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Published: March 22nd 2010
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Our Last Stay of the M.P. - Back to Basics on the Beach
In the morning we moved locations, to the final stay of the M.P. I could not believe it had arrived. We moved to the Westin Nusa Dua, for our last stay on Starwood points. Nusa Dua contains a collection of four and five star resorts with incredible looking security. We had to pass through a checkpoint to enter the hotel complex. We passed another security checkpoint to enter the Westin. And, remarkably different from every other hotel we have stayed at; we needed to walk through a metal detector to enter the lobby. It did not make the arrival feel as relaxed and welcoming and, frankly, it did not make us interested in leaving much either. The area the hotel was in is very sanitized and spread out. It felt more like a McMansion development in the O.C. than a resort town. It was not important to us, though, we just wanted to veg for our last few days.
All things considered, our month in Bali was a steal, costing next to nothing, despite fourteen nights at fancy hotels. Before leaving Legian, we stopped
Our Super Sized Bed
We have never had a bed this big before. We totally could have fit a third person in the middle. at the supermarket for provisions for the stay at the remote western hotel - cereal and milk, ramen noodle, water, and snacks. We arrived and found out the next best thing to free nights - free food. As a last benefit from Eric’s Platinum status, we were invited to enjoy the benefits of the Royal Beach Club - free breakfast, a free light lunch, and happy hour with snacks. We were in hog heaven, particularly when I learned about all I could drink mango juice and fresh fruit crepes for breakfast.
Our mornings were spent on the beach, although not in the water. I first noticed the amazing amount of seaweed and other debris mixed with a bit of garbage. Then, I noticed the jelly fish. Eric and I made our way into the water and as Eric was in the water up to his knees I noticed the tiny clear jellyfish in the water and on the sand and we quickly exited out. I realized that one of the reasons the Aussies must enjoy Bali is because of the inhospitable nature of the beach environment, similar to the inhospitable nature in Australia. Sanur was one of the better
water environments, Tanah Lot had huge waves and under current with the waves crashing on a black rock beach, Legian had massive waves made for surfers and not for bathers, so I was excited for Nusa Dua, which supposedly had no waves, something like we experienced in Morro de Sao Paulo in Brazil or the Perhenthians in Malaysia. The jelly fish were unfortunate. We still enjoyed lounging on the beach, but stayed away from the water.
Each day, after our free lunch, we hung by the pool, which was one of the largest, deepest, and hottest pools we saw. Often we joked about bringing our soap and shampoo to the pool because it was warmer than the shower. After taking a dip in the pool, it was off to the gym, then our happy hour, which generally served as dinner. We managed to spend very little money at the hotel, other than a sushi dinner one night. We figured we would splurge on dinner our last night in Bali and were deciding whether to eat at the hotel or whether to venture out. We had very little Indonesian money left, and chose the hotel option. It was a good
Indonesian Buffet
With sate and GIANT prawns choice.
Chef Wan
Thank goodness for the executive lounge. During our last night in Bali, as we reflected on our 14 months of travel, we were drowning our sorrows in a few Bintang beers in the lounge. A rather eccentric individual enters the lounge, chatting with some of the servers and heads to the computer area in the back. Eric and I look at him, and the immediately at each other and think - is that the chef from the Anthony Bourdain “No Reservations” Kuala Lumpur? Check out the episode in question.
I immediately did a Google search and then some google images searches and we determine it was Chef Wan, Asian celebrity chef. Eric walked over to introduce himself and I was hot on his heels. We were the only ones in the lounge who recognized him (considering the rest of the crowd was Aussie). Chef Wan was, as always, excitable. I don’t know that I have ever met anyone who speaks as fast as him, which, according to his stories was a problem when filming No Reservations and when he was asked to be on Oprah. We talked briefly about travel, food, Malaysian cuisine, and his upcoming shows. We were thrilled. He even invited us to stay with him next time we are in KL. It does not take much for us to be excited, but yet, how could you not be excited when you talk to a chef who is that energized about his life. Currently, he has a show on the Asian Food Channel, and is in Bali filming for a show that he hopes will end up on PBS. Good luck to Chef Wan.
As we finished our cocktails, we were excited because Chef Wan told us he would send a copy of his free miniature cookbook to our room. Out of nowhere, Chef Wan breezes back into the lounge with a stack of small cookbooks for us, three in English and two in Malay. He promised to send us the English translation of the Malay cookbooks (because, by this point, we are already Facebook friends). All of the cookbooks are signed by him. Chef Wan also showed us a copy of Hello magazine and a Malay magazine highlighting the photos of his daughter’s recent marriage. She is an actress in Malaysia. The pictures showed Dancing With Chef Wan
Maybe I will be on his TV show quite the UN melting pot of families - Chef Wan’s mother was from China and his father’s family was from Java and Sumatra. He former wife’s family was from Pakistan and Kuwait. His daughter was marrying someone from London and there were some Texans at the wedding. It was amazing.
After, Chef Wan headed for dinner with the General Manager of the hotel, and we made our way to the Indonesian buffet dinner, looking over the beach. We splurged for our last meal, and thank goodness because not only did we feast on giant prawns, but we had the opportunity to listen to wonderfully melodic Balinese music. Dancers performed with their amazing wrist action demonstrating the daintiness and graceful nature of the Balinese dance. We also were sat a few tables away from Chef Wan and the Westin management staff. During my first return from the buffet table, Chef Wan raised his hands in the air and waved to me to get my attention. He was just telling management about meeting the two Americans in the lounge, who recognized him from TV in the US. I felt like I had a new best friend. We continuously chatted over the
next hour or so, and eventually, I was invited with one of the Balinese dancers on the stage. Then, Chef Wan was up on stage with me, with camera crew rolling. Who knows, I may be in a Chef Wan TV show on the Asian Food Channel, and possibly on PBS. Keep an eye out.
In the end, Eric and I shared our view on the evening with the Chef and the Westin management. We were not looking forward to our last night on the M.P. After just about 14 months of traveling, we expected to spend our last night hitting the free buffet at the hotel and calling it a night, while I cried in my complimentary gin fizz. We were okay with heading home at this point. It was about time and it has just been an emotional roller coaster of a trip, with so many varied experiences. We were expecting a depressing last evening, but there was no way that anyone who spends more than 60 seconds with Chef Wan can be depressed. He made our last evening on the M.P. not only bearable, but truly enjoyable.
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izzy
non-member comment
awesome
what a nice experiences. i am so excited when reading the text especially about chef wan! awesome=)