Hello again! (Still need to work on this opening - honestly, if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to all suggestions!)
I've only just managed to convince myself to get back to the keyboard after three whole days chilling at the hotel - this has definitely turned out to be the most relaxing part of the holiday so far!
On Monday morning we packed our stuff up, had our complimentary Nasi Goreng for breakfast (yes, the only breakfast on offer at the hotel was rice or noodles with a fried egg and prawn crackers - I wasn't entirely sold...) and waved goodbye to the Suris Boutique Hotel!
We called a Bluebird taxi on our very snazzy new phones (which even have an aerial by the way) and were on our way down to Uluwatu in no time.
Metered taxis are ridiculously cheap here - we paid 100,000 IDR (about £5) for a 40 minute journey from Kuta to Uluwatu - bargain! A far cry from London cab prices!!
We arrived at the hotel and were seriously impressed - I may have actually taken a few too many pictures in my snap-happy flurry of excitement that we were gonna get stay in this amazing hotel for only £15 each a night!
We were handed a glass of fresh orange juice each and shown to our room...
And were very pleased to see we had been given a big bed each and a balcony with a pool view!
The only issue with the room was the bathroom - what is it with Asia and the see through bathrooms in hotels?! You may remember me ranting about this in another post, so I'm sorry to go on about it but... I just don't get it...!
All I can say is thank god there was a curtain that completely blocked out the view of the bathroom from the bedroom or we would've had a very awkward 5 days at this hotel!!
Bathroom dilemma overcome, we gave ourselves a mini tour around the hotel and then settled down by the pool (complete with kabanas) for the afternoon.
So you might be wondering why I have entitled this blog "an idiot abroad". Well let me tell you there is a very good reason. At about 17:45, Jack left me by the pool with my book, muttering "I'm going for a run around the area, I'll be back in 45 minutes". More than happy to be left to get ready in my own time and read a bit more of my book, I waved him off.
I knew something was wrong when I realised I'd had time to read several more chapters, get back to the room, shower, wash my hair, shave my legs, apply after-sun, do my makeup, blowdry my hair and take selfies and he still hadn't returned. I'm not the quickest at getting ready you see (my bad!).
By 19:15 I was panicking that he'd been mugged or had broken a foot or something and was hobbling back. Concern increased when I realised the bloody idiot had left both of his phones and all of his money in the safe in the room. Great one Jack, now how the bloody hell am I supposed to find you.
I went to the reception to ask if they'd seen a sweaty bloke run past, they said no and were equally concerned when I informed them he'd been gone nearly 2 hours despite his intended "45 minute run". They said they would call the police if he didn't turn up soon but in the meantime helped me search the hotel. No such luck. So I went back to the room to wait in case he was trying to get into the room.
By the time he returned at 20:45, dripping with sweat, I was pretty much ready to kill the bugger for being such an idiot and making me worry. Turns out he got lost. Yes, he got lost. Very lost. I think it's safe to say he won't be going for a run in the dark in an unknown area again, without a phone or money. He definitely more than qualifies for the idiot abroad title, Karl Pilkington, watch your back!
http://go.sky.com/resources/mpod/static/GOPC/MPODConfig/COMMON/mobile_splash/splash_page.html
He was very apologetic though and I soon forgave him after I'd finished ranting about how much of an idiot he'd been. I mean, it wasn't really his fault he got lost but the fact that he didn't take a phone with him is just stupid.
Anyway, panic over, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant and made friends with the waiter who was very keen to practice his English with us - bless him!
Day 15! Tuesday 22nd July 2014
Eager to see if there was anything other than Nasi Goreng on the complimentary breakfast menu at the new hotel, we headed down to the restaurant. Hoorah - we were very happy with the breakfast buffet of toast, bacon, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries, pancakes and a made to order egg counter. Much more breakfasty (yes I know that's not a real word but it should be!).
Breakfast and coffee demolished, we spent another day by the pool, covered head to toe in factor 50 sunblock (and in my case, still managing to get burnt!).
I was feeling very productive having downloaded many of the books from my uni reading list for September onto my Kindle and was keen to make a start! I chose to begin with Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, which I am currently finding rather disturbing yet intriguing...it's not the most relaxing read but the pool environment cancels that out!!
After a day of chilling by the pool (and taking sunbathing selfies...naturally), we consulted Lonely Planet for something to do with our evening. We decided to go go Jimbaran beach for a seafood dinner and headed for the Southern Seafood Warung in a taxi.
Jimbaran's seafood warung cook fresh seafood marinated in chilli and lime on a barbecue that runs on coconut husks every evening. Tables and chairs line the sand almost to the sea water's edge and the air is thick with clouds of smoke from the burning coconut husks. Also characteristic of this area is the travelling bands that make their way through the tables with their guitars and drums, seranading diners with their cheesy Macarena type tunes!
We managed to grab a table right at the front of the beach at Bela Seafood Cafe and Bar where we had a lovely meal - for 250,000 IDR (around £15) we got a large bowl of steamed rice, slow cooked squid in sweet and sour sauce, loads of clams, loads of prawns and 2 decent sized fish marinated in their signature sauce.
Eating by candlelight, we realised how much like a date the whole setup looked, even though we'd just chosen that spot for the good food reviews! This didn't go unnoticed by the roaming musicians who soon targeted our table with a particularly cheesy rendition of Ronan Keating's "when you say nothing at all", after labelling us "handsome man with beautiful lady".
I'm glad it was dark because I don't think I've ever felt my cheeks flush so much!! It was pretty hilarious though and the other diners around us seemed to enjoy our misfortune!
Musical embarrassment aside, it was a lovely atmosphere and I'd definitely recommend visiting Jimbaran beach for dinner if you're ever in the area, it'd probably be an even better experience if you turned up in time for sunset - just a tip!
Day 16! Wednesday 23rd July 2014
We decided it was about time we went to check out what Balinese beaches have to offer and took the free shuttle to Dreamland beach from the hotel.
Looks peaceful doesn't it? We arrived when the beach was still relatively quiet and seemed like the perfect chill out spot. We paid 100,000 IDR (around £5) for two reclining sun loungers and a parasol for the day and settled down for the day!
The peaceful surroundings soon turned into the perfect people watching situation. Dreamland is a particularly good surfing beach so the seasoned surfers started turning up in their dozens, along with (and I hate to typecast here but I'm speaking nothing but the truth) loads of Chinese tourists attempting to conduct their own photo shoots by the water's edge.
The number of people posing on the sand in nice dresses only to be taken out by an unexpectedly large wave was just too funny but I decided I wouldn't be mean enough to take pictures of their misfortune, I don't shy away from the odd selfie myself *clears throat*...
I decided to wander down the beach to the less crowded part and sat watching the sea and the surfers from a surprisingly comfortable rock just outside a little cave in the cliff.
Another reason I disappeared around the headland is to escape the massage ladies. From the minute we sat down on our loungers, we were continuously approached by tens of Balinese ladies offering a massage for "very cheap price". It was actually rather annoying, you said no, they conceded and said "maybe later?" and proceeded to rub your feet or legs until you pulled away. Jeez! Get the message.
On the plus side, it did mean I got a lot of my book read as I kept telling them I needed to study in an attempt to get them to leave me alone. One of the ladies actually sat in the sand by the side of my sunlounger long enough for me to read several chapters. I've got to hand it to them though, they're definitely persistent!
At around 17:00, we climbed the hill in search of dinner! Jack's long run was actually quite useful as he spotted an amazing place called El Kabron, not far from Dreamland beach, so that's where we were headed.
And then we arrived at El Kabron - Spanish Restaurant and Cliff Top Club!
I was so pleased that I'd let my tummy get the better of me and we headed up for dinner early as we got front row pool side seats in preparation for the sunset, before hoardes of people turned up!
This place is seriously beautiful, just look at it, even before the uninterrupted view of the sunset...
It even has an infinity pool on the cliff's edge!
We ordered some drinks (San Miguel for Jack, sangria for me) and some tapas and got the evening started, feeling suitably smug about our awesome seats!
The food was amazing too. We ordered the marinated manchego cheese, the ham and cheese croquetas, some Iberico ham and a ham, cheese and mushroom coca (all my (excellent) choices were informed by our experience at Antonio's restaurant "Bar.Celona" in Macau a few weeks ago!).
Jack went for a swim whilst I made friends with some lovely people from
Sydney who had reserved the seats next to ours.
We all waited for the sun to set and when it finally did at around 18:15, it was just as beautiful as I'd hoped. I got the Balinese sunset I'd been so looking forward to whilst planning this trip!
My knees have never been so glowing...
We had some coffee and decided to walk back to the hotel in favour of getting a taxi. Luckily we didn't get lost like Jack did on his first trip around the area!!
We arrived back at the hotel and sat at the bar whilst we planned the next stage of the trip - finding somewhere decent to stay in Ubud isn't as easy as I thought it'd be but we found some lovely, reasonable places and are waiting for them to get back to us with their availability, fingers crossed!
Day 17! Thursday 24th July 2014
This morning we had another lovely breakfast at the hotel (totally didn't realise they had pancakes until today - score!) and spent the rest of the morning by the pool. Jack is reading his book full of words neither of us understand (the "define" function of Google has become particularly useful in the last few days), Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.
I, on the other hand, have spent my poolside morning staring intently and twiddling my thumbs at the 1136 x 640 pixel screen that is my iPhone, writing this post! I so wish I still had an iPad and a wireless keyboard - it would make this whole blogging affair a hell of a lot easier!
Anyway, we're spending most of the day today at the hotel and then early this evening we're going to head to Pura Luhur Uluwatu, the first of many temples I'm sure we will visit in Bali.
It is said to be perched atop a cliff and have spectacular views over the Indian Ocean during sunset, as well as a Balinese Kecak (dance) show and free roaming monkeys! I'm really looking forward to it - I'll report back after our visit! I've got my kimono ready and waiting!
I found this picture of the temple and it looks amazing!
http://lwtravelphotography.de/indonesia
Right, phone battery is about to die, I really need one of those portable power pack things, where is Temple Street Night Market when you need it?!
Catch you later!
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