Well I have finally found a little time to write about my (traveling with a friend) recent trip to Bali, here goes.......
Having left Melbourne on the 17th November and finally checking in with Jetstar after a few hours (QFF points so couldn't complain!) we were on our way. We arrived about 11pm and had a transfer with Tegal Sari so into the car we got, arrived very late, all I remember is that it was 3am Melbourne time and we were totally exhausted!!
Ubud-17-21 November
Having only ever been to Ubud on a day trip I was excited to check it out a bit more thoroughly. I loved the Tegal Sari and our room overlooked the rice fields. It was on the first floor with some very steep steps so would recommend ground floor if you have hip/back issues. I fell over on day 2 slipping on the recently drenched footpath and had a bruise the size of Texas on my thigh, the steps proved a challenge after that! I had read about young Made at Nur Salon (Hanoman Rd) on Trip Advisor and his therapeutic massages so I had booked in there just before "the fall" he was fantastic but unfortunately I undid his good work!! I paid @ IDR 205K for a 1 hour massage that was one the best I have ever had in Bali. I went back to see him again and he cracked and crunched my body in places that I barely knew existed, he was very careful working around the purple haze on my upper thigh the second time around. I regularly visit a Chiro and have remedial massage in Melbourne and he was up there with the best. His English is not great but then my grasp on the Balinese language is even worse so all was good......and humorous! Not for the faint hearted but worth it if you have some muscular and skeletal issues as do I. The treatment room is an outdoor hut and you get to wash off the oil in a bath afterwards which was nice.
There are three places I can recall eating that were nice. Bagus Pizza (turn right out of Tegal Sari on Hanoman Rd, a bit further down) Pundi Pundi overlooking the lily pond (turn left out of Tegal Sari and a bit further up on Hanoman Rd) and Kafe on Hanoman Rd. Kafe's food is very nice and mostly organic. I suspect some of the diners had smoked some mostly organic "stuff" before our arrival as there were a few interesting characters in there. Aside from the spaced out look of some diners it was great and well worth a visit. We also ate at a restaurant at the top of Monkey Forest Rd on the left hand side. We were coming back from the market and it was on the left. I can't recall the name but I had a very tasty steak sandwich which was one of the best meals I ate. It was founded by a now elderly lady and has been there forever apparently. I think it has "Rai" in the name.
The markets......well I managed to purchase 2 paintings for a total of IDR 500K which I thought was quite good. I also bought a lot of metal fish, elephants, lady birds etc for gifts back home. One of the things that I am totally addicted to is body soap and I found a couple of shops around Ubud so I stocked up! They have all been really nice so far. One of the shops is on Hanoman Road, same side as Nur Salon but I can't recall the name, sorry. Very nice products to use that make great gifts as well.
I decided to go and see a traditional dance with a lady I had met at the hotel. It was an evening performance at the Royal Palace which was very theatrical and interesting to say the least. I was amazed at the costumes and the precision of the female dancers in particular. If you go to a performance it's best to go very early to secure a good seat, we were seated a little way back so it was difficult to photograph the event without a few heads getting in the way.
After 4 nights in Ubud I was sorry to leave but Legian was ahead and boy did I do some damage at the shops!!
Legian-21st Nov-5th December
We stayed at the Casa Padma suites in Padma St, opposite "House of Komangs" which was a great location. We had previously stayed at The Lokha up the road and liked the area. The deluxe suites are very spacious and bathrooms are the same. There is a separate change room just outside the bathroom, 2 king size beds in same room and a separate lounge area with small table and chairs also. We stayed in Room 105 which was away from the Legian Pub side which was great as the noise that comes from there wasn't to bad at night. The pool is sufficient to cool down but is not very private and the gardens are average. For USD 80 a night I was happy with this. I bought my USD from work (Finance Industry) at .9800 so this was a bargain at just over $40 AUD each. On that note I was also very lucky to have purchased my IDR from work at 9400!! Made everything a lot cheaper compared to the 8300-8500 for AUD in Bali. I would stay at Casa Padma again as it is convenient and cheap, met some great people here that we shopped and ate with a little.
Shopping
Well to begin with I stocked up on cosmetics at Carrefour. Martha Tillar, Olay, lipsticks, hair cream bath, scrubs, etc that will keep me going for another year. I also bought my nephews and nieces some clothes from Centro-Body 'n Soul brand is especially cute for little boys! I went to Geneva and Biarritz which were both great and I bought a lot more soaps to aid my addiction and to give as gifts, all of them from here have also been lovely to use. We also went to Unagi which is not far from Geneva. The stock here is a little different but not priced so we had an assistant follow us around, the only problem with this is that the girls at the checkout had different prices to what I was told, mostly higher! I suspect they made them up as they went along. Despite this I still managed to put in large dint in my cash supply at all 3 shops. I bought a lot of little wooden toys for my nephews and hair ties for my nieces. I also bought one niece a gorgeous fairy outfit from the fairy shop in Padma Utara which is on the the left hand corner at the bend, this is before you get to MBR if you're walking away from Padma St. A great shop if you have little girls to buy for. They had other costumes as well but my nephews have a large supply so I didn't bother buying for the boys. I bought the boys dragon and butterfly kites which are proudly hanging on the rumpus room wall in their home. They are pretty fragile so I'm not sure they would withstand the wind but they look great on the wall anyway, they can be found at the markets.
I bought 2 bags for myself at Tommy's in Padma st, Legian, opposite Posers Pub, I had a cream bag made from a style they had in store and the other is a copy of a Country Road bag that has been in the shops for a while, I bought this in black. I also bought 4 bags as gifts and had 2 purses made for Mum, she was stoked with them and her bag. After spending hundreds at Tommy's I still only managed to get a 10% discount!! They are tough cookies to crack; I even met Tommy who I thought was an urban myth as I had not seen him at either the leather shop or the cafe. He, like all the boys is just lovely to chat with. In a nut shell excellent quality leather bags and a great deal cheaper than what you would pay in Aus.
I went to Denpasar markets and "fabric st" and bought 2 different fabrics and had Komang (House of Komangs-Padma st, Legian) make 2 summer robes/kimonos for me which I am happy with. Saves me paying a fortune at Peter Alexander! The markets in Denpasar are certainly a sight to behold with handicrafts, clothes, fruit, vegies, raw fish and raw chicken all out in the summer sun! Worth a visit if you haven't been, take your camera and a strong stomach with you!
I bought a beautiful wall hanging (from Pakistan-I think??) from a shop on Jalan Legian. It is quite large and I paid IDR 500K for this and got 2 cushion covers thrown in, he was difficult to bargain with but I am happy with my purchase. If you're walking up Padma St towards Jalan Legian cross over onto Legian, turn left and it's a bit further up on the right hand side.
I got shoes made by Fendy at Melasti Collection again (Melasti St, opposite Bali Aussie). I must admit thought that the shoes/slides I got made the previous year were better, not sure what happened. I'm still happy with them all (3 pairs @ IDR 200K each) but had to go back several times for adjustments. Still it's only $20 a pair and I have a size 11 foot so it's difficult to find summer shoes in Aus that fit.
Eating
We mostly ate at local places often eating a roll for lunch at "Wayan and Friends" across the road from Casa Padma, great for rolls with lovely bread, not the usual sweet stuff you find in most places. I had a few other meals here but nothing worth going back for. We tried Indo National twice as I could get Milton and Kerry to ensure my dish was entirely free of seafood as I have a severe allergy which is life threatening to anything with seafood including fish sauce, shrimp paste, etc. Jimbaran Bay was off the list, I just have to touch a dish, chair or table that has had fish on it and I react! Kind of difficult when travelling where English is a second language but I got by. Indo was okay but better the previous year.
We tried the new place next door (Mozzarella's) which was horrible and didn't bother going back, I had a chicken dish that I could not eat and my friend had calamari which was very average. We tried the pizza shop outside Lokha and it was just average.
The best place to eat that we loved was the Italian restaurant attached to KP's beachfront. We discovered it the year before and had several dinners of pizza or pasta there.
We ate at Yutz in Rum Jungle rd one time and it was also "just okay." My steak was not bad but my friend's was tough and full of gristle, first and last time this trip.
Tommy's cafe in Rum Jungle road was nice for rolls at lunch time. The specialty is corn beef and salad but I wasn't a wrap for the meat and stuck to cheese and salad which was very nice.
Quiches at Carrfeour are very nice.
We ate a Hard Rock one night which was nice but quite expensive compared to other places, very noisy but a fun night out with new friends from the hotel.
Finally, the only other place worth mentioning was Ku De Ta. Lovely setting and great food and drinks, off course it's pricey but has to be done once in a trip. We got the pizza special of 2 for 1, some drinks and a salad. Great views and a nice way to finish our trip, I had just been to Prana Spa so was feeling a little posh that day and lived it up!
Spas
I had a warm stone massage at MBR in Legian which was nice and relaxing but after my treatments from Made at Nur Salon in Ubud I felt I really needed a bit more oomph put in to my aching joints!
I had a neck and shoulder massage at Ambiente on the cnr of Padma St and Garlic lane, just behind Circle K, this was quite good and I also had a pedicure/polish as well, also quite good.
I had 2 pedicures at Carla Spa which is in Melasti St at the other end of Garlic lane, just walk down and cross over, very cheap and girls are lovely.
I had found a recommendation on the forum for "Jari Menari" which means dancing fingers. This is on Jalan Legian towards Seminyak (on right hand side) and I had 2 massages here, both fantastic and up there on top of my list. They are costly (IDR 300K) compared to other places but the rooms and staff are lovely and very well trained. They have won Spa of the Year award previously-2008 I think?? You will find them on google or I can give you details if you want them. They also have some lovely lotions and potions here for sale, off course I bought more soap!!
My friend and I had another day at Prana Spa (as we had been previous trip) which we booked through "Bali Friendly" as it's much cheaper. We had used Bali Friendly for this service the previous year and when I called and gave the man my name he remembered me. When I gave him my name the previous year he thought it was a man's name but was confused as I sounded like a female. When I gave him my name this last trip he asked if it was me again-1 whole year later-what a memory!! I didn't think my name (Kris) was that unusual but I guess he had never heard it before. Hi name is Wisnu so I guess I will always remember his name as well-very funny!
Anyway it was time for our "Divine Renewal" package again and I specifically asked for no seaweed products in the facial and body mask as I was not sure if I would react given my allergy. They complied with this request the previous year for the same treatment and I did not encounter any issues then. A little miscommunication later and my face was stinging and burning in the facial, to the point where I asked the therapist to stop the treatment, she was lovely and very worried and rushed off to get me some iced chamomile water which helped greatly. I continued on with the rest of the treatments but felt a little disappointed that I missed some of the facial. I advised reception on my way out as at USD $145 I thought they should know what had happened. After liaising with the Manager I was offered a free "Signature Facial" valued at USD $70, I used this the following week and booked a "Spirit of Bali" package with it so was there for another 3 hour session-I love this place, it's totally unbelievable! Aside from the unfortunate reaction to some of the products in the first facial this place is just beautiful, lovely rooms, staff, building, etc. I will always go back to Prana Spa when in Bali. The second "free" facial was great with botanical products used and no reaction which was fantastic.
Day trip
I asked Putu (my driver) to come and get me bright and early one day so I could head out and do some photography. He arrived at 8am and we spent all day in and out of the car. We stopped at Canggu on the way up to Jutiluwih which is a place with rice terraces on the side of mountains. It was lovely to drive around and stop to take pics at my leisure. We stopped at some Hot Springs and I had some breakfast here but I did not come equipped for a dip. We also stopped at Bedugal on the way back to Legian and there is a lovely Temple on the lake there, great photo opportunity. We had a quick stop at a small market nearby where I managed to buy some lovely wooden eggs for my sister as she has quite a collection. All in all a fantastic day was had!
Finally after 18 nights the time had come to pack my bags! What a drama, I had pre paid 10kg for the return trip but with @ 70kg of luggage for me alone I figured there was going to be trouble. I checked in 42kg's ( I had 33kg's - 23kg with QFF + the 10kg pre paid) so with 9kg's over the check in allowance I figured I was up for @ $200 or more, lucky me they only charged me for 5kg's. Lucky they did not see the weight of my on board bags-all that bloody soap weighed a tonne!! It was homeward bound on the 2300 flight which was delayed until midnight. Finally arrived tired and weary in Melbourne but got everything through customs so I was very happy with that!
Until next time..............................