Day 300 After exploring one side of Kuta on Thursday, today we headed in the other direction, south, still on foot. There was a massive rain storm during the night so everything was still wet and soggy. The thunder actually woke us up in the middle of the night as it was loud and relentless. First we encountered the Arts Market jammed with stalls, with a 6 foot alley for walking. Every stall packed with knock offs. Especially after the rain it was really humid and stuffy. This time we actually bartered and left with a few items. As we kept walking down the street we became aware that this seemed to be the higher class tourist area. Our next stop was the Discovery Shopping Mall. Almost like a mall back home except there was still booths selling knock offs mixed in with the authentic stores. Here we had lunch after getting a pair of Pumas for dirt cheap. On our way back to the hotel we stopped in at a grocery store and bought some beer and snacks. Amazing what $17 can buy you.
On Friday after breakfast and a morning swim (which is becoming a regular part of the routine) we headed out shopping...again! As we wandered the streets looking at this and that we learned something new about Bali. If you are on a scooter and encounter a one way street where you need to go against traffic, just use the sidewalk!! People will move! During our walk we found a place called 61 Legion. It is a 5 storey building boasting 10 different kinds of restaurant/bar/club venues. Our interest was in the upper VIP Rooftop Lounge. We headed up the stairs passing all the other bars. When we hit the top we were able to have a 360 degree panoramic view of Bali. From the rooftops of Kuta backed by the ocean in one direction, to the mountains over shadowed by the volcanoes in the other. We didn't just come up for the view, we knew that there was an all you can eat BBQ buffet for 50,000 Rp/person. What we didn't know but soon realized was that the first hour from 5-6 it was also all you can drink beer!!! Yep, you read it right, all that for $5 a person!! Once we were stuffed we dragged ourselves home to find live entertainment at the hotel. Two guys playing guitars. And since there was nobody else there at the time, two guys playing guitar JUST for us! To top it off the bar had a drink special for the night.