Bali Begins

Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Taipei was cool and damp and I was anxious to be on my way south. From the number of people at the gate, it was obvious that it would not be a crowded flight. It was almost time to board and there was no plane! It finally arrived along with an announcement that boarding would be delayed, but we finally departed only 30 minutes late. The flight was not crowded everyone who chose to do so had a complete row to themselves. Since I was in the center section, I had 4 seats to make a bed. I had just snuggled in and dozed off when it was time for lunch. After that it was only cat naps and frequent time checks.

The airport has been expanded and improved but still retains its Balinese charm . Apparently other flights arrived about the same time so there were long lines at the Visa on Arrival station, but there were equally long lines for those who already had their visas. Our trip leader, Murta, was waiting for me, and told me that two other members of the group were waiting in the van. After quick introductions we were on our way to Ubud.

Traffic is still crazy, and there are still lots of scooters, but I didn't see nearly as many scooters with entire families on board. The villages with their special crafts lined the road, some with stone carvings, others with paintings, some with wood carvings and furniture. So many things to buy, but no time to stop. Monkey Forest Road looked just the same, and soon we were turning into our hotel, Partiwi Resort and Spa. It has about 80 rooms located in a garden setting with both rooms and bungalows. All of our rooms are in a building close to the lobby overlooking the gardens.

After just enough time for a quick shower and an attempt to unpack it was time for our orientation meeting and then dinner at Cafe away an which is located just two doors away . We began our meal with a delicious glass of freshly squeezed juice--I had mango, but other choices were watermelon, banana, pineapple, and orange. Next we had a creamy pumpkin soup. (I really like pumpkin soup but it now seems popular in many countries and nothing unique to Bali.). Our main course was a sampler of typical Balinese food. There was tuna wrapped in banana leaf, spicy shrimp, pork satay, shredded chicken and seafood cakes made of crab, prawns, and squid and some hot sauce surrounding a scoop of rice. For dessert was a slice of sesame cake with ice cream and fresh fruit. It was a great way to start eating my way through Bali. Too bad that I left my camera and phone in my room so have no pictures of the wonderful meal.

There was an interesting footnote. During the orientation meeting the fact that there had been major changes to the itinerary since we booked this trip. Some of the most interesting things had been eliminated. Since the Bali trip is new it is a work in progress but some of the group felt very strongly about this and Murta made a call to his boss in Bangkok who seemed resistant to going back to the original schedule. After some discussion with one of the other group members which didn't seem to be accomplishing our goal, I took the phone and pointed out that we were all regular travelers with OAT and that this change was important to the entire group and could likely affect our trip evaluations, he changed his attitude and agreed that we could do as originally planned. He also told Murta to buy us a couple of bottles of wine and said that he would meet with us in person when we got to Bangkok. So our evening ended on a happy note.

Comments

Dee Hearle
2013-02-06

Glad you are back in Bali and looking forward to Vietnam. I know you are besides yourself that the Ravens won the super bowl. The last few minutes of the game were very exciting,

Carol Diachenko
2013-02-07

Glad to hear that you "made things happen" and your trip is back on track! We had a delightful last minute Thai dinner here with Kat and Pablo last night~ quite exciting to hear about their adventures with the World Champion Ravens yesterday!

2025-02-15

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