Arrival Bali

18 kilos each for six months of travel

We are finally here.

Good flight - and despite Helena's huge cache of prescription medication, we were waved through Customs. We bustled through customs and through the throng of people waiting outside holding up signs for hotel guest transfers. This took longer than expected and a porter guided us to the appropriate person who had a placard for Mr Grant Smith, and then we found another porter holding up Mrs Helena Smith ? As it turned out the sign for Grant was for someone he had picked up 2 days previously. (That was his story anyway!)
We then hopped into a Suzuki APV (heaps of these about over here) and were wisked away. Unfortunately the driver had no idea where he was going and the trip turned into an entertaining curcuit of Bali before he finally found the hotel. Le Grande Suites is one in a group of developments at Pecatu. It is situated on the New Kuta Golf Course (which is nowhere near Kuta) with a golf theme. It is OK but somewhat remote from the bustle of Kuta or Legian. At this time of year it is nearly empty so on day one we weren't convinced that there were any other guests apart from us becausew everyone seemed to know what Mr & Mrs Smith were doing! Quite strange to have the massage girl calling out to us in the pool to see if we wanted towels or a drink followed closely by a waiter asking us if we had a good massage! Since we've been here we think that we have identified a couple of Chinese groups - but I think we are the only Westerners at present. Helena lost her bag key (big mistake) and needed hotel staff to cut her gear free. We both had a divine massage followed by dinner which included a 'Banana Chunky' dessert which was basically fried banana, with caramel sauce covered in mozzeralla cheese. We didn't eat it. The other dessert mentioned was a 'Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream' which had caramel coating and lemongrass. ??? Nice for some but not for us !! 

We started our second day with a much improved breakfast followed by swim in the pool - water was great and very warm. We then hired some motor scooters and did some riding around Uluwatu, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. In the busy sections it is full on with loads of scooters jostling for position and road lines are only  used as a guide. We got pulled over by police with a huge group of scooter riders, for a licence check ( fortunately Grant had packed his International Licence). On our travels we got accosted by 'Fast Eddy' who tried his best to talk us into a time share proposition followed by a bike ride to Seminyak and on the way back to Uluwatu saw a street festival as Bali starts to prepare for their special day of prayer which is Saturday - a day of complete silence. Finished the day with a cold beer and long soak in the pool.