• Background - Family of 5, Myself (Paul), wife (Jennifer), daughter (Victoria 10), sons (Zachary 6 & Alexander 5) from Perth, arrived 21st December
• 5th. After a restless nights sleep, Jens eye is weeping and all swollen. We call the hotel doctor and set up an appointment at 3.00pm. At the same time we decide that he may as well check out the boys as they have had coughs for the past few days and we didn't want it to go to their chests as it is prone to do. After a huge day yesterday, we had planned on a quiet one today. We were also planning on a full day tour tomorrow. Another late start with brekkie by the pool and the day just lazily went on. At the hotel there is water volleyball every day and on Thursday, there is a special game in the afternoon which is between guests and the managers of the hotel. For the past two weeks, I have not been a part of this event, even though the managers have been trying to get me to join. It was our last Thursday and was told that I must play. It was the middle of the afternoon, as time approached for volleyball and we were enjoying some Bintangs, then heavens opened up. And did it rain. Well we decided it was warmer in the water than out so the guests including myself started to play. We stood in the pool in the pouring rain playing and waiting for the managers to come out. And they didn't come. As time went on the rain just continued but we had news that the managers were on their way. The rain eased and finally stopped and the games of volleyball continued. It's a lot of fun playing with the managers of the hotel. They are all easy to get along with and obviously does a lot in terms of public relations for the hotel. After three hours of playing, we all retire to pool bar where management put on jugs of Bintang for everyone to enjoy. I forgot to mention that as returnee guests, a few days ago, we had also been invited to a management appreciation night where again for two hours you get to meet management over a few drinks at Gracie Kellys. I eventually had to be dragged away from the pool bar as I was reminded that it is Thursday again and yet another quiz night at Gracie Kellys and we are helping Agus from pool/kids club who is standing in for Steve. Jen has a night in after seeing the doctor and getting some medication to ease her discomfort and I go along to Gracies. We give Agus some Bintang to calm his nerves. He is concerned about his pronunciation, so we run through a couple of the words he is having trouble with but that unfortunately means we should not take part in the quiz. Anita takes the stage with Agus and Carl & I do the quiz but agree we will not take any prizes if we win which is basically what happens. After the quiz, we enjoy a few drinks with Agus learning more about where he is from and his family. As I have the tour tomorrow, we retire pretty early.
• 6th. Full day tour. At the back to Dynasty party in Perth last year, we won a tour for two called the Bedugu/Tanah Lot tour. So we had organised payment for the kids and booked for today. We got picked up at 9.30am by our tour guide Wayan and the driver Nyoman, enough time to have a big buffet breakfast and off we went. First stop was Tanah Lot, where we all got a blessing at the cave under the temple, the kids had pictures with the huge python and we bought a couple of Queen size bedspread for rp150000. Next stop Alas Kedaton, where the kids got to see the monkeys. Not as friendly as the one at Ubud. Here we had to have a guide and the monkeys seemed a lot more viscious. Maybe with dwindling tourist numbers, the monkeys are also suffering in terms of food available. Each guide must have stall as at the end of our walk, we are taken to a stall to buy something. Not particularly ideal as it was at that time pretty hot and the kids only wanted to get back into the airconditioned car. Next we go to Bedugul where we choose to bypass the fruit market and head straight for a place to have lunch. Now I know all tour guides and drivers have places they want you to eat at as they get some sort of reward, but last year we did the Kintamani tour with a Dynasty driver and had lunch at a terrible place where the toilets were revolting. This time I told the family that we were going to be a lot more selective. Of course Wayan had a suggestion, but assured us it was descent and was owned by an Australian. We got there, I quickly ducked inside to have a look and decided that this would be OK. A rule of thumb, someone once told me was to walk straight into the toilets, if they are descent, then the kitchen will be descent. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant as it had great views and the food wasn't too bad and very reasonable at rp60000 each for adults and half price for kids. After lunch we headed down the mountain to Mengwi and the royal temple. Admittedly now I was a little templed out and happy to be on the way home.
We decided to eat dinner at C-line just down from the Dynasty. Someone from the forum had recommended it. Lovely meal and ran into a number of other guests from the dynasty there as well. Rp400000 for 3 kids meals, chicken & cashews, pasta marinara, profiteroles x 2, crepe suzette, water, wine, beer & ice teas.
• 7th. Decided to go and get the rest of the DVD shopping done today. First Jen and I would go and get as much as we could before taking the kids out later in the afternoon to buy the PS2 games they wanted. We headed to our regular shop by the Green Garden spa picked up a load of stuff and decided to have lunch at the Pantai restaurant that we had heard of. First time we had run into a restaurant that did not serve Bintang but the other beer that I cant remember. Now I know it begins with C. Anyway at 12.00 it was very windy and unfortunately choosing a table right at the front meant we got hassled continuously by passing traders, even to the point that they just sat in front of us to see if we would buy anything. Anyway food was cheap and enjoyable and from there we made our way back to the hotel via a money changer. We got back to the hotel and dumped our stuff in the room. It was now 3.00pm and we were on our way to collect the kids when Wendy the photographer rushed towards us when she saw us. Zachary had had an accident. We rushed to kids club to find the doctor who had been called in cleaning the back of Zac's head which was sporting a 5cm gash. He had somehow fallen of the small slide and cut his head open. It was recommended he be taken to BIMC straight away for stitches. Jen opted to go and the hotel organised transportation. Unfortunately she had not taken her mobile which made things difficult as she had to keep me informed by ringing the hotel each time. Once stitched up, he was transported to Prima medical centre in Denpassar for a CT scan. At this point, I had to tell her of a special dinner I had organised for her as we were going t have to cancel. The Dynasty offers special Saturday night romantic dinners up by the Lazy pool area. Adults only area. You get a three course deluxe meal and a free bottle of wine for rp300000. As no one else had booked, I had organised our table to be on top of the Sunset bar. It's a sort of lookout area on top of a bar area where you can overlook the main pool area as well as catch glimpses of the ocean & sunset. They do it up really nicely with flags, umbrellas & flowers (Our friends enjoyed the same thing for their wedding anniversary the day we arrived). Anyway more on this topic to follow. Jen and Zac got back to the hotel around 7.00pm with instructions that he had to be monitored for any signs of head trauma. They had wanted him to stay in for observation but Zac point blank refused (Yes he is only 6) and be truthful we thought this was not necessary as with 3 children, we had been through this before and knew what to look out for. I will also state that he was very responsive and keen to get things back to normal. They had also told us he would have to have a second CT scan tomorrow which we thought was excessive. Our insurance company actually had another recommended clinic we should have taken him too. International SOS. I had spoken to the insurance company a couple of times during the day as we just knew the bill would quickly escalate once they started to do tests. They were very helpful on the phone. They rang us and they put an Australian doctor on the phone to Jen for any questions she had. BIMC rang us at 11.00pm to tell us he had swelling and had confirmed the hairline fracture. Just what you need to hear before dozing off to sleep. This part of the JBR is getting a little long so I will continue in the next instalment. Just in case anyone is wondering, tomorrow we take him for a second opinion at International SOS and get reassurance that we had done the right thing and extra tests were unnecessary.