Met at Puri Raja (next door to MBR) for coffee, but had just finished brekkie so wanted wakeup drink...I asked for a Tropical Moon (and what's wrong with that? It has milk and has fruit flavourings in it). Well, was told very quietly that they do not serve alcohol here at 8.15am. So I said I would have what they were having at the next table, nothing like a bit of Bali lotto. Won the lotto, beautiful Banana juice was like a banana smoothie very yum.
Then went for little walk to see watch seller to get another watch, (left at Padma and on cnr first right). I previously bought a small watch, round face, no numbers marked, sort of weblines and has a spider attached on the secondhand. I like it as, I forget about it and look at the time and it scares me to see a spider on my arm, but not too much as only little spider...keeps u awake during the day. I paid 20,000rp for little watch, got bigger one with a larger face for 30,000. I'm going to get another small one before I go, to replace this one when it breaks.
Had to come back home then as absolutely soaked, love Bali rain, you get wet but not cold...weird. Feet slipping though and too many blisters. Got changed, day sunny now. Exchanged money 7550 (10mins earlier it was 7575). Grabbed a taxi and headed for Centro. Lots of traffic and tourists seem to be in the shops on the street and in Centro but not many in Legion markets. 2 years ago at Bali found most delicious donut shop, lemon donuts like lemon butter in them , thought about them until went to Bali last year - shop gone and McDonalds there, this year McDonalds gone and shop boarded up. Never seen a McDonalds close before. Asked taxi driver and he said not enough people this end all at the beachside where other McD is.
Centro changed since last year, took me awhile to realize that I was standing where the supermarket downstairs had been 2 years before. Lots of shops, but stuff you would buy at home. Walking around I noticed shopkeepers noticing me, I realized I was not dressed as most of the rest of the tourists in the centre, with my old Bali backpack that I have used nearly every day since I bought it 3 years ago, so little worn, but well loved, my old comfy Bali sandals, no makeup, well probably a little streaked from rain before but I forgot I was in hurry to shop. Well they were right did not belong there.
Wow prices, I felt like saying to someone everytime they picked something up to look at it - you can get that at the markets for 50,000rp less then that (I did try once, but they didn't speak English and just looked a little worried and edged away from me). Crocheted tops 60,000rp more than I paid, shoes 30,000 more etc. Although some things were close to prices. If everyone bought from markets it would support more Bali people that need the money. Then I thought well sometimes u get sick of all the haggling over a price and easier to just pay set price (that's why set price market stalls r good).
Decided to try again to buy Baliopoly, drove the kids mad last year looking for it everywhere we went. Went everywhere that everyone else had got it and no luck. Thought id try the hardware shop at Centro but was not in cnr I remember it being in. Asked at info desk , where is hardware shop, they looked confused and asked others, and said computer hardware, no hardware, was going to make shovel motions, but don't remember them selling shovels there, and worried they may think I was volunteering to do something for them so, tried asking where I could buy Baliopoly, with motions for moving pieces along a board game. Three customer service officers imitating me moving pieces along a board was pretty funny. Told hardware shop closed down, and shown to souvenieer shop where they were sure they would sell it.
Politely looked around for a while, then went upstairs for food. Many of the takeaway food shops are closed down now. Looked along at pictures and though view at the end looked nice but all tourists there so decided to be game and get from real bali food stall at the other end. Ordered chicken strips with rice.
Got an orange juice that looked like it should be ok from stall with juice going round n round in it. Stall holder filled up orange juice and then took juice and shoved in a machine oh oh whats happening to my juice, memories of last year in the waterbom park with my drink that had bits in it that grew and moved had me worried, but it was just getting a spillproof lid on it so all well. V nice juice not that funny taste some drinks have.
Got my food and the chicken strips were covered in tomato sauce! Bit dubious but what the heck, eat lit like Balinese do, v nice tasted a bit like Pluto pup. Rice coloured but bland, went to counter and asked for salt. Was given sauce, toothpicks, then I remembered word for salt - garam. Got some salt in a little bowl, much better.
After finishing chicken thought I would write down name of restaurant I bought food from, forgot to write down name laughing too much. The typical bali restaurant I bought from was actually a Japanese restaurant who first introduced hotplates to bali!
I found hardware shop where I remembered it but next floor up (I loose cars at shopping centres the same way), same level as food. I got Monopoli which included other games Chinese checkers etc for 29,000rp. It is in Indonesian but is it the Baliopoly everyone talks about?
Went downstairs and found crispy crème donuts, I love original crispy crème donuts. My daughter worked out once that out of the doz donuts we had purchased the day before I had eaten 6 and everyone else only got 2, im not good at sharing them but its not my fault they sort of disappear when they are placed in front of me.
Oh bad, bad crispy crème people. Did you know if you purchase 1 doz donuts for about $6aud you get another 2 doz free! That is 3 doz crispy crème donut sitting in front of me, I cant even imagine that many together on a table its like saying to a kid a billion dollars he just cant imagine that much money....
I thought of eating and eating them and trying to find people to give them away to, reception people, market people, tourist people, they would think I was nuts...it all got too much and I practically ran away from the temptation. I am still thinking of them though....
Better go, off to Ubud today so you may not here from me for awhile harder to access the computer there, so till next time, lovin Bali - nottagenn.