that our driver Mr Big had shown us looked really nice so we were keen to get a move on, we lugged our packs up to the road and the car was waiting for us but not Mr Big apparently he had more important fish to fry that day so we got his offsider made? Putu? wayan? the trip to amed was great with plenty to see and good roads we went the inland route and had some awesome views of rice terraces that I'd nver seen before the country was so steep it's amazing how it all hangs together down the hillside. It started to absolutely pour down by the time we got to Amed we drove down the coast to a place called Lipah Bay where we were taken to the accommodation that was shown in the photo's except it wasn't the same place ! and it wasn't even close to the price we wanted to pay so bugger it the rain is hammering down and we have to do the street walk for a room :( ther were 2 places right across the road so we went to the closest one first going up the steps was like walking thru a knee high stream in flood there was that much water coming down anyway the place was nice and new and great price at 150 a double but it was a double bed no singles and there's no way I was going to sleep with my little sister so it was off to the next place. We really hit the jackpot here, a place called Bayu with lovely rooms very new bathrooms were great with gas heated showers aircon and fan balcony saltwater plunge pool nice restaurant all women staff which was really nice I've always found it a bit offputting the way the men it around eyeing you as you go past or are in the pool or maybe I'm a prude. anyway we got the rooms for 205.000 each room they had a double and a single bed this was by far the nicest place we stayed the whole time.The highlight of the whole trip for all of us was amed I'm very surprised at the lack of tourist up there it's so beautiful especially in the wet season apparently it dries off real bad at other times but then you dont have to worry about dirty water for snorkeling. we stayed there for 6 days we wanted to do lots of snorkeling we saw in the lonely p[lanet that jemeluk was good place to go but unfortunately when we went it was too dirty the best place we found that was often clear when other places weren't was at the japanese shipwreck about 40 minute walk from Lipah I've never experienced tropical snorkeling before so I was in Heaven straight in off the beach and immediately like in 1 foot of water there was fish and then as you went out more and more fish and coral it was so awesome I loved it totally so many fish so many colours absolutey brilliant ! we would have lunch at the Eka Ponama that looked out over the bay it's just off the road and really nice place I would probably look at staying here next time just so I could go for a snorkel whenever I wanted rather than having to hire a bike or walk from Lipah I overheard some french guys in the restaurant here talking about there diving trip to salang island sounds like if you dive it's the place to go the coral apparently was manifique! but thats all I could understand cos they were french :)
all I can say is you have to go to the amaed region you will love it it's not that far away and the roads are great the accommodation cheaper than other more popular places and the snorkeling is awesome.
to cut a long story short we headed back to kuta after 6 nitesthe girls at Bayu bought us some durian to try before we left not too bad actually it kinda grows on you the more you eat the more you like it. Spent 4 nites in Kuta my sister's girlfriend getting hit on to buy condoms they all thought she was a guy and it was a constant joke with us girls as to who would walk with her that day cos thaT would make you wife number one with the other 2 wives coming behind, many a comment was made about how he was a lucky man !!
the last part of our trip was unscheduled we were to fly out of bali on Garuda at 10.30 pm on the 28th of jan we were still sitting at the airport at 3am 29th of jan finally they told us that the flight was cancelled and we would be taken somewhere for the night it was a total nightmare really we got as far as immigration and were told to go back and get our departure cards they told us this individually as we went to get our passport stamped ! so we were all going in different directions nobody knowing what the heck was going on we eventually get onto shuttles and end up in sanur in a place called Sanur beach hotel and oh my !! if this is how the other half holiday I want a slice of it too !!!!!!! what a place talk about flash ! it took us about 45 minutes to check in and get to the room by this time it was after 4 am and we had to try to contact home to let them know we wouldn't be arriving I was worried because my family wouldn't think to check if the international flight had got in they would just check the domestic flight, trying to get hold of an operator who could connect to new zealand took another hour so by now it was after 5am eventually got to bed woke for brekky which was like a feast had lunch another feast actually I couldn't eat lunch cos I'd made a pig of myself at breakfast heard on the grapevine we were leaving at around 2pm which we did left bali around 3pm arrived Auckland at 5am had to go on standby to get home finally got home to Nelson at 5.30 pm totally stuffed and a bugger of a way to finish our holiday.
so thats it another holiday gone and now back to the coalface, hope you all enjoy your travels wherever it may be
frazz