Day 9 - Wednesday July 7, 2010 - Bali, Indonesia

Day 9 - Bali, Indonesia - A virtual paradise!

Yesterday was a smooth travel day. Singapore Air does such a great job - good customer focus, good food, excellent wine choices, good entertainment, and right on time. We arrived in Bali (Denpasar) right on time and fortunately I had my Indonesian visa so I was able to avoid the long "Visa on Arrival" lines. My luggage was waiting when I got through immigration and off to figure out how to get to the hotel.

I changed money and went to the information counter and asked about transportation to the Intercontinental. She made an announcement of some sort and in 30 seconds a person from the hotel appeared. I hadn't pre-arranged the trip from the airport to the hotel, but for $12 (US) he took care of it with a private car that was in much better shape than any of the taxis.

The Intercontinental Resort is magnificent. A huge property with lots of amenities. The room is spacious and comfortable. Today is relaxation day. I'll book a tour of some sort for tomorrow.

So today was about doing nothing. I did arrange to get access to the internet so I can keep up with email and my blog. Then I booked an island tour for tomorrow - sounds like an interesting itinerary and starts early with the Bali dancers I have heard about. I'm curious.

Then walked around the property and was amazed at this complex. Beautifully maintained and expansive. There are 6 different pool areas. So I found a place with sun and shade and made that my spot for several hours. Had a great banana margarita by the pool made with fresh bananas. Then had lunch by the pool with their special drink a Jambarana breeze served in a pineapple - a little sweet for me but good and loaded with alcohol!!!! Good reason to take a nap by the pool while looking at the beauty of the Indian Ocean.

So the afternoon was spent sunning, swimming, reading, drinking, napping, and people-watching. A fun afternoon and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Headed back to the room to clean up for sunset. Went to Sunset Bar to watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean. Tried the local Balinese beer that was on draft (Bindang Beer) and it was really good. Enjoyed the sunset. A Spanish couple was at the Sunset Bar and couldn't figure out the Indonesian rupiah currency. So I helped them translate somehow - he was amazed at how cheap things are here!

Went to the dinner / show about 7. The dinner was extensive - lots of spicy appetizers and I tried a sampling. It was good. I had to try the suckling pig on the grill - a specialty in Bali. The meat was good but I just couldn't eat the skin as they do here. It was crispy but very tough. At least I tried it. The Balinese dancers reminded me of Thai dancers with their facial expressions and hand movements. I had a hard time following the story line. It was a great show and probably had over 100 dancers and musicians in the production. It went on a little long for me and at one point all of the dancers and musicians were on stage. Lot of drums and gongs - for a bit too long! But I chalked it up to a "cultural experience". I was actually imagining my granddaughters (Lauren and Lillian) dancing with such expressive poses of their faces, feet, and hands since they both like to dance. It was fun.

Tomorrow is an early day and we'll travel north to the mountains (Badur Volcano) and make several stops at various venues. Should be an interesting day.

A great first day in Bali. Highly recommend this as a destination for others who want beautiful surroundings, excellent service, reasonable prices and an adventure.