Part I - Tanjung Benoa
We arrived home last Wednesday..a few days work and our holiday already seems impossibly far away. I'll post the main events and skip the minute-by-minute, drink-by-drink report.
I approached this holiday, my 5th in Bali, differently to previous holidays. I usually have a bit of a schedule worked out...a list of things to see and do. You know...Monday this, Tuesday that, Wednesday the other. This time I was determined to relax completely and let what happens, happen and do what we felt like, when we felt like it. Sing can can...no worries. It worked. This was the most relaxing, if not the most energetic, holiday I've enjoyed in Bali.
Arriving
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We flew out on a Garuda Saturday morning flight (Syd-Dps). On time, good service and the food was extraordinary...through it's mediocrity! I killed the taste, or lack thereof, with a couple of binnies. There was the usual shuffle on landing, from plane to bus to terminal. Zipped through immigration in minutes, then waited 45 minutes for our luggage to appear. About 10 minutes through customs and away.
It was easy to pick out the smiling faces of our friend Sila and his shy daughter. We stopped at a money changer and SIM card shop, before they dropped us at our first digs. We had a week at our hidden gem timeshare, Peninsula Beach Resort in Tanjung Benoa. I asked if they'd like to stay for dinner, but they had a family ceremony on the opposite end of the island that night. They'd come down from their home near Ubud, just to run us to our resort. We promised to get together after a couple of settle-in days and off they went.
The next few days were spent unwinding. Sleeping in, swimming, drinking, sampling restaurants, long walks in the moonlight...sorry, getting a bit Mills and Boone-ish.
Day Trip - Ubud, Kintamani, Batur
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We contacted Sila and arranged to go out for a day. My fiancee's itch for babi guling and dirty duck was becoming uncontrollable. She didn't have to ask me twice! Sila picked us up early (relatively) and we headed towards Ubud. We made a comfort stop at his under-construction house to see the progress since our last visit. I love how the Bali climate allows the open design houses, without the need to seal out the cold air.
We headed for Ibu Oka's babi guling shop. As we stopped out the front, one of the staff had a quick conversation with Sila. Ibu had opened a new shop up the road where they cook the pigs, which wasn't as crowded. We drove up a nearby lane, parked and walked along a narrow path between buildings. We were wondering what to expect and were surprised to find ourselves in a new-ish, large and comfortable warung.
A request from Sila and we were taken into the 'kitchen' to see the pigs being cooked. We took photos of the spit a'cookin, three just-cooked pigs waiting for transfer or carving and piles of fresh condiments. My fiancee (C) was allowed to take the driver's seat and turn the spit for a photo. What a way to sharpen the appetite! We headed back into the restaurant and feasted.
I've read mixed reviews about Ibu Oka, some great, some woeful. I reckon her babi guling is the best roast pork on the planet, bar none. C, who is Chinese and has eaten vastly more pork, in more styles of dishes than any of us Westerners agrees. Admittedly, some of the extras which you can end up with, are not appetising to many (eg. the organ sausage). On the other hand, I reckon many Westerners taste with their eyes, before their palates. The bad reviews denigrate the 'percieved' hygeine, before they mention the food...this means they formed an opinion before tasting a bite. After living in China for 3 years, I've learned to taste first, form an opinion, then ask what it is and how it's cooked. I recommend this approach, if you want to expand your tastes.
From Ibu Oka's we drove up to Kintamani Volcanoe, through beautiful valleys and scenic rice paddies. It was a perfect sunny day for photography, with enough fluffy, white clouds to add interest to our pics.
From there, we took the narrow, winding road down to Lake Batur and the hot springs. It was an 'interesting' trip, playing chicken with heavily loaded trucks on a two-way road no wider than a single lane. Apparently, many tourists are discouraged by their guides from taking this side-trip, due to risk to their cars. Luckily, Sila was more adventurous.
I expected natural rock pools with hot, green water running through them and I was utterly wrong. Set amongst lush gardens are two large spa pools, being fed from the springs by fountains. Next to these is a large cool swimming pool, full of the same spring water. All pools are clean, tiled and well maintained. There are miles of sun lounges and a swim-up bar. This is a nicely maintained retreat, which might warrant a couple of days R&R next time we're in Bali.
We spent a few hours, alternately soaking in the hot spas, then jumping in the cool water. We got out looking like a couple of well soaked prunes. The pools are spotless and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get a hint of any fragrance from the water. No smell whatsoever...no pool chemicals or the natural sulphur smell I remember from other hot springs I've been to. All this with Kintamani and Mount Agung towering over us. They supply swimmers (if you need them), towels, showers and a welcome drink.
We took More photos down by the lake, then headed back towards Ubud. We decided to sample a few coffees on the way. The 'healing waters' had relaxed us to the point where we needed a nap or a stimulant to spark us up. We stopped at a coffee plantation, wandered around with the cameras, saw some interesting plants and sampled a range of tasty coffees and teas. The Lewak coffee (made from coffee beans pre-digested by the Civet Cat) was nice, but not worth the fortune it costs. We bought a few other coffees and teas and headed to our last stop for the day...Bebek Bengil...the Dirty Duck Diner, in Ubud.
Bebek Bengil's specialty is half ducks coated in Balinese spices, steamed until meltingly tender, then quickly deep-fried. The result is moist and tender inside and crisp and crunchy outside. we had a delicious, excessive feed, then Sila ran us back down to our resort.
Day Trip - Seawalker, Sanur
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I wanted to see more of the undersea world around Bali. I've plenty of experience snorkelling, surfing and boating. Unfortunately, C is not a strong swimmer and suffers from seasickness. We decided to take the safe option and ease her into exploring the ocean floor with a Seawalker expedition.
They picked us up at 8am and drove us to a resort in Sanur, where they're based. We changed, received a briefing, then onto a boat and 5 minutes out to the anchored 'mothership' (their words, not mine). We were fairly quickly outfitted, then the big, ugly Aussie was picked as the guinea pig. It was dead simple. On with the helmet, climb down the ladder and remember to keep breathing! If you tilted your head too much and the water level in the helmet rose, one strong exhale and it was back to normal. It was comfortable and provided very good visibility.
We spent 30 minutes at 5-8 metres under the water, escorted by two divers and one 'leader' in the same getup as us. Large schools of fish, sometimes completely obscuring our vision, hung around constantly. When I had a squeeze-bottle of fish food pushed into my hand, I realised why! One squeeze and you were the centre of the piscatorial universe. You could put pieces of fish food in your fingers and feed them by hand. The constant look of excitement on C's face proved it was a worthwhile exercise.
They took many photos and videoed the session. When we returned to base, they were available for sale on CD. We purchased the video and a photo. A simple but wholesome lunch was provided and transport back to our digs.
For anyone who is nervous about long boat rides or snorkelling, this is great alternative. It's safe, simple and requires no prior water-skills. It's clearly focussed at the Japanese market, I was the only westerner in the three groups I saw. We had a ball...it wasn't cheap at US$85 + photo and video, but we considered it worth the money.
Other Stuff in Tanjung Benoa
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We sampled a number of restaurants in TB. The highlight was Bumbu Bali. Absolutely delicious Balinese fare at surprisingly good value. Beautiful restaurant and great service. It's not cheap, but worth every cent.
The lowlight was Coco Bistro. It's always busy and relatively expensive, so we had high expectations. We were both disappointed. The beef rendang was the toughest meat I experienced in Bali over our whole stay.
We caught the free bus to Bali Discovery shopping Mall. We spent half a day wandering the shops and had some lunch. Interesting, but nothing overly exciting. Picked up a few small bargains in the dept store there (Sogo?).
We went to Manega Cafe at Jimabaran Bay one afternoon, for a sunset seafood feast. We chose a nice fresh fish (bright red inside the gills, glassy eyes and shiny skin) and a dozen or so medium sized prawns. As always, it was a great. The food was perfectly cooked, with plenty of sides. The Bintang was cold and the sunset was awesome.
Part II to come - Seminyak