In Reply to: Kuta 26 years ago. posted by Boxer on Tuesday, 1. January 2008 at 13:10 Bali Time:
Our first trip was in 1981 staying at the ocean blue club (can't remember the name of our first hotel), but on our third visit, again booking through the ocean blue club, we stayed at Camplung Mas in Legian (1984). Many nights were spent partying..Maxy's, Rum Jungle, Peanuts and after a big night we would head back to Uncle Norms where he served "bloody good tucker", we would order our cheeseburger and chips and he would play his favourite video (Midnight express, night after night after night) We would head up to the villages, and spend time with the locals, the countryside (rice paddies) were just magical, green as far as the eye could see, not shop after shop after shop. Many roads that led to beaches were just dirt, Ulu Watu and Dreamland were our favourite places to surf and chill out, but Lembongan was the place that we loved the best (and still is). We use to stay in little huts, just in front of shipwrecks ($5.00 a night) and Wayan would serve us fantastic Spring Rolls in her little restaurant. Captain Ketut would gladly take us over to the island for a small fee, in his little dug out, where only 4 of us could fit in comfortably the trip was long (he only had a small motor, and we were usually burnt to a crisp, by the time we got to Lembongan, but he kept us entertained with his fishing tatics...a line wrapped around the upper part of his leg. When we got homesick for 'real food' we would hop on our bikes and head of to Kentucky for our fix of mash potato and gravy (why have they taken that off the menu in Bali)But as years have gone past, we have acquired a real love for indonesian food, the people have always remained the same (many times I have thought, if we all behaved like the Balinese, what a wonderful world this would be..)Yes, I do remember Lennys, I also remember the famous pub crawl and the dreaded spiral staircase at Casablanca, where the guys would wait eagerly at the bottom of the stairwell, while the girls in their short skirts, would attempt to climb the staircase, and good old TJ's there Mexican Food was the best (and still is). Yes Bali has changed heaps, but we can't keep away, we love the place, as do our children..and the best part, time changes many things, but the people of Bali remain the same.