I went alone on holiday to have a break away from a demanding job. My husband was unable to organise annual leave, so he decided I should go alone and arranged for family to look after our daughter. It was good to unwind with no responsibilities, but I really missed my family and regret not taking them.
Thursday 5th: Worked from 5am -1pm and just made it to check into my first flight of the day to Cairns. It was under an hour flight to Cairns but it felt a lot longer in a small plane.
In Cairns was able to check luggage through to Denpasar. I had about a 2 hour wait and the flight was around 2 hours to Darwin. I breathed a sigh of relief to get through to the 'sterile' area in Darwin. Finally able to do some duty free shopping but afterwards they announced a 40 minute delay due to late arrival of connecting aircraft.
The flight over was full and we arrived at about 12.05. No hassles at VOA immigration or customs and my friend of 15 years is waiting for me and as usual I can't wipe the smile off my face.
Drive through the rain to Casa Padma, it looks very modern and stylish at night. They check me straight in and advise that I have a free upgrade to a mini-suite as all the superior rooms have been taken by Domestic tourists.
The room is large but not traditional Balinese style. There is a small couch, a separate dressing area and an unusual picture of a man leading a cow above the bed. I notice the paint finish etc. is a bit rough around the edges, but overall I'm happy with the standard of the room for the price I paid.
I surprisingly awoke early next morning so went for a walk on the beach from Padma to Centro and back, it takes about an hour. The beach is lovely and peaceful early in the morning and I repeat this early morning ritual most mornings in Bali.
Spend the day trying to get a mobile from work unlocked but as it's a Sagem they are unable to so I bought a new Nokia camera phone for 800k. I went to Syah and ended up ordering 2 paintings 1.4 x 1 metre. They need a week to complete the order but I decide to pick up on Saturday the 14th, Sariswati day as opposed to Friday the 13th.
We have lunch at Wayan's bosses' warung in a back street in Legian with another old friend. Lunch and drinks for three including a whole grilled fish and seafood comes to under 100k. The weather is unusually humid this day and it rains for a couple of hours.
That night I had my first of many dinners at Drops. The food is absolutely sensational, the music is chilled and it's a great place to relax and watch the world go by.
On Saturday we decide to take Wayan's son to have a look at the monkey forest in Ubud. He really enjoys it especially watching the monkeys diving and swimming in their little swimming pond. We did see a couple of people get bitten, one with a lot of blood drawn. I think there should be a big sign to demonstrate that when you want the monkey to get off you, lean down and it will get off.
We go to Ibu Oka but we arrive at 1 o'clock and it's packed to the rafters. Better to try again through the week when it is not so busy. We go to Murni's instead and enjoy a great lunch on the fourth level down. We can hear the sounds of the Campuan River below and the food and service is great, as usual. The ayam bertutu is especially good here.
Back in Legian, I went shopping along Legian Street as Wayan works most nights. There were some great bargains at the Body and Soul 3 day sale shop. Every Saturday there is also a kind of peace rally at the Memorial. This week there's some Hari Krisnas singing so I pause for a few minutes to check it out. I also bought some nice quality items from Animale Kuta Square before wandering back to my hotel.
On Sunday I just did a bit of shopping for usual stuff in the markets.
At night we had dinner at Ketupat which is a little hidden paradise behind Jonathon Silver on Legian St. The menu is very extensive for example there are 8 kinds of nasi goreng on offer. However we finally decide upon the Nasi Kuning and Tuna Pelelah, enak sekali!
After dinner we hung out at the Reunion Bar for a couple of hours but its very quiet. A few Aussies sing Karaoke and I have to explain the song 'Down Under' to my friend. The system rates the singers after each song and we have a laugh when a couple of guys are awarded '00'.
From the Reunion bar I can see the new Sky Garden and I can't stop staring at it in wonder. I contemplate going up for a look but chicken out as heights are not my thing, especially after a few drinks.
On Monday we went for a look at the snow. My friend did not want to go, but I said come on lets do something crazy, as who would think of snow in Bali! We had some fun going down the slides, but if you get stuck up the top and push yourself, you end up speeding up too much and loose control down the bottom. It was good fun though and there were lots of local parents and kids having a great time.
Lunch at Warung Made in Seminyak was good, but I think the original one serves better tasting food. The half nasi campur half gado gado has been a favourite of mine for years, and I always enjoy it. Crab in Balinese sauce is also very yummy if you don't mind getting messy.
In the afternoon I had Surgitron laser treatment at the ARC clinic. Cost was a million rupiah, much cheaper than in Australia. Although it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for me, I'm glad I went ahead with it. I had to rest up for the afternoon to try and encourage healing.
Tuesday we went looking for Bumbu Bali in Benoa. I had seen a program on the Qantas flight over about a turtle conservation project being organised there, so I was hoping to see some turtles. There is only one big turtle at the restaurant but you can see the turtle project if you do the cooking class and market tour. We had a fantastic lunch of sate campur, which had the nicest duck sate I have ever had in Bali. Website is balifoods.com
Later on we cruised up to La Lucciola for some granitas and people watching. We also had the chicken panini and a prawn pizza. The staff were setting up for dinner and the attention to detail was amazing. Flowers were turned into elaborate garlands and decorations. One waiter would set the table and then another came along to check it all and move things a couple of centimetres here and there. The waiters advised to still make reservations for dinner as it fills up quickly every night.