Ok here it is my very first JBR -I hope I don't bore you all too much....
At the very last minute decided to head to Brisbane the night before we were due to fly out and lucky we did cause a tornado hit Lennox and roads were blocked although sun was shining in Brissy...
Myself, husband, son, daughter and nephew headed off on our long awaited holiday. First time for kids and third time for hubby and me.
Plane arrived in Bali on time with no dramas getting through customs (maybe 1 ½ hours but hey its Bali, gotta be happy with that).
We stayed at the Masa Inn in Poppies 1 which I think is amazing value for money. Breakfast very basic but more than adequate for us. Didn't have coffee making facilities in room but no problem easy fixed just went to Centro and bought a kettle.
Went to Safari Park were we all had such a good day. When we arrived I thought we would never be able to spend the whole day there. How wrong I was, it was full on all day, really loved this place.
Went to Waterbom Park which was also another good day. Bit pricey by Bali standards but a great day. Really loved the wrist band idea where you put credit onto it and if any left over when you leave you get a refund. Totally cashless inside which is great for kids. Don't try to smuggle any food in though, they do a pretty thorough search of your bags before going in.
Went to Tannah Lot and Monkey Forest (scary little buggers they are) which was hilarious. If you don't want them to come near you don't let them talk you into buying food. We saw monkeys climbing up peoples back and onto their heads because they had food. Was pretty funny though watching everyone freak out including me. Also went white water rafting which the kids loved.
Ate at some amazing places in Poppies 1, Bali Agung, Secret Garden, Havana's, TJ's (can't remember others). Not a bad meal anywhere and prices were amazing especially Bali Agung. Someone mentioned on the forum to try the Havana Cheese Burger at Havana's and I am so glad I did, yummo it was so good. Better than anything I have had at home.
Shopping - I mentioned in an earlier post that I had doona covers made by Bali's Best Bed Covers. Now I cannot recommend them enough. The guy I dealt with was an Aussie named Jeff. I e-mailed him my designs and he had them hand painted onto doona covers and curtains for me. They are incredible... better than I ever expected and such good quality. If you would like his email just let me know and I will forward to you. You will not regret getting doonas made by them, so talented and their attention to detail is amazing.
Visited Geneva and filled a shopping trolley which is not hard to do for me. So many things to choose from, bought heaps of things for our house including lamps.
Bought a couple of paintings from a really nice guy on the beach between Kuta and Legian and had one made to match one of the doona covers that we had made. Really happy with those!
Also had a couple of bags made from Tommy's leather, such good quality. Kids got the usual ray bans, t-shirts and shorts. Visited Ketuts in Legian and Dianne and Jenny's.
Bought a Balinese soft doll from Centro for my daughter which is really cute. Didn't see these anywhere else.
Got some really beautiful pieces of silver and had a ring made by Miss Pak which we are really happy with. Had name necklaces made and name rings and name bangles. These made great gifts to bring back home.
My son ended up with an ear infection which was soon fixed up by seeing the Doctor at the chemist in Poppies 1. Within 24 hours he was back to normal.
Flight home was delayed 2 ½ hours which was a bit annoying considering it was due to leave just after midnight. Didn't get away until 2.30am grrr.
Anyway that's about it, had an amazing time and looking forward to returning to Bali next year, as I said before, hope I didn't bore anyone too much...