March 19 - 8 April (Besakih Hotel)
March 21 was the big 60 for me. Joy had shouted Bazza and me a game of golf at the Sanur Beach Golf Club. Thanks DonRon for the info - the online booking before we left Perth was the way to go. We played 9 holes of very ordinary golf but had a hoot. Great course that has its share of water and bunkers. The female caddies were so efficient and very well restrained whenever we played a shocker. All in all a great start to the day. Rest of the day was swimming, a few too many Bintangs and dinner at Ratatoullie.
I'm not going to give a day by day JBR - just a précis of what may be of interest to readers. Saw most of the 16 AFL games that were on while I was there. Watched these either at Barb's Sports Bar or the White Sands. Both excellent venues although the tension was pretty high at Barb's as she is a St Kilda supporter. Hello Barb and Ian. How's the non-smoking going Barb? We are Dockers supporters but just enjoy watching any good game and we saw plenty. One of the better ones was between Sydney and Essendon. While walking to the White Sands from the beachside we noticed two dogs that were backed up and motionless in the street. Needless to say - they were well and truly 'stuck'. This turned out to be a very funny omen. The football was broadcast by WIN in WA and to our shock and utter amusement - the first sponser was Two Dogs Hardware in Merredin. Turned out a great day and like the dogs - there was nothing between the two teams all day.
To me one of the highlights of staying in a hotel like the Besakih is the proliferation of bars and restaurants within easy walking distance. I won't rate the ones we ate at, just list them and say that there is not one that we would not return to. How do you rate a restaurant on possibly one dish chosen from an extensive menu? The only rider to this is that we caught taxis to and from the Cat ‘n' Fiddle (for the live Irish band on a Tuesday) and continue to find it impossible to get anything close to a cold beer at Ratatouillie.
Beachside
Benno's
Bonsai
Batu Bata (Besakih Hotel) Also breakfast daily
Roadside
White Sands
Piccadilly
Ratatoullie
Aladdin's
Ducks Nutz
Lazer Bar
Mona Lisa
Rib Warung
Wicked Parrot
Barb's Sports Bar
Retro
You & Me
La Bar'racca
Cat ‘n' Fiddle
Many great meals and memories.
Besides the live entertainment previously mentioned at the Ducks Nutz and Cat ‘n' Fiddle, also enjoyed the live bands at the Lazer Bar Monday - Friday. It is opposite the Besakih Hotel so an easy sometimes zig zag jalan jalan home.
Part 3 (Final) to follow on some personal observations