Recap - The soon to be newlyweds have landed in beautiful Bali and are on their way to Novotel Benoa.
14 Feb (continued)
Driving along in the taxi I was taking in all of the sights and smells, feeling the heat and thinking yes, it feels like I'm home! I just love staring out of the window, soaking it all up and hoping everything will stay imprinted in my memory bank. Still amazes me how many people they can fit on one scooter, along with bags and whatnot! Not only how they all fit on but how in the world do they manage not to fall off?!?!?! Ah, there certainly are some sights to see on the way from the airport to your accommodation in Bali :o)
I think it took about 20-30 minutes to get to Novotel Benoa. Check-in went smoothly, we were shown to our beach cabana and I don't know, perhaps I was in a bit of an emotional mood but I did feel a little bit let down. The cabana we stayed in was very nice but just seemed a bit old at first. We asked to see a villa and oo la la! The villas are lovely! However, I did not think they were an extra $170 a night lovely. We did think about upgrading considering it was for a once in a lifetime occasion but in the end just couldn't justify it. We decided to see how we went in the cabana and perhaps upgrade for a couple of nights to the villa. Turns out we stayed right where we were, no upgrade necessary, the cabana was quite sufficient. Must say I am glad there was no one next door for the entirety of our stay as I think it might have encroached on our space a bit. No worry though - we were gifted from above with privacy for the first leg of our holiday.
Okay, time to go shopping for supplies and of course pick up some mandatory welcome-back-to-Bali Bintangs. Seems like when we go to Bali we buy supplies every day - you know how it is, the water, the fruit juices, the cold coffee drinks, mixers to go with the duty free you brought over, chips and nibbles to enjoy with your relaxing beverages, plus boring things like toiletries and the like. I still love that first supply shop though - feels like I'm getting ready to settle back into my home :o)
While we were out I changed some money, rate was 9500. Back at the cabana and this birthday girl decided it was her party and she'd cry if she wanted to - it was all too much but also not enough - hard to explain. I put on the television and what was on there but dogs and all of a sudden I was overcome with I-miss-my-girls (two Labradors) emotions - I know, quite the sooky-la-la! After this whirlwind of a day I needed something familiar and we decided to go to Queens of India for dinner. Okay, okay, this was very new to the Tanjung Benoa area (and so not ‘familiar' per se) but we had been to the one in Tuban and knew it was good, plus we eat curry weekly at home and I wanted that comfy feeling. Note: I am so glad they opened a Queens of India in Tanjung Benoa!!!
Jumped in a taxi - too far to walk - and headed to Queens of India. Hubby to be changed money across the road, rate was 9600. We were seated and straightaway I knew we had made the right choice to go there for dinner. The restaurant has an undercover part and an outside part; we decided to sit outside and had a lovely view of the traffic and people going by. I love to sit, eat and watch - it's just sooooo relaxing! Next up we had to make the hard decision of what we should order and I can tell you this is not easy as there is so much to choose from! Usually we order too much so this time decided to be conservative and ordered starters, two mains and some naan bread. Sorry, I can't remember exactly what we ordered and how much it cost but I know we loved it! Not only that, the service was exceptional and we will definitely be back.
Things definitely started changing for the better from this point on. When we were seated hubby to be mentioned to the staff it was my birthday. A gorgeous couple seated right by us must have overheard this. The waiter presented me and hubby to be with a cocktail each - this lovely couple hard ordered it for us and toasted me with happy birthday!!! This made me smile and the voice inside my head demanded me to snap out of the funk I was in. This was a sign, people are nice and especially in Bali, lighten up and enjoy. Even now just thinking about it I am still overcome with happiness. Next time I go to Bali I want order drinks for a couple we're seated near and share the happiness! This couple could not have known how much this gesture meant to me at that particular moment. Thank you again if you're reading this!!!
As we were getting ready to pay for the meal - sorry, correction, as hubby to be was getting ready to pay for the meal seeing as it was for my birthday - all of the waiters came down singing happy birthday to me and I was presented with THE most divine chocolate dessert, complete with ice cream and sizzling chocolate sauce - WOW!!!! It was served on a hotplate and when the waiter put it down in front of me he poured the sauce on top and oh, I thought I was in heaven! The happiness of Bali, it's contagious!!! I was out of my funk quick smart and was looking forward to enjoying this holiday! I was just being spoilt before. We usually stay further down near Aston and so it was new territory for us, needed to re-find/find new places to buy local supplies, get massages, et cetera. Not only that, I had organised the majority of our holiday and given the occasion I just wanted everything to be perfect. We felt a little off kilter to begin with but of course when it was time to leave we were more than comfortable with our hotel and surroundings.
Anyway, back to the report - jumped in a taxi to CocoMart to pick up some more supplies then jumped in another taxi back to Novotel. I guess we didn't think we would buy as much as we did because we were just going to walk back - it's not that far away - but decided a taxi would be a better option. Checked with taxi man it was okay to only go the short distance as we had never been in this situation before and he was really happy and said, ‘Don't worry, be happy'. I just love that! Ah, the Balinese are beautiful! Back to the room we go and goodness, a birthday cake for me from Novotel Benoa! What a fantastic evening we had! I knew everything was going to be okay and Bali was going to be its usual magnificent holiday! We were tired after the full day we'd had so decided to rest a little on the bed before getting ready to retire for the night. Well that bed was just too damned comfy and we fell asleep! Woke up the next morning well rested, decided I probably just needed some sleep and to rehydrate yesterday and now was the time to enjoy!!!
Geez Louise, this Bali lover can sure waffle on!!! I promise to be more succinct for the remainder of my reports.........I can't promise I'm not crossing my fingers behind my back right now :o)