Travelled on our 41st trip with Garuda from Melbourne. I was with a mate this flight as Regina, my wife and son Dean had gone over a week earlier with another family of friends. The trip was quick for me as i sleept a fair bit but my mate Mick decided he was going to take full advantage of the "free Beer", Garudas shout. Garuda staff were very generous to him and kept the binnies up to him all the way, to the point that as we touched down, his tray was still down with 5 (five) full binnies in front of him... As intoxicated as he was he didn't disturb any others, as much as I could tell and it was a great challange to get him through immigration efficiently and as quick as possible. It cost us a little extra for some assistance and we were out within twenty minutes, yet would of been a one and half hour waite.
Stayed at the Ida Hotel in Kuta in a Delux Bungalow, great small budget hotel with great value in the bungalows. Food is great here and the staff very friendly. We renewed our wedding vows at the hotel the August before and was given a gift by the owner for two weeks free accomodation, which was a very nice gesture. The Ida now have a very large Cooler that they keep their Bintange in and top up the ice during the day, so always a very icy binnie to be had!!!
5 of us went into the kitchen and watched the staff cooking two dishes, Nasi Goering and Bukmi Goring. It was a delight to watch them at work and learn of how,what and when to use all the ingredients. Since we have retuned home we now can replicate there dihes much better then in the past.
Our group of 12 spent a couple of nights up on the West coast at a surfing place, Balian, This was quiet an experience from the norm and we all enjoyed.
Three of us men had hired motor bikes and rode up to Balian and then as the others retuned to the Ida Hotel us three went up over the mountains to Lovina where we stayed a night. Next day it was 4 hours riding through Sinaraja, up the mountains to Kintamani, down to Gianya and back track to Ubud. It was very scenic and an enjoyable winding trip.
We stayed at Ubud for a night and we visited a 5 room Villa being built, nearing completion on a very steep slope at the back of Ubud.
As us three blokes are all tradies it was outsdanding to see how everything is down under such conditions. A bathtub made from a soild rock weighing 4 tonns was man handeled by 20 men for 12 days to rope this "rock" down a very steep incline, through a Villa and into position. No machinery here. There were 54 workers on site and they were all happy as they had jobs. We were informed that they had used 10,000 x 50 kilo bags of cement and all the labouring was done by females and worked for about a quarter of the rate of the men. The owner wanted to pay the women the same rate but was told if he did then no men would come to work the next day.....
As this was our 41st trip we didn't by much.
Didn't have a bad meal any where. Ate at Ultimos for the first time and will be going back again for sure.
Till next time......
Bob anmd Reg