I was fortunate to spend 26 days in Bali , Mainly in Sanur but with 5 days at the end in Kuta as I had family coming who had a Villa in Jimbaran.I only moved to save travel between Sanur and Jimbaran.
Flew with Virgin out of Adelaide , flight delayed by 5 1/2 hrs but they gave me 2x$8 vouchers to compensate.got in around 9:30pm to a cool breeze and big smile from Dewa.
First week was spent at my Nieces Villa , which they renovated themselves.It was off Poso in a nice quiet part of Sanur. Most days were spent doing domestic type stuff , taking the kids to the international school , the little one to Little Stars Kindergarten , shopping at Hardys etc.It was great to have a look around the school , its massive. Very modern with each room using a number of laptops.There is a multitude of different nationalitys so is a great mix for the kids.
I decided to hire a scooter so went to Dewas mate Agung , 50k per day, 10k for a tank of fuel which lasted around 3 days.I also went with Dewa into Denpasar Police station to get a Balinese bike licence.Cost 350k but didn't have to take the test. Even with Dewas cousin who is a policeman helping it still took 2 days and was a bit nerve racking.
Changed most money near the southern bend in Tamblingham at the bank , most days around 9,800 so was happy with that. We mainly ate takeaway Nasi or Mie from stadium , went a couple of times to Sanur Beach Hotel on the weekend. Had a good day at the Denpasar Market buying statues etc. Was great for market type photos of the ladies selling fish , flowers and various other animals I wasn't sure of. While wandering around a very old lady approached selling small bottles of perfume.I would imagine her life story would have been very interesting .She wanted 20k per tiny bottle , due to her being so senior I wasn't going to argue the price.I bought a few buddas and various statues , got quite a collection going on now.
After the Market , Dewa took us to a Babi Guling place in Denpasar. It was delicious but not as good as my mums xmas pork. Came with the soup and a sausage made from the blood , ears , tail and snout. Tasted ok. On the way back to the van we walked past a coffee wholesaler who had some very old coffee grinders in the window so we went in for a look. I ended up buying a 500 gm pack of primo bali coffee for 3700.While we were there I noticed a coffee machine in the corner so I figured it would be a nice coffee and it was.They have a small table and stools but its not really a coffee shop as such. Again heading for the car , Dewa took us to a very nice Sarong shop that must have had 100 different types of Sarongs. I got an expensive one for my Mum.
One day we went to the Tampak Siring and Panglipuran via Kintamini. Tampak siring is a very old water temple up in the hills near Ubud? It is inside a typical temple , inside is 3 pools with about 20 water spouts. each spout means something different to the Balinese. Dewa had bought Sarongs for us all to wear but Im not sure if this is a rule or not. We went inside and I asked Dewa if it was ok to take photos to which he said yes .As i took my first photo a very irate tourist yelled at me ' NO PHOTOS'. I then went with Dewa to ask one of the temple security guys who said no problem so I got some great shots of the temple. Dewa then invited us into the water with him so in i went. It was a bit daunting being the only foreigner in the pool but it was very refreshing and great fun with all the people very happy and laughing. After walking the fountains we left the pool to wait outside still in the temple grounds. My sarong was soaked so i took it off to wring it out. This got the ire of one of the temple security guys who said to put it back on. At the same time there were female tourists walking past in singlets and short shorts , boobs half out and asses showing so im not sure if they were targeting fat dudes with moustaches that day or what.
We left the temple via the longest walk through stalls ive ever had .Went on forever but there are certainly some bargains to be had at these stalls , especially the ones in the last strip who don't get much trade. By the time we got to the last few they were asking 10k for sarongs.
We then went to Kintamini for lunch and a look at lake Batur.I had intended staying here at lakeview but TA said the trucks going up and down the road continued throughout the nite so i gave it a miss. While having lunch I spoke to another driver to ask where the mine was , expecting to see a machine loading. He told me it is all loaded by shovel , the men loading getting around 50k per truck. 3 trucks per day , they must be very fit. The lunch was at the big restaurant there , cant recall the name. Cost 80k , easily the worst meal i ate on my trip.
After lunch we travelled to Panglipuran , a very old village with no traffic allowed down the main street. As it was Galunjan the streets were adorned with Panjors so it was a very spectacular sight. We went into one of the family compounds for a tour from the owner. They still have chickens and pigs out the back , the lady told us one family kills a pig each week which is then shared among the rest of the village. The architecture was beautiful and it was interesting to see the inside of the compound. At the end of the tour there is a small stall selling sarongs etc so i got another one for my Mum.
One morning I went early to the Sanur Market. Very colourful fruit and veg etc. Around to the left were the ladys selling flowers for the offering baskets and the various other bits for the offerings you see everywhere. Along the edges are shops selling all sorts. I got my mozzie coils here and also one of those flat mortar and pestles. I visited this same market at night where there are a heap of foodstalls set up selling all sorts of Indonesian foods and one man selling what looked like a vegetarian pancake. He would star by slapping dough on a stainless steel bench until very thin then drop it in a big wok. After a brief cooking he would add an omelette mix and fold it about 5 times till crunchy then chop it up on a plate and serve. Despite the amount of Europeans eating there I wasn't game to try it. I was later told by a number of expats that they eat there all the time and have never been sick. Maybe next time.
At the end of my first week I moved into my home away from home Batu Jimbar Apartments and Studios. Its location was perfect. I had sent the owner Johan an email before leaving to book the room. It showed on the web at $280 US for the week which he reduced to $200 per week due to the length of stay.I had a studio which would have easily slept 2 adults and a child on the day lounge. It had a nice big fridge out the back and a 2 burner cooker with pots , pans and a draw full of utensils and glasses. Inside was furnished with some modern art and lamps , nice big cushions on the day bed/lounge. There was heaps of storage , including a 9 draw cupboard. The usual tired bathroom which was spotless and a table and chairs on the verandah. All set in beautiful grounds with ponds , a nice pool and one of those cabanas with a lounge and white curtains. The rest wont fit so I will repost