JBR continued - My Birthday
I awoke with a smile on my face. I believe that whatever happened last night was still with me and I felt very relaxed. Hubby woke and wished me a Happy Birthday again before diving into his suitcase to produce a card! This trip to Bali was my birthday present so I was prepared for nothing more. We had a cuppa and then C & K came banging on the door, singing Happy Birthday and arms full of presents! Yay, presents to open! So with hair still wet from my shower, I was forced to go through a photo shoot whilst opening each present. All great gifts and C had spoilt me by getting a dress I had my eye on when we went to go and buy our birthday dinner dresses! So now I had 2 dresses to choose from.
We headed out the door and towards the stairs to head down for breakfast. Just as we hit the stairs the lift door open and a trolley with an enormous arrangement of white flowers was being wheeled out by two Ramada staff members. C jokingly said, 'I bet they are for you', and I retorted back, 'doubtful because no-one knows we are staying here'. C cuts them off at the path, peers at the card and says 'yep, they are for you'. What???? The two staff members are excited and saying, for you, yes? I said yes I guess so, its my birthday, which sends them off into another sing song of Happy Birthday. That done we tell the staff to take them to our room and we follow behind. We place them on the table and I open the card and it is from Wayan and his family. I did what any other female would do, and burst into tears. I couldn't believe that Wayan had arranged such a beautiful gift for me. The flowers were amazing and must of cost a fortune. I couldn't believe it. Hubby was cuddling me and C was telling me how lucky I was and that Wayan wouldn't have done it unless he wanted to. I got myself together and called Wayan who was grinning from ear to ear down the phone. He was so happy that I liked them and told me he had asked for the arrangement to be done that exact way. Wow, how lucky am I.
We head off to breakfast again, and have a nice light breakfast before hitting Febris again where we had all booked in for a Balinese massage. Fantastic! Yet again the girls know how to do a great massage. Feeling 100 years younger and lighter (thanks to the massage), we head off for a bit of shopping. We find that Matahari's has a great shoe sale on and I quickly end up purchasing 2 new pair of shoes for such an amazingly low cost. I vow to go back there in the next couple of days before I leave, and get some more great buys!! K had wanted to buy his mum an elephant for bringing him to Bali (she collects elephants), but didn't have much money left, so I slipped hubby some money and told him to take K off down to the bottom level of Matahari where we saw heaps of elephants so that he could get his mum a present. Meanwhile C was distracted with the shoes as was I and so didn't even notice that they had gone. She did realise however when they rejoined us as he was carrying a long newspaper wrapped item!
We are in early afternoon now so we head back towards the hotel. We stop off again at Centro for another quick browse and decide to all have a chicken & salad roll at the bakery opposite bread talk. Suitably replenished, we make a quick pit stop at Dianne's shop, purchase some more items for us all and then head back to the Ramada for a swim.
What a great way to spend my birthday day! We have a couple of drinks toasting the sunset and then head to our rooms to shower up and doll up for my birthday dinner at Nero's.
C & K arrive in their finery and we cracked open the bottle of champagne I had bought a few days earlier from the liquor store that is next to the Bintang Supermarket in Seminyak. Hubby was prepared and had rang room service and requested 4 champagne glasses to be brought up to our room, whilst I was in the shower. K was only having a small glass as he is only 15. Wayan and his wife were meeting us at the restaurant, so it was up to the 3 of us to drink the bottle, an easy task! Our phone rang and it was the Guest Relations officer asking if we would be in our room for the next 5 minutes. We were. The doorbell rings and when we open it, in walks a staff member with a small birthday cake for me with Happy Birthday on it and candles etc. How lovely. This was from the Ramada. I thought that was a really lovely touch. As we were going out for dinner, we stashed the cake into the fridge (as best we could, given that its not a big fridge). We had rung Wayan to say we were running late because of the cake from the hotel etc and with that we finished our champagne and headed out.
Taxi was hailed on the street and as soon as we hit Waterbom Park it was clear that we were in a gridlock and that we were definitely not going to be at Neros by 8. Our taxi driver took matters into his own hand and chucked a right at Waterbom (or somewhere near there) and headed down all these lanes and we ended up going the very very back way to Nero's which on a normal day would have been the longer route but at this time of night was the best option if you didn't want to sit in traffic for over half an hour!! We arrive at Nero's and tip the taxi driver well for his forward thinking!
We are greeted and shown to the 'birthday table'. A table that has balloons and banners surrounding it and all over the wall clearly indicating that I am 40!! What a lovely surprise! Wayan, his wife and one of his daughters are waiting for us, as is Wayan's brother-in-law who works at Nero's in the office. There is only one more person to arrive which is a friend of Wayan's over in Bali by himself from Perth. He arrives and our table is complete. I am paying for the night so I tell everyone that money is no object and to get busy ordering a drink. I order some salt & pepper calamari, bruschetta, mixed tapas plates for the middle of the table so we can all nibble whilst we peruse our menu. I already know what I am having as it is something I always have at Neros - their penne arriabiatta. Mains are ordered and consumed, more drinks are ordered and we are all having a fine time! Hubby is up to something because the table has gone quiet and he is handing me a box which is wrapped. It is a jewellery box, that much I know from the feel. I start protesting that he shouldn't have, that this holiday was my present and end of with saying I hope he hasn't spent too much because we cant afford it! (It's terrible how ungracious I sounded but I didn't mean to be!). I unwrap the present, all eyes are on me, I see the box and know that the box is from Odgaards (my favourite diamond jeweller, and also where we got our rings from). OMG what is it going to be? Its too big to be a ring, so I rightly assume it's a necklace. I open the box and am rendered speechless yet again, by the most beautiful black pearl necklace. Wow, I burst into tears! Wayan and C are trying to take photos of me, and I am blubbering. Hubby is putting the necklace around my neck and I am still blubbering. I of course, thank, kiss and hug hubby to death, all the while blubbering my eyes out and eventually he suggests I go to the toilet for a quick clean up! Which I did. It also gave me the opportunity to admire this new gift of beauty around my neck! When I return I am dry-eyed albeit a bit glassy, and composed again. Everyone admires the necklace and C is annoyed that not even she was privy to the surprise. The only one who knew was Wayan! Of course! Hubby and Wayan are like brothers and thick as thieves!
I sit down and Wayans daughter is giggling like mad and the next thing I knew a huge birthday cake with candles a blazing with about half the staff of Neros following it, is making its way to our table. Yet again I am overwhelmed. This was organised my Wayans brother in law. Happy Birthday is being sung and all the restaurant seems to be singing now! What a great night. I blow out the candles and make my wish. Cake is shared all around. Wayans wife and daughter leave. We stay for a few more drinks and wrap up what has been a fantastic day just before midnight.
I forgot to mention that during one of the days I was in Bali, the phone rang one evening when we were getting ready and it was an English lady on the phone saying that because we were staying at the Ramada we had won a prize etc etc. I questioned whether this was the timeshare thing and she said, nothing to do with it. Kept on going on and on about how fantastic it was that we had won. Do we come to Bali often, have we ever stayed in Nusa Dua etc etc. She eventually comes to the point...she is from the Peninsula Hotel and all we need to do to collect our prize of 7 nights free accommodation at the Peninsula Hotel is to attend their breakfast or lunch. No strings attached. The driver will collect us and return us when we want, yada, yada, yada. I ask for her number, advise her I will talk it over with my husband and will call her back. She is persistent and very pushy in letting me know that they are not timeshare and that they are not selling anything! I ask her if that is the case, could she please drop our prize voucher off at the Ramada for us to collect. She advises me that this is not possible...enough said. We don't need to be told by Wayan its similar to timeshare, we already know that it is. Wayan said everyone gets the calls. Wayan then rings the front office desk and tells them to bar any incoming calls to our phone! Perfect! That took care of that little problem!
More to come.....