Week Thirteen

Our Bali adventure has now drawn to a close, our last week being spent in two parts. Firstly we indulged in five star luxuries at The Udaya Resort and Spa, this has been my personal favourite whilst here in Bali. We had our own separate villas with pool, but the pool overlooked a deep canyon and pure jungle. The hotel itself was around 5 miles outside Ubud, the artistic centre of Bali, always popular with the hipster brigade and made more so since the Julia Roberts film Eat Pray Love, which seems to have had a big impact on this island. Many places we have been to lay some claim or another to a part or scene in the film. I guess when we get a chance we should watch it. We spent four nights at The Udaya including the BBQ feast on the full moon – which coincided with Karen’s birthday. There was a group of traditional dancers adding to the atmosphere. Sadly the traditional dancers were accompanied by traditional musicians, it would be fair to say the musicians are unlikely to trouble

the charts or get a ‘Yes’ from Simon Cowell, and as I lay in bed that night my head ringing, I wondered was it the numerous cocktails or Bintang’s causing the ringing or the incessant, infernal ‘ding, dinging’ of the local musicians?
Shame on me focusing on the negative, we thoroughly enjoyed our short stay there and spent the days lounging at the poolside, walking through the town’s market place and strolling alongside the rice paddies – wonderfully relaxing.
Leaving Ubud was sad I had grown used to its relative quietness and arty vibes, still the trip must go on! Next stop was Benea (or similar) final three nights enjoying the company of Karen and Kevin at least for a few weeks. To be quite honest the stay there was simple, we just wandered the markets or sat in the sun between Bintang’s. The biggest crisis of the week being Karen had exhausted here supply of Jim Bean and was reduced to Bintang and Mojitos’!
What have I learned of Bali? The people of Bali are a kind lot as far as I could see. It was a miracle how any of them survived to adulthood with the road conditions. This morning on the way to the airport I saw 13 children around 7-12 years on the back of pick-up, no seats just sitting on the tin. I learned that car insurance here is

basically optional – translates to no-one has any! I am beginning to buy into this position, you see as their vehicle is so very precious to any Balinese and none of them have any insurance, coupled with the fact road rules are simply a rough guide and there is no need to obey them, there are no speed limits on any road – too much traffic you only rarely get out of second gear. The result they seem to drive without any stress, they are constantly being cut up and are in turn constantly cutting up others. No one seems to ever get annoyed they simply adopt a laissez-faire attitude and gingerly proceed. We at home on the other hand are all fully insured and often would rather die than let a person cut in front of us and would complain loud and long if someone failed to adhear to a ‘give way’ sign. Any ensuing accident and damage often not bothering us as the insurance will sort it! Strange old world really – who has got it right?
For my final muse, as I wait for my flight at the airport here in Bali I never cease to be amazed by the Chinese travellers. Using broad generalisations, you never see less than around 5 of them and often there is more like 30 travelling together. They express very different habits, thinking nothing of letting out a loud belch, even the women, as they walk around. Happy to loudly hock (hawk) followed by a heavy spit onto the floor if not carpeted, even inside, or a dustbin if on a carpet. Whilst they display such behaviours they often also

seem very dainty. In particular grown women will often dress in a Disney Princess way, often with wings on a dress or a tiara on their head, even the men will proudly wheel around a Hello Kitty suitcase, strange lot hard to understand. Perhaps one day we will go to China and gain a better understanding of their culture.
Oh well, signing off now with two good luck messages.
1. To Harry and Megan who get married today, my heartfelt best wishes and good luck in your marriage, hoping that the media don’t ruin your life like they did lady Diana’s.
2. To a lesser extent good luck to the might Blues as today Chelsea take on Mourinho’s Man United in the FA Cup Final.
Goodbye Bali and here’s to Chiang Mai ?