Week 4 in Hong Kong and the city
is really starting to grow on me. It’s taken me awhile to get settle in and
most times it does get a bit lonely, I miss my support network of girlfriends
(and thank Heavens for modern technology!) but I should be getting out and
making some new friends sooner rather than later! I am itching to learn
Cantonese too because it sounds so lyrical and lively but have yet to haul ass
to a book store.
I’m starting to love the intimate
setting of a small home and I love not having to “search” for my husband when
I’m at home- he’s either there or isn’t! Our dog Harley comes back last week
and we are now one happy family with the 2 dogs. It’s been hard having him
(Harley) away and every time I see him I can’t help but wish I could turn back
time and done a few thing differently but moving forward, seems like Harley has
already returned to his normal self (minus one eye).
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| One eye Harley, He has a piece of skin covering his eye to help it recover but it looks super raw and disgusting and requires constant care. Good training for the husband. |
As promised, a little late but here is Remembering Bali continued…
Day 3 (Sunday)
And boy did we have plans for the
evening!!! In the weeks leading up to the trip, the one thing that everyone
agreed on was that we had to catch a sunset in Bali. After going back and forth
with many suggestions including the lesser known spots, the surfers view point
and a few others, the one place we agreed on was the Ayana Rock Bar!
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| I got so much flack for trying to take a selfie! |
Located within an award winning 5-star hotel in Bali, the Rock Bar has long been THE place to be to catch a sunset. While one might say it’s somewhat over rated, there is just something about the ambiance, the cocktails and tapas that make you feel like you got the best seats in the house for one of natures’ most magnificent displays.
We got there at about 4pm as
there is a first come first serve and no reservations allowed policy but the
birthday girl was lucky and was personally escorted to the best seats in the
house for her special day. Walking down, because the queue to the hillside lift
was long and crazy, all I saw was umbrellas- tons of them.
When we were seated, I understood
the concept of umbrellas. OMG we were like sitting duck just roasting and
sweating! We had about 2hours to sunset…at least we had cocktails!!! And thank
goodness they serve their cocktails with loads of crushed ice if they aren’t
already frozen cocktails. The MUST TRY on my list is the: Mojito (made the good
ol fashioned way), Strawberry Daiquiri (ladies drink), Long Island Ice Tea
(packs a punch) and my go to sunny day drink…Frozen Lime Margarita.
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| Was nice that the crew came out and sang "Happy Birthday" for the birthday girl! |
The finger food that we ordered was served promptly and hot, the plating and presentation was exactly what you’d expect of a 5 star location and they didn’t disappoint. Taste wise, my top pick is the: popcorn chicken, sounds so boring but it packs a punch. It is served with a dipping pepper powder and sauce which upon consumption you don’t really feel it but once you’ve swallowed, you start to feel a tingling sensation on your lips and tongue. The birthday girl also got the “Pearls of Passion” and a birthday song…followed by many passionate wishes thereafter. Haha!
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| My not so frozen anymore margarita and what my friends call my resting bitch face...! |
Nicely buzzing from the potent
and easy drinks, we turned to the horizon and whipped out our cameras for the
moment we’d all been waiting for…I can honestly say that it was well worth the
journey and the roasting and the wait- anything after the drinks was more than
acceptable. Sunsets still take my breath away and the magic of watching the sun
disappear beyond the horizon never gets old.
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| I love this picture!!! Thanks Tomek! |
As the dark settled in, we
decided to head back to Seminyak and started talking about dinner locations. As
some of the group were tired from the sun and alcohol, only 4 of us ended up
going for dinner.
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| Clockwise from Top L: Beef Carpaccio with Pesto, Bruschetta and the cheese Ravioli |
Ultimo was our venue of choice as one of the guys had been
there before and was raving about the pasta. We got there late about 9pm and
super hungry, thank god we didn’t have to queue and were seated almost
immediately. We ordered our food and were served almost as soon as the food was
ready. To start we had the Carpaccio Al Pesto, Ravioli Di Pasta Ripeni Di
Formaggio and the bruschetta. I was a bit hesitant about having raw meat in
Indonesia but the meat was really fresh and was as carpaccio should be. The
cheese ravioli were like big dumplings but definitely a must try.
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| Clockwise from Top L: Spaghetti Marinara, Duck Breast with Spinach, Seafood Spaghetti w/White Wine Sauce and the Lobster Tagliatelle |
For the mains we ordered the Spaghetti Alle Vongole, Gamberi E Capeante (yes its one dish and it’s just a fancy way of saying Seafood Spagetti!), Tagliatelle con Aragosta (Lobster Tagliatelle), Spaghetti Marinara and Petto D’Anatra Con Sugo E Corona Di Spinaci (Duck Breast with Spinach!). Fancy names aside, the food was good and we were raving about it. Some of us had food-gasms; especially the lucky fella having the Lobster Tagliatelle. Ordering lobster in Bali also leaves a person with some doubt as to whether one will be getting a “lobster” or the real thing- we got the real thing. No meal is complete without dessert and so indulge we did in the Tiramisu, White Chocolate Creme Brulee and the Mascarpone Cheesecake. The most outstanding of the 3 was the tiramisu.
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| Dessert anyone? |
So Ultimo is definitely a great place to go for authentic, comfort Italian cuisine, bring your Italian cuisine dictionary while you’re at it (Joking! Everything is nicely translated in the menu).
Day 4 (Monday)
The day that we dragged (because
we had to wake up early…or maybe it was just me) and looked forward to all at
once- we were going WHITE WATER RAFTING! Being the dry season, we didn’t expect
too much as there hadn’t been rain in a while. We were told that we had a cliff
to raft off but that would be about it.
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| Getting good at selfies! The quick photo op at the cliff. |
We choose Bali Adventure as our service
provider. Pick up came punctually and the journey to the drop off point took
just over an hour. Our driver was very nice, chatty and patient with the
numerous “Are we there yet?” even stopping at a cliff on the way up to allow us
some photo opportunities. Upon reaching the drop off, we were led to a
makeshift hut where coffee and tea were provided and this is your last toilet
chance for the next 2 hours unless you wanted to rough it. Payment of Rp.
360000 per person was made and then it was time to gear up and head to the
rafts. There are many rafts on the river but the guides were skilled enough to maneuver around the other rafts ensuring we were all nicely spaced out.
As ours was a rather long ride
down the river, we have a stop 4km in at a waterfall and there was a nice old lady
who would happily sell you a Bintang Beer if you were craving one or a bottle
of water or juice of soda. Some photo opportunities at the waterfall and a
makeshift toilet if you need (better off going in the river because apparently
it was disgusting!). Some ways down the river, we were stopped and made to prep
for a rafting off a cliff…as nerve wrecking as it was as we approached the “cliff”,
it was over all too soon! I hadn’t even hit my loudest scream yet! A huge part
of me wished there was more! So our journey continues and a little bit further
down, we saw some people selling coconuts!!! Of course we had to stop! How cool
is it sitting in the river and having coconuts! Of course, this is where you
can also use the toilet but in nature- elaborations not needed, go figure it
out.
At the end of the rafting, it was
cute because we had a welcoming party of about 5-6 butt naked 11 year old boys
who were jumping on our raft and trying to de-raft us. It was funny. A short
walk to the shower, towels were provided and lunch after. Lunch was sufficient
and who would have known that rafting could make a person so hungry! Most of us
were secretly waiting for the Babi Guling that we ordered from Pak Malen!
** One of the girls had left her
swimming gear at the shower dividers and Bali Adventures did not hesitate in
returning the gear to us promptly the next day. Kudos to the team for going the
extra mile.
A 90 minute (because of traffic)
journey home later, most of us who had slept all the way back, were ready to
eat again! Best thing ever to have “fresh” take away from Pak Malen! Honestly
wish I had ordered more but everything in moderation I guess.
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| Pak Malen's Specialty! |
After a nap for some and shopping for some, and it was dinner time. We decided to go to Poppies for dinner. An
institution in Bali, the history of Poppies goes a long way! It still maintains
its old school charm and the place had not changed a single bit since my last
visit there nearly 16years ago. I decided to share my meal with another foodie
like myself, I use term foodie loosely here since it was mostly us just wanting
to try everything! And boy did we go all out! Between the 2 of us, we had the
spring rolls, Thai beef salad, a lobster, the soto ayam and of course gado gado.
I really liked the soto ayam and the gado gado, it brought back some childhood
memories. The lobster was fresh and we really enjoyed ourselves tearing into
it!
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| Clockwise from Top L: Thai Beef Salad, Lumpia, Gado-gado, Chicken Soto, and of course- the Lobster! |
After such a hefty meal, as there were a few first timers there, we had to do the walk along Kuta beach as some of us were flying back the next day. I was amazed to see how much had changed in the last few years! On my recent trips, I had always avoided Kuta as it was too busy and touristy for me. Walking along, I was amazed to see that they had paved their sidewalks and now had a beachfront mall!!! Whoa!
As some of the group decided to
retire for the night, 4 of us with energy left to spare, decided to head over
to the strip in Bali where all the gay clubs are. We fell out of a cab in front
of one of the bars and immediately there was a guy who grabbed me (sucker!) and
“invited” us into Bali Joe. We didn’t even get a chance to browse around. Let’s
just say that the gay clubs scene in Bali is extremely hands on and no one is
spared. A few performances and 2 beers later, we headed back to our Villa and
called it a night.
Day 5 (Tuesday)
Sad day, the end of the trip for
some of us. We packed up our bags and got ready to ship out of the villa. With
heavy hearts and beautiful tans, we all had different activities planned for
the morning and decided to meet for lunch at Ultimo. The girls went shopping
and the guys- did what guys do! I really expected to find some nice dresses as
I had before but the styles this time were not what I was looking for. I did
however find a lovely bikini store where I bought enough bikinis to last me for
the next 2 years!
Sadly, as lunch time approached,
the guys messaged and told us that Ultimo was closed. Bummer. They found
another spot to dine at some doors down called Khaima, the interior had a
Middle Eastern flair to it yet the menu had something for everyone- Moroccan,
Indonesian, Asian, and Western food! Which makes people like me very stressed
out because I always want to try EVERYTHING!!!
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| Loving the colors on the plate and the presentation! |
So, with a bit of restraint, I
ordered the Pho and the Crunchy Calamari- the Asian in me was screaming for
soup and noodles. I was a bit disappointed though when those who had ordered
the Indonesian cuisine had such beautiful dishes presented to them. Taste wise-
everything was spot on. Hunger satisfied, it was time to try some dessert. If
there is one thing you HAVE to try- Dadar Gulung, a bright green pancake filled
with grated coconut in palm sugar served with lemongrass ice cream! Not a big
fan of lemongrass but the combination of the 2 made it easier to swallow.
As we said goodbye, the 4 that
were left behind went back to the Villa to pick up our stuff and head to the next
destination for the night- Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Resort.
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| Doing it jungle woman style. I am not usually so crass... BUT REALLY...I had to ask the driver a million times if it was OK. He said it was. Balinese culture has a lot of rules against feet and the fact that my feet were on his picture was really rude. |
Despite getting in
well past the check in time, our rooms were not ready (we were later told that
it was because of a wedding the night before whose guests stayed till late
check out). I was getting grumpy because it was the last chance for sun and
with each passing minute, I was losing tan time. After about 30minutes of
waiting, we were offered coffee and light bites at the bar facing the sea.
Sometime later, after some pestering, we were shown to our rooms.
Woooooow!!! I have no words!!! We
got a good deal on the Luxury King with the plunge pool and honestly I was
tempted to never leave the room but the sun beckoned! Seriously I have no words
that only pictures could describe how breath-taking everything was!
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| The beach@ Sofitel Nusa Dua |
After the sunset, we headed to
the plunge pool and cracked open a bottle of champagne for some girly fun time.
The toughest thing to decide after that was whether to retired with room
service or to go to the restaurant- we choose the restaurant for the ala carte
meal as the buffet seemed like too much after an entire trip of all out
indulgence!
Departure Day
For those who don’t know- like
myself, you will be happy to know that the
airport tax is now included in the cost of your tickets for most airlines.
So you no longer need to put aside Rp. 200000 or scramble last minute for cash
if you are the type to forget. There are many dining options and some last
minute shopping spots for those who have forgotten souvenirs and need to pick
up a little something.
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| Bye-bye Bali! |
Well, Bali it's been fun as always
and your charms will definitely bring me back again someday, hopefully sooner
than later! To my lovely friend who embraced her coming of age in style, you
set the standards for all the independent ladies out there! To the new friends
I met, it’s been a pleasure and I hope that our journeys will allow us to cross
paths once again!
Till next time!
Jl. Kayu Aya 104X
Oberoi, Seminyak
Bali
Tel: +62 361 738720
Website: http://balinesia.co.id
Bali Adventures
Website: http://www.baliadventuretours.com/index.php/en/
Poppies
Jl. Legian, Gang Poppies 1,
Kuta, Bali
Tel: +62 361 751059
Website: www.poppiesbali.com
Khaima
Jalan Kayu Aya,
Seminyak, Badung,
Bali
Tel: +62 361 735171
Website: www.khaimabali.com
