Today is Sunday 19 March and my sissy & I keep waking up at 3:30am - it must be the excitement of being in Bali. My teenage son sleeps like a log so our early morning chats don't wake him.
After breakfast we head to Poppies II for some shopping and my son buys one of those Ford shirts which was a good quality one. We had been hunting around checking them all out. He does his own bargaining which I am really proud of. He is really gaining in confidence.
My sister and don't buy anything just looking!! Though I drop a pair of pants in for my sons girlfriend to have another lot made for her 18th Birthday - at Janokos Tailors. What a great bunch of folk in this shop and very helpful.
Stopped off at Mandys shop a little way along JL Benesari where I tell the girls how good my sons shirts have lasted from my trip in 04. They want to know if I want to buy anything from their ‘secret' room... but I say no as he has already stocked up elsewhere. ( I thought best be honest ) but we have a chat on how slow things are. I have a look around but there was nothing I needed/ or wanted to buy.
We are a bit tired ( well probably just an excuse ) - so I say to my sister lets have a 20,000 Rp foot massage at Salon Made.
She agrees. Later laughing at why its so cheap - I mean the girls are nice..........its just they don't stop talking !! Last time I was there in 04 it was worse as they talked and the front of the shop was being renovated and the drills were in full swing - totally relaxing.
( Yeah right!!)
They give us a free cold water and we head off continuing along Benasari.
Another pit stop at Enhay café in Benasari for a cold Bintang and then we go to check out Adhi Dharma Hotel which my son and sister loved. ( I wrote about this in my Accom only JBR)
We had lunch at Indo National - the food is very good here and good value.
My son becomes addicted to the Club Sandwiches - and they come with a decent pile of chips as well. I have a shrimp cocktail and my sister the chicken canapé.
We head back to the hotel and later I go down to a small shop near the hotel and have a beer with some stall holders that we have befriended. Its good to have a chat and find out all the gossip and just observe the street action.
Were pretty tried so have an early dinner at indo National and home in bed like angels at 9:00pm listening to my Bali Too Meditation tape that it seems for the rest of the trip we all become addicted to. To this day I don't know what lies in the last half of the CD. I go out like a light soon after its playing a while.
Monday
You know I don't have an entry in my diary for Monday - its blank. So I have nothing to report. I discovered this the next day whilst in Bali and my Sister said to just write down shopping. I think this at a guess would be a good description.
Tuesday
Today we have organized Putu our driver for about 5 or so hours to take a look around Seminyak, Kerokoban and plus we want to go to Denpassar.
We went and checked out a couple of hotels including The Villas which I have reported on previously. We then head up to the gaol I just wanted to see it... plus thought it would be a good education for my son. Putu hopes we don't want to go inside as he sais 'the Maffia are in there ' !!! No we don't. But we pull up outside near the entrance and the place just gave me this overwhelmingly sad feeling - what a hell hole. To be stuck in their would be a nightmare. What a depressing place I just kept imagining me as a mother having to visit one of my kids in their - gosh I hope it never happens.
As we are near Putu's home he asks if we would like to see his home which we agree to do I do not know what to expect. Anyhow he apologises if his house is messy but he sais his wife works. ( Must be a universal male thing - blame the woman)
It was not messy at all.
He is proud to show us photos of his wife and children. At this point I remembered I had some colour books, pens crayons etc in my back pack that I had planned to give to him.
So I asked him to accept them for his children to use. He was very grateful and humble.
The home was set in a very narrow strip amongst about 15 others. It is about the size of a bedsitter in our terms - but has 3 small bedrooms. Very well organized and compact it was lovely to experience a tour from someone who is so proud of their home.
Putu has a small pigeon that he has trained. He clicked his fingers and the bird would hoot and swoon. This fascinated my son. There was a sticker on his bedroom window that said something about 'SEX'..( trust me to notice!!!) so I enquire with Putu as to his need for him and his wife to advertise !!!??? He cracks up laughing. His kids get stickers from all over the place and he gets cranky with them for putting them up... they are hard to take off and he shows me where there are spots that the kids have been having a ball. Even on his front door !! Bless them.
On leaving his home we see his son on a motor bike that is being driven by his sister in law - they collect the kids from school each day whilst Putu and his wife work.
I notice some childrens bikes in the neighborhood left out side the porch areas I guess you would call them. I ask Putu if they get stolen. He said no. I tell him they would last 5 mins in Darwin. What a different part of the world we live in. I mean my home is security screened to the hilt and I cannot tell you how many times Ive been broken into over the years.
Anyhow heading toward Denpassar the Polisi are having a ball pulling over everyone on motor bikes. Wallets in/out - money being exchanged for what who knows ?? It was an education for my sister and son who had never seen anything like this before.
Putu and I spend the rest of the time chatting about Police. He is trying to understand that in Australia we don't actually pay the Policeman direct. This was difficult for him to understand given that he tells me to be a policeman in Bali you have to actually pay to be one !!. Our language barriers - even though he speaks reasonable English did compound matters. My real lack of the Polisi system in Indonesia also didn't help matters.
Plus the fact that my sister thinks Aussie cops suck added to the confusion - okay I explain to Putu she hasn't long divorced one !!!
So we arrive at Ramayana and ask Putu to collect us after an hour. There were lots of specials on childrens clothing - but for me nothing in the sizing for my granddaughter. I started to check out the sandals etc but my son got bored ( hahaha I wonder why !! ) My sister went in a different direction and bought a few things by the time we had met up.
Putu is so patient. I don't think Ive ever met a man who is so accommodating. After some horrendous drivers over my travels in Asia I have to recommend him as one of the safest, most polite and above all that very dry sense of humour that will just hit you when you least expect !!
We have a very late lunch at Indo Nat when we get back to The Lokha.
Tonight we end up at Mammas for dinner and enroute meet up with my cousins wife. She had left messages at our hotel but we kept missing each other. But you could spot the Tourist on JL Legian and sure as anything we met her on the strip which was good.
She goes to Bali 4 times a year - quick trips - as she sells bags at our big markets up here in Darwin.
By the way she loves her coffee - and was just coming back from Aromas after a coffee fix. Says its pretty good there. I don't know cos I just do the Bintang thing and gobble their food like theres no tomorrow.
We get a Taxi home from Mammas - and crash yet again fairly early. This was to get ready for some big days ahead though we did not know this at the time!!!
To be continued.........