The idea for this trip came out of attending a conference in Darwin in late October, so when I booked to go to the conference I simply added the MEL DPS MEL flight with Jetstar for my wife (T) and booked DRW DPS MEL for me (G) with Jetstar.
This was the 8th trip for T and my 7th as T took our eldest daughter last year for a week instead of going to schoolies.
At $640 return from Mel for T direct is in my mind cheap, anything less than what we paid in 1985 for our honeymoon has got to be a bargain!
I must say that visiting Darwin for the first time was a very worthwhile experience (even considering I had to attend a conference) and whilst I didn't do any of the Litchfield, Kakadu etc side trips (we spent 3 weeks in NT with our kids a few years ago), there is plenty of things to do and see just around the city.
The new wave pool is a hoot, even for a 49 year old (going on 12) man like me, the whole new waterfront development with the conference centre and new hotels is spectacular and when the shops and restaurants are open it will be even more of an attraction.
My flight form Darwin left on time but somehow made up 20 mins as we landed in Bali at 8.40 pm Saturday the 24th Oct instead of 9.05pm, how does so much time get made on a flight that is set to take 2hours and 25 mins?
Now as T was flying from MEL her flight was due to arrive at 9.45 pm so there was no need to rush and burst out of the plane and run to VOA, but hey when you are in row 6 and on the aisle you just cannot help yourself!!
Without actually making myself look like a tool and sprinting off the plane i did keep a steady pace and when we arrived at the VOA counter to my surprise (after reading some peoples horror stories) I had only 3 people in front of me.
Paid the VOA, got my visa and exited immigration at the same time as some of the passengers that had paid for VIP VOA, now that's gotta hurt when you have handed over some of your hard earned and seen the plebs exit at the same time!
Now with a wait of at least an hour for my beloved to arrive what to do?
I spent the next hour or so talking to the guys in the Duty Free shop, changing money for some of the porters, as they wanted Aussie notes instead of their $2 coins and sitting next to the Customs guys as they went about their work.
There were quite a few flights between the Darwin one I was on and the Melbourne flight but no one looked too stressed from waiting in lines for hours and by the time I had collected my wife's luggage off the carousel (no hassles from the porters who were now customers of the 'Bank of Gavin')
My wife emerged from immigration and we were off to Customs, now I had 1 litre of alcohol with me, having purchased a mixture of gin and scotch in 200 ml bottles at the Darwin duty free, those little bottles are so cute!
However at the same price effectively if you bought 5 of them or a single litre it is an ideal way to mix and match your duty free allowance.
T had a 2 litre wine cask in her baggage and declared so, however upon going through the items to declare zone and explaining what we had, we were simply waved through.
Was it because we looked harmless or did they take pity on me seeing as I had been looking lonely for an hour before reaching them?
As we passed all the money changers I noted that at 8500 for the AUD the rate was more than acceptable and duly changed a $100 note.
The rate we got on the street for the next week was between 8500 and 8600.
Message to self, next trip change the bulk of my money at the airport on arrival, as the rate was the same as the street I am more than comfortable to keep rupiah in the safety deposit box in my hotel room rather than AUD and it takes all the anxiety of whether the money change is going to rip me off.
Seriously, it seems more practicable as there is nothing more annoying than realising you need to change money before going out for dinner or shopping etc.
WELCOME TO BALI (PART 1)
Our man from the Casa Padma was duly waiting and we were off into the night.
After 10 minutes or so we turned left into a street only to be faced with two motor bikes having a head on and one of them bouncing along the side of our gleaming Suzuki van before then bouncing into the gutter.
Now our driver (I forget his name) was none too pleased with this occurrence and with luck both riders were safe (thanks to helmets).
After a few minutes of remonstrating with the rider who caused the incident, names and phone numbers were exchanged and we were off again, much to the pleasure of the long stream of traffic that had built up behind us and like our driver were remonstrating with us via the use of their horns.
The use of motor bike helmets is an interesting occurrence in Bali, from my observations it appears that approximately 90% of the local populous wear a helmet but only 10% of tourists wear helmets.
Why is this so?
Maybe us tourists are more oh fey with the traffic conditions in Bali having lived there for 3 days before hiring a bike or maybe we just know better?
Anyway it amazes me why more tourists don't end up in a box rather than a plane seat to go home, even the simple accident we witnessed could have had tragic consequences if the tourist 'no helmet' policy had been observed.
We are all big enough to make our own choices, just an observation on my part though.
WELCOME TO BALI (PART TWO)
We pull up at the hotel as the band across the street at the Legian Pub is belting out a familiar tune.
We sign in to the 'singing' of 'no way get f#$%ed, f%$^ off' being yelled with gusto by presumably some of our country men and woman as I can't imagine the German or Russian tourists knowing that great Aussie anthem.
Actually it was probably at the same venue 20 years ago when I last heard those now familiar lyrics.
CASA PADMA
Now this hotel is at best a 3 star venue.
We have previously stayed at the Mandira, Padma, Club Bali at Jayakarta, Sue and Max's apartments at Jayakarta and Pertamina Cottages ( this was in 85 and I don't know if it still exists).
The rooms here are quite large compared to your typical hotel and do include a two seater and single chair lounge suite, a tv that can swivel so as to be watched in bed or on the lounge suite but there are no dvd players in the rooms.
The safety deposit box in room worked without fault and the air-conditioning worked sufficiently that we didn't feel like we were sleeping in a sauna or conversely a commercial refrigeration unit.
Having plenty of space proved valuable when the end of day review of our purchases took place as we could spread them out without mistakenly thinking we had forgotten or lost something because we couldn't see it.
The bathroom was the only cause for some concern due to the low water pressure and a bad smell coming from out of in one of the drain pipes, this was unpleasant but not so bad as to voice our displeasure to the management.
Now having lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years we were well aware of the effect humidity can have on painted surfaces and a tiled bathroom.
I have seen whole bathroom ceilings black with mould in apartments that the annual rent was AUD $100,000 per year.
So please do not expect any bathroom you venture into in the tropics to be free from mould, it just doesn't happen.
Painted walls are also not immune from the effects of so much moisture in the air, as such they can easily blister, chip and mark, in saying this the room did show some signs of wear but not to the extent that it caused us concern.
Now if you are looking for a resort style hotel with a large pool and plenty of pool lounges, the Casa Padma is not the place for you.
The pool was clean and we never had to throw towels off the lounges as a result of 'those who shall not be mentioned', but with only 5 lounges, the proximity to the road and the lack of open spaces around the pool this is not a place to while away your days thinking you are in a 5 star resort.
Having said this if you are looking for a base close to the Legian action with a clean pool to cool you down after enjoying the streets of Bali this is a cheap and viable option.
We paid US$65 per night for a superior room including breakfast.
We booked over the internet with no money changing hands until we checked out, the only details we had to supply by email was our credit card number, not the CCV code though.
Pool towels were available and if you asked for 2 each they happily gave you 2.
Breakfast was either, Continental, Indonesian or American, ordered off the menu and duly delivered within 5 mins of ordering.
With only 29 rooms in total, which were all full when we stayed this is a small and casual place to rest your weary head at the end of a long fun filled day.
Next the trip to Tamu Seseh.