Selamat Malam Bali

It's my last day in Bali. 

I had a quiet breakfast at Petitenget, read the paper and enjoyed the bustle of the morning traffic. They make great coffee there, apparently locally sourced from the hills of Mt Kintamani. 

I met up with a few of the crew and taxied into Kuta to visit Anton, a shoemaker who had made some great shoes for a friend on my last visit. He took measurements of our feet and collected the pictures of what we wanted. We paid half as deposit and will wait to see how they turn out on Friday (well, M will pick them up and let me know the verdict). Anton is friendly and a pleasure to deal with. 

From there we caught a taxi a little way up Jalan Legian, and then shopped all the way back to the villas. We didn't buy much, but it was fun to look. 

It was another hot, blue day and the afternoon called for relaxing in the pool. 

I left the villa a little earlier to go to the airport via Kuta, to buy a watch we'd seen the day before. Traffic and wandering people made for slow going, but I found what I needed and was at the airport 15 minutes later. 

The airport is new, but unfinished. It's a huge step up from the original, and will be nice when completed. They've employed a good balance between modern and traditional architecture. 

Unfortunately my flight was cancelled due to an ill crew member, so I was transferred to a Jetstar flight via Sydney. This wouldn't have been so bad except that the Jetstar flight was 2.5 hours late arriving in Denpasar. Luckily I don't have to work or any place to be tomorrow, so can be relaxed about it. 

I was given a pass to the Premier Lounge, but it has limited facilities, and I assume that the permanent one is under construction. 

I really enjoyed my trip to Bali. The locals are friendly and helpful and very pleased that we bring our tourists dollars to Indonesia. The restaurants were all excellent, from service to food to cocktails and wine. 

A Shopping Day

This morning we met for breakfast at Petitenget, a French cafe just a block from our accommodation, with air conditioning! Breakfast and coffee were excellent. 

Dom and I caught a taxi down to Kuta to check out a few shops that we remembered from last visit, and then walked and cabbed intermittently along the main street, checking out interesting shops and stalls. 

We found Anton the shoe maker, who crafted great shoes for my friend D last trip. 

There were many more shops to look at but it was very hot, and beer and a cool pool were calling, so we headed home to hang out with the others. 

The staff at Ku De Ta were very agreeable and gave us a beach front table to enjoy the tunes and sunset. 

The food at Ku De Ta has been excellent this trip; both the fine dinner that Dom and I had the first night in the restaurant and then the grazing menu tonight that we shared. 

Day trip to Ubud

Today we journeyed to Ubud. Six of the 12 made the trip, in a minibus organised by Leepy, who has connections here in Bali. 

The drive took an hour and a half on the way up and an hour home again, through villages and flower and rice fields, with large mountains looming through the haze in the distance. We passed communities of artists, sculptors, roof tile makers, farmers. 

We arrived before the shops were fully open so stopped for breakfast at one of the restaurants. The market near the palace has been completely rebuilt in the two years since I was here last, and it seems a shame to me. Previously it was a warren of stalls in darkened (cool) doorways, and now it is a series of two story buildings, with stalls in and around. 

We wandered down the street, in and out of the shops, over the crooked pavement, pausing for refreshment at the restaurants with rice paddies in their back yards. 

At lunch we tried nasi campur, Babi guling (pork), calamari and some excellent chicken satays, all washed down with cold bintangs. Food is definitely not expensive in Bali unless you eat at the elite restaurants. Even then it is reasonable by Aussie standards. 

We passed the monkey forest without going in, and up past the slightly groovier shops, including my favourite handbag stop 'Sisi'. They sell beautiful full-grain leather handbags for around AUD70, as well as fine silver jewellery and lovely cotton tote bags. 

I really enjoy looking at the traditional architecture of the buildings in Ubud. The doors, gates and gables are ornate. 

We had been told about Mama San, a cool restaurant/bar by one of our colleagues, and so set out by taxi to have a look. The taxi drivers so far have been amiable and helpful. It's only a couple of dollars each trip as our villas are quite central in the restaurant and shopping scene. 

We were the only ones in Mama San, perhaps as it was early on a Monday night. We sat upstairs in the bar in leather armchairs and chatted to the bar staff. 

Dinner was ribs at Naughty Nuri's, with martinis shaken with ceremony by the lovely staff. 

Eating in Seminyak

At the suggestion of Mandy's friends who are frequent Bali visitors, we tried a few new eateries today including the famous La Lucciola and Potato Head. 

La Lucciola is an open two story restaurant very close to our villas, and next door to the Pura Maceti at Petitenget. They serve a wide variety of breakfasts, all tasty, excellent coffee and refreshing juices. Great view of the ocean. 

Potato Head is similar to Ku De Ta, but newer and more relaxed. Where Ku De Ta is black, chic and cool, Potato Head is white, retro and funky. 

It has a large swimming pool and a fresh-cut grassy hill for lounging. 

We had made a reservation (there were 12 of us) at Chandi, one of the girls' favorite restaurants and were treated to an excellent dinner of Indonesian fusion and inspirationally designed cocktails. The staff were wonderful, and happy to look after all our needs. 

After my previous trips to Bali where we stayed a long drive from Seminyak, it's been lovely to be able to walk or catch a $3 taxi ride to the restaurants and shops. This is definitely the place to be. 

Both our villas (Cicada) and the ones up the lane where the rest of the party are staying (Sentosa), are luxurious, comfortable and spacious.  

Bali Getaway

Today we're departing for Bali; Denpasar, Indonesia. It's a short holiday to celebrate my dear cousin's 30th birthday with her friends. 

We're flying with Virgin Australia on a B737, a 6.5 hour flight. I've come to really enjoy daytime flying. I find it less tiring and more interesting than night flying, and no longer mind missing out on a day/half day of holidays to do it. The view of the Australian earth crossing Queensland and the Northern Territory is quite awesome. 

We had no problems checking in or getting through immigration. We were given an express pass (note to people following: you need one pass per traveller!) by the check in staff, but the normal line was just as fast this morning. 

We organised our duty free, including the pick-up-on-return and our airport staff discount (10%), and enjoyed the convenience of the Air New Zealand lounge. We've been Virgin lounge members for years now but you can't access the international lounges unless your are a gold or higher frequent flyer. I made it to gold this year and love the priority check in and boarding lanes. 

We departed on time in beautiful weather. The flight was smooth and on time until a little late vectoring by air traffic control! We were bussed from the aircraft to the new, unfinished terminal, where we paid USD25 for our 'Visa on Arrival'. When we first visited you had to have the US cash, but now they accept other currencies. Quick trip through immigration, and out to hundreds of people holding hand-written and printed signs, waiting for people. We found our man, Agun, and went out into the Balinese afternoon. 

The trip to Seminyak took 25 minutes through steady traffic. There have been a few improvements to the road system since last I was here, but they're still masters of fitting way more vehicles side by side than there are lanes. 

I am so pleased to be back in this fabulous place. It's such a mixture of old and new, traditional family life and tourism, poor and luxe. The constant is the lovely Balinese people. 

Our accommodation is fabulous! A one bedroom villa at Cicada in Seminyak, tucked away down a quiet lane. We have a private courtyard with plunge pool, lounge, dining and kitchenette, bedroom, outdoor shower and bath. Breakfast each day and even a massage is included in the USD200 per night rate. 

We had a refreshing swim and then headed out on foot to a bar/restaurant we liked last visit - Ku De Ta. It's such a treat to be able to walk to the beach and the restaurants. Seminyak is definitely the best place to be based. 

The sun set into the Indian Ocean as we enjoyed a superb dinner with great service. So nice to be back. Fireworks lit our way back down the beach to home.