More travelling to and arriving in Bali - 14 February 2008

14th February – St Valentine's day – and love is in the air – well me and the love of my life are – as are our kids – and about 300 others! Lol. Now don't get me wrong I love my wife and kids, Nanny & Granddad, and our friends – but none of the others - lol.

Airplane

This is the shortest of all the flights – coming in at just about 3 and a half hours. Comparatively quickly it flies by – though everyone seems very tired. John looks a touch desperate – guess who's going to be first off the plane when we arrive! I think even the full 32 patches that he is wearing at this point are doing no good. (Sorry John! Hehehe).

In the middle aisle beside Anita there is a family that got on in KL – Mum, Dad and a youngish girl. Turns out that they are American – who have upped sticks and are living in Bali. Anita and the mum talk most of the way – Anita getting a few tips on things to do – and places to go. They seem really nice – and quite helpful. Must admit I nearly always like yanks – aussies on the other hand..

All too quickly (yeah right!) we begin our descent – and I am looking out the window at an expanse of lush green. It looked like paradise – lusher than Florida – and that is saying something!

The plane comes to a full and complete stop (sorry wrong holiday!) and everyone jumps up. Soon we are disembarking, and we go into a reception hall – where we have to pay to enter the country. Mind you, you get a nice receipt – even if it does cost you. Bloody cheek – actually thinking further ahead you have to pay to get out as well!

Visa receipt

In through passport control – a cursory glance, well checking that you had paid your bill – and in. The luggage is soon found, and as quick as you can grab it – other hands come out of nowhere and snatch it from you – there are masses of porters – probably one for each piece of luggage – and your hand luggage too! John quickly informs me that if they take the bag they expect a tip for moving it – all of 30 feet! So don't let them. Easier said than done. The bags are set down outside – and we get our first real glance at Bali. The road is very busy – the family transport of choice appears to be mopeds – and there are hundreds of them. Some with whole families on them – I jest not – mum and dad, and the kids in the middle. Some are being ridden by kids probably no more than 10! A lot of the ladies riding as pillion passengers are doing it side-saddle! Absolutely amazing. The temperature is well warm – even though it is about 4.30 in the afternoon.

Our guide arrives, talks with John – or Mista John as he is about to become – and then we are informed to put our bags in one pile – they will be following us – as we have a coach to take us to our hotel – which is about 30 minutes away and the bags will follow in a lorry.

Right first thing to mention is Bali time. Nothing is urgent – and if they say its going to take half an hour – think one hourlol.

As we travel through the streets – there appears to be no sense to what the moped riders and drivers on the roads seem to do. As you arrive at a junction you are met across the road by literally hundreds of mopeds, who weave and jink their way through the traffic. All I can say is that although it is heart-attack stuff – it works! Great to watch – but not so good on the old ticker. I'm not sure that even Andy would want to ride here – but then again maybe he would / will.

As we drive through the city – and out to Sanur where our hotel is – the scenery is breathtaking – many monuments, and statues – although they all seem to be covered over the lower half of the body with black and white check flags – or towels. What this represents I will find out later in this holiday – I'm sure.

Our guide from the airport to the hotel is called Mahdi – which is one of four male names given to children in Bali. He explained all this – and how it works if there are more than four male children – but it got very confusing after our long journey. He also gave us lots of advice – where not to change our cash into local money – due to tricksters – and where to go for various things. He also gave each family group a brochure of things that we might want to do when we are in Bali. A quick review, and into the bag for later – as more statues – and more fun on the roads were expected.

PuriSantrian logo

We arrived at the hotel, and the coach could only go so far in – indeed it was stopped by security and checked for things that might have been slipped underneath! Not surprising given the terrorist attacks that had occurred previously. The hotel looks fantastic.

Mahdi informs us that he will be back at 10 am tomorrow morning to go through some of the excursions we can do – and give us a better breakdown of the Balinese life. This is good timing as the guy from the dive organisers will be there about 9.30 – so the idea is that everyone gets together once for the whole lot, leaving the rest of the day in our own hands.

After our long journey everyone is looking very hot and bothered – and once we have the keys to the rooms – it is decided to drop the bags – grab the swimming costumes and get in the pool! We have to mark up the bags as to which room and they will be delivered, once we are there.

PuriSantrian map

Andrew and Lauren have a first floor room – and Anita and I get a second floor one, a way apart from most of the others – although Den and Les are next door to us! I had not thought to ask Andy if he had any dollars – and Anita and I trek off and find our room – the bags turning up shortly after – well some of them – one had gone to Andy & Lauren's room – and we got one of theirs. The guys delivering the bags wanted a tip so we gave them a few dollars – and all Andy had was a couple of pound coins – although once he had explained what they were the bell-boy seemed really happy! As mentioned there was a mix up over the bags – with one that should have gone to the kids coming to our room and vice versa. Once that is sorted out, our swimming costumes are donned and we are down by the pool.

The pool @ the PuriSantrian

Paul and Maria had arranged to meet us at the pool – as their plane came in earlier than ours, (even after leaving later grrrrr again!) and they were supposed to have the cocktails chilling as we got there. When we arrived poolside – there was no sign of them – and more importantly no sign of our cocktails. Everyone else jumps in and cools off, whilst unlike the rest of the family not being a good swimmer I volunteer (yeah right!) to go to the poolside bar, and organise some refreshment.

I order the drinks and it turns out you can assign them to your room – so everyone was asked and I mean everyone including ms aussie obnoxious – and most partook of our hospitality. After maybe an hour and a half of swimming, come relaxing – it begins to rain – a little at first becoming heavier by the minute. Soon it is really coming down – so the decision is made to retire back to the rooms – and once we have showered etc – and put some glad rags on – back to the restaurant at the hotel for dinner.

The adults sit together – and most of the kids sit together as well – there is some good food on the menu – and even Lauren thinks she might be in as they have chicken. Orders are made – but Lauren's chicken in on the bone - which she doesn't do too well. (ooh wonder where she gets that from!) I had a stroganoff which was really really good – probably the best I've had in years – not that I eat it that often.

Once the meals are finished – and again paid for by assigning to the room – we head off back to the pool bar, and we take it over. There is not a lot of space in it – so once the 20 plus of us get in there – no-one else can! At this point John announces that WFSAC rule Bali! No one can argue with him. A few more drinks, just to keep us going, and then gradually people begin to drift away – to their rooms for sleep. All too soon it is decided that we should retire too – although Andy and Lauren both seem very awake. We head back to our room – Anita's sense of direction proving a godsend – cos I'm sure I would have got lost on my own! (ooh if only I had known) As we left there was still no sign of Paul and Maria – no-one had seen them – we didn't even know if they had arrived.

Bed – and a quick read and sleep – for both of us, the room being fairly cool compared to the temperature outside. Even though it was raining – it was still very warm – so the covers were virtually off – as we went to sleep.