Wednesday 10 July
The day had finally come for the annual Rotary trip to Bali. The downside of the day for me was having to get up at 4 am to head to the airport for a 6.30 am flight to Perth. On this trip there were meant to be 12 of us travelling in total, 8 Rotarians and 4 family members. Unfortunately one of the group, Lyn, had to pull out of the trip the day before due to illness so that took the group down to 11. This did cause some difficulty for another in the group, Steve M, as both of their airline tickets from Perth to Bali with Garuda had been booked together and despite being clear that only 1 was to be cancelled they naturally cancelled both. Luckily Steve M was on the early morning flight to Perth which arrived at 8.35 am with me so had a few hours to be able to sort it out before his afternoon flight.
We currently have an exchange student from Belgium named Julien with our club who is not due to go home until 10 August so at the last minute he decided he would like to come along on the trip also. He flew into Bali the day before and stayed with Steve M's daughter overnight. They met us at the airport on arrival and took Julian and I over to the international terminal to check into our 10.30 am flight with Air Asia. Julien and I headed straight through immigration and after a very quick stop at duty free to grab a bottle of Jim Beam for me we were sitting in the departure lounge by about 9.30 am waiting for our flight to board. With ½ an hour to wait I decided it was 5 pm somewhere in the world and purchased and Jim Beam and coke to celebrate the start of what was to be a very quick trip back to my second home.
Our flight did not start boarding until about 10.15 am so departure ended up being delayed by about 15 mins. I had pre-booked a 2nd row window seat and Julien had left it up to the check in staff so we were not seated together. This was probably a good thing for me as he was so excited and I just wanted to relax and watch a couple of movies on my iPad and have a bit of a nap. The flight was uneventful and the pilots managed to make up time on the way over which meant we arrived in Bali 10 minutes earlier than scheduled which was great.
Another bonus on our arrival this time was that the plane was parked right at the terminal at an air bridge so there was no need to be bused to the terminal. I can't remember the last time I arrived on a plane that did not park away from the terminal and require a bus trip. Once off the plane I waited in the air bridge for Julien to catch up and then we made our way to VOA. The arrivals hall was not overly busy (another bonus on this arrival) and we managed to be 2nd in line for VOA. Our transition through immigration, grabbing our luggage, through customs and outside of the airport all ran just as smoothly and within half an hour we were outside looking for my friend and driver, Made, who was picking us up from the airport. It took about 10 minutes to find him amongst the throngs of other locals waiting to pick up travellers. We quickly made our way to the car park and were on our way. It was fantastic to see Julien's reactions to the traffic and sights along the way as this was his first time to Bali and he really had no idea what to expect.
We had 3 others, Rob K, Richard T and his daughter Bryony, arriving on a Virgin flight from Adelaide at 4.30 pm that we had initially intended to come back to pick up before making our way to Ubud but upon seeing Made's smaller car we quickly had to make other plans. Made contacted another friend who went to the airport with a sign to collect them at 4.30 pm. The only issue was that we had no way of telling them about the change of plans so it did take a little while for them to see the sign as they were looking for me. Oh well problem solved.
Before heading to Ubud Julien and I headed to Carrefore so that I could grab a few essentials as well as some new makeup that I had been planning to grab. As we were only going to be in Bali for 5 days and had a pretty jam packed schedule I didn't think there would be an opportunity to get back here. Julien was in heaven here. They have Carrefore in his home city in Belgium. He was so excited that they had Carrefore here and that the store layout was the same as it was back at home. It was so funny to watch how excited he was.
From Carrefore we headed to Sanur to get some money changed. I had some money from a previous trip but Julien needed to get some so it was a great chance to quickly show him where we would end our quick trip. Neither of us had eaten on the flight over so as it was now about 4 pm we decided to stop in at the Sanur night markets where there were a few food carts setting up and grab some great, cheap local food. We decided on a cart that sold mi ayam for a whopping Rp8 000 each. Julien loved being able to eat in this way and the food was fantastic. For dessert we grabbed 4 pisang goreng for Rp2 000. With both food carts we had to be sure there were no nuts or peanut oil used as Julien has an allergy. Prior to travelling I had managed to source a note in Balinese for him to give to wait staff etc at restaurants to ensure he was safe at all times. A couple of tweeks had to be made to it though as the only ones I could find was for a parent to use for their child not for an individual to use for themselves but as my eldest daughter speaks fluent Indonesian she was able to sort that out very quickly for us.
After we had finished our expensive feed we headed off on our way to Ubud to our hotels, Tegal Sari for me and Greenfields for Julien, and meet up with some more of the group who were already in Bali. Steve H, his wife Pauline and their adult daughter Katherine had arrived on Sunday and spent a few days in Sanur and Rob E and his wife Sandy had spent a couple of days at Kupu Kupu Barong in Ubud. They had all checked into Greenfields earlier in the day. The majority of the group was staying at Greenfields but Richard T, Bryony and I all opted for Tegal Sari as they had rooms with a queen and a single. Originally my eldest daughter was supposed to be travelling with us but had instead come to Bali in April with a friend.
A quick stop at a roadside stall to get a local sim card for my phone had me set up with vital phone contact for my husband and 2 daughters back home and internet access on the go. We finally arrived at the hotels at about 6 pm where we caught up with those already here and made arrangements to meet at the bar in Greenfields for a couple of pre dinner drinks. We were quickly checked into our rooms at our respective hotels and had a chance to have a quick settle in and a look around. I had Super Deluxe 33 at Tegal Sari which was fantastic. It is a lower level room that overlooks the rice fields just past the pool. I was very happy with my room and had plenty of space to myself to spread out and relax.
At about 7.00 pm I headed over to Greenfields to meet up with the rest of the group and see if Rob K, Richard T and Bryony had arrived yet to establish how we were looking for our pre arranged pick up at 7.15 pm for dinner at Laka Leke restaurant. I had emailed prior to travelling to book a table and arrange the pick up as with a large group I was not sure how restaurants would cope with us just walking in. They also had a Barong & Kris dance performance on a Wednesday night and as several in the group were first timers I thought it would be a good introduction into a bit of Balinese culture. It appeared that we were going to be cutting it fine so a quick request for reception to ring and have the pick up delayed until just before 8 pm solved that.
Rob K, Richard T and Bryony made it to the hotel just after 7 pm and had a chance to check in, refresh and meet up with the rest of us at the bar just before our pick up arrived. The pick up was right on time but due to the size of the group (10 people) had to do 2 trips to transport us to the restaurant which was not a problem. We arrived just after the dance performance started but as was previously arranged had great seating right next to the stage area.
Everyone enjoyed 2 courses (either entrée and main or main and dessert) and a few drinks while watching the performance and chatting. The service here was great and despite the size of the group all meals came out together without a problem. The total bill for all was only Rp 1.5 million (AUD $150 or AUD $15 per person) which was great value. The first timers loved seeing the dance performance and made sure to take plenty of photos during and after the show.
At about 10 pm we arranged for the free transportation back to the hotel where most of the group headed off to their rooms to relax and go to bed. Rob K and I decided to wander up to Delicious Onion at about 10.30 pm and wait for Steve M to arrive after his flight from Perth. On a previous year this had been a newly opened little bar with great bean bags to lounge around in while relaxing and enjoying a few quiet drinks. This year it was a very different story. It had become more of a hippy hang out where they had impromptu jam sessions with the guitar and bongo drums. Despite this Rob K and I settled in to have a drink while we waited for Steve M to arrive. We did feel very out of place though and some of the jamming did give us reason to have a quiet chuckle amongst ourselves. The service here however was very disappointing. After one bintang Rob K tried to order another one but was told they had none left. We contemplated what to do for about 5 minutes before I went up and spoke to one of the staff and requested that they go to the Circle K and buy more as we had another friend meeting us. About 10 minutes after this one of the staff finally hopped onto his motorbike and went off and got some. Just after 11 pm Steve M finally arrived and joined us. At 11.15 pm I attempted to order another drink only to be told they were closed and not serving anymore. 15 mins after this another group ordered more drinks and a sheesha and were served. By this time we had decided it was time to move on elsewhere as it was apparent they did not want to take our money.
At 11.45 pm we headed up the road a little to another bar we had visited on a previous trip called The Melting Pot. There were only a couple of other people here, one who was actually asleep in his stool at the bar, but we were welcomed and quickly served so settled in for a couple more drinks. I must say though that on the previous visit they had a selection of spirits and mix max etc on offer but this year it appeared it was only beer. Not great for a non beer drinker but I was happy to settle for bottled water anyway so it was not a problem. We finally made it back to our hotels and into our beds by about 1.30 am.
Thursday 11 July
Despite getting to bed so late after being on the go for almost 24 hours yesterday I was awake at 7.30 am and ready to start my first full day in Bali. A quick call to reception had breakfast ordered and on its way while I relaxed in bed soaking up the view. A short while later breakfast arrived so I moved out to the balcony to relax, eat breakfast and take it all in. For breakfast today I opted for poached eggs, chicken sausages, bacon, tomato, baked beans and toast with a fruit plate and fresh watermelon juice. It was so relaxing enjoying breakfast with peace and quiet and getting to take in the beautiful view in front of me.
After breakfast it was time to get showered and organised ready to head over to Greenfields to meet the rest of the group for our scheduled 9.45 am pick up. Today I had planned a day of sightseeing in and around Ubud. I had spent a few months researching prior to travelling for the perfect itinerary as I needed to accommodate for first timers, several who had been on previous years and I had taken to see some sights and then also for myself as this was my 11th trip and I wanted to explore some places I hadn't seen before.
We had 2 drivers booked for today, Made and Agus, who both arrived on time for our pick up and after a quick stop for money changers, drinks and petrol we were on our way to the first destination of the day. I had chosen Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple) as although I had been during my second visit to Bali it was raining very heavily and I didn't get to appreciate it properly and none of the rest of the group had been here. Initially it appeared like it was going to be a rerun of my first visit due to rain but it cleared for long enough that we were able to have a good look around and take in all of its beauty.
Entry fee here is Rp 15 000 per person and includes the use of a compulsory sarong and sash. We decided to use the services of a guide so that we could get all the information and understand what we were looking at and its meaning. The guide end up costing us only Rp 50 000 for the entire group which was great value considering his wealth of knowledge. We were here for about an hour all up but had a good look around at the temple and the surrounding landscape etc.
From here we headed off for a short drive to our next stop, Yeh Pulu. This was a site that none of us had been to before so it was a new experience for everyone. Once again entry fee here is also Rp 15 000 per person including the hire of a compulsory sarong and sash. We once again used the services of a guide which cost us Rp 125 000 for the entire group. While this is cheap per person we did not haggle the price at all and probably could have paid less but we were happy so it did not matter.
It was an easy, leisurely walk along the path to the location of the stone carved wall however as there was a light drizzle of rain some spots did prove quite slippery for those wearing thongs. I would recommend if you are planning on visiting here that you wear sneakers or walking shoes with good thread.
The guide was once again very informative and told us the full story of each carving in the wall. Without his knowledge we would not have had any idea of the story behind it so he was definitely worth the small price. There was a little, old lady who blessed each of us with a sprinkle of water for a small donation which was a bit of harmless fun.
By the time we finished here there were many rumbling tummies so it was time to head off for lunch at a restaurant I had found out about through Trip Advisor. I had not been here before but from what I had read it sounded perfect. We arrived at Kampung Café after about 30 minutes of driving and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is located at Tegallalang overlooking a beautiful valley. There are 2 stories with normal table seating on the street level floor and floor seating with low tables on the lower floor. The views here are to die for and we quickly noticed that they also have some accommodation available set on the sides of the valley which would be perfect for a few quiet days. We did not enquire about pricing so I can't help with that, sorry.
I had not booked ahead for our group as I was not 100% where we would end up so actually had 2 options available but I am so glad we did end up here. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and quickly had us seated and perusing the menus. The only problem was trying to decide what to eat. I ended up deciding on mie goreng followed by the most divine dessert, injin black pudding. I have only ever had black rice pudding once before and it was not a good introduction so had not ventured back since. I was so glad that I did chose to try it again. Even though this was not the traditional black rice pudding it was fantastic. I also enjoyed a couple of frozen cocktails with lunch which were yummy. Everyone in the group had 2 courses for lunch and a couple of drinks and the total bill only came to Rp 1.3 million so was good value for money.
After finishing lunch and a bit of relaxation and some pampering to one of the resident dogs here we headed off for our final stop of the day. I was really looking forward to this next stop and had purposely left it as the last stop of the day. It took about 30 minutes of driving again to reach our destination, Pura Tirta Empul. I had read about the purification ritual that locals partake in here and I was keen to do it myself and so were a couple of other members of the group. The entry fee here was also Rp 15 000 per person including the hire of a compulsory sarong and sash. Usually to be able to do the purification ritual you are required to hire a guide however because our driver Made was happy to do it himself and teach us how to do it we did not need to hire one. We did have to hire another sarong however for the purpose of wearing in the water which from memory was only Rp 2 000 each. There are lockers here and a basic, unisex change room available for getting changed into and out of clothes you wear into the water under your sarong. The locker hire was only Rp 5 000 each so as there were 5 of us, including Made, we hired 2 lockers for our dry clothing etc.
When we first got into the water it was freezing however we acclimatised reasonably quickly and followed Made's direction about what to do. There are 3 pools with a total of about 15 water spouts. You begin in the pool on the left hand side and work your way from left to right. At each water spout you splash water over your face and head 3 times or take 3 sips of the water which is said to be natural spring water. We weren't taking the risk though and went with the splash option. From this pool you move over to a smaller pool to the right which is apparently the pool for kids which has about 4 or 5 spouts and once again you work from left to right. You finally finish in the 3rd pool which is to the right of the kids pool however you skip the first water spout, do all of the others from left to right except the last one as this is apparently only for death and then return to the first spout to finish. In each of the pools the base is stones so it can be a little hard on your feet and can cause you to stumble a little. There were also a couple of really big fish in the pools that happily swim around you while you are in there.
The 4 of us who took part all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and talked about it for days afterwards. Those who chose not to do it said it was just as enjoyable watching us do it. It was quite a challenge in the change room trying to change into dry clothing as there is not an inch of dry floor throughout but we managed somehow. Don't expect a nice warm shower afterwards either because it is not available and the toilets are the traditional Indonesian squats. While this is not an issue for most it can sometimes be a bit daunting for first timers. We all put our original sarongs back on over our clothing, returned our wet sarongs and locker keys and met up with the rest of the group. To get to the car park there is a long winding path through market stalls that feels like you are going around in circles and are never going to get out. The stall owners here are not overly aggressive so it is not a problem and if you are not interested in what they have to offer a polite 'no thank you' is all that is required.
We arrived back to our hotels at about 4.30 pm and had a couple of hours to relax and do our own thing before meeting up again to head off for a dinner booking at Café Wayan at 7 pm. I headed back to my room and decided that a nice soak in the bath overlooking the rice fields was just what I needed. I set my iPad going with some music, got the duty free, mixer and a glass in easy arms reach and proceeded to soak away for a good hour or more.
Just before 7 pm I headed over the Greenfields to meet up with the rest of the group and then we utilised the hotel's free shuttle to take us to Café Wayan. Tonight we were meeting up with 7 Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Bali Sanur for dinner and to make final arrangements for the upcoming Distribution Day that was being held on Saturday in Bonthing.
Café Wayan is my favourite restaurant in Ubud and I love returning there for a meal every time I am in Bali. The service and staff are always fantastic and the food never disappoints. Our group was seated in a bale in the rear garden area which is absolutely beautiful, is in close proximity to the toilets and is perfect size to accommodate our large group.
I decided on nasi campur for dinner and also had 2 of their yummy cocktails throughout the evening. The nasi campur was delicious however there was a green vegetable mix that was way too hot for my tastes and had me blowing smoke out of my ears. The staff very quickly came rushing with a large glass of cold milk which did the trick to cool my mouth back down again. Once again it was a lovely evening at Café Wayan and despite our group being so large all of our meals came out at the same time and were superb. The total bill for 11 of us was Rp 2.3 million rupiah but was worth every cent.
We arrived back to our hotels at about 11 pm after a fantastic night with the members of the Sanur club. Steve M and Rob K were heading back to The Melting Pot for a couple of drinks and I had planned to meet them there after letting Julien use my iPad to try and log onto his email but by the time he was finished I was exhausted and opted to crawl into my nice comfortable bed at 11.30 pm instead.
Friday 12 July
After a great night's sleep I was awake at 7 am this morning and ready to take on the world. I rang reception and ordered breakfast and then proceeded to have a quick shower, get dressed and then potter around slowly packing as sadly today we were checking out. A short time later my breakfast of banana pancakes, fresh banana juice (I know I didn't think that one out too well) and a fresh fruit salad which contained more banana. A bit of an overload on banana but it was lovely anyway. Once again I sat out of the balcony overlooking the serenity of the rice paddies. I was going to miss waking up to this in the morning. Oh well I will just have to come back again next July (...)
As we had a long day of driving ahead of us as we were heading for Lovina I had arranged for our drivers to pick us up at 9 am today. Today we had 3 drivers as with 11 people and all of the luggage we needed the extra space so we had Made, Agus and Juni. I rang reception at about 8.30 am and they sent someone to assist with my luggage. I settled my small bill for my 2 breakfasts and checked out. One of the staff happily assisted me with my luggage across to the reception at Greenfields to meet up with the rest of the group ready for our departure.
All 3 drivers arrived on time and before long we were on our way with our first stop at Candi Kuning markets. I love stopping here as there are fantastic western toilets available and it is where I always purchase my pashminas and a few other items. It is also a good place to stock up on spices as they are so cheap. Funnily I received a text from one of the other members in one of the other cars about a minute before we pulled in here saying they needed a toilet stop very soon. We spent about 45 minutes wandering around the markets picking up a few bargains. I purchased 2 beautiful pashminas for Rp 150 000 from my usual stall in the rear, left hand corner. A couple of the other ladies also picked up some pashminas for themselves. While here I also grabbed Mark his usual presents that I bring him from Bali which is white and red tiger balm, silver clove and a large jar of eagle balm for a total of Rp 80 000. I know I spoil him but he is worth the whole $8.
A little down the road from the markets we pulled over to the side of the road and Made bought a large and a small packet of fresh strawberries for me which he got for Rp20 000. I get him to buy them as he gets them a lot cheaper than I could. We continued on with our journey until we reached Bedugal where we stopped for about 15 minutes and fed the monkeys peanuts and corn. Once again Made purchased the food for the monkeys as he gets it cheaper. I love stopping here and feeding the monkeys. Monkeys are one of my favourite animals and they are better behaved here than at the monkey forest in Ubud.
Once we finished here we headed off towards Munduk stopping at a good vantage point along the way to take photos of the Twin Lakes. Where we stopped they have a huge python, an eguana, a cameleon lizard and bats that you can hold and take photos with. The rest of the group dared me to have my photo taken with the python if they paid the Rp50 000. As I am not scared of snakes at all and we have pet lizards at home I was more than happy to oblige. The handlers placed the 30 kg python around my shoulders and then put the eguana on my head. The snake was so heavy I felt like I was sinking into the ground. The rest of the group got some great photos and had a good giggle as well. Once everyone had got the photos they wanted of the stunning view we all piled back in the cars and headed off again. Today I had not selected where to stop for lunch as I was not sure if we would go to Munduk or Git Git waterfall and wasn't really sure what was close by to either of these spots. Made suggested we stop at Ngiring Ngewedang restaurant for lunch. It was a steep climb up a narrow stair case from the car park to reach the restaurant. The views from the restaurant were fantastic unfortunately that was about where it ended. The service here was slow and the food was not great. We had to chase up one of the meals several times as it appeared they had forgotten it. I had satay chicken which thankfully came out on its own charcoal burner so I could cook the chicken to my liking. There were only 3 small pieces of chicken on each satay and the sauce was not the best. The total bill for all of us was Rp 1.3 million so not over the top but not great when the meals and service are not up to scratch. It was a disappointing choice for lunch but in the area there is not a great deal around either.
Upon finishing lunch and getting a few photos of the fantastic view we were back on the road for the short drive to Munduk Waterfall. This was somewhere I had been before so I happily stayed behind and sat with the drivers at the carpark while the others went for a walk down to the falls to have a look. About 10 minutes after they left I realised I had made a good choice as the heavens opened up and it poured down.
With everyone back in the cars a short time later we headed off on our way to Lovina and a stop at Air Panas (Hot Springs) at Banjar. This is one place I stop everytime I stay in Lovina. They are natural hot springs and have sulphur in the water which seems to do my skin a lot of good as I have psoriasis. When we arrived here it was raining again but that did not stop a few of us from going into the springs. There are 3 pools here. The top one is the hottest, the larger, middle pool is slightly cooler and the smaller pool to the side is the coolest of all. They each have water spouts which give you a good massage when you stand under them due to the pressure of the water. The rest of the group who did not go into the pools relaxed in the restaurant that overlooks the pools and enjoyed a refreshment while they waited for us to finish.
From here we headed into Lovina which is only a short drive away (about 15 mins) and finished our day's travel at Rambutan Cottages at about 4.30 pm. This was about my 4th stay here and this time I had booked out all 8 deluxe rooms for the group. The grounds at this hotel are really lush and green and there are 2 pools available for guests, 1 towards the front of the property and the other towards the back next to the restaurant and bar. We were quickly checked into our rooms and had a bit of time to ourselves before being picked up at 5.30 pm for our dinner booking. I was in deluxe room 1 which is just to the left behind reception and was spacious, clean and comfortable. I took some time to have a shower and wash my hair ready to go out for dinner before meeting a few of the others at the bar for our complimentary welcome drink. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to catch up with Richard and Tini this time as they were away in Denpasar.
At 5.30 pm we were met at reception for our scheduled dinner pick up. Through talking to Richard about restaurant recommendations a few months before travelling he had told me about a new restaurant called Spice Beach Club. I had a look at the reviews on TA and saw some fantastic photos so emailed them to arrange a pick up for pre dinner drinks followed by dinner. The cars were very new and clean and actually had DVD screens for playing movies. There was a movie playing but it is only a short 5 minute drive to Spice Beach Club so I couldn't even tell you what was on. When we arrived at Spice Beach Club I was very impressed. This new, Miami style bar restaurant is located right on the beach. There are a large number of sunlounges and umbrellas on the sand which would be great for spending a relaxing afternoon there. There are 2 pools that customers can use and they can even supply towels if you forget yours. There is a very large, open kitchen, a stylish round bar, a round DJ booth with resident DJ who plays club type music to create a good vibe, a dive shop, fashion clothing shop and ample elevated restaurant area that allows you a beautiful view over the ocean. The service here is outstanding, the food is very reasonably priced and very nice and there is a large selection of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, available. The drinks seem to be the main way they make money here however they are not over the top in pricing.
We took our place at our table and ordered some drinks and took the opportunity to enjoy the sunset and get some great photos. Unfortunately it was not the best sunset due to the cloud cover but at least there was a slight one. I had the nasi goreng seafood which was very yummy followed by a beautiful crème brulee. Throughout the evening I indulged in 3 cocktails which were all fantastic. We chose to have split bills here and mine came to a mere Rp465 000. I had gone here expecting to pay a lot more than this so was very happy with the prices. The staff are all extremely well trained and attentive to the customers. We had a chance to speak to one of the owners and found out that there are future plans for some upmarket accommodation here as well. I would love to see it when it is complete because it is definitely a touch of luxury.
When we had completed our meals we were transported back to the hotel where most of us headed to the bar for a couple more drinks before heading off to bed for an early night at about 11 pm because tomorrow was going to be a big day and was what this trip was all about, Distribution day. As we were here during Ramadan there was the distant sound of the muslim call to prayer but once I was in my room I did not hear a sound and had a great night's sleep. Some of the others apparently weren't quite so lucky.