Goodbye Bali

I am starting to write my final blog post for our girl's week in Bali while I wait in the Hana Salon. Always on the search for a bargain Ruaela and I found this place yesterday, and I had four treatments done! I told Jero the wonderful lady who did my brows, hair creme bath and haircut that I would come back today to get my hair dyed as I want to look my best for Bernie's wedding.

So as I wait in the chair for my few strands of white to become dark brown again, I review what I need to do before I go to the airport, I have ordered a driver through the hotel, the girls left an hour ago with their driver, the two rides have cost me $30, not too bad, at least that is organized. I count my money I have enough for a mani and a pedi so I get that done too so I can look glam for the wedding.

After I am all finished at the salon I go back to my room for a little rest, I have really enjoyed having this huge airconditioned room, with the king sized bed, and have spent a lot of time reading and playing word games here. I didn't feel like braving the world outside my room! After a little nap and a chat via skype to Eric, I walked down to the beach, it was really a case of it's now or never.

I had been told that it was a cesspit, but thought I should get a firsthand look at it myself, it turned out it was a brief 7 minute walk from the hotel, I wish I'd known this earlier. Once I got through the ornate walls there were colouful deckchairs close to the shady trees as far as the eye could see. The hawkers here also sold surf lessons,  alcohol and food, I had already planned to go back to yesterday's warung to get more cumi cumi so wasn't tempted. I strolled along the shoreline close to the waters edge, what surprised me that this area was completely empty and quite clean. After walking for half an hour I walked back up to the warung, I hadn't seen the strip yet, but thought that since I had no money it was pointless.

The lady at the warung recognized me and remembered that I didn't want rice, with our limited communication she told me she loved my top and asked me where I'd bought it, I had bought
it at New To You in Kuranda so just said Australia.  All I wanted was a pile of squid, tahu, tempe, urap and sambal she deftly wrapped it in waxed paper and a banana leaf, I was on my way licketty split.

There wasn't anywhere cool to eat it and I didn't want to sit by the pool if I wasn't cool and wet, so I went back to my room like a recluse and ate it off a little saucer with a teaspoon.  Eating done, I  lay down again and talked to hubby for an hour and reminded him (very gently) that I'd left the house clean and was hoping not to come back to a sink full of dishes. I could hear the sink filling and dishes rattling around in the water - the gentle art of persuasion.

After my long soak I rapidly dressed and went down to meet my preordered driver, I was told he was 30 mins away ( after I had waited for 20 mins). I had a few anxious moments and we established that I only had the money that I had been quoted thr attendant said he'd order another driver.

Once in the car the driver asked me how much I'd paid the attendant when I told him he laughed and said he only got $5 per trip and the attendants were well known for taking a cut!! Anyway it was all good and after a 20 minute drive during which  we exchanged our passion for food, I  was at the airport ready to wing it back to Oz, bye Bali see you next year!

Last full day in Kuta

Today was our last full day in Kuta and we still haven't seen the beach, this morning was also the first time I woke up Bali time, by the time we were all ready it was 10am. Because cafe Koko had promised soymilk we went there, unfortunately they still didn't have it. Mali was back at the hotel waiting for her laundry to get back so Rui and I walked to Rice Paddy cafe, one that was advertised on trip advisor. I'm so glad we did, their coffee was great and so was their dragonfruit bowl and vegan pizza. Rice Paddy was so ambient that when I looked at my fitbit 2 hours had gone by!

Mali had a few errands to run, so Ru and I walked towards the hotel to pick up her charger. On the way I stopped at a fixed price store as I hate bartering, I successfully found two tops and a necklace, I even gave her a first sale of the day tip. At the next store I got Bernie a Spring Chickens present - as her nuptials are impending this week!!!!

A quick stop at the hotel to drop off the purchases and we were on our way to Kuta beach, or so I thought.....  Ruaela needed some art supplies and had located a distributor so the plan was to catch a Bluebird to this joint, buy a few things then relax on the beach. What actually happened was....

After strolling for about 5 minutes towards the main strip we saw a Warung with cumi cumi (grilled squid, marinated on tamarind), we had decided not to eat for a few hours but cancelled that decision very quickly as these are one of my favorite foods. We went in, it was a real locals warung with no menus or prices. We probably completely overpaid but we shared a $6 plate. It was the best food we'd had on our trip. It was spiced to the intensity that my family is used to, after a few pictures with the sweet little cook we were once again on our way to catch that elusive bluebird!

A few metres down the road we saw a massage parlour that didn't look seedy but was very cheap, I asked if they dyed eyebrows they answered in the affirmative so in we went. We ordered off the menu, a creme bath for Ruaela ( conditioning treatment), eyebrows for me, we looked at the prices, hmmm $3.50 for a foot massage, yep lock in two of those and might as well add in a $5.50 haircut for me. It was a great investment $23 for lovely pampering, we had our backs and shoulders done while another lady did our feet. Finally we were on our way to the art supply shop, we hailed the first Bluebird that drove down the alley and clambered in. We had quite a pleasant conversation with the driver who told me that I should get Bahasa lessons so we don't get ripped off, eventhough he tried to haggle me for a princely sum if he waited for us at the art suppliers. I politely declined his exorbitant offer and in we went, Ruaela was in a tiz there was so much she needed, and the prices for European well know art supplies were at least a third of the Aussie price. She spent every cent she had, and then some!

Ruaela was desperate for a coffee and wifi session but I held firm, my fitbit still had 3000 steps to go before I reached my target. Promises were made and upheld, we hit target near the Bali Bakery, it was obviously a sign! Now I have been super strict on myself this year with my food intake and have avoided processed food, fried food and sugar, however I had to have cake for my birthday!

It was difficult to choose, we settled on a thin slice of chocolate souffle torte and a bacon and cheese brioche tartlet. I was very constrained and had a third of each. The actual blowout on this trip for me would probably be all the fried tofu and tempeh I've had and the amount of highly spiced , chicken, meat and fish. I've been healthy but because of the variety and nostalgia for my mother's cooking I have had bits and pieces all over the place. At home I've been having a coffee and sugarplum every morning before gym and then a no carb, salady protein lunch, oh well I am not going to be hard on myself for falling off the wagon as I will get back into routine in two days.

When we left the bakery we thought we'd walk as it was only 19 minutes back to the hotel. I had brought my umbrella for the afternoon showers but Ruaela had forgotten hers. We tried to walk under as much cover as possible but it was getting increasingly slippery. As I started to cross the road I slid out on some mud, my umbrella and phone were flung on the road as I landed on my backside,  luckily the car turning the corner stopped. I got up gingerly and hobbled to Ru, my toes were bleeding and I was feeling sore in the right ankle. We only had 13mins to go but defeatedly I hailed a Bluebird. This man didn't haggle and cleverly got us there through the side streets, so I gave him a tip and we clambered up the stairs. We collected Mali who had been studying and the girls came back to my room to relax while I ran a bath and once full I lay in the bubbles and chatted to Eric via Skype.

It was creeping up to 7pm and we'd planned that on the last night we'd go out for dinner, have birthday cocktails and listen to live music. Ruaela had seen a place she was determined to go to but was distracted on the way, so we went to  place called Stakz which was really aimed at tourists wanting Aussie food. Our meal was not memorable but they gave us a little complimentary cocktail and appetizer and the service was spot on.

A dvd bootlegger came along and showed us his wares, we firmly declined, then both girls said that they felt sorry for him and that we should spend 10 bucks, so I went down the street  and called him, they ended up getting 3 each. They are all on Netflix but people are so poor here. He also started to offer us Valium and other prescription drugs but I sent him on his merry way.

The next vendor pranced about in front of us with a cylindrical speaker which changed colour to the beat, we politely declined. Next he whipped out a taser, some backpacker mucho men begged to be tasered, hahaha I'm sure they regreted that decision. The hawker pulled more items out of his garbage bag, we kept saying, " No, no, no!" until he pulled out a battery operated little pony, both the girl's went wild. Ruaela miraculously found some money (I hope it wasn't the airport shuttle bus fare I gave them when at the hotel) and they each secured their own pony. He showed them how to tether it to a suction capped pole so that it could cavort and neigh on the table.

Very happy now, the girls chose a very pretty flowery looking place which belonged to the Dragon Palace and ordered another round of cocktails and raced their ponies up and down the sofa as we were the only customers. Although amused, I wanted to go next door as the Indo coverband was awesome, they were songing a Red Hot Chili peppers song and as I'd been to see the Peppers in Melbourne a fortnight ago, I demanded to go and enjoy the show. 

I sat on a soda water for the 2 hours we were there but tipped the equivalent of a few more cocktails, the girls did both, they tipped and had more cocktails. We sat right up the front and sang our little hearts out, they had a female guest singer who was absolutely incredible. When they'd sung their last song the girls exchanged insta account details and we were off. It was quite a short walk home,  they had a running race I kept up the rear as that's totally not my idea of a good way to end my night.
Once back in my room I was too hyped up to sleep so I just lay there recounting the action packed day!

Birthday Treat

The sun was out to play this morning when we rushed to cafe Koko this morning to grab a takeaway before we met Yanick for the lift to the jewelry making course Mali had booked on airbnb as my birthday present.  I stopped at the mini mart and bought soymilk because although they advertise it, they don't supply it. Unfortunately I bought the wrong brand as this was juice, so we had long blacks with leaky lids which was most unfortunate as a lot had spilt out over our hands by the time  we reached the pick up point. The lovely staff promised to get some in for tomorrow morning, they are real sweethearts.

Yanick regaled us with enthusiastic tooting upon our arrival, we had been texting and ringing him using Cafe Koko's wifi, as he was fighting traffic. He kindly gave me a cheerfully wrapped present from his wife, a lovely sarong and waist band/scarf, it was sweet of her to have remembered that it was my birthday ( she cooked mea beautiful birthday dinner last year because it fell on Nyepi - The Hindu day of silence).

Although there was some congestion in places I really didnt mind as it gave me a chance to photograph our surroundings. It's actually preferrable to wait with rice terraces around you than the metropolis! We had a few long  stints of patience on the way to Ubud but all things considered we arrived 10 minutes early. The venue was gorgeous, it was set in a rice field, with a large rectangular pond with bridges over to the accommodation section. We were a bit unsure of what to do as there was no one to actually welcome us.

As Ruaela noted later, we immediately put ourselves in a deficit position, because when we arrived we apologised to the Western casually dressed Balinese woman for being early, instead of welcoming us she replied in accentless English "That's ok, the artist is here already,  just sit there." ( gesturing to the table) and she walked off (we later found out that she was the owner, we met her American husband, Mark, later on).

The silversmith artist ( who looked like a darker version of my cousin Jimmy who is also taciturn) didn't greet us he just  gestured to the paper and pencil on the table, so we drew our designs. Throughout the lesson we had limited interaction with him, as he didn't explain any of the steps. He just helped and intervened when necessary. I think that as a teacher, I am very aware of structuring a lesson and letting student's know what the steps and objectives are in any activity. I'm not saying that we didn't enjoy the creative process and our end products I am just observing how we enjoyed yesterday's lesson so much more as we had an orientation and detailed goals and steps.

Both of the girls are very creative and made intricate earings, Rumali made asymmetrical cascades of leaves and Ruaela made flowers to remind her of a childhood game they used to play, I just drew an elephant ear leaf, I didn't put much thought into it, but in hindsight would not have made it so busy. All three of us although we critiqued the delivery of the session, want to come back as they have about 8 different art experiences with adorable accomodation set in the midst of the rice terraces. Making a bespoke piece of jewelry each was really a wonderful birthday treat and it was so sweet of Rumali to arrange this.

Going back to the deficit position I mentioned earlier, I have a focus in my 52nd year of life, not to immediately use an apology to forefront a situation, and I am aware that I will probably need to write down some alternative responses. For instance when on a narrow path and I am about to collide with the person from the opposite direction, it is always me who moves aside, says sorry, the other person doesn't say thank you ninety percent of the time. My new narrative this holiday has been saying "You're welcome".

Anyway we stopped on the way back from Ubud at a warung where we had quite boring noodles with morning glory and some chopped up marinated chicken, I said to Ru, that it was like leftovers that I used to give them as a snack after school. Both the girls loved it as it was so familiar to them, I hate paying for stuff that I  wouldn't serve for dinner, but as long as they were happy.

When we got back to Kuta we were exhausted, after hugs with Yanick ( he was very sad, I  understand it is very hard for him as we hasn't got any impending bookings and the worry of how to provide for his extended  family is a huge responsibility) we walked back along the busy street to our hotel, it was good to actually see some items we wanted to buy, however we were not in shopping mode, we power walked back to Champlung Mas and raced back to our rooms to have a rest in the aircon, agreeing to reconvene in an hour by the pool.

The pool was lovely and we were able to score some lounges, which is very difficult as the hotel is populated by Aussies who come here in a big group, a lot of them have been coming for years and someone from their group will be there from breakfast onwards claiming half the recliners.  The food here is as cheap if not cheaper than on the street, we've only had grilled corn but that was great, although they served it with tomato sauce, because they think all Aussies love tomato sauce on everything! After a swim and an evesdropping session (evesdropping on an Aussie couple with their adult daughter, commenting on the size of all the passing women's boobs and whether they were natural, they also had nicknames like trout face for a forty something who had a lot of obvious work done) we went our separate ways again, I had a bubble bath in the tub and chatted to Eric on Skype until my water was cold.

The girls came to my room and we planned to go to Warung Chef Bagus recommended passionately by Rizzy as having the best ribs ever ( they also had vegan options). Being St Patricks day, Murphy's law prevailed and it started raining as soon as we set out. Refusing to buy a poncho for $10 from a cheeky vendor on a scooter we trudged on in the warm rain. Mali had a poncho already and after Ru and I were quite wet we were able to secure umbrellas from a mini mart (I don't know why I listened to Yanick and didn't bring my brolly from home). Honestly I hate bartering I just like to pay the ticketed price, so not Asian.

We ended up paying $2 for a Bluebird taxi not to be confused with a Bluebiro taxi!! The restaurant was a proper restaurant with extensive prices for Bali, but the quality of the meat was supremely tender and non fatty. The girls remarked it was a totally Riz recommendation as he is a devotee of spare ribs, I remember this restaurant as being what he spoke about most excitedly when he came back from Bali.

The plan had been to go out to see some live music, dance and have cocktails however we were in a food coma so had to fly home via bluebird. The girls joined me for a tea in my gigantic room and Mali gave me a lovely journal for my morning mindfulness journaling, but we were so tired that we kept dozing off on the bed, so they left to their opposite ends of the building and we all enjoyed the luxury of private rooms, so wise at this age not to share!

Back to Ubud

I was woken by the sound of rain this morning, I rose out of bed and pulled back my curtains only to see sheets of rain come down. The clothes I'd washed backpacker style in the tub weren't quite dry yet so I draped them over the furniture.

We were meant to go white water rafting today, but I bailed as it was raining on and off Cairns style and with 4 fused vertebrae in my spine, I thought the activity might cause more injury. As we were already in Ubud, (we had caught a taxi) I didn't want to waste the day away. I was not in the mood for shopping as I am trying to Marie Kondo my house, and am ever aware of my attraction to junk, as a matter of fact, yesterday prior to leaving Ubud I bought Eric one of those metal model motorbikes.

After a big pot of chai, Ruaela and I walked down the street, we were tempted by the idea of a massage. However when one of the masseuses called out to us my eye was caught by a poster behind her advertising a cooking class. We went into the shop front and she came in and asked if we were making a booking. We told her that we were interested in taking a cooking class this afternoon.  After a few calls it was all organized and before we knew it we were whisked away by Wayan the owner.

This cooking course was more than fantastic.  We started off in his family rice paddy and learnt about crop rotation and the exact stages in the rice cycle for farmers. We were with a lovely couple from Reunion the four of us got on swimmingly, however the star of the show was the owners niece Made, she was like a kindred spirit, our jokes were totally in sync and she was just the type of bossy yet friendly that I like.

Ruaela was the star of the show, they said the strength in her arms was like a machine. It was great to see and hear how things are traditionally made. There were two things I hadn't tasted before out of the 11 dishes, so that was a bonus. Plus it made me realise that making peanut sauce from freshly roasted peanuts was very therapeutic and didn't take very long.

Although it wasn't advertised we also made temple offerings which were quite tricky but do able it was beautiful to be able to give up a prayer at the family shrine with our offerings. I felt very peaceful. The other extra was making coconut oil, yep that's right you only need 10 coconuts to make 1.5 litres, Terry the next door neighbor has given me permission to use as many of his as I want, so I see an Easter project coming up!!

A veritable child drove us back to Kuta, it was pouring with rain and it was a two hour plus journey! It was like driving through or along a creek! Finally we were home, he'd done some tricky maneuvers through tiny lanes to combat the one way streets. We got home at about 10.30pm, it was a recommendable experience,  if you go to Bali this is the one for you!

Leaving Ubud

I was up far too early once again, I lay there thinking of work and all the sorts of things you shouldn't think about when on a girlie mini break in Bali. I managed to bore myself back to sleep and was feeling quite well rested when I awoke for the second time. Packing up was done in record time, so I read my trashy novel for an hour until it was a reasonable time for me to surface from my lair.

The girls were also up in record time and after a quick pancake for breakfast we were loaded up and were deposited near the markets in Ubud for a panicky shopping spree. Prior to leaving I gave Kadek and her niece a tip for our breakfasts even though it's included in the rate. Yanick told me he's had no customers for about 3 months so I paid a fair bit extra to help. We are so lucky in Australia to have social services and fare wages.  Like we whinge and whine about our government but when I come to the land where my parents and older sisters are from I am grateful that I come from the lucky country. I try not to bargain too much here and pay a fair price, as I feel so guilty when faces so similar to mine clamour for just $2 more. The normal wage for a shop assistant per week is about $25 here.

After Ruaela had bought two sarong kebayas and Mali had bought a present for Sheena we needed a reprieve from the humidity and vendor pressure and we headed to a resort bar where Mali had been before so we could have a ladies room break and a cold drink. We noticed that we needed to meet Yanick in half an hour at Chatime Bubble Tea so we sped down the road, stopping at Anomoli for a supposedly good soy flat white.  Well, it was a scurrilous lie  it tasted like dirt and after one sip  I discarded it, it was an Australian priced coffee so I was peeved.

We were at Chatime at 1230 as per our agreement with Yanick, I had messaged him about picking up a coffee so I realised 20 minutes later that he was probably waiting for my call, I jogged back to the cafe and called him, poor thing he'd been poised around the corner.  In we jumped and soon we were winding our way through the rice terraced lined country side,  the ambience only marred by Yanick beeping at anyone in front of him!.

After visiting a local temple, where Chinese tourists wanted to be photographed with the girls, we found a warung which served vegan food as well,  however they were out of tofu and our food was nowhere near the wow factor. I have had some great food here but nothing super drool worthy yet.

Driving through kaotic Denpesar and Seminjak made me appreciate Ubud even more. I must say though the shopping looks amazing,  I have to buy a duffle bag quick smart as I have 20kg to fill up my baggage capacity.  All the expensive homewares I covet back home are here literally as cheap as a packet of chips!

Yanick dropped us off at the end of our street and we had a very short walk to our hotel, unfortunately we did not see the entrance and we walked a kilometer past it, good for my fitbit but not for my mood. We were all pretty frazzled when we reached check in. Searching for passports and filling out paperwork are necessary but when you are sweating like a pig and needing an airconditioned laydown it is easy for my patience to fray!

I was annoyed that our rooms weren't near each other, Ruaela questioned the fact that it was all booked and payed for months in advance, I grumbled the 'words upgrade please' , and indeed that's what they did for my room, which is ridiculously large but has very limited view or lighting, however I could host a gathering for twenty very comfortably in here!

After a rest Ruaela and I ventured forth to look for a warung, it was hard to find one as this area is totally geared for tourists.  All the music blaring out was the regular stuff we hear at home on the radio. It is a real reflection on how the Balinese view Australians when you see that the majority of souvenirs are giant wooden penises and yobbo insult vile stickers.

We found a warung down a lane off a side street off the main drag and sat down on the floor with the locals and ate sate, it was plentiful but not adequately spiced, we also tried the gulai kambing - lamb soup, which was not a success story. The most interesting story was talking to the 30 year old vendor who was very proud of his stall and spoke very frankly about his financial reasons for being his own boss.

On our way home we diverted into a massage parlour which was not at all dingy, I somehow managed  to fall asleep during my hour long treat, despite the middle aged well meaning aussie 'bloke' loudly regaling the entire salon with his misguided attempts of humour. Maaate I don't care that your nails now have a clear varnish,  please let me enjoy the ambience!

When we got back we parted and went to our own rooms, I washed my day's clothes in the bath tub and had my shower. This way I have something to wear for the rest of our stay here, the hotel has a laundry service which I might utilize tomorrow. I was too tired to read so just lay down to enloy my comfortable king sized bed.

Our last full day in Ubud

8Morning broke too early for me 330am Bali time, 530 am Cairns time, I decided that 5hrs sleep was not adequate, so calmed my breathing and woke again at 730am - much better! I showered, packed my day bag and ventured out into the courtyard which was dappled with light and the sounds of cicadas and crickets. The pet Burmese cat groomed then had a drink in the fountain, while ut looked at the little bantam chicks longingly.

Lovely Kadek came out and served us timbals of nasi kuning, omelet,  perkadel jagung and vegetables,  topped off with fruit platters , watermelon juice and our second kopi tobruk!

After our tiring day yesterday we totally modified our day today. Last night we discussed going to the Holy Water Temple, however that changed when I mentioned that we really wanted  to go to the Monkey Forest. Yanick brought the car around and off we drove through the cool winding roads to central Ubud,  bananas were purchased at a roadside stall as we knew the prices were exorbitant at the park.  We got out at exit 3 and bought our tickets and went off on our humid walk past the abandoned mossy temple to be regaled by the monkeys cute antics.

Highlights of monkey magic, 1. A unfenced precarious path beside the creek was not barricaded anymore, so we had an invigorating gambol. 2. A monkey pulled out a woman's hair weave and climbed down the bridge and off into the rainforest, luckily she roared in laughter, her friend videoed it so she will have years of dining out on that tale! 3. When Ruaela went to get her mangosteen and water from her bag, no sooner had she pulled the zipper when a ballsy monkey grabbed the entire bunch of bananas off her and whisked her mangosteen out of her hand, cracked it and ate it nonchalantly.

Today was our nature day so a flutter in the Kemenuh butterfly garden was next on the agenda.  Ruaela insisted that butterflies love sodium and used my facial excess water to lure butterflies onto her fingertip, one was then left to have a rest on my right cheekbone. Morning tea consisted of cendol masquerading as frozen peas encircling a blob of ice, extremely uninspiring we also had empty samosas, to be fair the tempeh goreng was pretty impressive.

Yanick was going to take us to a warung but we were unfortunately too full to take up the opportunity. So we went to stop number three which was the Tegenungan waterfall, I am ashamed to confess that due to the humidity and my sore knee Mali and I waited a partial way down the staircase and Ruaela went down alone to swim, she reported that she had found a temple beside the creek, prior to the waterfall overflow so she enjoyed a secluded splash there.

We trudged up the stairs and we had a little light lunch of roasted corn, martabak and lumpia. After Mali had given an old lady collecting recyclables some money we jumped into the car and drove back to the salon. This time Ruaela had the Balinese massage and Mali and I had a great creme hair treatment that left our heads tingling.  I prefer the massage personally and if my credit card worked here I would get one tomorrow.  Unfortunately we have to tighten our belts.

Mark Weins Bali food trail inspired us to go to the Gianyar markets and try the nasi campur   it was good but not saucy enough for me. The highlight of the market experience was buying a chobek and ulekan for Ruaelas 18th birthday she has waited for six years. The girls were very upset when I bargained with a bag vendor but I got a good deal so it was smiles all round, A durian later beside the car and then homeward bound to Asik house. Yanick was proud of his successful day trip !

The Real Day one

I'm going to count this as the real day one, as I was woken Bali time by the crowing of roosters from all the family compounds in Tubab in a 'who's the loudest competition?'

By the we reached Asik house it was after midnight and the girls were worried and tired. They've decided to share a room so as not to make extra work for Kadek, so now I am worried about two of them with the flu.

I had given Yanick suggestions of food she could eat instead of an egg based breakfast and apparently all ten of them were cooked last night!!! I had preordered sandwiches on board the plane so although my stomach was rumbling opted to go to bed hungry 🤔.

I'm so excited about sharing my ancestral country with my girls, even at the airport the lady serving me in duty free asked me if I was going home to see family, sadly I had to say I wouldn't even know how to find them as after the terrible tsunami my mums cousins never wrote to her again.

Anyway after a healthy breakfast of black coffee, fruit - including the unique snake fruit and jackfruit pancakes we were off for our first day out. It was sheer magic seeing exotic Bali in daylight,  I think it was about 8am when we left.

Our first stop was in the first instance confronting,  as we jad explained we didn't want kopi luwak due to animal cruelty,  however some things just don't translate well. We arrived at a kopi luwak coffee and tea house. Yanick secured a guide for us and off we went in single file to the, you guessed it, caged civet cats!

I reiterated that we weren't interested in that and we were given a mixture of 12 gratis teas and coffees. Not wanting to sound ungrateful but they were extremely sweet, but I do recall from my childhood that my aunties made extraordinarily sweet treats. The pis de resistance was the stunning insta worthy terraced park. Rice paddys bedecked with giant swings, a zip line and human sized bird nests , it was incredibly picturesque.

Whatever direction we looked there was a deal breaker shot. I have to commend myself on my persistence as I clambered up and down steep steps although I felt out of breath. I even braved the suspension bridge, while some Canadian grey nomads jumped up and down. I can't describe it adequately but just know that it was a wonderful start to our day.

Stop number two was going to be the famous Tegalalang rice terraces but my wobbly legs screamed NOOOOO so we drove on to Mt Batur.  Don't worry I stayed true to form and did not trek up to the summit, instead we went to the lookout restaurant where we had a buffet which during normal circumstances I would have been pleased to put to the test.

The food was great, unfortunately I ate with restricted calories and on top of that I also didn't take a photo of Mt Batur. I particularly enjoyed the bubur ketan item which was one of paps favorites. We waited for a while but Mt Batur did not emerge again and for some bizarre reason the girls found it hilarious that I had pointed out the sun shining on a selected few houses in the lakeside village below.

The hot springs 'resorts' were at the base of the mountain we had a difference in opinion whether to go or not, I am always of the opinion to do each new thing as it may be my one and only chance.  By now it had become apparent that I had underestimated the daily costs and I had to borrow money off Yanick. The entry here was close to $20, which of course is okay if you are staying for the whole day, if an average wage for retail assistants in Bali is $25 per week you can see why I balk at these prices.

The hot springs were a little run down, and the one that Rumali had been to before was next door. I resisted a massage from a woman with magic fingers who had immediately started squeezing when I came and sat with my daughters.  My weapon was actually that I had left my money in the car.

We spent the majority of our time in one pool where we were able to sit or stand comfortably. The other reason was that we did not want to go in a pool where we had seen a very facially unhygienic man. I stood under a bamboo faucet which emitted hotish water with a powerful force, it pummelled my back like a massage! By the time we had showered and changed we were drenched by a sesonal rainstorm. We ran back to the car and headed for the next stop a massage back in Ubud.

Yanick is a great,  albeit impatient driver and would beep his horn if someone was driving too slowly. Sometimes he would curse the poor wet scooter drivers. I have no idea what the road rules are here as his maneuvers would get my arrested in sleepy Cairns.

Once at the massage place Mali and I elected to share a room as we were both having the traditional Balinese massage (I shouted Yanick one too as he was very tired) Rui chose to have the harder Polynesian massage.  Anyway I provided Mali with a memorable sight as we had to wear disposable undies. One size apparently fits all!! I chose to look on the bright side, if I had tried to put them on prior to my health kick they wouldn't have pulled up over my thighs. I ominously reminded her that I was once her size.

Mali and I agreed it was our best ever massge experience,  the room was very pretty and even had a koi fish swimming around in the sunken channels which surrounded the shower recess. Ruaela also thoroughly enjoyed hers, Yanick was proud to say, " You can trust my choice". Ruaela was disappointed that she had missed out on the disposal undie problem.

Next on the agenda was the traditional dancing. Both Rumali and I had been before but the show was different to the one that I had seen last year, with the fire dancing being even more flamboyant. Luckily Rumali could read the explanation for us which really assisted us in enjoying the story. We declined buying any masks and fans as we paid a more than fair entrance price. I do feel bad towards the hawkers as I know they are so poor. However both of my cards haven't worked here and I am feeling a bit anxious as I had underestimated all the entry costs today.

We went to a warung to choose some food for dinner, which we ate back at home. There was some confusion as my fish and chicken were strangely omitted, which might have been for the best as I was basically spot on with my calories for the day. The whole diet thing is so annoying but the last thing I want is to undo the torture of the last two and a half months.

After dinner we revised our ambitious plans to go to East Bali today as I think none of us are in the right mindset for a 14 hour day. Today was a twelve hour day trip, due to us actually wanting to enjoy each experience and not just do a photo stop. I literally fell into bed after my shower, day one has been a wonderful adventure!

Day 0 - On our Way

Well I know the girls aka Ruaela and Rumali, who while not legit like new borns have arrived in Bali safely and are with the wonderful Yanick at Asik house. Although last years birthday weekend in Bali coincided with The Day of Silence, it was fortuitous as it brought us into the sphere of Yanick and his wife Kadek.

Sam and I definitely felt that they were family and vowed to come back. We felt completely protected with him as if with close family.

He has picked up the girls and ensconced them in his new traditional pavilion. He is looking after them like nieces. Unfortunately Ruaela has come down with the flu, so via messenger I have been able to ask him to prepare her lemongrass and ginger tea and give her cold and flu tablets.

As they are in the family home the girls are not close to a restaurant ( although there is probably a warung down the road) they were not sure about food. However Yanick messaged me that Kadek was making them dinner.

I'm waiting for my plane to take off, but am happy as I know my girls are safe!

Bali here I come!

I'm adding a photo of my three gurls as my darling Ruki is missing . (Riz would hate a girl's trip)