Bali 17th May 2011 – 1st june

Bali - The holiday from our holiday.
With a lot of the roads in Kakadu and the Gibb River Road still closed due to the long wet season we decided to head over to Bali for 2 weeks. We had four nights in Legian at the Kusnadi Hotel, an absolute bargain ($68 per night inc buffet breakfast) and a really good place to stay. Bali had definitely changed since Jo and I were both last there some 20 years ago. It was so busy and far bigger than I remember with actual shops (with doors and tile floors) western fast food outlets and beauty parlors (rather than toothless old ladies giving sandy massages using pig fat on the beach….you can still get them, however you now have a choice) and the taxis have air conditioning making leg separaters obsolete Some things never change with the constant exchange of pleasantries trying to lure you in to buy something, anything at all…all good fun.

We spent the 4 days eating, getting beauty therapies and a little bit of shopping…the boys got a couple of great spiderman caps and I got some DVD’s and Jo got some T shirts (we are the last of the big spenders). The highlight however was our day at the Waterbom Park…waterslide heaven. It was a great day with something for everyone. First up I went on the new slide where you stand out on a platform and the floor just drops away and you slide vertically at breakneck speed, I was trying to scream however all I got out was a little squeak and then it was over thank goodness. The boys loved the slides, Jo and I were worn out climbing up the stairs long before they were. The kids swimming pool area was also a hit with the water pistols and all sorts of fun stuff like the bucket that fills up and then pours the contents down on the people below. The Balinese were great with the kids and they are able to actually have some physical contact (all harmless fun like picking them up and moving them under the bucket as it poured down) which is not really allowed at home anymore. Nasi Goreng and ice cream for lunch topped off a really enjoyable day.

We then headed over to Nusa Lembongan for 10 days and stayed at the Lembongan Beach Villas recommended by Clint and Mez (not such a bargain…but well worth it). Our Villa was right up the top of the hill (162 steps) with a private plunge pool and stunning views out over the bay and the distant volcano. The pace of life on this island is very very slow (in stark contrast to the mainland) and we soon slotted straight in…some days we were flat out walking down for breakfast.
Soon after our arrival we met Ketut, the man for all occasions, he could organise just about anything for a special price… only for us of course, (special price does not necessarily mean the cheapest). As there are no cars on the island you could either arrange for the restaurants scattered around the island to pick you up in the back of their small trucks or you could hire scooters. We hired 2 scooters off Ketut and with Max on with me and Archie on with Jo we set off around the island…Jo was very anxious especially as there is no such thing as a helmet on the island and I think we reached a top speed of about 20km/h as we zoomed around.

We stopped at the Mangroves a very good snorkelling spot and arranged for Captain Good to take us out to the reef in his boat. The snorkelling was excellent and we all had a good time. Back on the bike and across the rickety old timber swing bridge to another island. This was a classic…as you rode across you could feel the loose pieces of timber lifting up off the bridge…this did wonders for Jo’s anxiety levels. The boys loved it. Lunch at a beachside restaurant and a swim at Mushroom beach finished off a great day.

We had dinner at a lot of good restaurants however our favourite was the Beach Club situated right on the beach with great views, food and service. Our lunchtime favourite was the Chinese Warung in the village for really good cheap Balinese food.

We also arranged another snorkelling trip with Captain Good which was a lot of fun and we arranged a boat around to Mushroom Beach a few times for swimming and lunch. Mostly the boys were happy to play in the pool and order drinks and snacks from the bar. Max also took a liking to the massages on offer next door and enjoyed a few before we left. This was a most relaxing time, it was hard to leave however if we didn’t we may have come to a complete halt and never got going again.