Bali – Indonesia with our Boys, Part One

Alex, Jedd and Jedd’s girlfriend Marie arrived in Bail on the 14th of December. Kye and his girlfriend Kailey were already with us, as they had arrived in Labuan Bajo a week earlier. It was fantastic to all be together again. After checking into our four bedroom villa, we rode our scooters to Jimbaran Beach for dinner.

We spent the following five days in Bali swimming, surfing, shopping and eating. Jedd and Kye bought surfboards, and Dwayne took all the kids out to Uluwatu and Dreamland Beach to check out the surf while I relaxed at the villa. We also spent a morning watching Jedd and Kye on their boards at Echo Beach (Canggu) before going to PotatoHead for a cocktail and swimming in the pool.

Some tourists on the beach asked Kye to pose for a photo. At one stage, he had three cameras clicking in his face… He was starting to feel like Brad Pitt!

We spent an afternoon at Waterbom running around like little kids going on all the slides. They have one called Climax. You literally stand on a platform in a sealed pod, there is then a short countdown, and the floor of the pod drops open, and you fall straight down. Great fun, but I did scream all the way down! Another fun ride was the Boomerang, where you go flying down a slide and then up a ramp-like slide where it feels like you will be flung right over the side. And the Viper is a black tunnel which gave me a severe case of vertigo!

When in Bali, you must get pampered!

We found a friendly, cheap place for massage and Marie, Alex, Jedd, and I enjoyed a few hours of pampering. We had back and shoulder massages, foot massages and pedicures and Jedd got his hair braided!

Meanwhile, Dwayne, Kye and Kailey were drinking at the Rooster Bar across the road. The Rooster Bar is a small pub and tattoo parlour which became our regular meeting place. They have a pool table, and we would often play a few games before heading off together. Alex would recommend the cheeseburger, and I can recommend the chips, which come with a delicious gravy on the side.

As we were in Bali in the wet season, it was inevitable that we would get caught in a downpour or two. We eventually all bought ponchos, but Jedd was the only clever bunny that had purchased one early on. It was fun watching Jedd and Marie wearing one poncho and thus joined at the neck, getting onto their scooter.

Local Food

Dwayne and I always enjoy local food, and we frequently dined at the little Ma & Pa Warungs (eateries). We took the kids to a warung in the back streets of Nusa Dua, where we ordered a large variety of food to share, including jackfruit, tempe and chicken hearts. We also found a great little place near where we were staying that did beautiful fresh food with lots of veg and spices. At D’INO a feast for four of us, with drinks, cost AUD 17.00. Needless to say, we all dined there a few times.

When escaping from the rain one day, Dwayne and I found ourselves at a warung that does, without a doubt, make the best beef rendang. The name of the place is Kalazan, and it is on Jl. Raya Kuta not far from Hotel Ratna.

A friend from Adelaide was visiting Bali at the same time we were there, and we caught up one afternoon at The Stones Rooftop Bar and Pool for a drink; a nice place with a great view of the sun setting. While Jacqui was in Bali, she hoped to do a short video of us cooking up a storm on the boat. We were heading out to Gili Air the next day, and she decided to come out there for the weekend to shoot the footage. I’ll tell you more about that in the next post.

Next post – Gilli Islands – Indonesia with our Boys Part Two