Finally here!
Our first trip to Bali back in 1995, we walked down a set of rickety stairs to get off the plane. Now, there's a huge new airport. Clearing immigration hasn't changed much, but the Visa-on-arrival is now available to purchase online in advance (which we didn't do). The price is currently 500,000 IDR ($33 when we arrived), and the process was quick and easy.
Once we cleared immigration, we headed to the baggage carousel to wait for our luggage to appear. A porter found us pretty quickly, but they didn't seem as aggressive as they were in years past. He guided me through the new online customs form, grabbed our bags when they finally showed up, and walked us out to the receiving area where there were probably a hundred drivers with signs waiting for their guests to step out of the airport. Made said that 50,000 (about $3.25) would be enough for the tip, but our porter disagreed, so I gave him one US dollar more and he scurried off with that.
The trip to Ubud from the airport is always a bit harrowing. It's best to not watch the traffic at all and trust your driver. Made is still driving the same car he had in 2013, and it's in good shape, so that's a good indicator that we will make it there in one piece.
There is a big new toll road that winds across the Gulf of Benoa and eliminates the need to drive through Denpasar, therefore reducing the time this trip takes.
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| My sausage feet |
Much has changed in the last 10 years, but much is still the same. We began to see things along the way that were familiar, and many places that looked like they hadn't changed at all since our last visit. Made told us about the economic struggles they have been dealing with since covid while I sat in the back seat with my sausage feet and wished I had done something different about my clothes. Even with the AC pumping, I was still a sweaty mess.
The new "house" is in Penestanan, built on property next to Made's home. We have been there before, but this is not an area we are really familiar with, especially with all the new construction. This property has 8 rooms, 4 up and 4 down, with porches and balconies overlooking a lovely pool. There is a parking area for motorbikes and an open dining area where breakfast is served. Off to the side are 3 2-bedroom, 2-bath villas with private plunge pools and separate wi-fi. We are staying in Villa 3. Upon our arrival at Londo House, Kadek presented us with fresh coconuts as welcome drinks.
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| Welcome drink |
We sat and chatted a while, then headed to our villa to shower and change. As tired as we were, we learned a long time back that you can't go to sleep until bedtime or it will be very difficult to adjust to the time change, so we got settled in and came back out to plan the rest of our day.
I discovered while waiting for our connecting flight in Doha that I had left my glasses in the seat pocket of our first flight. Lost and found was no help - I suspect they threw them away. No worries, though. Made said he would take me into town to get new ones - on the motorbike. Now, I always wear a sarong when I'm in Bali, so riding a motorbike means I'm riding side-saddle. This is quite exciting given the traffic in the Ubud area. There were a couple of times I had to tuck my feet to avoid hitting another vehicle. Again, trust your driver!
He took me to an optical shop, where they put me in front of a machine that apparently recognizes when your eyes focus on the projected image. It spit out a receipt, the lady pulled out a case of lenses, put together a mock-up for me to try, and had me read the chart and walk around to be sure the prescription was right. The frames I chose were 200,000, the lenses were 325,000, and there was no charge for the testing. My glasses will be ready in 24 hours and they cost less than $35. Why can't it be that easy at home?
Back on the motorbike to head back to the house, with stops to change money and buy Gudang Garam. Then a walk to find something for dinner.
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| Chicken wrap at Cafe Vespa |
We had been staying in Made's bungalows since 2000, and we knew how to get anywhere we wanted to go from there. Now we are in the middle of the village with no real idea of where we are. We did manage to find Cafe Vespa where we had eaten before, so we stopped there. It was a bit pricy, but I was not up for more walking to try to find something diffferent. I ordered the chicken bacon avocado wrap with fries and a soda water, and Ibu ordered a banana milkshake. Turns out they had no bananas (no bananas? In Bali?), so she opted to not get anything.
My wrap and fries arrived fairly quickly. The wrap itself was not a tortilla like we are accustomed to, but something more like a crepe which is a bit more fragile. The filling was mostly lettuce, with probably half an avocado in slices, a few pieces of chicken, and some chopped bacon. The dressing was good and the ingredients were mixed up pretty well. There was a small serving of frozen fries, which were crispy, but I prefer the hand-cut fries we usually get here. This meal was 107,000 (about $7), which is cheap by American standards, but at least twice what we used to pay for something like this.
We made it back to the villa without getting run over or falling in a ditch, then locked our doors and hit the sack for some much needed sleep.
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