Eventful travel to Bali
Here in Bali- soft, sweet air, great food and lots of smiles. Have been here at the Puri Bambu Resort for 2 days and 3 nights now. We got here on Saturday. Dan arrived here in the afternoon and I got in late after flight from Maui to Honolulu, night in Waikiki and then an 8 hour flight to Tokyo, 4 hour layover in Narita airport, and 7 hour flight into Bali. (Japan Airlines is wonderful, but the food is pretty bad.) The packing and all preparations went well (with the exception of Kaiser messing up Dan's vaccination appointments and medicines which finally got worked out the day before he left)and mom took me to the airport with time to spare. 15 minutes before my flight left to Honolulu, I realized I had lost my Visa debit card- probably left it in the machine when i went to withdraw some cash for Starbucks! Panic!!! I had to have that card to get on the Japan Airlines flights to Bali the next morning early. They require that they see the card that you bought your E-ticket with. Total meltdown in Maui airport. With amazing help from airport policemen,John (my Southpoint neighbor), Keone and Nathan, I was able to get on a later Hawaiian flight, make calls to bank, Japan Airlines, hotel in Waikiki, mom, etc. It was a very stressful 3 hours while I contacted people to write and send faxes and documentation for cancelled card, etc. Mom brought me my phone and her ATM card to use on the trip. Everyone pitched in to help me out and in the face of all the craziness, I kept thinking how silly it was that I was stressing over a VACATION. I realized how fortunate I am that THAT is what my biggest stress factor is in my life right now, and that I have such wonderful people supporting me in many ways. Thank you to you all who are there for me!!!!!
So, Bali. Have not done a whole lot yet. Been eating good food that is very inexpensive. Got a massage and body scrub here at our sweet resort- the Puri Bambu Resort in Jimbaran- South of the airport and away from to much of the Kuta craziness. We took the shuttle into Kuta, where we shopped in the local market and also in the tourist streets for clothespins and a shirt for Dan and a skirt for me. The clothing is so gorgeous! We found a sweet, cool restaurant where we had "Vanilla Black"- a coffee with ice cream drink- so refreshing in the heat. We had had enough of the heat, dirt, noise and constant harassment to enter shops and buy things, so we returned with shuttle to the Resort and hung at the pool. I am still having a hard time adjusting to the time/date change, so I am so sleepy at 8 pm and wide awake at 2:20 am! Have been sneaking around the resort skinny dipping and working in the Internet room the last 2 nights at 3am!
Dan is a wonderful travel companion; so thoughtful, easy going, fun, respectful- now if I can get the snoring thing worked out! We make a good team and I imagine the rest of trip will be as easy with him as the last 2 days.
Well, going to post this blog and come in later this morning and post photos on the next blog (camera in the room right now). Stay tuned for some fun adventures- going to northern Bali- Lovina, etc. and then on the night of the 23rd to Northern Sulawesi for 6 days of diving and jungle adventure!
posted by Monica @ 3:21 AM
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