Firstly a huge thanks to all contributors, i really dont think I would have coped without your wealth of knowledge :o)
My apologies for drivel..
We flew with Garuda on a 9.55 am arriving at Tullamarine @ 7am seemed like an overkill however had we have been any later we would have spent a very long time in the line up. Being a first time international traveller (well since my early teens) I was a wee nervous about customs and I was sure I was going to be the one strip searched however it was all very unfounded and actually wonder what it is customs do. Although they have signs everywhere re the 100ml liquid thing and then you can buy alcohol and perfumes and take them on the plane the whole thing seems like a joke really. But anyhoo...
Flying Garuda was kind of like a time warp, heading back to the 80's just like it was in the 80's when i flew O/S last. However the service was excellent and it felt like for the first 3hrs their was a constant stream of food thrown at us. Oh and I also tried my first Bintang on the plane..becasue someone here said the first is the worst so I thought i would get it over and done with. Tragically it tasted good and Im no beer drinker. So Bintang made a new best friend and I hadn't even left the country.
Anyhoo...5 1/2 hrs later we land and I had been told to expect a putrid smell when we land, well i smelt nothing.
Once again customs was a non event, paid for our visa in RP's we got b4 we left. All very simple...managed to dodge the porters. Headed out to meet our pre arranged driver through Vila Lumbung. It was kind of like being greeted by the paparazzi, so many ppl waiting to take you somewhere.
The first thing we noticed was the traffic...how insane!! I really felt like saying WTF! Give Way! Stop! OMG! But we made it.
The reason for our trip was to import water features. Well we pretty much saw most things we wanted on the drive to our Vila, so many places to shop you could never see it all.
The Vila Lumbung in Seminyak is just gorgeous. Our room was just like the one on the internet. However if thinking of staying, keep the following in mind.We had a top room so we had stairs, no biggie for us but prob not suitable for young families/elderly. Mum found the lighting dull and struggled to read.Other rooms were not as bad.
The service was excellent, breakfast was perfect, pool divine. Safe in room/DVD player. Internet access the only real problem we had was we couldnt walk from the Vila to anywhere we had to catch a taxi to Kuta which cost between 40-50,000rp so no major expense but it would have been nice just to go for a stroll if we wanted.
Anyway....as soon as we got there I was in desperate need of nicotine but i had no lighter as i ditched it prior to flying.So i wandered up the track to find a shop that sells a lighter. Being a newbie I had no idea on what things were worth so i took my 20,000rp to buy a lighter. Well after nearly being killed walking to the shop by random motorbikes and taxi's to find a lighter is worth 1000rp and they really struggled to find me change.I literally ran back to the vila to dodge traffic..I grabbed Mum and called a cab for Kuta.
We headed straight for Kuta Square and just wandered aimlessly in awe of the people, the bikes and probably spent an hr trying to cross the road :) We didnt buy anything but just got a general feel of the place. The feeling is indescribable, its so relaxing yet you are wary probably because of all the things I read previously. It can be hard work shopping in certain places but the people you come across are beautiful, helpful and majority are genuine.
We found Centro, which we found to be great, we got ourselves a cheap mobile phone and an XL card cos ruddy Telstra INT Roaming is useless as tits on a bull.
To be continued.....sorry Im prob boring u oldies ;O)