JBR - Same, Same But Different - this is a long one !!
We have been back one week today and feeling a little lost. Bali does that to you !! This was Fab and my 7th trip to Bali. We took with us Fab's sister Mart, brother in law Dave and her niece Maddie (15) and nephew Mitch (12). It was the first plane trip for Dave and the kids, let alone travelling overseas, so it was to be an adventure. I don't remember exactly what was done on which day, but we were in Bali for 12 days and managed to do so many things. I tend to waffle on a bit so I will try and make this a brief summary LOL. We spent alot of time eating, shopping and just being together. Our family were estranged for a number of years and after the suicide of Fab and Mart's brother last year, we have all reconciled. This trip to Bali was for us to bond again and get to know each other. We had a wonderful trip and feel closer now than ever before. Even though we did not speak for a time, we still had a great love for one another and that has not changed. We took some of Michael's ashes with us and scattered them on the beach at Kuta at sunset. It was a poignant moment and we will never look at a sunset the same again, no matter where we are in the world. We each brought home a piece of coral or shell that we found on the beach as a momento of that day.
Fab and I live 3.5 hours from Brisbane and our trip began very early to meet Mart, Dave and the kids before going to the airport. We received a phone call whilst in transit to Brisbane telling us that our Jetstar flight from Brisbane to Sydney had been cancelled. What the !!! They wanted to put us on an earlier flight, but once we explained that we still had three hours driving to get to Brisbane we were able to rearrange a more suitable flight via Qantas. All that sorted we managed to arrive at the airport just in time, only to be told that our flight was fully booked and we had to be seated wherever there were spare seats. So, the first plane flight for Dave and the kids was spent sitting seperately away from each other, scattered all over the plane.!! We need'nt have stressed about getting to the airport on time as the plane was delayed by an hour before boarding, then once boarded we were delayed again because "a passenger did not board, but his luggage did", so they say !! This happens all too often, don't you think?? Surely they can come up with a new excuse. (Although, this time they did not use the faulty door trick.)
The flight to Sydney was quick and uneventful. However, once landing in Sydney, the fun began. Changing airports with 6 people and a heap of luggage (clothing etc for our sponsor family) was no fun. If we do the Jetstar thing again we will go via Melbourne as they have both domestic and international under the one roof. Anyhoo, we survived, booked in and waited, and waited and waited. Two hours late, we finally took off. The excuse this time was that the plane was late arriving and had to be cleaned blah, blah blah.
We arrived in Bali and got thru all the necessary ques without drama. We were met by Made Dedut who patiently waited for us despite finally appearing 2.5 hours late. The first glimpse of Bali for Mart Dave and the kids was very subdue. The streets were empty and the traffic very tame. We arrived at Bali Garden Hotel where we had pre-booked and paid via the internet. No problem. We had interconnecting rooms 371/372 which we requested. The rooms were large, but a touch run down. The gardens and pools were lovely as were the staff. The breakfast was more than adequate and we were quite happy with the hotel and would stay there again, however, not in the same rooms. Outside our door was the perimeter of the property which joined the back part of the Discovery Mall. There were large air-conditioning units and a lot of maintenance work being conducted on their building. There was a lot of noise from grinders, drills, air-con etc. No fault of the Bali Garden Hotel, but annoying just the same.
We awoke bright and early and set off to Discovery Plaza to organise new spectacles for all us four-eyed gits. Optik Melawai has always been our choice and we were again very pleased with their service. As soon as we walked out of the hotel Dave was approached and offered some recreational plants and tablets. He must have "that look" about him. It was quite an initiation to Bali !! After Discovery Plaza we went to the Kuta Art Markets. It was fun watching the newbies get the hang of batering etc. They bought some clothes, bags etc and managed to get ripped off - that's Bali for you !! All part of the fun. Fab and I noticed how quiet the streets were. The sellers were nowhere near as "needy" as last year. They only asked once then accepted the "no thank-you". Last year was awful as we were pawed and grabbed trying to be led into stalls to buy goods. It appeared so much more calmer this year. Same, Same but Different - as the T-shirt says.
The one thing Mitch wanted when in Bali was a remote control Nitro Car. We did our homework before leaving Oz and they are half the price in Bali - even so, they still cost $600 each!! We set off to Poppies 1 to find Big Boys Toys. We walked to Poppies via the beach just to give the newbies a taste of the beach sellers. What a hoot !!! Mart ended up buying some necklaces she not only did not want, but did not even like!! Dave was followed by a bow & arrow seller who caught Dave having a second glance at his products. The experience has scarred them for life - they will never get over the trauma of that day !!! We walked down Poppies 1 but could not find Big Boys Toys, so we had a lunch stop at Bamboo Corner. One of the best meals we had in Bali !! Cheap as and just delicious. We then discovered that we needed Poppies 2 not 1. At this stage we were all hot and bothered and chose to go back to the hotel and would go to Poppies 2 the next day, much to Mitch's disgust. When a 12 year old has his heart set on something and he doesn't get what he wants............ We managed to buy a handbag or four on the way back to the hotel. A girl can never have enough shoes or handbags - the eleventh commandment !! In summarising our first full day in Bali, it was great. Everyone was enjoying the experience and were really hyped.
Day two and we found Big Boys Toys only to discover it was closed !!! Poor Mitch, he would have to wait another day. When we finally did get hold of Pieter the boys ordered two cars plus a remote control helicopter. The cars were custom built to their requirements and they were given a full training session plus spare parts etc. They spent approx. $1200 but saved $1200 and are very happy with their new toys.
We were booked to do a Buggy Ride followed by the Elephant Safari but awoke to the sound of rain. I rang Bali Buggy and cancelled our day trip and rescheduled - no problem, but that's Bali for you. Nothing is ever a problem and it was like that our entire trip. We could learn a lot from these beautiful people. When we did the buggy ride we had an absolute ball. Fab and I were in the lead buggy which was very powerful and being in front meant we did not have to endure the dust being blown in our faces. However, when we stopped for a rest and photo op. our little buggy would not start up again - flat battery. So a replacement was ordered and it was a clapped-out gutless buggy half the size of our flash red one. It was a slow, squashy ride for the second part of the trip. It was great riding thru the villages and hi-fiving all the kids, although you do wonder how the villagers feel about the noisy buggies invading their homes. The second part of the trip was off to the Taro Elephant Park. It was getting late in the afternoon and it was all but empty. We had a ride on the elephants and the obligatory photo op. The park itself is lovely and it was great to eyeball an elephant up close and feel it's skin. Not sure how I feel about them being in the park and chained up standing in their circles, but that is for another place and time, not on this forum. I will say that we were glad to have had the opportunity to get up close with essentially wild animals as it heightens ones awareness and appreciation. Please, do not shoot me down - it is all a personal choice. I don't agree with zoo's but I visit them and enjoy them - double standards, I know. We also visited the Safari Park and had a great time. Once again it was all but empty - where are all the tourists?? We really enjoyed cuddling the baby animals and the safari. All animals looked well fed and I believe they must be fairly happy because their breeding program was very prolific which I think shows a sign of health - again, don't shoot me down - just my uneducated opinion. Dave and Mitch did the Bungy Sling Shot thing and loved it - I was supposed to also do it when wearing shorts, not a dress - damn it, we ran out of time - such a shame. Dave and Fab did the white water rafting and had a ball. I have never seen Fab so pumped as she was when she came back - a definate must on next years list of things to do. She was a touch embarrased when the tour guide passed her going up the monumentous steps carrying a 50 kg raft on his head - yes the steps were everything she was warned about.
We did a lot of shopping, as you do. The find of the century was definately Tegalalang up near Ubud. We went their three times and still did not see everything. A word of warning....do not get out at the top of the street to admire the view of the rice terraces. We did that and were mobbed and it was frightening. It is the only section that has the hawkers and they are terrifying - we could not even get the car doors open because of the crowd blocking our way. We imagined that must be what it is like to be Brittany Spears - scary stuff !! Anyhoo, Tegalalang is one long street that is full of shops selling homewares and the like. All fixed price and cheap as. An example - you know the three tiered mosaic bowls that you see everywhere it Kuta selling for approx. 200K rp - well at Tegalalang they are only 50K rp and they have all the colours of the rainbow. We took two vehicles up there for us six people and we came back chockers - full of all sorts of goodies. Leadlight lanterns, huge carved mirror frames and even a large wooden rocking horse which only just managed to fit in the vehicle. Dave purchased a huge round ball of teak timber - that is the best way to describe it. A huge bowling ball type thing but uniquely beautiful in it's own way. I can not imagine how much it weighed but he struggled with it - needless to say, it is coming home in the container. Dave also bought a water buffallo skull and horns that were hand carved with a dragon scene. Very unusual and at first considered quite ugly. Upon examination you got to appreciate the work and craftmanship. Dave brought that home in his hand luggage fully expecting it to be confiscated and nuked by customs, but they thought it was timber and let him keep it. I do not know what it cost him, but the shop keeper said she sells them to shops in Oz who resell them for a large amount of money. Unique and different. We would definately go back to Tegalalang again. We bought a lot of paintings from a few different places. The shop across from Geneva had some different ones and the lady there was lovely to deal with. We also bought some at a place on the way to Tegalalang. Fab and I picked out a nice Koi fish painting and the fellow tried to swap it with a different one when rolling them up - cheeky bugger. Generally, everyone was wonderful, all so helpful and obliging. That is a main part of why we love Bali so much, the people.
A visit to Ketut in Legian to get our usual supply of clothing. We were greeted with a big smile and a hug - how does she remember everyone?? She has extended her shop and has four people working with her - still great quality and good prices. Most other shopping was the usual bags, sarongs etc. The kids bought their Nintendo DS games at the toy section at Matahari and were very pleased with what they got for the price. Plus, they were able to buy some sort of USB that enables you to download games from the internet and transfer them to your DS - apparently that is something worth getting excited about !! We also purchased some beautifully carved teak day beds costing approx. $300 each and other bits and pieces of furniture from a place we drove past on the way to Tegalalang. We are having them shipped to Brisbane via container along with other goodies that would not fit in our suitcases. My fun purchase for the trip was a gorgeous little mini day bed from Geneva Furniture. I guess it is meant for kids, but mine will be for my favourite little dog BB - her own little doggy day bed, complete with cushions !!
We ate somewhere different every night. Most places were good. The best meal was Bamboo Corner and also at the boardwalk restaurant at the Bali Garden Hotel. The worse would be a toss up between Bali Colada (who used to be great) and Green Garden Hotel where I had the worse Gado Gado ever. As we were travelling with first timers I decided we should all take Travelan on this trip. Well, we did not need to worry about travellers diahorrea - the total opposite. I was constipated in Bali, can you imagine that??? Unheard of !! The first few days were no problem, but we became a bit slack and did not take the tablets regularly, hence some of us got sick. Dave and Fab did the white water rafting and had a ball, but Dave ate the chicken sate for lunch and suffered terribly the next day. I ate a vegie burger from room service at our hotel and believe that is what made me sick. Mitch was unwell, but we could not pinpoint any particular meal. Mart got sick, but hers was self inflicted after a fun night at Bali Rock Cafe for Mothers Day. Speaking of Bali Rock Cafe - what a great place. The BEST TOILETS IN BALI, without a doubt!! We went there for Mothers Day dinner and they had a great band and a nice meal. We chose the set menu for our meal which included dessert. Throughout the night the lovely waiter kept asking me if I wanted a T-Shirt and I kept saying No - "boy is he persistant" I thought. It was not until the next day when we thought about missing out on the dessert which we were meant to get as part of the planned menu, that I realised I was being offered dessert, not t-shirt - Idiot !! The cafe is run by an Aussie lady and she is doing a great job - it is worth visiting just to go to the Loo!!
We did order home delivered KFC one night - they don't do potato & gravy or coleslaw , but it was nice just the same. They did supply approx. 30 sachets of tomato ketchup/chilli to go with our chicken and chips. It was quite funny, I guess you had to be there. Ofcourse, we ate many bread & butter puddings from Bread Talk - you can't go to Bali and not eat at least a few of those yummies !! We pre-booked lobsters for everyone for our first night's meal in Bali at the Indo National. When we arrived Kerry told us that there were no lobsters. We were so very disappointed as we all agreed to have lobster for the first time on the first plane trip on the first overseas holiday. However, Kerry could not keep a straight face - it turned out that our friend Jan was a good friend of Colleen who is a good friend of Kerry's and had texted her warning of our arrival. The joke was on us - there was lobster and it was delicious - we had a great first night.
In memory of Fab and Mart's brother and to signify the end of 12 months of drama in our lives including my father's death, two operations and a pile of crap we have endured, Fab, Mart and I decided we were going to get a tattoo. I always wanted a butterfly tattoo but never had the guts. Michael had collected butterflys as a child and we still had his collection, plus butterfly's are a symbol of new beginnings etc etc. I googled butterfly tattoos and the first one that appeared was the design we chose. We booked into Dolphin Tattoo to have the tattoo's done in the afternoon we were leaving, just in case of complications or infections. We were late, having been madly rushing around trying to pack and take all our goodies to the freight company to go into the container and buy our last minute things - there is always something left to buy !! Fab wanted to go first, just in case she chickened out. Dave, a tattoo veteran, told us to have something sweet as your blood sugar level can drop due to the shock, I guess!!. So, all three of us were sucking on chuppa chups like mad women. Without boring you with the details, all three of us survived, some only just. Fab got hers on her right arm, Mart on the back of the neck and mine on my left arm. A filigree butterfly tattoo as a perpetual reminder not only of our trip but also as a reminder of the past and to ensure it does not repeat in the future. People say once you get one tattoo, you become addicted - I don't think so !!!!!
This is becoming awfully long and I have not even begun to cover everything. So much we did and so much we simply ran out of time to do. We were meant to go to Singaraja for an overnight visit to see our two sponsor girls but Dave and I were vomitting that morning and a three hour car trip up the mountains was just not going to happen. We planned the visit to be the last thing we did, so we could not reschedule as we ran out of days. It was such a pity but could not be helped. Made Dedut picked up all of the goodies we brought for the family and the Helen Flavel Foundation and he will ensure they receive them along with our love and best wishes.
When we checked out of the Bali Garden Hotel I could not find our room key. Fab was sure I had it and I was sure she had it. So, we just paid the 100K rp Lost Key fee and said farewell. When we arrived home in Oz I found the key hiding in my bag. So, next trip we won't have to book our room, just do a Goldilocks and let ourselves into room 372.
After much stress and the odd swear word from Fab, we managed to arrive at the airport way, way, way over weight. We had prepaid our excess before leaving Oz but it was not enough. There were six of us and we had 22 bags in total. Firstly I must say that they were duffle bags and the average weight was only 15 kgs, not huge 35 kilo suitcases - this is my defense!! We did pay a further excess baggage charge and we had to have our paintings wrapped in bubble wrap at the airport at a cost of 50K rp each - something we have never had to do before. Also, a bottle of alcohol that was opened was confiscated. Once the bags were loaded and we were checked in we went to the Prada Lounge. The food was so-so, but it was worth the 100K rp each for the drinks and the comfortable chairs. Our plane was delayed, but that's Jetstar for you. Coming back through customs in Sydney was okay, I guess. Fortunately we were the only flight so there were no ques. We had Madam Cranky going through our bags and I think we scared her with six people and 22 items, because after a few quick checks we were on our way. We then had to find the transit bus to transfer to the domestic airport - us and our 22 pieces of luggage - need I say more !!!!
We made it home safe and sound. We flew JetStar because Fab and I got cheap seats back in October. I would fly with them again, but only with cheap seats. If they were comparable price wise with other airlines, then we probably would not bother. Their prepaid food was awful. But hey, we arrived safely and that is what really matters.
In closing, we still love Bali. After our trip last year we felt it had lost some of it's lustre. But this year, it was different. As the t-shirt says, Same Same But Different. It was the same beautiful Bali but there was always something new and different to see. We hope to go back next year for a girls only trip and look forward to seeing it change yet again. We noticed many families holidaying like we did, with parents and children and it was great to see. I was surprised at the amount of babies and toddlers in strollers. It is a perfect place for a family holiday - great food, fun things to do and beautiful people and culture.
The main observations from the newbies was of the lovely people and their culture. They were facsinated with the family motorbikes, you know the ones with Mum, Dad and the kids all travelling on their 250cc bike as opposed to the family station wagon. They could not believe the road rules or lack of them and we had many a laugh when driving around. The kids were intrigued by the flushing of our hotel room toilets. For those planning on staying at the Bali Garden Hotel, beware of the loo in Room 372 - it is known to block and overflow - don't ask !!!
Please do not pick on my spelling or grammar mistakes, I am still on holidays and my brain is a touch fussy.
Our family Thank You Bali for a wonderful healing holiday. We hope to see you soon.
Fab, Haz and Family.