JBR from Perth WA 11/11/05 to 28/11/05.
Bob & Juliette Brownfield - 22nd visit to Bali 10th time at Besakih Resort.
Bali In General :
As expected most people in Bali are doing it tough and most expect it to get worse, with the bombing, price hikes (gasoline in particular),AP closure and the bird flu scare. Sanur seems to be marginally busier than same time after 2002 bombing - possibly due to some regular visitors to Bali, for security reasons, choosing Sanur over the West coast. Still there is a dearth of tour coaches. Dogs & other pedestrians can cross Jl Tamblingan in relative safety! If anything motorcycle traffic has increased! Many locals who don't require a vehicle for their business have changed over to a motorbike.
The locals are outwardly happy & smiling, as usual, and appreciative of the visitors who have not cancelled. Even the immigration & custom officers were smiling and friendly. 'Welcome to Bali' & 'Thank you for coming back' was often heard.
Flight Up & Arrival:
Over the last few years we have lashed out & flown at the sharp end of the aircraft. Peter Ryan would call it the SKI syndrome (Spending The Kids Inheritance) but, at our age we think we deserve it - and the kids agree!
Garuda out of Perth, aprox. ¾ full. Pulled back on time - would have been at least 5 mins early if the last three passengers had been punctual! About 10 minutes early into DPS. Only aircraft arriving, we came into gate 6, right at the floor above immigration & through formalities quite quickly. Met by our long time friend & driver Gede Ariana (ariana_01@telkom.net) and off to Sanur.
Besakih Hotel :
Many 'Welcome home's and bashing of the kul kul gong! (We used to think that this was a ritual welcome - but it is only to summon the porters!)
As efficient and friendly as ever! While we were there occupancy seldom rose above 25% which is below break-even point. The beach side restaurant is still under renovation but Rickey, the GM, assures us that it will be completed on or by 22/12/05. In time for Christmas. As far as we can see there has been absolutely no changes in staff! Same old faces doing the same jobs - very reassuring!
The beach side girls are still the same. Mandy has had her baby and Shop Amy, married a few months, ago is desperately trying to get pregnant.
Old Besakihites will remember massage girl Suzie. She had been very ill for a few years with a duodenal problem. She is back and seems to be her same bubbly self - not yet on the beach working but will be soon. She will have to build up her clientele from basics! There is hardly enough business now for Amy, Jenny and Danielle.
Restaurants:
One of our favourites in Sanur, Frangipani Mardi, has gone off! We had a couple of dinners there and were disappointed. One of their specialties that I look forward to, Ikan Pepia, was, at best, average.
We had a couple of good dinners at Kalpatharu and The Laser Bar. The latter having good draught Bintang. Only disappointment there was ordering Grooper fillets which comes with a mango sauce to be told they had no mangos! Every one knows that by November Bali is awash with mangos!!
We also dined at Jepun - (southern end of Sanur), The Village -( Italian), Borneo (on Jl Sindhu Beach) - and on the beach, Warung Kami Sama, Bonsai and Tootsies - all good. The restaurant at Besakih is still good and price competitive - we had quite a few lunches there but only one dinner. The menu hasn't changed in 10 years. We had lunch one day at Campur-Campur. This is on the black sand beach off the Ida Bagus Bagus Mantra Bypass. It is all on its own! No other building within coo wee! I thought the grilled fish was excellent! Juliette was not all that impressed. Their prices, however, are unrealistically high.
More to follow.