Day 2. Reminiscing The Old Days

We started the day a bit late. Not so late that we didn’t have breakfast. No, not that late. We did have breakfast, and that was the time I knew the food in this hotel is also as good as the service.

Both of us had nasi goreng (fried rice – fly lice? No, it’s a Canadian joke), bakmi goreng (fried noodles), extra delicious fried bacon, chicken porridge, and smoked ham. Joe had danish and some other food I don’t remember. I had salad. He had coffee, and I had tea.

The second day in Bali, and practically the first morning I woke up in the Bali mist, nothing I wanted more than just reminiscing my old days in the island – reminiscing the streets I used to walk on, shops I used to shop in, stuffs I used to buy, restaurants I used to eat in, places I used to go to on weekends—and so, that was what we did.

Deciding to be a batik couple in Bali—we thought it would be a great idea, such a complexity: a Canadian and a Javanese in Bali, wearing batik, keeping Yens—we took a taxi to Kuta (of course the hotel provides a shuttle bus to Kuta, but of course we were late!) we decided just to stop somewhere in Kuta, perhaps the monument. But on our way there, we realized that we had been already starving again, and so we decided to just have lunch before anything else.

So, I thought of just stick to the plan, stop somewhere in Kuta and enter any restaurant, but, as the taxi passing Sunset Road, and I saw Jalan Kunti, I suddenly shouted to the driver, “Pak! Ke Jalan Kunti aja, deh, maaf.” And so the driver turned around his taxi and took us to Jalan Kunti, Seminyak, a narrow street where Bali Deli, Elysian Villa, and some restaurants and fashion boutiques are found. A nice area. I knew where we should eat.

I asked the taxi driver to drop us in front of Warung Italia. We were not going to have lunch there, no matter how much I wanted to. We walked passed the Italian restaurant, with its landmark, the Italian flag. Not going to see Antonio and his super delicious spaghetti carbonara this time.

And I found the restaurant. Cabe Rawit. Yanti told me to try this restaurant. So we seated. A series of lunch including appetizer: Lumpia Semarang, main course: sate campur (assorted satays): chicken, beef, mouton, and pork with lontong, Sundanese nasi timbel complete with sambal, lalap (raw vegetables) and ikan asin goreng (fried dried fish), snack: tempe mendoan, dessert: es campur. Green tea for me and beer for Joe.

We were so starving and so greedy that we had no idea of how big the dish would be. First, we ate lumpia. Before we cut the lumpias, I said to my sweetheart, “I can criticize if these lumpias aren’t good, I have the right to do it, because I’m from Semarang.” Lumpia Semarang is undeniably delicious.

The assorted satays were delicious, as well as the peanut sauce. And the lontong. And then nasi timbel, and es campur. Despite the “wrong” lumpia, the meal was good.

We decided to take a walk along Seminyak to Kuta. I knew it sounds crazy, as a matter of fact, I had known the idea might sound insane. But, I wanted to! Who wanted to take a taxi in a super crowded road, trapped in a macet a.k.a traffic jam (it was holiday!), and it was what exactly happened! We watched people trapped in their cars, taxis, motorbikes, and scooters while we walked freely. We felt sorry for them, despite the fact we were sweating.

The streets were the same, only I saw Jalan Nakula is now wider than it was on the last day I was in Bali. And traffic jam in Jalan Abimanyu, was I supposed to be surprise?

It was probably after 10 K walking before we finally reached the First Bali Bomb Monument. I told Joe to check if he knew one of the Canadian victims. Gladly, none of them he knew. Then we rested in Vi-Ai-Pi Bar, seated on its veranda on the second floor. After drink up a large bottle of Evian, Joe and I continued our walking to the beach before the sun set.

We sat on the sand, the sky was gloomy and the beach was full of holiday people. Kuta beach was dirty. Trashes were everywhere we could see along the beach. There were probably a beach storm swept out the fishes and seaweeds and everything you could find. Ladies offering for nail art, foot massage and clamshell necklaces came surround us, and eventhough we weren’t interested at all and just wanted to enjoy the beach and the sunset, they talked to us and told us jokes.

The beach I used to go to almost everyday, morning before work and evening after work, and on the weekends. The sand I used to sit on, watching the sun set in the west before finally disappeared in the ocean, while surfers would jump out of the water soon after. I came back, only that time I wasn’t alone. Not waiting for my housemate, Julie, coming out of the water bringing her surfboard. I was there with my sweetheart, as tourists, waited for none.

After the sky got dark we decided to walk, barefooted, along the beach to Discovery Shopping Mall, a mall by the beach. We did plan to jut walk barefooted, and would wash our feet in the toilet, so that was exactly we did. The first thing we looked for was the mall’s toilet. I was sure that it must have been behind the shoes section, and even if the shoes section had been moved, the toilet would surely not been moved! “It would be a pain in a** to move a toilet,” I told my Love. And so, it was still the same place like the last time I saw. Then, the next thing we said to each other was “See you in 15 minutes.” With an addition from me, “And if you’re thirsty while you’re waiting for me, you can have a cup of water,” pointing at a water dispenser in the corner of the ladies toilet’s door.

Obviously I spent time washing my dirty feet much longer than 15 minutes. And I surely had messed the toilet.

Back to the hotel after Joe shopped for “buy-one-get-one-free” shirt and short, we were as exhausted as anyone could say, and rain poured down that we decided to have a dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. A bowl of Tom Yum Goong and a plate of satay for Joe. We had to discuss how we could go to Ubud the next day.

Returned To The Land Of Gods

Finally. Back to Bali. How I have missed this place since I left it almost three years ago. Six days I spent in this island we call “The Land of Gods”, back to the beaches, the sunset, the crowd, the night life, the culture, in my Christmas and New Year holiday, together with my beloved one, Joe. Here are the remains of the holiday journal.

December 26, 2008.
The Departure : Merapi – Bromo Crater – Bali Strait tour included.

December 26, some people call it boxing day. After two months of preparation, one week of heartbeat, one year of saving (tried as much not to disturb the vacation investment), one and a half day of packing, I finally headed to Jogja, my first gate to the final destination, Bali.

I could feel the atmosphere from the festive event, a day before. Christmas decorations were still hanging, the cards, the cookies, greetings. My bus departed early in the morning, 7.15. I continued my sleep. I barely slept the night before, I woke up at 3 AM, and decided not to go back to sleep.

I looked at my watch as the bus stopped at the bus station. It was 9.40 AM. It would take me only 15 minutes to the airport. I had no idea what I could possibly do in 2.5 hours waiting in the boarding hall, before I would board the plane. I’ve got a boarding pass in my hand, as I checked in the city the day before. Number 7A. Lucky number. I thought it was a good sign.

I canceled the taxi I was going to take, soon after the driver told me the taxi didn’t use meter. He tried to charge me IDR 70,000 to the airport. I said, “Gimme a break. I know Jogja.” I bargained but he didn’t give me a good price, so I decided just to walk a bit and look for a taxi with meter.

Before I stepped any further, a young man offered a motorbike ride. “Sudah, naik ojek saja, Mbak. Saya anter ke airport. Cuma tiga puluh ribu.” He offered me IDR 30,000 as an airport transfer fee. I considered it not bad, as he would carry my suitcase. So, I took the “ojek” ride.

The ojek rider offered me to buy some snacks before I board. But I didn’t think I need snacks. However, he gave me an idea of spending time a bit in Jogja. So, I asked him if he could take me to Jalan Malioboro.

My only destination was Batik Margaria, a shop in the row of hundred of shops in Jalan Malioboro. I saw nice batik ties there several months ago. I thought I might get one for Joe.

And so I did. Instead of one, I took two of which patterns I thought were nicest among all beautiful patterns. One of “udan riris” and another one of “parang” (probably "parang klithik"). I asked the cashier lady to wrap, inserted a greeting card, paid, and got out the shop.

I came to Adisutjipto International Airport around 11 AM, put my only baggage, entered the boarding hall, and waited. Excited and nervous were mixed as I waited in the boarding hall. Joe and I sent text messages to each other and I called my mom.

There were only once or twice in my life though, I didn’t sit on the window seat. And this time, I also had the window seat. I was glad that I could see Bromo crater again, an amazing, amazing view to me. And also the Bali strait. There’s something about Bali strait I’ve always been interested in. It’s green, not deep, and sometimes I can see fishes jump out of the water. And… one thing that’s always been my attraction, is whenever the plane is going to land. It’s good to see Tuban beach from above. I always tell myself, “Ah, that’s the airport.” Literally. Once, the plane bends its body, before you know, you have been able to feel the ground and the next thing you know is that you have landed in Ngurah Rai International Airport.

And the feeling, an indescribable feeling infiltrated my chest (now I become so poetic), and it was that indescribable feeling I felt when I knew the plane landed. Oh, here I come.

The salty air, the hot weather, woken me up that I was really in Bali. As I stepped down the stairs, I could smell the salty and fishy air of Tuban beach, where the airport lies. “Bali, here I am again.”

The airport was still as nice as the last time I was there. Yet, bigger now, which is a good thing.

The smiles of the stewardesses, the tired yet happy looks on the tourists, the impatience of people waiting for their luggage, were nothing to me, compared to my excitement awaiting for me in a matter of seconds.

I got all I had, walked out the exit door, stood there. One second, two, three, my sweetheart hadn’t arrived. And in a moment I turned my head around, and there, I saw him walking, breaking in the crowd, towards me. I waved at him, and he smiled. I was so happy to see him.

Joe got the blue taxi waited for us. The driver was a happy middle-aged chap, talking to my sweetheart all the way from Kerobokan to the airport.

The roads, the streets, the scent of offerings and frangipani flowers, the accent of locals, reminded me of the year I was there. Except that I was surprised to see a complex of synagogues for three religions – a Hindu temple, a Protestant church, and a mosque, built close to each other, in a piece of land near the airport, Tuban.

Joe said that there were traffic jams. I guessed the holiday season was there! People had been coming to Bali waiting for the last day of 2008 and the first day of 2009. Another fact to remind me that I was in Bali!

I had never been or seen Grand Balisani Suites. Heard of it many times, but that was all. I knew its location in Kerobokan just after Joe confirmed about the hotel we were going to stay. Batubelig, Kerobokan, not bad at all, in fact, I long had liked Kerobokan area.

So I passed the street again. Sunset Road, then the Seminyak junction, Australia International School, Enchanted Books, the bookshop I’ve always wanted to show to Joe, and then the Kerobokan junction. That internet café, that Jenny’s Warung, and we stopped in a hotel by the beach.

We arrived at the hotel at last, a resort by the beach. Grand Balisani Suites. Peacefulness and friendliness were the first impressions I had as I got out of the taxi. Furthermore, I liked the room. We had a deluxe garden view suite. No beach we could see from the balcony, but frangipani and coconut trees were in front of our eyes. A spacious bathroom with shower and a bath tub was as nice as the room. I was sure that I would enjoy my stay there right away.

The hotel, Grand Balisani Suites, Batubelig, Kerobokan

The tranquil beach of Batubelig

Ku De Ta

Being together with your sweetheart, what more could you want than having a romantic dinner at Ku De Ta, watching the sun sets in the sea from your table?

And that was what we had wanted, and so that we had made plan, and I had reserved a table at Ku De Ta since the beginning of December. Five PM, as we had wanted to see the sunset before going inside for a dinner.

But what could you possibly do when you’re with the one you love most? Time is never enough. We didn’t want to leave, even for a fabulous dinner in a (perhaps even the most) fabulous restaurant and club in Bali. So I called Ku De Ta to delay our reservation, said that we were coming at 7.00 pm.

So, lazily, I hopped in the shower, then get dressed, did my hair (thanks to my Mom who had taught me how to make a simple and easy hair bun), made up my face, and the most important and prepared: that batik gown. Oh, how I love my batik gown so much.

I grabbed my clutch, wore my shoes, locked the room door, all in a rush as I saw my watch was 10 minutes to 7. And almost running I went downstairs to the lobby where Joe had been waiting for me.

My mom is great. My sweetheart looked at me, speechlessly. I was sure that I was blushing. And we were sure that we wouldn’t make it to Ku De Ta on time. And so I called Ku De Ta once more, trying to delay our reservation 15 minutes later. But no, the reservation lady said. They would not be able to receive any reservation later than 7pm, as they were fully occupied at that moment. And so I had to make an excuse, that our taxi was a bit late and begged them to wait for us another 10 minutes.

Glad that we made it there and seated. I was so glad that they didn’t say, “We’re sorry, we don’t have a table anymore because you were late,” as I saw the restaurant was full. We had perhaps the last empty table.

So, we had those unbelievably extra delicious, tuna steak for me, and lamb steak for my sweetheart. And though I mentioned just ‘tuna steak’ and ‘lamb steak’, they weren’t just tuna steak or just lamb steak. They were incredibly delicious, I can’t express in words. So, I forgot the names of the food we ate, and also what we drank, other than we drank two glasses of a light-alcoholic drink, and Joe had something with chili. Chili! Yes. I’m not kidding. It was really chili. And yes, so I forgot the names of the food and drinks we had on our date, but they were absolutely worth it for above average prices.

So we didn’t get the sunset, but the sea was still beautiful. So after dinner we went down to the beach in the backyard, walked along it, and acted as if we were high school lovers. The breeze blew our hair, and then we didn't care our feet were dirty because of the wet sand, and that the air contained water that could pour anytime in a December evening, we did what the other people were doing, gathering, talking and drinking in the friendly, trendy backyard of Ku De Ta, before finally leaving the most fabulous and trendy club in the island where we had dinner probably worth of two nights stay in a decent hotel.

What a nice way to start a holiday. Nothing could be better. And that was only the beginning.