Flew there and back with Indojet,leather seats, better food than the opposition's and hot coffee. Both flights on time leaving, and early arrival coming back.Will I use them again ? Absolutely ! Went through Immigration and Customs at Dempasar like a dose of salts.Bit of a set back at KTH, had what I thought was a confirmed booking that became unconfirmed on arrival, put it down to my computer illiteracy, my failings with the Indonesian language or management incompetency at KTH.Take your pick ! Finished up in my favourite spot, Novotel, Tanjung Benoa. This JBR aint gonna read like a novel I'll tell you what was good and enjoyable for me. Made my way to S&S and was delighted to put faces to names, Sammy, Dennis,( see you in July Mate) Jeff, Smudge&Made&kids, Baldie and his wife, when you look at Baldie you just gotta ask yourself where Pathi was looking when they met up ? Being back in Tanjung I was quite happy to be at the market every morning bright and early and was pleased to find that there has been no increase in the price of (really) fresh fish, chook and pork.What I do is to buy one or the other and then rock up for 'coppee bali'with one of several friends that I know will be up and about before loading up the scooter and doing a school run with three littlies, always seem to get lost, go past the school and finish up at the mini mart with the kids and then run them back to school. Like a busmans holiday actually cos I drive the school bus here at home. Had a day at Waterbom with a mum and two littlies from Sangawan (Nusa Dua) Just down from there is the lovely Geger beach so I had a day there with two mums and four littlies. And if you are an old wrinkly like me show your seniors card at Waterbom and get a 50% discount, it makes for a less expensive day when you also have Balinese folks with you as they get an admission reduction too.Highlight of the trip as always was a visit to the orphanage at Amlapura and to my absolute delight found that three visits had been made by forumites who had read my January posting.I was really rapt with that, no need to name you because you have posted on BTF anyway. I am sure that you opinion of Ni Kadek Suastini will be similar to mine that she is an angel in disguise. What I have'nt worked out yet is how the jungle drums the secret service or the Mafia in Bali works. I went up to the orphanage on my 73rd birthday. I did not make mention of it being April 19th, I ask you who wants to be reminded that you are about to enter Gods waiting room. How the bloody hell did they know and the only thing I can come up with is this. The hotel supply the car and driver when I go to Amlapura and of course they have a copy of my passport it's the only thing I can come up with for my DOB. When I got up there the kids had baked a cake and being honest with you this was by no means the best looking cake I had ever seen what was nice though was the candle and the number 17. Had to turn them around to make it read 71 and told them they were still 2 short. The cake ? Delicious, hopefully they go a bit easier on the garlic if I get another.It was a lovely day up there, couldn't have had a nicer bithday.On the way down from Amlapura we stopped just out of Candi Dasa for a bit of tucker and met a family on the way back from the Mother Temple at Besakih for the Pancewalikrame ceremony which comes around every ten years and attracts Hindu's from around Indonesia, we learnt from this family
that there had been a tail back on foot of people going to the ceremony of 11 kilometres. When I was asked on the Monday if I would like to go I knocked it back because the tail back had lengthened to 13k's.and then they go from there on to Batur. Anyway I finished up going cos this mob from Tanjung are organised. Had a ceremony at the hotel temple at 4.45am, left in the bus at 5.15 only to be met by a mob on motor bikes who ran us up there and the tail back had dwindled down to 3k's. Do I go into the ceremony proper ? Of couse not, there's a line in the sand that I do not cross out of sheer respect for their religion but I do look cute in my adung and "frock" it is wonderful to have a day out with a dozen Balinese Beauties and more wonderful to have them fuss over me and adjust the folds in my "frock"
The nights are what I really look forward to and being alone this time without my 'her indoors' was able to scoot around till all hours and better still of the 12 nights I was there managed to catch up with so many good muso's that I have met over the years I did 14 great gigs, must practice more at home though co's my wrist and fingers just aint what they used to be. Back next school hols in July. Thats it folks. And, did you notice that I never used the word family ?