Bonkers Bali

After receiving a flower necklace on arrival we were picked up from the airport by our private driver and driven through the hectic back streets of Kuta to get to the Legian Beach Hotel.  We had a deluxe garden bungalow and it was perfect!

We then headed to the pool bar to receive our welcome drink!

The first night we stayed at the hotel to try the beautifully presented Indonesian food and the special cocktail!

I didn't realise that squirrels would be so abundant in Bali!!! They had squirrel feeding once a day, but all day they were jumping between the trees by the pool, and between the parasols as you were sunbathing!

For lunch we decided to walk to Kuta (for the first and last time!).  We'd heard that it was like a Bali Ibiza, but we were not prepared for what Kuta had to offer at all.  The walk alone was crazy enough!  The street was one-way, but if mopeds wanted to go the other way they just went on the pavement!  The road was dusty and full of holes, so after dodging the bikes, holes and offerings to the gods that are left on the pavements (little baskets of flowers and food!), we were happy to have made it in one piece!  When we got there, locals were constantly trying to get you to buy stuff from them on the streets or go into their shops, and taxi after taxi beeps at you as they go past.  Far too hectic for us, and at 30 odd degrees we were too hot and bothered to find somewhere that looked like it served food that wouldn't make us ill for the rest of the holiday!  So we found a supermarket and got some supplies so that we could head back to the hotel! We jumped in a taxi and quickly jumped out again because the driver tried to pull a fast one - he was going to charge us 50,000 rupiah when it should have been 5,000!  The next taxi was from a reputable company though - the Bluebird Group - so we learnt our lesson quickly to stick with them from then on!

Back in the calm of the hotel we relaxed by Frangipani pool - as we did most days!!!

Nights out in Bali were fun!  Rather than stay in the hotel, we either went to the busy street of Legian just outside the hotel, or took a taxi to Seminyak - a much smarter part of Bali than Kuta!  Although Legian and Seminyak are much nicer than Kuta, the roads are still bonkers!  At busy junctions there don't seem to be any road rules and it's a bit of a free-for-all as to who goes first!  Legian and Seminyak are still very busy, mopeds still go on the pavements (where pavements exist!!!), people still ask you to buy things, and there are still offerings to the gods on the streets, but the restaurants and bars are much nicer. There are traffic police that help you across the road with a torch-like stick so that you don't have to chance walking out infront of the traffic!!!  One restuarant (Trattoria) had extra tables on the other side of the road so that the waiters had to carry trays of food and drinks across the busy streets!  There are many, many mopeds weaving in between the cars - locals and tourists alike.  Every night we were asked if we wanted to hire bike - not likely!!!

Having a Bintang at La Plage - Legian!

Dinner at Ultimo - Seminyak

The calm of Ultimo next to the busy street!

A fun bar that we found in Seminyak was the Red Carpet Champagne Bar!  The entrance is roped off and you walk a red carpet when you enter!  The staff are dressed up and it's a great place to people watch!  Even the beer is served in an ice bucket!!  The drinks are a little bit pricier than other places, but it's fun because of the novelty factor - and they bring round nibbles like mini cheesecakes!

Staff at The Red Carpet Champagne Bar

Beer in an ice bucket!

One day we decided to walk along the beach to Seminyak, which is in the other direction to Kuta.  Although it's not quite as crazy as the walk to Kuta, it was still a hot, dusty trek!  The beaches are lined with parasols from which you can buy drinks or hire sunbeds - this sign made me laugh advertising 'Ice Cold Piss'!!!  We never made it to Seminyak and headed back to the beach outside our hotel!

Legian Beach

Sunsets were beautiful, with surfers waiting to catch that perfect wave...

Darren's Bali Birthday!!

Darren's birthday began with a surprise at breakfast.  All of the restaurant staff brought out a cake with a lighted candle on it, gatherered round Darren and sang Happy Birthday! 

Next was Darren's birthday present from me......a surf lesson!  We had a private two hour lesson for the two of us with Felix, a local instructor at the Up2U Surf Club.  I was kind of expecting a lot of theory first, learning board basics and ocean safety, but it was pretty much straight out into the waves....which were huge (over 2m high)!

Before getting up on the boards, we had to establish our surf style!  Darren was regular (left foot forward), but of course I had to be different with a 'goofy foot' surfing stance (right foot forward).

I think the photos show how much we loved it.....despite a few wipe outs.....

The next morning I felt like I'd been run over!!!  I can't believe how tough surfing is on your arms and ribs!  But Darren had booked himself in for another lesson, so at high tide he was off again.....

Felix shares some tips!

While Darren was surfing, I got a manicure!!!

In the evening we got a cab to Seminyak for a meal at a beautiful candlelit restaurant on the beachfront - La Lucciola....

And the following night we went to another great beachfront restaurant in Seminyak - Ku De Ta....

Too soon it was time to pack up our cottage and say goodbye to bonkers Bali!!!

Bali in reality is not the paradise Bali that I had in my mind before we went. There are definitely two sides to Bali - the busy, dirty streets versus the luxury hotel and posh restaurants!  After our trip to Kuta on our first full day I was a little worried about what lay ahead, but it was such a fun holiday that we would definitely go back, but maybe stay in Seminyak!