Dave and his Bike

Days 119, 120, 121.

Day 119.

Exploring Kuta.

A comfy bed and being tired from last night pointed to another great lie-in. It was also raining when we woke up, so there was no urgent motivation to get moving other than a lack of breakfast in the homestay. So after a coffee in the room, and when the rain had stopped, we sauntered out to find some. Almost immediately we were stopped in the street by an excitable little chap who was handing out marketing stuff for a hotel chain way above our budget. We tried to refuse, but ended up with a couple of scratch card type things, and being told we’d won prizes. A likely story. However, tempted by the free breakfast on offer, and no plans for the morning, we found ourselves in a taxi (paid by them) to the Karma Resort. After a great breakfast (which was indeed free) and a marketing presentation (followed by a bit of unsuccessful hard sell), we were presented with a baseball cap, and a voucher for a weeks holiday in one of their resorts. They have one somewhere in St Tropez. We shall see… If nothing else we got a couple of free taxi tours of the area which was interesting.

Back in the real world, we explored around Kuta on foot. It reminds me a bit of the back streets of Bangkok, or the touristy parts of George Town, with bars, restaurants, massage parlours, tattoo establishments, and the tatt shops you would associate with such places. It’s great for a couple of days but I’m sure we will be ready to move on. We strolled down to Jerman Beach, along the promenade pathway to Kuta Beach past all of the little cabins selling cold drinks and coconuts, being hassled at every single one due to the lack of tourists about, and having stopped en-route for some nasi goreng and a spring roll salad (for Jane). It was spitting with rain on and off, but was warm and dampness didn’t really bother us.

A cheeky beer on the way back to the hotel. A swim in the pool outside our room. Dinner for two in a Balinese restaurant. It is like being on holiday. Dinner was great. We may well go back there again.

Sadly the weather clearly hasn’t been good today. We were hoping that Bali would be a bit of a break on the beach, but then it is the rainy season so maybe we were just a bit too optimistic. Not photography weather.

Day 120.

More exploration. Or not.

It is raining again. The storm that woke me up around 0500hrs was still grumbling at 0900hrs with the appropriate amount of rain to accompany the thunder. Coffee on the terrace overlooking the pool, a chat with the owner about the weather (very British), and we walked all of 50m to the hotel around the corner for another coffee and some toast (and eggs for Jane). The rest of the morning was spent chilling at the hotel and hoping that the rain would stop. It didn’t.

By early afternoon we needed a bit of exercise so went for a stroll around part of the shopping centre a (very) short walk away. Lunch at the same place as yesterday was followed by the rest of the shopping centre. Not the exploring that we had hoped for, but the weather was so dire it seemed pointless to get a taxi anywhere or just walk around Kuta getting soaked. That said, we did go for a swim in the pool in the rain.

To continue the theme of the day, we went out for dinner and a beer. Same restaurant as last night. New food. Jane had crispy duck. Nice. We also managed an ice cream on the walk back to the hotel.

So overall not the sample of Balinese countryside, life and culture that we had hoped for, but at least we are relaxed and well fed. The forecast for tomorrow is marginally better, so with any luck we’ll do a bit more, although we are leaving in the evening.

Day 121.

Travel day.

It’s still raining.

Any enthusiasm we may still have had for exploring locally soon dissolved in the rain. Very heavy showers interspersed with drizzle. Even on the short walk to breakfast we got wet. So we packed. Hung about a bit. Went for an early lunch. Ordered a taxi. Obviously on the short drive to the airport the sun tried to come out and the rain stopped. Typical.

We couldn’t check in for the next five hours. There wasn’t much we could do prior to that other than make a smoothie last as long as possible so that we could stay in the comfortable seats of the café, which also relieved the boredom for a short period. With four hours until flight departure we’d had enough of shuffling about on uncomfortable metal seats, going for a walk around the shops and trying to stay positive, so took the decision to join the queue thus venturing forth into the world of departures. We were easily able to check in our bags, and see the bike box disappear into the clutches of the baggage handlers once again. The pain and stress was eased by a beer and a burger in the Hard Rock Café. That passed the time nicely until the call to the gate, and boarding went smoothly. Rather disappointingly, there seemed to be less leg room on the plane than a Ryanair flight (which is saying something). That didn’t fill me with enthusiasm for the four hours ahead of me.

Bali is somewhere we need to re-visit. I know that there are parts of the island which would be amazing to see, and the people are lovely. Our short beach-break didn’t really happen, but when you are travelling the way I am you take the (clichéd) rough with the smooth, and obviously have absolutely no control over the weather.

Having said all of that, the excitement was starting to build as the next stage of the trip was about to start. Australia here we come…