day 1 - under the balinese influence


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Asia » Indonesia » Bali
October 27th 2004
Published: October 27th 2004
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saturday

we wanted to start our vacation early so we excitedly left the house three hours before our flight. we all crammed our packing (ritchie especially) and we had to go back to our unit twice just to check if we forgot something, which we predictably did but more of that later.

for others, the holiday starts at the airport but for us three, the best holiday starts with the best ride to the airport. so we ignored the ordinary cabs passing by and waited for the luxury cab we saw unloading a block away. we felt like little children when we boarded, giggling and taking pictures on the ride to the airport (i know, so jologs!). we hurriedly checked-in, went through the duty-free shops in changi airport and had a light snack at coffee bean.



i made a phone call to my parents while at the boarding lounge. i know they were both worried about the bali trip because of the kuta bombing two years ago and the recent bombing of the australian embassy in jakarta so i assured them it was safe to go judging by the fully-booked flights and hotels. mama was in manila for a superintendent exam and papa was at home in virac, busy preparing a party for his knights of columbus' friends. i also talked to my brother jun, who's also home in virac for the two-week semester break with jay and may, and we both promised we'd take lots of pictures of each other's vacation.



our seats were soon called for boarding and we can't hardly contain our excitement! it was a short two-hour or so flight to bali and we were so high with the dream of paradise. ritchie tried to sleep but couldn't (most likely because of the excitement but he'd vehemently deny that) so after the unexpectedly great plane dinner, we just entertained ourselves with hilarious stories (the two pigs were continuously teasing me about my journal!) then moved to the brain teasers in the inflight magazine. ritchie promised a bottle of beer to whoever could answer the puzzles.



it was already nine in the evening when we reached bali and it felt so great to have finally arrived! there was a shuttle waiting to transfer us to the immigration checks. we were laughing at how high the handrails were placed (so high that if you try to hold two handrails with both hands, you'd look like a monkey doing acrobats). after clearing customs and arrivals, we looked for our hotel transfer which we immediately spotted.

ten minutes after, we were already at the green garden spa and beach resort and it was impressive! on the entrance is a free-form pool with waterfalls and several small "bale bengong" (native gazebos with thatched roofs) for dining and for spa treats. the restaurant and reception counter was on the second floor of what looked like a giant tree house built on stilts. it was beautiful and we didn't regret the choice. we decided to stay in the hedonistic area of kuta since the next alternative, nusa dua, was a little too sedate for us (and sedate is the last word you'd use to describe the three of us when together).

we were even more thrilled when we saw the room. we were on the second floor of the four-storey building (by law, hotels cannot be taller than the tallest palm tree). flowers were all over the bed, in the room and in the bathroom, the towels smelled herbal-fresh. we had a giant jacuzzi in the bathroom and a verandah overlooking the pool.



we freshened-up a bit then went downstairs to bargain for the next day's transportation. the hotel busboy, waya, introduced us to dana, the nicest driver in the whole of bali (ok, he was the only one we knew but hands down, we adore him). we wanted to visit the temples and the artsy side of bali on our first day and then go beach-hopping on the second day. for both days, we got a 600,000-ruppiah deal and sealed it off with a handshake and lots of smiles.

dana gave us a sample of his driving skills by taking us to kuta's center where we had our first taste of balinese nightlife (first for darwin and me, ritchie's been here twice before). we passed by narrow lanes filled with bars, streets crowded with tourists and locals on scooters. we saw a group of caucasian men dressed like women (probably acting on a dare), groups of tourists jamming on every corner, surf boards everywhere. it was almost midnight but the streets were still alive with loud music from the nearby bars and the young tourists were milling around in full appreciation of a nightlife in paradise.

we alighted at the site of the kuta bombing. a monument has been built from the ashes and a marble plaque displays the list of the hundreds of victims, mostly australians and indonesians. i whispered a silent prayer for the victims, darwin and ritchie didn't take pictures for respect.



we then walked through the various bars, settled on one restaurant and had a seafood feast. the bintang beer was refreshingly light, the crabs came short of our expectations but the steamed fish more than made up for it. the dinner was a continuation of our storytelling sessions on the plane, highlighted with peals of laughter and gulps of beer. it was already one in the morning when we finished so we decided to just skip the bar and with our tummies full, we took a cab back to the hotel.



we said our goodnights and hit the bed. we have an early start planned for tomorrow, dana promised to pick us up at 830 in the morning after our breakfast. we were all together in one room and ritchie got the extra bed on the floor by default (he's the youngest).

you know what they say about three being a crowd but for this three, it never has been and never will be.


up next ... eskyus mee, the ubud and besakih experience


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