"Light
Of Life"
Bali 2003
Let me introduce you to The Baker Family
(KB = Karen f/38, Sharee f/12, Sally f/7)
Leaving for Bali on 8th September 03 flying Garuda Airlines ex Sydney Australia for 10 nights.
Day 1
Monday 8th September
The alarm wakes us at 4:00am We have a 3 hour drive to Sydney International Airport Australia bound for Bali for a 10 night stay in Bakungsari Hotel Kuta Bali. The early morning sun lights up the sky and the excitement is running hot as we drive to the airport. We are happy little vegemite�s as happy as can be. Finding the Sydney International Car Park was like finding a needle in a hay stack but is located near the heliport on Ross Smith Avenue. For 7 days or more is AUD$99. A Courtesy Airport shuttle was quick & easy over to the Sydney International Airport. We checked in with Garuda Airlines and then through the customs gate. We did a bit of duty free shopping for smokes (5 x 50g Drum tobacco $33.95) and alcohol (Bacardi 1125ml $23.50) then we boarding GA719 heading for Bali. The Garuda staff were great (As Always). The Pilot was telling passengers all the goings on as we prepared for take off. Over Ayers Rock we had a small amount of turbulence. The pilot requesting we put our seat belts on. He moved to a higher altitude there resuming a smooth journey to Denpasar Airport. 15 minutes before arriving we changed into shorts and top. (That is so the heat don�t hit you like a bag of shit). Bali customs was a breeze as usual. Quite a lot of tourist. (I was expecting much less after the bombing). Customs were checking bags for extra duty free - grog & cigarettes. (Declare your duty free and you wont have a problem). Straight to the taxi window for a taxi from the Airport to Bakungsari Hotel Kuta. (25,000RP). A quick change into our swimmers, then straight to the pool. Wayan and Putu was excited to see us back at Bakungsari Hotel and we had an evening meal in the Bakungsari restaurant. The meal was very nice and at a cheap cost. We then had an early night. We hit the pillows about 8.30pm Bali time. (10.30pm Aussie time). ZZZZZZ
Day 2
Tuesday 9th September 03
Morning Rain Then Clear Blue Sky
Down for breakfast which in included in the cost. Choose tea or coffee. A orange juice. Eggs (any style) with bacon or ham. Then choose only 1 thing from the following. Fruit salad or noodles or fried rice or plain pancakes. After breakfast the rain stopped and we went for a walk (Jalan Jalan) to get some money changed $1.00 AUD = 5500RP and to checked out the Kuta Art Markets. Once again we shopped till we dropped. DVDs 15,000. Back to Bakungsari Hotel for a swim in the pool. After having our swim, I had a massage by the pool by Wayan for 20,000RP and then it�s back to our room to wait for my long time family friend of 10 years Jenny (Nyoman Sutini). I met Jenny on my first trip to Bali (10 years earlier). She was 14 years old and her family could not afford to send her to high school so she had to go to work on the streets, plaiting hair and doing nails so her family could send her younger brother to school. (You see the Indonesian Government pays for your child to go to school up until year 6 � age 12. (Year 6) or 6 class I use to call it. Then the family has to pay for the child to go to high school or the child has to go to work on the streets). When Jenny arrived we was all so excited to see each other. It had been a year since we all seen each other. But we do talk through emails. We had long talks and Jenny and Sally had a fun pillow fight. Jenny plaited the kids hair and painted there nails. She always does it for free but I always like to pay her. (20,000RP for hair to be plaited and 10,000RP for nails to be painted). If you would like Jenny to plait your hair or paint your nail, you can find her outside Ramayana Hotel Jalan Bakungsari. Kuta. It�s across the road from Kuta Art Markets. There is a mini store and next door is a tattoo shop. Go inside the tattoo shop and ask for Jenny and say Karen sent you and she will give you the same price I pay.
Day 3
Wednesday 10th September 03
Morning Rain then Clear Blue Sky
Breakfast at the Hotel Restaurant as we have our daily free breakfast vouchers. Today is a special day because today I am meeting Vicki. Vickie is a lady I chat with on the internet. She is from Melbourne Australia. We have been chatting for at least 6 months or more now. When she found out I was going to Bali she wanted to come too. She has already been to Bali 10 times and her last time was March 03. She should be here mid afternoon. Back to the room to get the swimmers on for a swim and we have a note on our motel room door. It is from reception. Vicki is going to be 12 hours late due to the plane having problems. Sally had a hair cut today at the hair dressers in JL Bakungsari. 20,000RP. Then after that, my girls swam in the pool while I lazed around getting a suntan for the day. About 5pm we then went to the internet cafe to send some emails. (1 hour = 6000rp). We had dinner at the Bakungsari Hotel Restaurant again because Miss Sally - 7 always goes to sleep by 7.30 Bali time - 9.30 Aussie time.
Day 4
Thursday 11th September 03
Morning Rain then Clear Blue Sky
We arranged with a driver to go to Denpasar to buy a Nokia Mobile or to get my Aussie mobile unlocked. It costed us 60,000RP for 3 of us for the transport. I know, we was ripped off but I was in a hurry and no light blue taxi�s was coming along the road. Well what a waste of time that was. I didn�t find what I was looking for. I couldn�t get the Aussie mobile unlocked anywhere because Bali has a contract with Australia not to unlock Aussie mobiles. I cant see why not, they copy everything else. So I couldn�t use a Bali sim card in my Aussie mobile because it was locked to Telstra Communicate 8 in Australia. So off to Matar Hari at Kuta. Bottom level you can buy a Nokia 3315 for 725,000RP. Then you buy a start up kit separately. Don�t make the same mistake as me. I got a Mentari Sim for 100.000RP with 70,000RP available credit. A SMS is 500RP. And remember when sending SMS from Bali to Australia, put the + sign then 61 and the the number you would normaly ring. Then Recharge cards are 100,000RP. But just next to that - on the same counter, you can get a different one and cheaper. It is called Pro xl. It is 50,000RP for the start up kit sim and some credit. One good thing about getting this Nokia 3315 in Bali is that it is no locked and it can used world wide except USA. I�m going to give it to my daughter Sharee for her Christmas present.
Day 5
Friday 12th September 03
Pouring Down Rain (I have never seen so much rain in Bali). It rained all day. The Taxi driver told me it flooded down JL Legian to nearly knee high.
Had breakfast and then straight down Matar Hari to buy some umberella's. Every floor on Matar Hari had umberella's at all different prices (for the same umberella) but the cheapest was on 4th floor near the kids bags for 20,000RP each. Now back to Bakungsari Hotel. Once back in the room we decided to ring up and hire a DVD player bacause the rain was so heavy, it wasn't worth going any where or doing any thing. The number to ring in Bali to hire the DVD player is 08123657351 and it costed 40,000RP for 24 hours from the time you hire it. Dinner in the room. Pizza Hut Pizza. Home delivery PH: (361) 758188 or (361) 758189. Large thin base meat lover and a garlic bread. 50,000RP We shouted Vickie dinner too and watched a DVD in the room.
Day 6
Saturday 13th September 03
Morning shopping a little at Legian Markets. Long sleeve tops 25,000RP Large White T-Shirts 25,000 and Large Coloured T-shirts 30,000RP Black soft thongs and soft shoes 20,000RP and 3/4 pants 30,000RP. Hot and bothered when we check out the site of the Sari Club Bombing. The fence is up, but the tributes just totally cover it. The messages are so heartfelt, the emotional and physical pain suffered by so many just echoes through all the words that are written. The mandatory f*ck terrorist T-shirt is there as well as a couple of Aussie flags. One Aussie flag I find particularly touching has a small Indonesian flag sown to it, with the words, our brothers and sisters of Bali, you will always be part of our Australian family. It wasn't hard top get a lump in your throat.
Day 7
Sunday 14th September 03
Morning was spent sunbaking round the pool. A quick exit to my room as I now have Bali Belly. A lot of people have been getting a dose of Bali belly this trip. If you get a real dose of the belly it is absolute agony, both ends want to open, massive stomach cramps. 4 days out of action or a visit from the doctor is normal. Anything less than that is just your system adjusting to a change of diet. I'm staying off food today. Im just keeping the fluids up.
Day 8
Monday 15th September 03
I still have a touch of Bali Belly. But today we are going to Bali Galeria. We looked around for a few hours and Sally bought some new roller skates and the wheels fold up into the soul so you can wear them as shoes. 200,000RP. Vicki was tempted by the food. She ordered a meal but couldn't eat it. She said it looked like it was still alive. Later we shopped in the cool of the evening in the streets of Kuta before retiring for the night.
Day 9
Tuesday 16th September 03
Today we are heading for Sukawarti Markets. 100,000RP for a Bemo from Kuta. Our Driver Wayan Wirka PH: (0361) 487241 Sukawarti is popular for bed quilts. I got a beautiful king size quilt. Raja Lumba-Lumba = King dolphin for 170,000RP and a Queen size Jack Daniel Quilt for 130,000RP and a pink flowered double size quilt for 120,000RP. All in all had a great day with only slight Bali Belly today.
Day 10
Wednesday 17th September 03
Today it is off to Poppies Lane. It's as busy as ever with motor bikes and cars. Taxis honking their horns for a fare, even if your going in the other direction. Another DVD shop for more DVD shopping. Hey I love to shop in Bali!
I start to barter in a little clothes store for a black O,Neill top. She starts off with a rediculas price of 100,000RP. I say oh you think me a millionaire and I say 20,000RP. She laughts at what I say and she says 50,000RP and I say 25,000RP and start walking out the shop. She calls me back and says OK OK. I then say you tried to send me bankrupt and she laughts. The walk back to the motel provided me with an insight to the incredible memories of the Balinese. One particular fella I got talking to on JL Legian offering me pot. Which I declined. If I come across people offering me pot or drugs, I just tell them 'Me Aussie Copper' or 'Me Aussie Polici'. They have a tendency to leave you alone then. It works every time. Geese I live life on the edge - Don't I?
Day 11
Thursday 18th September 03
Breakfast and then took some shorts over to the laundry (2 shorts 2000RP)and lazed around the pool. We met some fantastic people at our hotel. We always do. Later the girls were packing the bags for the return journey home. Wondering where the days went. Bags are packed and stored in the office. While having our last meal in Bali. The end of our holiday had come round so quick yet we all had a very good and safe time. Never mine, there is always next year. The plane left Bali late that night at 11pm - GA714.
Day 12
Friday 19th September 03
Touch down at Sydney Airport early Friday morning knowing only too well that the next day I would all have to return to work and on Monday morning the kids back to school.
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