Alucidnation-Deep Rez
It had been raining all night and was still coming down when I woke in the morning and wiped the fog off the window and peered out.
I could see the night watchman was still on duty from his barefoot footprints on the tiles going past my door.
That's my room and there's the villa dog that I learnt early in the piece definitely wasn't into physical contact..
After mooching around in my room for awhile I went up to make sure Luke was awake, he had moved into the honeymoon suite and looked very happy and relaxed apart from the fact he was a little concerned with the rain and his 2 hour bike ride today.
Damn I hadn't thought of that!
Breakfast was set for us upfront this morning. Just beautiful watching the ocean whilst eating our last meal at Anjani.
It was again delicious and when I asked for a ginger tea instead of the instant which I was expecting, a teapot with sliced up ginger was brought, along with a jar of very dark brown sugar that looked almost like coffee. Absolutely loved it and so did Luke and Pam.
A couple more pots were ordered. We added the sugar to our 'track down' list.
I started to pace as I tend to do in Bali,... so many people to meet and so much to see and do just outside the door.
We had a couple of hours to kill before our transfer to Seminyak. I suggested we head into town for a last minute look around and Ketut the manager organised a driver for us within minutes.
He was another lovely, smiling, happy guy who had the mission of just taking Pam and I somewhere to shop :o)
First we stopped at the ATM again and whilst Pam was busy with her withdrawal I discovered a new love, ikat!
The first store I went in had a few pieces of this wonderful weaving but the store owner wasn't around and the lady that owned the store next door swept in and sneakily suggested I visit her store which has many more to choose from. She was a very hyperactive lady and ushered us in quickly, she did indeed have a shop full of beautiful pieces.
She actually comes from Tenganan "THE" village for these wonderful textiles in Bali. We bargained hard and I came away with 2 beautiful double ikat runners (one of them Pam paid for, for my birthday.Thanks Pam I love it :0).
They were one of those must have purchases. I learnt early in my Bali travels that procrastination over a purchase can lead to long term regret, so I wasn't leaving the store without them!
The driver then took us to a large store full of all the souvenir type carvings, placemats, sarongs etc. and we poked around in this dusty shop till it was time to head back.
By the time Yoga arrived for our 12 o'clock transfer the rain had stopped, thankfully.
All the staff were there to wish us safe travels and we thanked them wholeheartedly for their care.
I told them I would love to return some day with my husband.
Rob would seriously love this villa. I'm sure there's not many people that wouldn't!
I told them I would love to return some day with my husband.
Rob would seriously love this villa. I'm sure there's not many people that wouldn't!
Departure time.
It was blue skies and dry roads all the way.
Yes people, that is my son on a motorbike sporting a big smile but no protective clothing!
Luke that polystyrene helmet might look the part but it ain't foolin' anyone!
The journey took us around 2 hours and was clear sailing until we got to Denpasar of course, where we got caught in a number of traffic jams.
As usual the trip was anything but boring though with plenty to see.
I was talking to Yoga about our coconut oil search and he told us all about the long process his Ibu goes through. Shredding,boiling, skimming, and squeezing to end up with the wonderful oil/elixir that is the only way to make a top notch sambal.
He said his Ibu was coming to town from her home in Singaraja for the weekend and he'd try to procure me a bottle.
He even recommended a couple of his special sambal recipes which I jotted down. You could see he was passionate about his cooking too.
We talked about the ikat and how Tenganan was the original village in Bali and is the only place in Indonesia that makes the ikat.
He said there are stories from long ago that when the elders knew their 'number was up' they would cut their own throat and collect the blood to be used in the dying of the fabric. He stressed that was a long, long time ago.
Tenganan will be on the agenda next trip.
Then we were back in Seminyak. Oh I love ya, I love ya.
We arrived at Villa 88 right on 2 o'clock to no fanfare or smiles, just blank looks.
They did grab our luggage though and carted it inside which was at least a good sign and then they left us to it. I had stayed here last September on a 'girls trip' so I at least knew the layout of the place.
It was very clean and comfortable and a good price but it was mainly about the location for me.
Just down a little driveway smack bang in the middle of Eat street.
Love just walking out the door and being in the middle of the action.
Rob's plane was due in at 4 so the countdown was definitely on.
We 3 chose our rooms and hot footed it down Eat street to find some fantastic food and drinks 'As you Do'
We found all that at 'Khaima' a 3 minute walk away! Service was great with a very friendly chatty guy that helped us choose a great tapas selection from their extensive menu and we all had a couple of their very tasty cocktails too.
Mad about you - Hooverphonic with orchestra.
We headed back to await Rob's arrival and relaxed around the pool.
and that's where we were when he got there at around 6.
He burst through the villa door with arms flailing in the air declaring 'Never Again'!!
Oh dear Mr.Angry and Mr.Stress were still obviously sitting on his shoulders. We all just smiled our calm little 11 days in Bali smiles, poured him a large glass of his duty free, showed him to his Master suite and suggested he gets his bathers on.
I had made reservations for Mamasan months prior via email for dinner that night.
We had never had the pleasure but I had read so many great things about it and after my wonderful birthday dinner at it's sister restaurant Sarong I knew we weren't going to be disappointed food wise.
Mamasan was a 15 minute walk away along the very dodgy 'under re-construction' footpath which was made all the more dodgier when we were checking out all the 'wonders' in the shop windows as we walked past.
I could see Pam was already loving it and wanting to return to this shop and that tomorrow.
Mamasan = Service 10/10
Food 8/10
Atomsphere 4/10
Loved everything about the place except for the noise level. Unfortunately it was very, very busy and loud. When you can't have a conversation at the table it really does spoil the evening. I was regretting that we hadn't returned to Sarong for Rob's first night on holiday and Pam's first taste of Seminyak.
Surprise, Surprise we were back at La Looch in the Pagi :0)
And what a feast we had and we were back the next morning too.
Like seriously, really, if someone could tell me of a better venue for breakfast,
please do.
After leaving La Looch the guys headed off on the motorbike to Deus ex machina
Pam and I jumped in a cab to the Seminyak markets. We had a ball finding some excellent bargains.
This is where I came across the excellent boxes of coil incense and the holders I had been searching for.
Luke returned later in the trip and almost bought the lovely lady out.
When we got back to the villa Rob was complaining about the state of his butt after being on the back of the bike. It didn't look like he was feeling any pain though :0) Those nasty guys that had been on his shoulders were long gone.
He had cranked up his new Led Zep DVD that Luke had bought for him and he was in full Bali relax and party mode.
This is Pam's room. Luke's room was very similar but he had lots of trouble sleeping with a noisy pump that was located on the other side of his wall. The second day we discussed it with the young rather unsmiling 'go to' guys that live in a tiny house outside the door of the villa. They just seemed to shrug it off and put it in the too hard basket. Later in the day we asked them if it could be turned off at bed time which they did begrudgingly. They must of switched it back on again during the night though because it continued to keep Luke awake. They weren't too happy when the power tripped out one night and one of them had to be roused to come and throw the switch on the power box either. Ahhh well, obviously not a people person.
There is a member of the staff that is a stand out though. The lovely Made who is the cook etc. for the other 2 bedroom villa in this group. She remembered me from September and we had some nice chats. The topic came around to food (no surprises there :) and I mentioned the coconut oil.
She excitedly told me her mother-in-law made it and would get some for us. When she arrived with 2 drink bottles full of this liquid gold the next day I was absolutely thrilled. I couldn't wait to try my hand at the sambal recipes Yoga had given me when we got home.
I insisted on giving Made some money for them though she tried to refuse. Rob had brought along a large stuffed koala bear we had received as a thank you gift for supporting a cause back home and we asked if Made would like it for her children. She was over the moon with it and when we explained a little about koala bears she couldn't stop hugging it, very sweet.
There aren't many photo's of these few days as most of our time was spent either shopping, relaxing or eating. I did organise a 'date with pain' for Rob's first day. I whisked him off to Amo spa (what a shame it is no more) for a quick back wax. I had warned him of my intentions and how it was going to be necessary for everything to be right in the world for me. The man doth protest too much, methinks.
I had organised a leather laptop bag to be made at Aura when I was in Seminyak at the start of the trip. Aura is just a few doors up from the villa 88 and I picked that up. I love it, very happy with the workmanship. Rob, Pam and I organised to have 2 pairs of glasses each made at Wina Optic (Supernova) which we planned on picking up from their store in Sanur on our return from Nusa Lembongan.
I organised new cushion covers for our outdoor setting and Pam wanted a couple of skirts made. I'd come back for those in a week.
For our farewell to Seminyak until next time dinner we returned to Taco beach.
Luke and I were sure Rob and Pam would enjoy it.
Hehe, was that a little spicy Rob :0)
The very nice owner introduced himself to us and we praised him highly on his Fantastic chilli poppers.
He told us it had taken a lot of trial and error to get them right and shared the recipe with us.
As usual I got some lovely clothes and bits and pieces from the boutiques including a beautiful outfit from Uluwatu Boutique that I'm keeping for a special occasion. I got a beautiful turquoise ring from there too that I ummed and ahhed about for a couple of days.
Eventually I hot footed it back there on our last morning to purchase it when our transfer transport was imminent, yes I had decided I didn't just want the ring but I needed it. It was admired by Pam and I often over the rest of the holiday as it seemed to shine and reflect the colour of the blue sky and ocean which fortunately for us we were surrounded by for the remainder of the trip :0)
We were off to Nusa Lembongan another part of the trip I had been really looking forward too.
Sampai Jumpa!
Found some more pic's of Villa 88 on Rob's phone..here they are :)
Standing at the pool, view of the Master bedroom.
Messy! :)
Living room entrance.
The living area is very comfortable and cool, (temp wise). Mind you there are a couple of ornaments and pic's that I was admiring a lot :)
The Master bedroom is very big and comfortable.
Plenty of storage in the walk-in robe.
Outside loo. Has a spa bath which we didn't ever try but on the previous trip the girls that had this room said it didn't work.
Looking out from the Master bedroom across the pool toward two other rooms.
The other bedroom under the main roof is very large and comfy too. That's Luke having a nap on Pam's bed after he got very little sleep in his own room ...noisy pump.
No comments:
Post a Comment