19 March - 8 April
As our time in Bali was coming to an end I made some observations with respect to the weather, pampering and Sanur itself.
As it is the wet season, we were pleasantly surprised with the weather the first week. Very little rain, pretty clear skies and great swimming weather. The last two weeks were very wet but no drama. Tremendous 'skyshow' one night was the highlight. It is a pity we couldn't bottle the rain and send it to Perth.
Joy uses Chic Salon virtually opposite the Besakih for hair treatments which included a cut and colour. Great work - great price. I use Matande Spa opposite the Bali Pub near Hardy's for my haircuts and we both use this spa for ear candlewax treatment. This is the second time we've had this treatment and love it. I always have a traditional Balinese 1.5 hour massage once a week. For the last two years I've used Teratai which is next to the Wicked Parrot.
My last massage the day before we returned home was interesting. 15 minutes into the massage I started to get that horrible feeling that happens sometimes in Bali caused by too much rich food and over indulgence in Bintangs. I was hanging in there as best as I could and was getting resigned to the fact that I would be calling a 'time out' and getting out of there in a hurry. Fortunately I survived until the half time mark was reached and I was able to gingerly roll onto my back. That settled things down and I was able to enjoy the rest of the massage without too much discomfort. It certainly looked at one stage that this was going to be an unhappy ending.
Sanur still has that 'village' feel about it that we hope never changes. Sitting on our upstairs balcony in the mornings was spent watching squirrels feeding and playing in the trees, observing beautiful tropical birds, huge butterflies, wasps that look like bees on hormones, geckos, dragonflies, lizards and fortunately only one rat. The Besakih has a resident dog Betsy, a cat that seems to think the reception desk is its own, two turtles and heaps of fish. We were surprised to see so many stray dogs hanging around the restaurant on the beach. At night the frog chorus seems to come to life every 30 minutes usually followed by a gecko calling.
The real charm of Sanur is the people. Everyone is so friendly, genuine and make you feel at home. We have many friends and now have some new ones in Sanur. It is always priceless when you see that beaming smile followed by 'welcome home'.
Our flight home with Air Asia was uneventful save for one young lad (about 4 years old) who gave heaps of passengers and the cabin crew a real hard time with noise and groping. His mother eventually tried to claim he didn't get his pizza she bought him - good one Mum - he'd already eaten it and then wiped his hands on an air hostesses' uniform. What a little charmer he was!
We had one of our wood carvings confiscated by Customs in Perth because of signs of borer activity that had been painted over. It would have cost $30 for fumigation. Article cost less than that so no drama. We had better make sure to take our glasses when next buying wooden articles.
Thanks for reading. Only 107 sleeps and we're heading back to the Island of the Gods.