Day 1:
Left Sunny Coast 6am, about 8 degrees.
Flight - virgin, good. Forgot it's full service and checked bags included. Oh well, that means 40kgs each to bring home!
Arrival in bali too expedient... OMG, thru VOA and immigrazi in less than one minute. Had to wait 30 mins for luggage to come thru - at least we beat the porters.
Suck in that sun, 30-degree heat and bali aroma; honey I'm home :)
Tfr to ubud uneventful. Checked into Motama Villas. Issued w mobile - call 1 for driver, butler, concierge (driver who took us anywhere in the area no charge and pick up too); call 2 for room service. We had an early start next day, so ordered in - 1st nasi goreng of many. BT's already inhaled at airport as we waited for the driver to bring car around. Quick swim in our private pool overlooking the rice padi's (ahhhhhh, I could get used to this), before off to bed early for 3am pick up.
Day2:
So a bigger then king-size 4-poster bed overlooking the pool, rice padi's etc didn't help me sleep... Too excited! Not so excited at 2.30 when the alarm went off. Drive to Batur about 1 hr. Guide, torches, food and water sorted within 2 mins of arriving - we're off on our sunrise trek up Mt Batur :) I had been looking forward to this: every time we come to the Island of the Gods we like to do something 'new' and this is it for this trip.
I cannot recommend this highly enough! Where else could you go stumbling up an active volcano in the middle of the night (for $50 US) other than Bali?? First 45 mins or so very easy going, then the work begins. Marvellous guide practically held my hand the whole way up whilst his daughter (10 years old and carrying a backpack with about 10kgs of soft drinks to sell), talked hubby's ear off the whole way - you know the drill: where you from, what you name, how old you are, how many babies you have etc etc. Sucked hubby in hook line and sinker - not only did he carry her bag for her most of the way, he bought all of the drinks from her for an exorbitant sum - he doesn't even drink soft drinks! Tourist trap #97...
We were blessed with a beautiful clear day meaning excellent visibility. Got to top and took in spectacular sunrise whilst sipping Kopi - very cold up there - and snapping more pics than a Jap tourist. Kintamani dogs came to say hello and some random monkeys. Guide asks if we want to do the walk around the caldera and down the back way, thru lava flows - yes please... Didn't realise it added 3 hours to the trek, but well worth the endeavour. Bumped into Michael Klim and his beautiful Balinese family at the hot springs. How random... I was a little bit star struck, he is a very handsome man!
Guide again held my hand practically the whole way down (tip him well Darling!) and when we safely arrived down the bottom I grace-lessly and heavily fell over.
On way back to villa I mused that I would love a coffee. Driver pipes up - I take you! Expecting a coffee shop we were pleasantly surprised to be given a tour of a coffee plantation. Sampled (all free) a dozen different coffees and teas and had a cat-poo-chino. Yes, the stuff that cat-like animal eats and excretes (wow, we were even lucky enough to witness a complete demonstration!!). Still can't fathom why people pay an arm and a leg for the stuff (or $3 in Bali) - tastes like an espresso to me... Fun experience, tho.
The day before I had mentioned to Gundeck, the villa owner that I was looking forward to Baba Gulung. When we arrived back at the villa I thought we'd missed our chance for lunch (given the 3 hours we added to the trek), however Gundeck despatched his team pronto, and without us asking and had beautiful suckling pig served to our villa within 10 mins of arriving home. This man is worth his weight in gold!
After lunch hubby had a wee nervous breakdown. Where to watch SoO? A quick query on btf and we called our driver to take us to Lobong cafe. Upon arrival no SoO (no sentanta network, only AFL) but noticed big screens at L.O.L across the road. Got hubby over there before he went postal - State Pride was, after all, at stake. Phew, 15 mins before kick off. Plenty of time for me to hit a few frock shops. Anyway, game and atmosphere was great and the right team won. Hubby (a cockroach) didn't talk to me whole way home :))))) lol at L.O.L
Is God punishing me for lol'ing at hubby - my knee is sore...