Bali, Day 10: Through The Eyes of a a First Timer

Today's weather: sunny morning, overcast afternoon

Today's exchange rate: 10,175 Rupiah per AUS $

I had another early start today and contemplated getting up to see the sunrise but today wasn't the day. I instead headed down to Mum and Dad's verandah where the wifi worked much better and waited for them to arise. When 8:00 rolled again and they still hadn't emerged, I thought it was a little strange. Well of course they were already at breakfast!! Silly me. I went to join them before we all headed back to the verandah. Mum and I had a bit of a girly morning planned; we were leaving Dad in Sanur and were heading into Seminyak to go The Shampoo Lounge for a bit of pampering. The salon/barber/spa had been recommended to us by a few people so we decided to give it a go. Neither of us had ever gotten our haircut in Bali but felt that this was a trustworthy place.

We headed off just after 9:00 to get there for 10:00. We arrived a bit early so killed a bit of time wandering around the immediate area. When it opened, we were straight in. It was a nice place, with the usual black and white decor of a salon but with a pop of colour. There had unfortunately been some kind of miscommunication and they didn't have our booking; I had to get the emails up on my phone to show we were booked. It wasn't a great start but the staff were very apologetic and accommodating. Mum's hair treatment was underway immediately while I was lead upstairs for my massage. The room was very nice but was let down a bit by the atmosphere. The music from the other room was loud enough for us to hear and it wasn't relaxing music. They didn't turn on the relaxing stuff until after the massage had started but it wasn't enough to drown out the other music. There was a bit of chit chat between the girls which I always think is quite unprofessional, especially when they're not even attempting to whisper. The massage itself was nice but did not even compare to the massage I had at Koa.

After my massage, I was lead back downstairs to begin my hair treatment. As usual, my hair had gotten quite dry as a result of the swimming, the sun and lack of washing so this treatment was definitely needed. I always enjoy having my hair washed and this was no exception. After the wash, my hair was carefully brushed to get rid of all the knots before the treatment goo was painted on. While it soaked in, I got another neck, shoulder and arm massage before having my hair washed again, then cut and blow dried. Every time I get my hair done, whether it be in Bali or Australia, I make the mistake of getting my hair blow dried. It's always a mistake because I get so bored and restless and I never like how they do it. Maybe I'll learn this time round. We were both very happy with our cuts. Mine was just a trim to clean up my dry ends, and Mum just got a bit lopped off as well.

Our treatments came to about $60 each for two hair treatments (including a wash, cut, blow dry and massage), one pedicure (which Mum had done at the same time as her hair) and a massage for me. Our hair was feeling healthy again and was beautifully shiny. The staff here were lovely, the treatments are very reasonably priced but I think it's a place I would only go to if I was staying in the area.

It was time to head to lunch and we were heading to Dupa. I had visited the restaurant last week with my sister and was looking forward to taking Mum. Swich Sandwiches have recently started stocking gluten-free bread and I had messaged ahead to make sure they would have some. I was told they definitely would but when we arrived, we were told they had none. This was really disappointing. It really limited Mum's options and one of the reasons I brought her was so she could have a gluten-free sandwich. Her potato skins from Baby Biku weren't up to scratch either, with the avocado or the sour cream being off. Mum ended up sending them back and only ate hot chips for lunch. I wasn't happy at all because I there were a couple of other places we could have gone to that cater for gluten intolerance but I wanted Mum to try Dupa. I felt quite bad about bringing her out. I still enjoyed my lunch, with some wrapped prawns from the Thai Corner and a yummy wrap from Swich.

We didn't have time to head anywhere else for food so it was back to Sanur we went. We had a quick walk through the Sunday Markets which are held behind Sand Restaurant. Nothing much caught our eye until we saw a table of beautiful dolls. The market person told us they were hand made dolls and the profits made from them go to the organisation Bali Street Kids which aims to get the kids of Bali off the streets and into school, providing them with shelter if they need it, food, running water, an education and the necessary skills for them to get a job in the future. What a fantastic organisation. I bought 3 to keep handy as gifts and Mum bought a couple too. You can find more information about it at here at Bali Street Kids.

Back at the hotel, Dad had reserved a couple of lounges for us before he headed out himself. Today was a special day for him; one of his oldest friends from Canada was arriving so he had gone off with Yuda to pick him and his travel buddy up from the airport. We all had our fingers crossed that they liked it. Mum and I had some lovely time by the pool while we waited for them to arrive. They ended up running quite late because of the busy airport. Although very tired from their long flight, they were so happy to be here and loved what they had seen so far.

My first trip to Bali was back in 1995 and although I didn't return for 14 years, it wasn't new to me, but for our Canadian friends, it was all new and exciting with so much to learn. They absolutely loved the hotel, loved the service, loved their room and the pool. It's been so long since I had experienced a completely new country and culture, it was beautiful to see things from their point of view, to see them be in awe of this new, exciting country, for them to tell us now surreal it was that they were finally here and to explain things that us regulars completely take for granted now. I hadn't appreciated before how overwhelming it can be for someone who was in Bali for the first time.

We spent some time around the pool, catching up and sharing stories. We enjoyed the pool, even when it started raining and Bill and Wendy enjoyed their very first Bintang's. We all departed to shower and get ready for dinner. Tonight we were staying at the hotel where they were having special performances from Balinese dancers and a band for the Full Moon Celebration. Since Wendy and Bill were tired and jetlagged, we thought it'd be best to stay close to home and this was the perfect way to spend their first night.

The menu at the Tamukami is quite extensive so we all took a while to decide what we were getting. We enjoyed our food while watching the performances. For us, the night was a bit disappointing. The food wasn't great, the band, although good, asked for requests before telling us they didn't know the song and they thought it was important for us to enjoy their traditional music. Ahhh well. It was an enjoyable dinner nonetheless.

Bill and Wendy departed to go catch up on their sleep and Mum, Dad and I decided to walk down the street. We bumped into friends at the Ducks Nutz where we stopped for a drink before myself and friends continued to the Art Cafe for a late night chocolate cake. Our friends hadn't tried it before and I'm always concerned that when people try something on my recommendation, it won't meet the expectations but it sure did. They loved it!! I was so glad because this cake never disappoints me. The service, the staff and the food here are lovely.

We wandered back to the hotel and said our goodnights. Tomorrow I'm look in forward to my first visit to Finn's Beach Club in Uluwatu. Stay tuned!!

 

Posted with Blogsy