Day 4,5,6,7,8,9

Day 4 - We hired a scooter and went to Nusa Dua as the Balinese started to prepare for Nyepi Day which was the following day. Nyepi Day is a day of silence, fasting and meditation and anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The bustling streets and roads are empty and few signs of activity are seen. Tourists are free to move around their hotels but no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets and the airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day.

A surfing gargoyle

Day 5 - Nyepi Day - We enjoyed the hotel facilities, used the pool and remained respectiveful. Of note, there was a significant increase in hotel guests as those who live in Bali booked in to enjoy the freedom it allowed.

Le Grande - Pecatu Bali

Kitchen staff were keen to impress and introduced Helena to a chef who had specially prepared a dessert which was going to take an extra hour to set and was proudly delivered to our room later that evening. 

Blueberry panacotta with passion fruit shorbet

I was really impressed and it was delicious

Lights were turned down to give the impression to the evil gods that Bali is deserted. The Balinese construct elaborate gargoyles to ward  away the bad spirits and erect them all around the island by roads etc.

A gargoyle with many faces

Day 6 - We hoped onto our motorbike and went to Pedang Pedang beach, and found many cheeky monkeys who thought nothing of taking anything that wasn't secure. One guy lost his container of snacks before a local man beat the trees with a long bamboo branch to scare them off.

Beach monkeys at Pedang Pegang - waiting and watching

Day 7 - Took our motorbike to Kuta and found a local travel agent who worked with us to prepare three different tours.  Had a massage and relaxed by the pool.

Day 8 -  Early breakfast with driver and car ready to go at 8am. On our way North we stopped at a local spice/coffee/cinamon/and ginger farm where we roasted some coffee beans, sampled local products and came away with some ginsing coffee, lemon grass tea and some handmade soap.

Part of the process - coffee is rather strong but nice

Luwak

 


The Luwak monkey digests the raw coffee bean and secrets the bean, stripped of outside cover. Beans are then cleaned, roasted and dried before being ground for use in a strong flavoured coffee 








We arrived in Kintamani, and got on our mountain bikes for a ride through the rice fields, rivers and local towns and rode some 45km to Ubud. Mostly downhill with some tricky spots but it was fantastic. Returned to the hotel for another massage while Grant organised his golf day for Day 9

Overlooking the Kintamani Volcano where Lucas proposed to Karyn earlier this year

Ready for our 45km bike ride

Whenever I looked her way she waved a tea towel at me!

Overlooking the countryside

Day 9 - Great day. Early start for Grant who finished his round of golf as Helena enjoyed a Balinese Lulur massage. Had a swim and lunch and then rode our pushbikes down to local surfing beach. Wow! amazing place - true Balinese style with accomodation and board hire right on the beach. Mostly young group of people relaxed as they watched the waves and action out in the surf. I joined them - clearly different (I mean older !!) but just as happy as they were. Lots of wild dogs on the beach - very wary of approaching them.Grant had a great surf and then we had to ride uphill back to the Hotel !! Will do it again and do it better.

Can you see Grant?

We're both feeling good and very happy with the announcement of the engagement between our daughter Traci and partner Tim. Tim proposed while on holiday in South Africa. Unsure of any further details but both are really happy. Congratulations and lots of love to you both.