Well where to start...! This was an entirely different trip for me this time around - my first business trip. Realistically I doubt there is little in this JBR that would interest the majority of tourists to Bali. Maybe as I myself don't feel like a tourist in Bali. I didn't do a lot of shopping... simply bought home my girls 2 dresses each and some DVD's & CD's.
Travelled up with Petron on a delayed flight, upgraded to Executive class so definitely no whinging from us.
Stayed at Suri Wathi in Garlic Lane, third time there and I feel really comfortable, it's a bit like coming home. Suri Wathi are redoing their standard rooms down the back of the hotel. From what I've been told - approximately 30 new rooms & a new pool. It appears they're knocking out the dividing walls between rooms to make some much larger family rooms and some possibly with kitchenettes... but don't hold me to that as I may have that bit mixed up with something else.
Suri Wathi had a really lovely feel to it this trip with most guests booked in for Kerry's (Indo National) 50th birthday.
Exchange rate varied only slightly.... Lowest was about 7600rp.... Up to about 7850... no complaints from us.
Met some lovely people from this forum, the other forum and some from no forums... Lucky me met a lovely little family from Mandurah who already have plans to come and visit me and my family in Margaret River...
Most days were spent working, then some pool time massage... you know the drill and out at night...
Got totally totally obliterated one night on that deadly arak... one minute I was feeling really mellow the next wham! The arak had snuck up and kicked me well and truly in the head... but guess what no hangover... I don't recall being that drunk in a very very long time... Somehow don't think it will happen again in a hurry either... A few nights thereafter the night staff at Suri would ask me ‘no party tonight?' Ooops!
Had fantastic night for Petron's birthday... started at Legends, then Hulu's then back round the pool at Suri Wathi...
Went to Kerry's birthday... was really busy and a great night was had by all I would say.
Headed up the hill to Pacung Indah for another party the following night. David had organized for some Joged dancers to come in. The gamelan played and chanted, the dancers were absolved of their sins (I presume) before and after dancing... these dances are very erotic... think Dirty Dancing Balinese style multiply by 100% and maybe we're halfway there. Once the music and dancing is over the Balinese are off, gone from the party... It'd be pretty easy to guess where they all headed and why!
From Pacung we headed further over the hill to Lovina where Petron and I spent a very pleasant night talking with Steve and Dean, business partners from Metro Bar and Lovina Mas Hotel. Dean had some business contacts for me which I follow up on my next trip.
Places we ate at... Legends (food on the improve), Billy's, Indo, Breeze, Ketumbar, Blue Ocean, Bali Cyber Café, Wayan & Friends... possibly more but I can't remember...
Night time fun... Legends, Hulu's, Q Bar, Espresso (the bar stools here are really high... especially for someone who is 5ft nothing and in the middle of being arak attacked!) I love Yellow Band and had fun with the lead singer and some friends after they finished playing on a couple of nights.
Alcohol Issues... Alcohol prices have gone up somewhat since the last trip in March due to the problems they're having... but as with all prices that go up somehow I wouldn't be expecting them to come down once the problems are sorted. The problem is due to the forging of import stamps on bottles of imported alcohol... speaking with bar manager at Legends and they are hoping will be fixed once Ramadan is over. There was some Jack Daniels available in Lovina so quick text message to Legends... asking if he wanted me to bring some down... answer yes! So, yes it is a problem over there but realistically the alcohol is there you will just have to pay a little bit more for your imported drinks. A bottle of Baileys was costing them 200,000rp now costing 350,000rp.
BTF/BCF get together at Legends... I'm not really sure how many people turned up... maybe between 30 & 40... everyone seemed to have a great time. Took some of the girls down to show them Ketut's shop. Cracker and Rae were there with the twins... Yasmin decided would be great to throw up on me... not once but twice... was told by my friend Koming this is a lucky thing to happen... Hmm not sure on that one!
Went to a wedding... Aussie girl marrying a Balinese... was a long drive out past Candi Dasa especially considering I'd only had about 3 hrs sleep. Petron's hubby drove and well he got us there and back all in once piece so must have done a good job. I wouldn't really know as I slept both ways. The wedding was a shortened version of the norm apparently due to the fact they were already married in Australia. Both bride and groom looked stunning and what an experience for a true blue Aussie girl to go through.
My last night in Bali, I met up with Mr and Mrs Hools who had piked on the BTF get together. Hools had been promising me another song since my birthday in March... so I gently reminded him, told Budi and then Hools was up on stage singing me a love song... very funny, Legends crew and customers enjoyed it. Click from Yellow Band sang his last song of the night for me... the required ‘Leaving on a jet... ski???!!!'
And that was it... all over red rover! Caught some of the last few rays of sun I'm likely to see for a while, packed a little, said some goodbyes, picked up my business orders, more goodbyes at Indo, Breeze and Legends.
I left Bali secure in the knowledge that I will be back. Happy to see my family but also sad as each time it gets harder and harder to say goodbye to the people who have become friends. I had a txt last night from one such friend saying ‘Mosquitoes have been having a party with my blood'.... After asking if she's sick from the mossie bites I still haven't been able to determine if she's sick OF the mossies biting her or has Dengue ... I hope not...