Day 14/15 - Final
I woke up early this morning. After feeling a little rough last night, I did feel back to normal, thankfully. It's my last day in Bali today. I'm really not ready to go home. Not yet. Another week would be bliss, but I can't afford it. And I miss my animals even though I know they are safe & happy. And I miss my own bed. I always miss my bed.
I showered & dressed in a knee length kaftan in shades of blue. It's overcast this morning. At breakfast I felt a few drops of rain but rain didn't fall beyond those few drops.
I've had fruit every single day with breakfast. Water melon, papaya, pineapple, sometimes dragon fruit or banana, with some lime to squeeze over it. So succulent & fresh. I rarely eat fruit at home. I sometimes buy berries. It's on bin night when I inspect the contents of my fridge & turf out the punnet with green/grey fuzzy hats on each berry that I remember I bought them but forgot to eat them. Again.
The cleaning fairies had been in my room already. My bed was freshly made, the floors mopped & the ‘I'm sure I was once white' towels replaced. Clean - yes. White - no.
Stupidly I'd completely forgotten to get my laundry done yesterday & I had worn my travelling clothes the other day. I researched the Bali forums looking for express laundry recommendations. Bintang laundry looks promising - they have a 3 hours express service & they collect & deliver. I sorted my laundry, took a photo of it & packed it into a large bag. The bag included a clean tank top that still had the stain from the Thai food I d dropped on it & had laundered.
I took the bag of dirty laundry to reception & asked the receptionist to ring Bintang for me, which she happily did. It was nearly 10am.
I went back to my room, relaxing on the bed. I vetoed another swim. I didn't want wet bathers in my luggage. I remembered to bring them inside from the bamboo towel rack on my veranda. I didn't pack properly, I'll wait until my clothes come back from the laundry. I wrote instead.
I went up to tables by the pool. I was going to order something from the restaurant for lunch, but no one was around. I jumped online looking for the best pizza in Sanur. The Hyatt Regency scores highly but I've already eaten there & had their yummy pizza. The Village scored well too but I mentally crossed them off the list after yesterday. Warung Papa Pizza was also high on the list. So I used the food part of the Gojeck app as I can pay COD. I ordered their Ayam Betutu (spicy chicken) pizza recommended by many. It came in about 30mins & I was at reception checking to see if my laundry was back, which it wasn't. I'd class the pizza as a medium size. The box was tied with rattan like a gift. I had a Coke Zero in the bar fridge in my room. The pizza was very nice but only warm. It was spicy but not chilli hot. Good call.
I had just disposed of the pizza box in the rubbish when my phone rang to say my laundry was here. I took my purse with me. The delivery boy did not have change so reception broke a Rp100,000 note for me. 5kg of laundry for Rp125,000. The same price per kg as the other laundry except express, rather than next day. So cheap. It was unfortunate I needed to break into the plastic bag & go through the neatly folded items to find the top & leggings I'd plan to wear on the plane.
Now I could pack in earnest. I'd brought a small overnight bag in my suitcase, which I used to carry everything I needed to declare at customs at home, plus my hairdryer & electronics. I had room in my overnight bag for a light jumper & jacket. I was able to pack the fresh laundry into 2 packing cubes I'd purchased from Temu before the trip.
I sat at the dressing table & trimmed the length of my coconut broom to accommodate my suitcase, then wrapped it up in cling wrap for the trip home.
I had one last shower & put the last of my toiletries in the bag. Another check of all the cupboards & drawers. Then the bar fridge - another can of Coke Zero & some medication. All set. I laced my hot pink luggage straps around the suitcase & the cabin bag. My laptop bag & new overnight bag slipped over the extended handles of my luggage on wheels.
I went up to the reception at Puri Sading Hotel & paid for my accommodation. There is more than one reason this is my 5th consecutive stay here. $66 per night for a clean comfortable room, awesome AC & a cooked breakfast is terrific value in my opinion. I love this hotel. The building of the new restaurant had minimal impact on my stay. I had not stayed in any of the rooms before down the back of the property. It was a quiet spot. From my door I could see the pool at the end of the paved path. The stairs to the rooms on the upper floor of the rear building ran outside between my room & next door. Beneath it was a pond with a few fish, some water fountains & a home to a very loud frog. Either side were small manicured lawns with tropical plants & small trees. Beside the pool the sun lounges are a bit tired but still functional & well used by hotel guests. Tables & chairs were set up between the pool & the front entrance as an interim restaurant, with shade cloth overhead.
The fabulous staff are a credit to the hotel. They greet you by name, always with a smile & more than happy to accomodate your requests if possible.
Everything was packed & ready to go in my room. I left a tip for the staff on the dressing table under a coaster. I got a message from Wayan that she was out in the driveway waiting for me. I rang reception & asked for assistance with my luggage. They carried it out to Wayan's van. A thank you for staying with us & please come back again & I was waved off as we reversed into the busy Main Street.
The hotel is equidistant between The Village & The Wicked Parrot across the road, RiB plus Mona Lisa are very close to the left & Warung Pregina & The Porch to the right. Very convenient.
Wayan & I chatted non stop on the way to the airport. I told her I'd had my laundry done express. How much? Rp125,000. What!? So expensive! I'd have paid way more. But it's so cheap in Denpasar - only Rp9000 per kg. I researched Sanur, not Denpasar.
She paid me the biggest compliment. You feel like family, like a sister because we can talk about anything (she knows I won't judge or think she's stupid). I can't talk to other customers like that. But I'm still going to have to charge you! She laughed.
On reflection, there has been no taboos about our topics of conversations. A lot of laughter. A lot of cultural comparisons. Mostly like-minded.
Farewell my friend, until next time!
I pushed my laden trolley uphill into the airport proper. I was a bit puffed by the time I reached the top. There is a step-less elevator up the slope too but no trolleys allowed. Is that for safety reasons or to help out the airport porters?
I queued briefly at the X-ray scanning machines after showing my passport to staff on the door. My big suitcase was awkward to get off the trolley & onto the moving thingy. My stick & handbag were thrown into the mix too.
At the other end, a man helped put my suitcases back on to my trolley. Thank you! Careful Ma'am. I wheeled it into the busy check-in area. I check the departures board which was full. Garuda check-in was at counter A.
There was no queue for business class, but people were at the counter so si had to wait. Economy class was already 3 lines deep in the corrals.
When my turn came, I checked in my suitcase & cabin bag. Their combined weight was 29kg.
I was directed to some seating which was full to wait for my wheelchair. When one came, I had to sign a disclaimer form (I didn't have to in Melbourne). I hoped the slim staff wheelchair pusher had some decent muscles under his shirt because it looks like I can't sue if he injures me. I'd be more worried about me injuring him if I were the airline. I'm not a lightweight.
I got the rockstar treatment. Queue jumping, pusher put my hand luggage on X-ray machine including my stick for me. I got a pat down sitting down in the chair & my stick went AWOL & took a few minutes to locate & we were off again going to an empty customs booth for flight crew, whilst the masses amassed in my dust!
Once through customs, we took a back corridor that came out in the food court area. We went over to the lifts on the other side & went up one floor to all the airport lounges.
We went to the business class lounge for a long list of airlines. First class was closed & roped off & the pusher pushed me right, into the business class lounge & left me at a seat near the buffet, saying he would return at 9:15pm.
I moved over to the tables & chairs & left my computer bag & overnight bag on one of the chairs & walked over to the drinks counter. Bottled water stood on the counter & 3 drink dispensers had cold water, iced tea & watermelon juice. I poured half a glass of iced tea, tasted it & topped it off with water to dilute its sweetness. I left it on the table as I passed & walked around to peruse what was on offer. Some fruit, tiny danish & mini muffins were on display. Around the corner stood a glass fronted fridge with cans of sprite, coke & bottles of Coke Zero or water. I took a Coke Zero & took it back to the table. I saw someone drinking a beer so I asked a hostess if they served alcohol. Yes. She took me over to a small bar area where they had beer, ginger beer & two types of Two Islands red wine. No white wine or bubbles. Disappointed, I returned to the buffet to check under the closhes. I was hungry as I'd not had any dinner. There was one dish with meat I didn't open. Cap Cay - I took a small spoonful onto my plate. Rice, yes & added a spoonful. Teriyaki Chicken. Yes please. I fossicked around in the dish with the spoon & took the pieces that looked like the white breast meat & spooned on the thin sauce, found some cutlery & returned to my seat. There was a staff member in chef whites cooking up 3 types of pasta on demand in one of the smallest frypans imaginable. I didn't feel like pasta. There was also soup on offer but I don't recall the type. Some small bread rolls were also in the vicinity. The chicken was ok, quite edible but the cap cay was bland & tepid. I went back to the buffet to check if I missed anything. 2 points of a sandwich. No thanks. I took a mini chocolate chip muffin. It became evident after peeling off the patty pan paper that the cake was green inside - from pandan. It tasted ok but was a bit dense. So my review of the business class lounge is very meh. Tolerable but forgettable. I sat there writing, hoping to publish a day's blog before boarding.
At 2115 I sat in a chair opposite reception & the pusher returned with the chair after another 10 minutes. Down the lift & onwards to departure gate 19 I think, which was quite close.
There was another wheelchair bound passenger in front of me with a Velcro leg brace on her leg. My pusher asked if I could manage the escalator down to the next level. Yep, no worries. A hostess wanted to hang onto me to escort me down the escalator. No thanks, I'm fine. The escalator was moving a bit faster than I was comfortable with, but I took a leap of faith & didn't fall A over T as I expected. The pusher was standing a few steps behind me with the folded wheelchair, seconds from setting it up again for me to sit in it. A short corridor later & we were on the walkway to the plane. Business class & economy class had separate corridors & doorways into the plane.
I was wheeled to the plane door, greeted by a couple of air hostesses with 60s style French buns, immaculate make-up, tight floor length sarongs with short matching jackets. They immediately relieved me of my hand luggage & placed both in the overhead locker above my seat. I was pleased to see the same 1-2-1 seat configuration as flying over had been. I was handed a dark red blanket & the seat belt extender I'd requested. I could get the belt done up but it was too tight & would get uncomfortable. My glass of champagne & a rolled hot towel arrived shortly thereafter. It was another 10 minutes before other passengers boarded.
As we taxied down the runway, the lights along Jimbaran Bay came into view & the enormous statue of GWK stood lit up spectacularly on the hill. The runway was bumpy as we accelerated down it for lift off. Were up! I have a wonderful birds eye view of the island coastline as my angled seat gives me 2 windows to look out from. Lights twinkled, the toll bridge to Nusa Dua easily identified below. As we climbed, lit fishing vessels could be seen bobbing in the sea. Some turbulence as we navigated through cloud then all below disappeared from view. It was all blackness.
The hostess squatted next to my seat to ask what I would like for dinner & of the three dishes on offer I picked the chicken with peppercorn sauce. Drink? Apple juice please. The lights dimmed & I snuggled under the blanket & lowered the seat to not quite flat. I waited for about 1/2 hour for my meal but it didn't eventuate so I dozed off. I lay on my side & dozed off into a proper sleep. The seat was so comfy - padded & upholstered from head to toe all in one. During the flight the seat belt sign was turned on a number of times due to turbulence. At some stage the hostess must have pulled down the shades over the windows. I didn't see her do it.
It felt like we'd been in the air for about 1.5hrs when I woke up as the lights came on. A customs declaration card was on top of the folded table. I turned on the entertainment monitor to the flight details & saw we were 30mins from landing. I filled it out declaring wood & food. The hostess asked if I was ready for breakfast? Yes please, especially since I'd missed out on my dinner meal.
I was served 3 slices of fruit with a few blueberries. There was also a bowl with 2 small dinner rolls. They were warm - one brown, one white. I ate them both. A bit measly for breakfast, I thought.
The hostess took my plate away & returned with another. My chicken! It was a bit dry but still quite nice for 4:30am. The veggies with it were nice too.
10 minutes before landing I went to the toilet & nearly shrieked at the state of my hair. The right side was sitting forward & the left sticking up in a few unnatural angles. Good grief! I looked deranged! It wouldn't sit down so I pretended it never happened & I looked gorgeous, not like an escapee in a horror film.
We landed at 5:15am. We had to wait for an announcement over the PA before leaving our seats. It was about the prevalence of foot & mouth disease in livestock in Bali & all passengers must walk through a disinfectant mat after disembarking & declare dirty shoes if they have been out in the countryside or on contact with farm animals.
I waited until business class had emptied, got my bags from the overhead locker & put my jacket on. A hostess came over to carry my bags & a man was waiting with a wheelchair.
He wheeled me through the corridors, avoiding the oblivious passengers walking with eyes glued to their phones, those rummaging through their bags without paying attention to where they're going & parents distracted by tired children. Quite the hazards.
We bypassed the disinfection mat.
We passed the queues for the self serve exits through customs & took the diplomat line, which was empty.
My passport was checked & I was allowed back into the country.
We took the lift down to the luggage carousels. I was first there! My pusher went to get a luggage trolley & I spotted my cabin bag on the carousel already! By the time he returned it was almost upon us, followed shortly by my suitcase! Wow! I have never been from plane to border security in such record time! Like I said, rock star, baby!
I showed my declaration form to staff & got sent down the red aisle 2. My pusher was pushing the trolley, not me. I was trying to keep up with him behind. There was no one in the queue. Awesome! The staff that looked at my card again asked what I was declaring. I listed the wooden items, my coconut broom, the satay sauce blocks & the packets of nuts. He waved me through the exit without further ado. Woohoo! Double awesomeness!
My pusher wheeled the trolley to the exit door of the airport & handed it over to me, his work now done. Thanks. You're welcome. Am I supposed to tip? I haven't got any Aussie cash on me.
I stepped outside. Brrr! It was still dark & I pushed the trolley with difficulty over those yellow raised metal dots at either end of the crossing, towards the outside parking transport shuttle buses. I
rang the car park & they reported that the shuttle was on its way.
There were plenty of buses coming & going. I walked down the platform to a seat & perched on the end of it. It was metal & cold. The shuttle driver came & found me, already having 2 people in the bus waiting. It only took 5 mins to get back to the car park. It was tricky keeping my cabin bag upright with my laptop bag pulling it to one side now they were under my control.
I collected my car keys, found my car up the end of a row, loaded up the boot, took off & took the on ramp onto the freeway into the city & only struck heavy traffic turning off to join the South Eastern Freeway via the Burnley Tunnel.
I was parking in the street in front of my sister's house 30 mins later.
I couldn't sleep during the day so spent the night & set off home after collecting my cat, arriving 5 hours later (the same amount of time it took to fly home from Bali).
Hello to the big skies, the wide open paddocks & the wheat silos. Home.
Thanks for travelling with me & reading. Until we meet again....
Ciao for now,
Bagusbabe.
PS: My friend said the Kopi Lawar was delicate, smooth & delicious. 😊 ☕️