Monthly Wrap-up - December - Bali & Signs (part 2)

 Following from part 1

Also linking to Tom's Signs published on Wednesdays.

Our Bali holiday:

Friday Dec 23 - Upon our arrival at Denpasar airport we waited in line for about 1,30h for passport and visa control. Out in the arrivals hall we bought a local Sim card for my mobile, exchanged some cash to pay the driver we had booked, and eventually came across a "million" drivers bearing signs with names of passengers they were picking up. I spotted our driver, and he steered us to his car in the parking lot.

The roads were chaotic like in most Asian countries, and it had started to rain as well. The driver said the trip to Seminyak (about 10km away) could take about 30 to 34 minutes.

The lovely caretaker Made had been patiently waiting for us for about 2 hours at the Airbnb - Villa Joglo Jagat. When we arrived, he showed us around the house, the garden and pool, handed us the key and gave us his contact in case we needed anything.

The lounge, kitchen and one of the bedrooms

The outdoor area

Shortly after unpacking Karina and Thomas arrived from the airport. 

It had started to rain (it's rainy season in Bali) and we grabbed the 2 umbrellas by the door and went out to eat in a nearby restaurant - Amber Moon Warung - in the main street just a 5-minute walk away. The food was delicious, reasonably priced and good service.  After dinner it was time to sleep.

Dinner at Amber Moon Warung

Saturday Dec 24 - We woke up to a wet day, but we needed to buy a couple of things for our fridge - milk, yogurt, fruit, coffee, ...so Jose and I walked about 15min to a nearby Western like supermarket the caretaker had indicated. It was quite fancy, had goodies from all over the world, a bit pricey, so not a shop for the locals for sure!

Various unknown fruits to us

In the afternoon we walked the 800mt to the beach and had lunch at a Spanish restaurant - La Plancha Bali. Food and service was nothing special, but we had a good view of the beach from where we sat on the first floor.

Dark skies over the sea

After lunch we walked along the beach, and when it started to rain heavily, we were near Ku De Ta (beach club) and we went in for a drink. 

Entrance to KuDeTa

We walked home after the rain stopped and near our house I decided to go for a manicure/pedicure. 

I don't usually have manicures or pedicures in Perth, hardly ever use nail polish...and I was persuaded into using shellac nail polish (maybe because it was more expensive), but it's not something I will ever use again! It lasted 3 weeks, but horribly difficult to remove, having to use tons of acetone which is not good for the nails either! 

Then home for a shower and change of clothes to go to dinner at the beautiful Bambu Restaurant where we celebrated our Christmas eve. 

The various eating platforms are surrounded by water, the service was superb, food was fantastic, quite expensive for Bali... but, it was Christmas!

These metal "crowns" indicated the male and female toilets at Bambu restaurant.

Male and female crowns to indicate the respective toilets

Back home we did a group call to my family in Europe and South Africa to wish them a Happy Christmas, and then we called Jose's family in South Africa and Europe too, and Thomas called his parents and brother.

Sunday Dec 25 - We woke up to a very wet day and we went to lunch at Made's Warung (small family-owned business/eatery) a couple of blocks away from our Airbnb. 

Christmas decorations and Hindu statues in the restaurant

Heavy rains in the afternoon, but at one time when the rain stopped, we walked to the Pettitenget temple in the town centre. Once there we were told we couldn't go in, so we just took photos. 

I think it had something to do with a Hindu festival at the time, so only praying patrons can go in.

As it had started to rain heavily again, we caught a taxi home, that with the chaotic traffic it took longer than if we had walked :)

For dinner we returned to Made's Warung as they were having a show with traditional dancers - Legong. The food and service were very good.

Legong traditional dancers

Monday 26th - Karina and I fell sick during the night and spent most day in bed. I had brought electrolytes with me and had also read that coconut water was good for vomiting, so Jose asked the caretaker who used to pop around every day if he would be able to buy us some coconuts. 

It really helped, as in the afternoon we had both recovered sufficiently, and I even swam a little bit in our small pool. Jose and Thomas went to dinner at Ambermoon Warung, near us, while Karina and I stayed home and had toast and watched a Netflix movie, as we still didn't have much appetite.

Relaxing by the pool 

Tuesday 27th - it was Jose's turn to fall sick during the night and he spent the day in bed or on the sofa watching movies. As it was a sunny day, Karina, Thomas and I walked to the beach, just 800mt down the road.  

Seminyak beach, horses on the beach, Karina and Thomas went for a swim

We had lunch at Dua Sisi Lunch & Bar, down the road from us. At night only Karina and I went to dinner at Ambermoon Warung, (the first restaurant we all went to when we arrived).  Jose didn't feel like eating yet and neither did Thomas, although he was the only one that didn't get sick, so they both stayed home.

After dinner Karina and I went home to pack our suitcases as the following day we were being picked up to be driven to Ubud.

More Signs: 

Canvas picture in an art shop

A chicken in front of a shop, The Colony Hotel, How I met Coffee and a Welcome floor sign

The Goat  - Sports Pub

Flowers of Bali

Part 3 to follow next week.