In Reply to: Bali Blast from the Past Challenge posted by suew on Saturday, 19. February 2005 at 22:11 Bali Time:
Ok Sue here's my contribution to memory lane...hope you enjoy it.
It's June or July 1981, damned cold in winter in Adelaide and believe it or not it's a dark and stormy night where we have gathered for a drink before leaving on a bus for Melbourne to catch a flight to this place called Bali....
It is amazing what you endure when younger. I remember that bus trip was cold and uncomfortable & long & yet it was all part of the adventure of our first trip overseas. I am not sure, but it was probably the first time any of us 3 girls had flown except as young kids.
Now, back in the good old days there was smoking and non smoking on flights...OMG!! So of course there was always the challenge of getting smoking seats which I think we secured and then of course the free drinks and food!!! We were in heaven already and we had just taken off. I don't recall how long it took to get to Bali but I will never forget that first wave of heat at the door of the plane.
I watched the heat ripple off the tarmac and the smell of the airline fuel invade my senses along with an unfamiliar mix of smells, some pleasant and some not so. The heat hits you like a wall and the humidity was incredible. We had come out of winter into this...
[To this day instead of arriving at a gate, I still love exiting via the stairs and catching the bus. As the humidity and warmth wrap around you like a blanket I feel as if I am being welcomed home.]
Well we got through customs etc and I don't recall any major hassles, just that the terminal was incredibly hot and stuffy and as we were dressed in winter clothes we were dripping in sweat. We found our tour company and guide whose name was Sonny and I think we expected taxis but were asked to get in the back of this thing called a BEMO. It was like a Ute with a canopy. We all looked at each other as if to say, it's a joke right?, but then Sonny herded us in and another 6 people all looking as astonished as we were.
The ride in the bemo was quite an experience. We were all holding on for dear life as we bounced on the unpaved roads. I know my mouth was open for a good deal of the way to the hotel as were my friends Jules and Adrienne and the other six people. I remember we all looked at each other like so where is this paradise we heard about & saw in the brochures. I am sure we were trying to figure out who to blame. After dropping off the other passengers and wishing them luck for their holiday we finally arrived at Legian Beach Hotel. Back in those days, there wasn't anything else down Jalan Melasti except the Orchid Garden Restaurant and a couple of stalls...
We checked in and were taken to our bungalow...the door was opened and so too, again, were our mouths....we stood there horrified looking from one to the other as if to say, this is your fault...For gods sake the floor had no carpet!!! It was tiled, I mean how uncivilized!! We were such princess's! I also distinctly remember after being so gob smacked that we realized that only 2 beds were proper beds...quick grab your bag and plonk it on a bed!!! Well that was quite easy as we then realized that Adrienne's luggage was nowhere to be seen... Went to use the phone to dial reception to get the bag sent around....the phones weren't connected...hahaha!!
The holiday in hell / paradise had officially begun and so too, the love affair with a place that has continued to draw me back there for the last 24 years....
That first trip was a blast and so many things went wrong from Adrienne's luggage not arriving at the hotel for 3 days to the 3 of us fighting, our tour group missing our flight to Lombok, and the travel company abandoning us, but I don't regret a minute of it and we 3 are still friends to this day. We went on every tour possible to see as much of the island as we could and it was a great introduction. Bali was a different place back then at least'physically', but the essence of Bali today is still the same, just a little tarnished in spots.
I have always told first time travelers to Bali, you will love it or hate it, there is no in between. I think anyone can fall in love with Bali, you just have to find your patch of paradise which best suits you, be that in the madness of Kuta, the serenity of Ubud, the luxury of big 5 star hotels in Nusa Dua or peaceful slower paced Sanur. Shop till you drop, haggle till it hurts, party till you puke, enjoy the sun, sand & surf, chill out & be pampered, laze by the pool working on a tan. It is ALL there on this tiny little island we all love, or that some love to hate....