Blogs from Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Asia
February 13th 2012
Today was a rather relaxing day. In the morning we had a swim and a laze around the pool for couple of hours before lunch. We then went for a walk along the beach boardwalk, really a paved path, towards Kuta. This was a really nice walk and surprisingly we were not hassled by vendors. There were a few, but a shake of the head and they accepted it quite well. Our intention was to get a massage and we went to place called Melasti Spa. We had a one hour massage which they called a Melasti massage, a combination of Balinese, Swedish and Shiatsu techniques. How can someone so small inflict such pain? The massage was great and we will be going back there again. It only cost Rp115,000 or about $12. Such good value. ... read more
Bali - Gods may live in Himalayas, but they vacation in Bali!
Published: December 26th 2011Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Nusa Dua
December 26th 2011
We had 6:20am flight from Phuket to Bali. Having got only 3 hour sleep the previous night, we slept throughout 4 hour flight to Bali. Arrival and check in was smooth. We took it easy that day by exploring the Kuta and Legion area. These areas are known for good restaurants, bars. We had dinner at Poppies restaurant. It was a garden restaurant and has been running for the last three decades. We ordered their Rice table. It was a Balinese sampler that included 12 different types of curries, chicken and fish satay, fried rice, plain rice and desserts. It was for the first time we had tried Balinese food and were not disappointed. After dinner we headed for some nap time at the hotel.For the next day we had booked a car rental with driver ... read more
April 24th 2011
I woke up this morning in my magnificent Balinese suite overlooking the ocean, and realized something terrible. This was the last day of my "voyage". Truly. Tomorrow, I spend the day travelling back to Hong Kong and arrive late in the evening. The next morning, I leave for what will be the beginning of a hellishly long journey home (Hong Kong to New Delhi to Chicago to Toronto!!!) and so when you look at everything, the "fun" is over this evening. Serious packing takes place tomorrow night upon arrival and then before you know it, it'll be back to catching the Ossington 63 and preparing for my next trip back to New York to take one more six week course...the city where this incredible journey began. It's sad that I ended up in Bali because my ... read more
February 12th 2011
Einen schönen Tag liebe Leute!! Endlich ist es so weit, hier ist der heißersehnte Eintrag über die Tropeninsel Bali! Seit 31.1 haben wir das Vergnügen auf der „Trauminsel“ schlechthin zu residieren. Unsere erste Unterkunft, das Dana Guesthouse war zwar ziemlich bescheiden, aber ganz okay. Am Tag unserer Ankunft haben wir vergebens knappe 2h auf den Airport-Shuttlebus gewartet der uns hätte abholen sollen. Unser Handy funktioniert in Bali nicht und wir hatten nichts außer den Namen und die Handynummer des Hostels. Glücklicherweise hat uns dann ein freundlicher Taxifahrer sein Handy zur Verfügung gestellt und so sind wir dann doch noch vom Flughafen abgeholt worden. Nach guten 6h Flug und 2h Flughafenwarterei hatten wir schon ziemlich Hunger. Gott sei Dank, hatte noch ein kl. Restaurant offen wo ich der Magda und mir unser erstes Nasi Goreng (Reis mit ... read more
February 4th 2011
Bali was a 41/2 hours from Adelaide. We arrived in the late afternoon. Was met at the airport and taken to our resort in Nusa Dua. If you look on the map it is on the southern end of Bali and we stayed at the Laguna. It was a little rich for both Christine and I but Martha had booked it and we both decided we were worth it and enjoyed the luxury of it. Bali is very much like Hawaii as for as the trees and flowers go but it stops there as it is a very poor country and depends totally on tourism. Mostly Australian and that was hurt very badly when a terrorist blew up a restaurant a few years back that was frequented mostly by Australians. Ir hasn't quite come back yet. ... read more
January 31st 2011
Hello everyone, I am back from Bali and it is 100 here in the hills of Adelaide called Lotheral where Christine lives. We weren;t ready to say goodbye and so she took me home with her and she will take me to the airport in the morning. I will get into Spokane 4 hours after I leave Adelaide because of crossing the International date line. Ilost a day getting here and will gain one coming home. Bali was just like the pictures you see. It was beautiful and very clean. It is avery poor country and totally depends on tourism. Our guides would ask us to tell our families so they would come too. I will write more when I get home as I am on her computer and it is slow... read more
The Final Stand and Chef Wan in Nusa Dua Bali
Published: March 22nd 2010Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Nusa Dua
March 22nd 2010
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 ... read more
November 17th 2009
To say we have been tardy in posting a blog would be an understatement, I will therefore attempt to cover the last month or so and keep it concise...sort of. Over the past few weeks we a) traveled to Bali for 4 fun filled, jam packed days with Mike & Rita b) Debated our job situation here in Australia - at nauseum c) Started to plan our trip to the final destination - home d) welcomed Dani (Sheena's cousin) for a few weeks of fun in Perth, e) celebrated Melbourne Cup, and f) celebrated Sheena's birthday! I will preface this blog by saying that although we’ve experienced some ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ while in the land down under…at the end of the day it still is and continues to be a life changing experience for us. It ... read more
Murphy's Law at Work in Bali, Indonesia
Published: November 3rd 2009Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Nusa Dua
October 25th 2009
From the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur to the beaches and ricefields of Bali. Dreams of sunrise and sunset photos of Tanah Lot and Uluwatu Temples and other Balinese-inspired architecture. So when our local guide Diwa told me that there may not be enough time to cover all the sites listed in our itinerary in time to catch the sunset at Tanah Lot, I was on a warpath. Well, not exactly. But you can say it did not draw out the best in me. One by one, we checked out the sites only to find that Diwa has included visits to a silversmith and a one-hour Barong dance performance. Naaah..... I enunciated every word, every syllable of "Please do not change our itinerary. We paid for it based on those listed sites and Paul reassured us ... read more
October 13th 2009
Day 8 Rest and relaxation Today Peter left early in the AM to have the scooter repaired. I stayed behind and did some research on where our next stop would be. We are interested in the area to the North West. This part of the island seems much more remote and I’m uncertain what we will find. We need to start narrowing it down, after tonight we will only have only one more night then we will be officially homeless. We have no room reservations any where and no idea which direction to go. Peter came back a lot sooner than I expected and my concentration waned. Peter told me they weren’t busy at the repair shop and they were able to get on it right away. He was back in less than 2 hours! The ... read more
