Sunday 25th
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Ku de ta before heading up to Ubud to stay at Tegal Sari. I had been looking forward to staying here for a few years after our cancelled trip in 2005.
Wow! It's is everything I have ever read about it and more. Beautiful, serene, peaceful (although that was probably not quite true when we rocked up!).
We had lunch at Café Wayan sitting in a gorgeous, private bale. We checked into our rooms and had a ‘chilly' swim before heading out to dinner at Dirty Duck - a restaurant I had been wanting to try for a while and once again it lived up to it's reputation - divine!
Monday 26th
Realaxing time at Pertinen Spa. Belinda and Tina shared a double room, Di and I had single rooms. Until the flower petal bath! ! ! Neither Di or I had a problem sharing the bath but thought it was a little strange they didn't ask us first.
We had lunch at Murni's. I had been before but the other girls hadn't. If you do go to Murni's do yourself a favour and wander right down to the bottom level and eat just about the river banks. Just gorgeous.
Ubud Markets was our next stop. I hadn't been for 3 years and was surprised at the insistency from the sellers. I usually really enjoy the markets here but this time found it to be not quite so pleasurable. One of our group actually had to get quite insistent when one seller would not let us pass through.
Hot and bothered by now it was definitely pool time!
We had made arrangement to go and see the herons arrive en masse at Petulu. This was another thing I had been looking forward to doing with my family in 2005. Off we toddled, lovely drive through the tiny village of Petulu. We pulled up at Kokokan Warung, an interesting little establishment with ‘the best viw of the bird'.
We sat, Di ordered a drink, Belinda pulled out our premade happy hour. We sat, we watched a few herons roosting in the trees. We sat, Di ordered another drink, we enjoyed another happy hour, we watched a few more birds land in the trees. ‘Okay all finis now!' said the man at the warung and we left. Was a funny time and just another Bali moment. We saw maybe 50 herons, just a little short of the 40,000 we had been told about.
Tuesday 27th - My Birthday #1
I say my birthday number 1 as we had been talking to Antoni (legends owner) earlier in the trip and he wanted to have a special birsday for me at Legends. We knew we would be in Ubud on my real Birthday so we had my special birsday at Legends on my last night, the 29th. I'm a very lucky girl.
So the day dawned beautifully. Di and I were sharing a room, and the obligatory 4am toilet stop brought a ‘happy birthday me darlin' from Di, followed by both of us nodding off once again to whatever dreams took our fancy.
I spoke to my girls and husband, had a text from my Mum. And then another text wishing me a happy birthday, from Tina in the room next door. I was trying to text her back (my phone was somewhat unhappy in Bali as I had dropped it in the toilet), when a chorus of harmonious voices peeped around the door singing ‘Happy Birthday'.
Breakfast was bought to the verandah with a bowl of icecream with a candle on top. How cute! So I enjoyed a banana pancakes and icecream for my birthday brekkie in Bali.
Next stop Tegallalang, another new experience. We were dropped off at the top of the hill and slowly meandered our way down, going into some shops, not going into some as they were closed and going into others and not being able to make ourselves heard. Incredibly easy shopping and prices rock bottom already so no need to barter.
Lunch back in Ubud at Cinta, and back to the pool for a quick swim before a massage. Di popped over the road to the little cake shop and bought numerous little delicacies to try for my birthday cake and a very enjoyable happy hour or two. On Tina's recommendation we tried Terazzo for dinner, coincidentally sister restaurant to Cinta so we enjoyed 15% off our meals. Dinner was really lovely and seeing as it was my birthday we all ordered sweets. Opps maybe not such a good idea, I think we kinda rolled down Monkey Forrest Road rather than walked!
And there ended my Birthday #1 in Bali
Wednesday 28th
Gosh the days were really ticking by, made more apparent each day as my medications numbers were dwindling. I had stupidly sat one day before leaving Perth and counted out ‘just enough' medication for my time away. Hmm, something I later found that both Tina and Di had done as well. Why did we do it? Well, so that our bags would weigh less coming home of course - how stupid were we all, how much would a few extra tablets weigh! Oh well!
When we first arrived at Tegal Sari Belinda suggested we do the cooking class we all thought it was a great idea and the girls all gave me the cooking class as my birthday present. What a treat!
It was held in a disused restaurant to the left of Tegal Sari, as you enter from the road, overlooking the glorious rice paddies.
A fantastic experience run by a lovely chef Nyomen. Nyomen also runs the classes at his restaurant in Seminyak, Bali Sate. He requires 2 people to run the class and in my opinion they are well worth doing.
We headed back to Legian, threw our bags into the room and all headed off in different directions to do what had to be done. I wandered up the street to French Leather to get some changes made to my daughters jazz shoes. Wandering back to Suri Wathi Budi came out from Legends and asked me back in for a chat with himself and Antoni. Just a quick chat as time was chugging along and we were already running a bit late, but I promised I'd be back for a drink after dinner. Hehe, I might have convinced Belinda to drink a little with me too.
We had a nice dinner at Dimemedi with Leonie, Glenn and Stacey before heading back to the hotel.
By this stage Di and Tina were joining Belinda and I for drinkies at Legends. Tom Cruise, Di's little biker mate joined us as well.
Legends was in full swing by the time we got there, it was a packed house. Antoni had put on a BBQ and obviously was very popular. The drag queens were there, Elvis (the real deal!) and Micheal Jackson (Maybe not the real deal - but who really knows!).
Dancing, drinking, singing, drinking, dancing, drinking, singing, drinking, dancing, drinking, singing, drinking..... get my drift?!?! Budi was making me special cocktails, Belinda & I were enjoying doing shots with them, Tina a little more ladylike in her consumption, Di already in bed!
The party moved onto Suri Wathi and once again the story ends quite abruptly here!