Bali, Day 9: Reunited

Today's weather: beautifully sunny

Today's exchange rate: 10,150 Rupiah per AUS $

I woke up in my empty hotel room today at about 6:00 and it was the first morning during the trip that I didn't have to sneak around quietly so I didn't wake up Sam. I kept myself busy until just after 7:00 when I headed down for breakfast. Mie Goreng for me again!!

It was still early when I had finished so I headed down the street with no particular destination in mind. I stopped in at The Porch Cafe for a smoothie and it was the first time I had experienced bad service there. I sat there for quite a while before they so much as gave a menu. I didn't want to wait around for them to bring me the bill so I just left a 50,000 on the table and left.

I strolled back to the hotel, ready to plonk by the pool for the morning. That's exactly what I did. I was in and out of the pool, reading, chatting with other patrons. The clouds from the last few days had cleared up and left the sky perfectly sunny. It was a great way to spend a morning. Before I knew it, it was 11:30 and I needed to head out for lunch. I had organised to meet someone in Seminyak at 12 and I knew that with the traffic it would take at least half an hour. Our plan was to go to Bambu Restaurant but we found out it was only open for dinner. No worries, across the road was the new sister restaurant to Motel Mexicola- The Salty Seagull so we headed there instead. It's a very funky place, with the decor being quite similar to Motel Mexicola (minus the Mexican theme). It had a few different eating areas and like Mexicola, they seemed to encourage socialising with their ping pong table and picnic tables out the back. It was a cool place and although it was empty when we went in for lunch, I'm sure it gets very busy for dinner time.

Their menu is a fish and chips one and I was looking forward to trying it. We enjoyed the colourful decor while we waited for our meals. The fish and chips sure were yummy but nothing fantastic. Like its sister restaurant, I think it's the decor and atmosphere that makes this place, not the food. The service was also subpar, especially considering we were some of the only patrons.

The bill came to just over $30 for both of us. It was a satisfying meal and definitely hit the spot but I'm not sure I would bother returning. I jumped in a taxi back to Sanur and returned to my spot by the pool. It was after 2:00 when I got back and I knew that anytime now, my mum and dad would be arriving. I was looking forward to seeing them again and having a few days in Bali with them. Everytime someone rang the gong up at reception, I ran up to see if it was them. Well, third time lucky!! Our driver, Yuda, had called me a few days earlier asking what time their flight landed because he wanted to surprise them. Such a lovely man he is! So there they went, coming out of his airconditioned car instead of a taxi. Yuda gave me a big hug and told me it had all gone to plan. They said their goodbyes, promising to see Yuda again tomorrow.

Mum and dad got all checked in and settled. It was straight into the pool for them before getting some drinks and chips to share. Mum wanted to head straight out to Kuta for a bit of shopping tonight as she wouldn't have any time during the trip. We all got dressed and headed out to get a taxi. Our destination was Kuta Square so Mum could get a fee bits at Matahari. I hadn't come here earlier in my trip so I stocked up on makeup and bought myself a new perfume. All up, it cost me not even $60. Mum bought a couple of pairs of shoes for about $25 each that she is emphasising are for winter to wear with jeans.

We were getting hungry by this point and for dinner, I had suggested we go to Poppies Lane 2 to try a new restaurant Fat Chow. I had heard of it from Little Miss Bali and was keen to give it a try. We got a cab to the Beachwalk Shopping Mall and into Poppies 2 we went. I hadn't been to this restaurant before so I had no idea when it was located but it was easy to find; it was just around the first bend. The place was pretty quiet but it was very funky with its industrial decor.

We ordered drinks each to start with. Mum and I ordered an orange and basil contraption that was delicious and so refreshing. For our meals, Dad and I ordered a couple of entrees to share of Pork on Fire and Tokyo Prawns. Both were so so yummy. The Pork on Fire, served on a bed of shredded cabbage was thinly sliced and sautéed with black pepper and Asian spices. It was perfectly cooked and the flavours were fantastic. The Tokyo Prawns were shelled (thank goodness) and deep fried with egg noodles and served with a spicy dipping sauce. They were also perfectly cooked, with the egg noodles nice and crunchy and the prawn meat nice and soft. I would have preferred the dipping sauce be the traditional Asian dipping sauce but the one we had went really well with the prawns.

We decided to order a few different mains to share between us and we were so glad we did. It was great to have a try of a few different dishes and I definitely recommend doing the same if you go. We ordered Chicken Satay, Pad Thai and Pork Ribs. My, oh my. Everything was just so tasty. The satay had a nice bite to it, the ribs were so perfectly cooked that you would pick them up and the meat would just fall right off and the Pad Thai, although the noodles were a little gluggy, the flavours were beautiful. I think the standout dish was the ribs with its delicious, finger-licking sauce and roasted potatoes. What a winner it was. The meal sizes are not huge which I was happy about because it meant I had room for dessert!! Mum ordered a Green Tea Creme Brulee and I had BBQ Banana. Man, I was so glad we ordered dessert. Mum's Creme Brulee had the perfectly crunchy top. She said the green tea flavour wasn't strong enough but enjoyed it nonetheless. My BBQ banana, cooked with icing sugar and served with ice cream was just delicious!! I easily could have had another one.

Our bill came to just over $50 for 3 drinks, 2 entrees, 3 mains, 2 desserts and a coffee. The food was great, the service was fantastic and it's easy to get to. I highly recommend a visit.

We continued walking down Poppies Lane to get to Legian Road before getting a taxi to take us back to Sanur. The traffic was quite bad because of the Full Moon Celebrations. It was an early night for all of us.

 

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