We landed!
We made it! After a loooong trip out that included a 24 hour delay in L.A. we made it to Bali via Hong Kong. Terra and I were a little nervous about the 15 hour flight to Hong Kong followed closely by the 4 hour flight to Denpasar but it wasn’t as bad as we expected. Cathay Pacific was a very good airline with…hold on to your hat…good food. I know, we were shocked as well. They provided us with a travellers pouch which contained a toothbrush, toothpaste and the ever popular pair of tan socks. Of course, Terra’s feet were cold so she used them. perfect.
The first thing I noticed when we landed in Hong Kong was a (here is comes Andy) Starbucks. Never too far from home. We had to stop and get the mandatory latte. We did pass on the sausage roll however. Hong Kong’s airport is quite possibly the nicest I’ve seen. Very clean lots of vegetation and a very dramatic view out the massive windows. We are excited to return to HK as it looks beautiful.
So, onto Bali. The guest house we have been staying in is absolutely wonderful. It is called Flashbacks and is in Sanur, a town on the southern part of the island. I will add the link to Flashbacks later but let me just say that I can’t imagine a better place to stay on the island for the price. In fact, I’m not sure there is a better place to stay regardless of price. The owners (Jan and Peter) are a delightful Oz couple and we have had the pleasure to meet several other guests from various spots around the world including Holland and even a couple from Seattle.
We have spent the last few days getting acclimated and relaxing by the pool/beach. It is very easy to do as our guesthouse is only a 5 minute walk to the beach. The beach in Sanur is nice. There are many eateries, bars and vendors that line the boardwalk along the beach. We have noticed that the “vendors” who are selling massages, hairbraiding, watches, carvings, tours etc seem to be quite…persistent. We are not sure if this persistency is related to the recent bombing and subsequent economic downturn but it has been a little much for us. Most of the time we can simply smile and say “no thank you” but several vendors don’t seem to understand and will stop you or even walk with you until they are sure that you meant NO. Oh well, small price to pay.
The weather has been great. Of course, quite hot. the humidity will take some getting used to. I’ve got for a jog the last two days and have found my lungs are not used to the thick air.
Just a taste of our first few days.
Tags: Bali
Weiser Wander
Oh good, I’m so glad you’re enjoying Flashbacks! Also good to hear the beach at Sanur is nice, I’m ashamed to say we never actually made it to the beach when we stayed there. Really love your blog!
Good stuff. You have a year of vendors ahead of you and unless Terra wants a permanent Bo Derek look and you need 6 million carved coconuts, you will get accustomed to starely blankly in the face of deperate hawkers. Cold and rainy in NJ, so soak up every bit of warm and humid weather possible. Ciao and keep it coming.
I love this blog — it’s my weekly escape! I can smell the tanning lotion and sweet Pacific winds — a nice change from what I smelled in reading about the tan socks! Glad to hear the trip is starting on a relaxing pace. Let me know what kind of updates you’d like from the mainland.
Best to both of you!
MP
Rough. Cold and rainy in PDX just as you wished. Maybe try making some crafts of your own and selling them back to the hawkers. That’d really throw ’em off. Terra, I wore one of your coats for a Halloween costume last night. Worked well into the pimp garb. I’d rather be with you than your dog–he’s got a Pacific wind all his own.
R.D.
OK. I looked up the name of the spa in Ubud. If you make it there it is called BodyWorks and is AWESOME! $10 for the best (and probably most intimate) hour and a half you could hope for with someone other than each other. 🙂 It left us speechless.
You can get a driver for maybe $50 for 8 hours to take you all around other parts of the island. Or maybe you have your own plan…
It is so interesting to hear what you said about the beaches and the vendors. Ernie and I never experienced anything like that. We did not go to the beach, though. The people we encountered were the most gentle, wonderful people ever. Without exception, they never expected anything no matter what they did for you. Crazy and great.
Anyway, RD is right. It’s Halloween and it is raining buckets as you would expect, so enjoy!
Scott, don’t you have pictures? Where are they? I want to see all of this stuff!
I agree with RD. The best defense to a vendor is to confuse them. Next time you are approached just start rolling around in the sand like a drunk monkey. Eventually they will remember you. You will be amazed how far out of there way they will go to avoid you. The islands in the Gulf of Siam (Thialand) have many “vendors” to. They like to make you think they are only selling Thai massage. It’s pretty nice in Boise.