Wake at 7am. What a surprise! Have brekky and head towards Kuta Square. Change money for about Rp6850. Wander past Versace, D&G, etc. Call into a few places where I could buy 'genuine' Versace jeans for Rp80,000. Too hot to try on even in their aircond. and their size 12 looks like it would fit my 12 y.o. - or at least half a hip. Head towards beach past stalls which would have been the old Kuta Markets. Onto Kuta Beach where the locals are dressed in their best for some sort of ceremony/celebration. Local voice booming over PA. What are they saying? This happened quite a few times on Kuta beach.
Decide to walk towards the big white elephant and find out what it is. Surf is nice with a lot of board riders out at the various breaks - about 1m. A couple of guys paddle out towards a fishing boat for a ride to the reef. Looks like a locals only surfing spot in front of Kartika Plaza. What a beautiful hotel that is. Wander through the grounds towards the front and find out the white elephant is the new Centro Shopping Mall. Have a look at two floors but its all "too new". May as well be in Singapore. The view from the second floor is amazing. All out to Kuta Reef and right down the beach past Seminyak. Has to have the best view of any shopping centre I've been to for a long while.
Leave this place and onto Jl Kartika Plaza and go to DVD shop recommended by Ibu Hera. I buy 40+13 free DVDs for Rp400,000 and they guarantee quality. I guess that is good if you have hired a DVD player. Call into Stadium and go to loo there. Ask a girl what hotel is that and it is the Ramayana Resort & Spa. Looks nice. More importantly, nice clean toilet. She was lovely and friendly (from their Marketing Dept) and offered to show me around, to have a look at a room and invited me to look around at my leisure. Very nice. Have a cool watermelon juice before heading back down to the beach. Buy a sarong to lay on for Rp15,000.
Enjoy a few hours in the sun. Have a mango. Yummy. Especially since I havent had one for months. Can feel the sun starting to burn so head for home. Call in for a nasi goreng and soda. Buy some light long sleeve tops for Rp30,000 and pants with Japanese type lettering for Rp25,000.
After a shower decide to go to Dolphin Leather to collect my jacket which is great. Walk back slowly and have a look in a few shops and am hanging for a coffee. Head towards Starbucks but find another place ran by an American guy. Takeaway coffee is Rp22,000. Really good but too much froth.
Longing for a foot massage by now so call into Honeys which is on top of NZ ice cream. Rp50,000 for one hour. Well worth every Rp! She finishes off with a back, shoulder and arm massage. Tip her generously and say I'll be back - which I will.
Into bed to read, relax and plan what I'll do tomorrow. Beach early I think. Maybe in front of Jl Mesasti for something different...
Woken at 5.30am with a text from my partner telling me my football team had lost - again. Go back to sleep until 7.30 and come out for brekky. Aussie couple next door arrived last night. They're from down the road a suburb or two from home.
Head down towards Jl Melasti to go to the beach there. They've knocked down Intan - someone else has bought and is rebuilding. They've also partly knocked down, and let go to ruin, Bali Anggrek Inn where Mum and I stayed for one night in a suite when they'd stuffed our booking up. Only time I remember Mum having a beer. We shared one at lunch. Lots of memories coming back.
Guys selling timeshare are all over the place. After being caught out once, won't happen again.
Settle down on the beach on a lounge bed under an umbrella. Rp30,000 for this pleasure - too much? Who cares. Certainly made my day more enjoyable. Surf is fantastic. Best I've seen it in years. Take a lot of photos but it won't do it justice. Not too many sellers. The usual sunglasses, jewellery and sarongs. Where are the fruit ladies? Drinks Rp5000. Really enjoy my few hours here but will pay for it over the next few days with sunburn to places that haven't seen the light for a few years. Nothing bad mind you - just the top of my legs where the cozzies had ridden up a bit too high.
Walk along Jl Pantai to Poppies II and the little restaurant I've been to a couple times across from Bagus Pub. Always get out of a meal for around $5 and its very good. You could do it cheaper but don't have to! Plenty of places you could eat for $1-2. Needless to say they are packed with backpackers.
My son rings from NZ while I'm having lunch. He has a cold. It is Sunday night about 7pm in NZ and they are off snowboarding the next day. He is so excited. Insists I buy his 17 y.o. brother some Converse shoes - green - isnt that sweet. Tell him I love him and he puts his dad on. He says they've been great and are so looking forward to the snow. They're freezing, I'm boiling, 4 hours time difference and a few thousand miles apart. Where I am seems like reality.
Go home, shower, change and head out to Matahari's to buy shoes for Bryce. Have a drawing of his foot, he said he is size 11. It looks huge. Feel like I'm shopping for a skateboard rather than a shoe. Buy some army looking high tops for Rp199,000. Took them a good 10 minutes to find a pair after telling me they had none! Just didn't want to do a bit of work looking for them. Was that my blood pressure rising?
Not feeling great so decide to walk towards home. Had also purchased Maybelline lippy and lipgloss. Lipstick Rp35,000 and gloss Rp39,000. Around half price. Go to NZ ice cream which has Oh La La coffee/ deli and get a good cappuccino and tuna salad roll to takeaway. Not hungry but may be later. Now feel terrible, like I'm abut to faint. Hop into bed when I get home. Got the chills. After about an hour and turning the aircond. up to 26 I feel a bit better. Eat a bit of dinner, drink plenty of water and doze off.
Don't worry, I wake feeling good!