No Escape
- Aug 26, 2016
- 7 min read
Location:
Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
If there ever was a place we didn’t want to visit, this is it. When you think of Bali, you think of paradise with beautiful white sandy beaches. On this side of the world, you think of drunken Aussies falling all over the place, exactly like the ‘English’ in Spain. Us Irish are angels! Where we were visiting is where they all flock to. Nevertheless, we will push that thought to one side and try and find something that we do like about the place. It can’t be all bad, can it? My motto of ‘Embrace everything’ will need to be put to the test and what better place to live to do so!
The journey to the mainland was nice and easy with a thirty-minute boat ride followed by a taxi to our four-star hotel, yes, ‘Four-star hotel!’ Talk about living it up! When we arrived at the ‘Sun Boutique Hotel,’ we were more than happy with the standard. The only issue we had, was that we could not check in straight away. We didn’t mind. It gave us a bit of time to have a snoop around and get a bite to eat. As soon as 2PM came around, we were straight over to reception like eager beavers. Going by what we have seen so far, the two of us were really excited about our room. And rightly so! It was fabulous! Pure luxury! It was so nice and comfortable, that we ended up staying in the room, bar for a nice swim, for the first two days. When you find somewhere nice, its only right that you make the most of it!
With it being our fifth anniversary together and a year since our heart melting engagement, we both agreed that we would book into a nice hotel. Hotel, ticked! Now it’s time to try and find a nice restaurant. Did we have anywhere booked? No! Did we have an idea of where we could go? No! I guess it’s better to be spontaneous! As soon as we got to the main strip, I noticed a ‘Jamie’s Italian.’ You can’t go wrong with Jamie Oliver. Right we were! The food was spot on with a really nice ambience. For Asian standards, it was expensive, but worth it. You have to make the effort and make it that little bit special. Let’s keep the flame burning. I don’t think our flame will ever go out! It will always burn strongly even when we are in our Zimmer frames. Loves me Jay Jay!
With not much time left and not overly excited about seeing Kuta, we made sure we enjoyed some nice massages. When you’re on holiday, you need to pamper yourself. There is no better way than a two-and-a-half-hour massage. For us, it’s a must! It was incredible. So relaxing! The guy I had was really good. While it can be sore when there massaging different parts of your body, afterwards you just feel amazing. When we are in Asia, we like to take full advantage of them! You only live once!
After a couple of nights in the ‘Boutique’ it was time to move to a different hotel as they pushed the price up. It killed me having to leave our beautiful room, but it had to be done. We found another hotel, ‘Rhadana Hotel’ which was closer to the beach. While the room was nice and comfortable with a bike hanging from the ceiling, it wasn’t the boutique! It did have a rather nice swimming pool and to be fair, the room was really nice. Ok, it wasn’t as big as the last place, but you can’t have everything. And at least it was closer to all the action. We really can’t complain too much.
While in Kuta, we did walk into the main strip a couple of times. I really don’t understand the appeal. There are lots of bars probably filled with Aussies falling all over the place because they can’t handle their drink. In Australia, they don’t even drink pints. They don’t even drink half a pint, so when they come to Bali, and they start drinking extra-large bottles of beer for half nothing, as I’m sure you can imagine, it’s a recipe for disaster. On top of all the drunks, there are the rows and rows of market stalls where you can find anything. Whatever you do, don’t dare stop and look, cause if you do, God help you! As for the world famous ‘Kuta Beach,’ it’s not postcard perfect. I really don’t know why the Aussies go crazy for it. There are far superior beaches in Australia. We did visit the memorial to the Bali bombings a few years ago, where we paid our respects. Such a terrible tragedy!
Having to get up at 1AM for a sunrise trek up ‘Mount Batur’ was not a pleasant experience. At least we had a two-hour drive where we were able to snooze. After quite a steep climb to the top in the dark, we were rewarded with the most amazing views and the most beautiful sunrise we have ever seen. OMG! It was breathtaking! Words cannot describe how stunning it was. Coming down, we got to see how steep it really was. Near the top was all volcanic ash which made our climb to the top quite hard, but we manned up and we got through it! I’m so happy we got to do it! Our tour guides informed us that yesterday’s tour was a bit of a disaster as the clouds blocked the sunrise. How disappointing for them. Fortunately, what a difference a day makes. What we witnessed was incredible! Something that we will never forget! Our first proper sunrise and what better place to enjoy it! On the way down, we got to see come cute monkeys fighting over food. One jumped on top of our tour guide, who was having none of it. Bored with his new friend, he then decides to jump on top of me. At least I can finally say I was blessed with a monkey on my shoulders and not just ‘Mr Jack Lundy!’ Monkey boy! After a few minutes, he got bored and dumped me for someone else. Such fickle creatures! Fast thinking Jason who was able to capture the moment the monkey jumped off me! Very cool! As were on a volcano, our tour guide showed us an area in the mountain with steam coming out. I put my face in and it felt so nice. When we reached the finish line, we were so happy! It was a tough trek but so worth it!
With our bellies rumbling for food, our next stop was a buffet meal followed by a visit to some stunning rice terraces. Another ‘Kodak’ moment as I’m sure you can imagine. For the Asians, they are simply a way of life, for us though, we can’t help but admire how beautifully understated they are! After enjoying some rather splendid views, it was time to take advantage of free tea and a nice cup of strong ‘Luwak Coffee’ before finishing off at an art gallery. I know, whoever would have thought it! Jason visiting an ‘Art gallery.’ How times have changed! When we got back to the hotel, I don’t know where we got the energy from, but we actually walked down to the beach as I was determined to witness a sunrise and a sunset in the same day. On the way, we bumped into Bobby from the States whom we met in Munich, Germany, who was with his girlfriend. They escorted us down to the beach where Bobby was mobbed by a bunch of young school girls from Java who insisted on getting a photo with the blonde haired, blued eyed, white skinned Bobby! After a nice sunset, all four of us went for a nice Indian dinner where we had a nice catch up. What a nice end to an incredibly long, but amazing day!
With the adventurous little boy inside us wanting to come out, it was decided that we would rent out a scooter, yes a ‘Scooter’ as in single, not plural! I had to get on the back of Jason’s. What a joyous experience! To be honest, it wasn’t that bad and I actually really enjoyed it. I would have preferred to have gotten my own, but Jason thought it might be a bit tricky considering all the traffic and how crazy they drive. It’s all in out, in out! Crazy drivers! Our drive to ‘Uluwatu Temple’ took us an hour. As the temple was right next to the sea, it was rather picturesque with the waves crashing against the cliffs, the sun beginning to say good night and the beautiful temple for us to marvel over, it was certainly a nice way to finish our Indonesian adventure. On the way back, we stopped off for a nice Indian meal in a very fancy ‘L’Occitane Resort.’ I definitely wouldn’t mind staying there. Kathrin, when we win the lotto, we will bring you! Imagine all the aromas! Pure heaven. Oh, and the food was tasty, tasty, tasty! Three tasties, that’s a very good standard! When we got back to the hotel, the joyous occasion of packing was upon us. Please don’t make us leave Asia! At least we can look forward to seeing our rather funny M&S friend, Jean!
To say we had a terrible time in Kuta would be a lie! We ended up having a very relaxing time and while we didn’t do a whole lot of stuff, we did see exactly what we wanted to see! For me, the volcano was without any hesitation, one of the most spectacular things we have ever seen. We probably wouldn’t revisit Kuta again as there are so many places in Bali that we haven’t seen yet that take priority on our list. It filled its purpose of somewhere to crash for a few nights. Now it’s on to the next part of the adventure!
By Andrew
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