I have not felt any urge to visit Bali. The only reason we planned to holiday there was to dovetail with a work conference of Lina’s scheduled for April of this year. The conference was cancelled and so a further attempt to reschedule was made in September but a last minute business trip to Taiwan for Lina curtailed this. Finally, on Sunday we made it and I’m glad we did.
This little Hindu enclave surrounded by Muslim neighbours has been part of the tourist trail further down my list of must sees. And anyway, I don’t surf, am not much of a shopper, and can only take limited beach bumming. Yes, I have resisted any urge to visit, but now I am delighted to have had the Bali experience. Not that there is such a thing as a Bali experience as it is obvious that for a small place, the full gambit of tourist niches, budgets, and preferences is entirely catered for. This place is geared for tourism like no other I have seen and although clearly well past its unspoilt, untouched heyday, the Balinese have a natural inclination to service the way that Westerners like me and thousands of others appreciate. It’s not just the smiles, which only the Nepalese can rival, but a genuine feel for the small details that make an excellent vacation. Admittedly, we chose an unashamably premium option for our ‘experience’ and arguably you get what you pay for. However, from my experience this is not necessarily so and perhaps this is partly the reason why they flock to Bali in vast numbers, far exceeding any Malaysian destination.
Our goal prior to arrival was multi pronged: relaxing/book reading/swimming, Balinese art shopping, and good food. This was all achieved in fine measure. We had 3 ‘grown up meals’, i.e. Isaac-less restaurant visits, and the decision where to go in what is an extremely competitive dining out scene, was difficult. The 3 restaurants were Sarong, La Lucciola, and Gado Gado, of which the latter 2 were the more superior package. Bali, unlike KL, has a range of restaurants that utilise the tropical environment wonderfully, the sound of the sea with a sultry, sweaty, and exotic atmosphere. Here, fine dining is largely an indoor affair in an air conditioned space that could be anywhere in the world.
For the art shopping, we spent a day at Ubud where many art galleries are located. Unfortunately, the paintings are still wrapped so I don’t have any photos of them; however we also got the silver dragon pictured below.
Our villa was beautiful. A real oasis with picture postcard Bali furnishings and a private pool surrounded by tropical garden. We had a chef come in each morning to cook breakfast and tidy up. A very luxurious way to holiday and I must say, quite romantic; even with a little one running about.
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