Road trip day 3 – Menjangan to Sanur 20 February 2008

Bali map showing whereabouts for the day

Anita is awake early – well I don't think she has actually slept at all because of the storm. Her ear seems to have got even better over night – so she is going to give it a try. Anita goes off to get Andrew and go diving, whilst my job is to get the bags ready – and pay the bill. While I am packing the bags a Mimpi towel happens to fall in the case – without my knowledge (honest guv! – Ok I admit it – Anita told me to take one). Actually she told me to take both of the towels that she had "borrowed" yesterday – but I felt guilty enough just taking the one. The bill is the biggest so far – probably something to do with the meal last night hoho. I leave bags in reception where I was told to – and Lauren and I head down to the pool. It seems that Granddad has gone bird watching on his own – Nanny didn't really feel up to it.

Ray in full twitching clobber

She comes and joins us at poolside – and then we decide to go and have breakfast – she, Lauren, and I – and then Carole comes and joins us. A great breakfast – with the best cup of coffee I have drunk so far this holiday. While the coffee at the Puri Santrian is good – it is a touch bitter. Here it is not bitter at all – in fact I have three cups – which is unusual for me.

We return to the pool – and most of the non-divers (or those unable to dive) are around the pool. - yes we have taken it over again! I am chatting with Les and Den – getting to know them better – turns out that Les used to work for Citibank in Canary Wharf – he hated the journey. Can't say I'm surprised as it takes about and hour and twenty minutes by the train, tube and DLR to get there – whereas on my bike I can do it about 45 minutes!

View from the pool @ menjangan

I take a few pictures of the scenery around the pool – and we watch as a couple of local boats come close – and set the anchor (I think that's the correct term!). The guys on board all dive off – and don't reappear for a couple of hours. Balinese men can obviously hold their breath for a long long time! It great to be chilling again – the kids are in the pool – and Nanny and I are reading.

Granddad returns from the park at 10.30 – later than expected I might add – and the bottom half of him is covered in brown gooey mud. It would seem that Nanny made the right decision by not going – she would not have made it. Granddad is very enthused about all the birds – seems that his guide was also very enthusiastic about birds – even showing Granddad some specials that he would not normally have shown a visitor. Hence the lateness!

The brave traveller sticking his mucky feet in the pool

Granddad washes his shoes in the shower – and then his trousers, and socks. I think Nanny is going to throw his socks away – the state of them! He is hungry – but breakfast finished being served at 10.00. Nanny goes off and chats with the girls in the restaurant – and they cook Granddad a breakfast all on his own! See I told you – WFSAC rule Bali!

They sit in the restaurant – Nanny having at least a cup of tea, while Granddad eats his brekkie. One thing – Nanny does not like the local brew – hasn't all the time she has been in Bali – but she now carries her own tea bags. Asks for hot water in a teapot! Better to have something you like rather than suffering at the hands of the locals!

The crew showing their best sides

Virtually everyone is in the pool – and then they spot something occurring over the other side of the wall which is part of the pool. Everyone leans over looking down – and I shout "smile please" and take a photograph of all the bums in the air.

It is virtually midday and the kids are hungry again – so we send them off to the restaurant to feed themselves. We continue to laze around the pool – enjoy the sun and the idyllic lifestyle. I could live like this forever.. Everyone is waiting for the return of the divers. We had not been given an estimated time of arrival for them – so it was just a case of wait, and laze around.

    

Under the sea

The divers return at 2 p.m. Seems like Mandy was going goose Andy's bum on the boat – only she got him mixed up with one of the guides. What worries me is that she wanted to goose Andy in the first place – and then again maybe she should have her eyes tested! Mind you the guide didn't seem to mind – although Mandy was very embarrassed.

The crew in the pool @ Menjangan

The divers join everyone in the pool – and we hear some of the stories of the coral reef. It was good – but the visability was not as good as they had hoped. Anita even goes so far to say that she preferred the diving in the Red Sea. Once they have relaxed a bit and have showers etc we get ready for the next part of journey – homewards to the Puri Santrian.

So begins the next part of Roger making an arse out of himself! We enter the coach – to find Roger in the front seat all by himself. A little background is necessary here – Anita is not a good backseat passenger (or driver come to that – oops – ouch!) She feels carsick if she cannot see the road in front of her. She really needs to be in a position where she can see everything.

Originally she comes and sits beside me – but before we leave she realises that it is not going to be very succesful. So she gets up and sits beside him. He huffs and puffs – and Anita even turns so that she is sitting into the aisle to make it easier for him. "this will not work" he said with a real huff and puff. Anita explains what the problem is – and he gets up and storms off down the coach. Little Matt was sitting on his own – so Roger pushes in. Matt really wanted to grab some sleep – so it became a bit uneasy there. Fortunately his mum – Mandy – was sitting on her own too, and he goes and joins her. Roger then spreads out – and out – and proceeds to fall asleep the moment the coach starts. So why did he have to sit at the front – when every other journey Anita had been there? Like I said arse!

The journey back to Sanur is very long – almost 4 hours we are on the coach. Wonderful views etc – but oh so often we get caught behind very large lorries – which cannot travel that fast. Especially as the road is very mountainous – wouldn't be too smart to overtake one of those babies – only to find something of similar size coming at you from the front!

It is during this part of our journey that I witness 5 yes 5 people on a moped. Mum and Dad, two kids and grandma! God knows how they managed it – but they did! Amazing at some of the traffic we see – people with their whole life on the back of a moped – and mobile shops you just wouldn't believe. I was there and I still don't believe it.

One of the slightly overladen mopeds

The journey drags on – some of us have slept for the majority of the journey and others have dozed – but no one is comfortable. John gets up and goes backwards and sits beside Andy who is on the back seat with a window. John opens the window, and proceeds to light his cigarette. Which he had previously prepared – he is a roll-up merchant – bit like a wind up merchant but better hand-eye co-ordination! He puffs away with the smoke leaving the coach. A second one is soon lit – and John looks so much more relaxed. He proceeds to sit beside Andy for the rest of journey – consuming another couple on the way!

All too soon – sorry that should read not soon enough – lol – we arrive back at the hotel, driving down a road and guess what we see – yes the Griya Santrian, sister hotel to ours. It is not actually down the beach at all – more inland than was realised. We also noted a load more shops that need a visit. So many more than we had found previously, and just around the corner – well ish.

Sleepy heads and the plough

We pull into the hotel and everyone grabs their bags and puts them in their rooms. We have arranged to meet our usual crew in the bar – and then onto the restaurant – for dinner. No one can be bothered in moving elsewhere – the journey has knocked us all for six.

It might be me – but the hotel is a lot fuller than when we left – the restaurant is very busy – and it takes a while to get served. I think that this might have something to do with us just being in season. OK you at the back stop smirking – I meant that the tourist season had just began – the weather should improve all the time from now. Not that is has been bad – but is should get hotter – so better make sure we have enough sun crème. We catch up with some of the others who have been back for a while – well they didn't have the long drive home that we had!

After dinner is consumed and we have taken over the bar once again - I remember that Arsenal are playing in the Champions League early tomorrow morning local time, and having seen that they show games on local TV I was interested to know what the chances were of catching the game. Our lot don't seem to know – and even the bar staff are reticent to advise me. Little Matt also wants to see the game, so off I trot to reception hoping that I will get an answer similar to the last time I was here – hoping that the staff didn't recognise me as the instigator of the fraud that happen three days earlier with breakfast.

Fortunately I remain unrecognised but they do not know if the game is being shown live. He asks me to take a seat while he rings a friend who is guaranteed to know (must be the £64,000 question). Again it is not good – local tv only show premiership games. So the final bit of good news is that I don't have to get up at 3.30 in the morning – and neither does Matt although he is less happy over it than me! Another Arsenal game missed – lol.

Back to the bar for a nightcap – but both Anita and I are feeling tired – oh might that have something to do with the road trip he thinks? So a quick one and then off to bed.