Bali June 2013 - Day 11 - Our last full day of fun.

Bali June 2013 - Day 11 - Our last full day of fun.

And so it came to pass, that the trip must draw to a close.

This will be my last missive on our holiday, as today is all about packing, running around collecting leather jackets, checking out of the villa and hanging around waiting to get taken to the airport to go home.

What a trip !  What an amazing holiday.

Anyhoo... The last day.

Toast and marmalade at the villa this morning. The plan was to go get our glasses from Wina Optical and then just wander around until we had to go to Merry Leather to go get Litsas jacket.

We took off as a group in 2 taxis to Supernova in Kuta. The traffic was horrendous this morning. I keep saying that Bali is quiet. I mean the shops are empty, the restaurants devoid of customers, but the roads - they are still mayhem. It took close to 45 mins to get to Wina Optical. There were 4 of us to collect glasses today, and there were already a couple of customers being looked after. I have heard rave reviews of this business on Tripadvisor, and from mates who have travelled to Bali, but I must warn you, you really need to be careful. Sure, the prices are cheap, but then again, the quality can be too. I had chosen 2 pairs of prescriptio sunnies and a pair of normal prescription glasses. I stupidly had not taken photos of the frames I had chosen, and as we were all in a rush, I simply slipped the glasses on, checked the vision, and paid. Karin’s glasss were still not even ready, and she had to wait another 45 mins whilst Hendri worked on them. When I got back to the Villa later, I noticed that the ‘RAYBANS’ I had chosen as a frame for one pair of sunnies, was not Rayban branded anymore, in fact they were quite markedly different in the frame. Also, the clear glasses frames, whilst similar to the ones I chose, were not identical, and were even a slightly different colour. Sure, caveat emptor, and I should have checked more closely at the shop, but lets be honest, even if I had noticed the problem, there is little chance it could be rectified before we fly out today right ? I personally believe that the guy is a victim of his own success. When you become as popular as he is, quality will ultimately suffer.

Back to Bagus Watches and I managed to find myself a shiny new watch. Litsa also purchased a black version of the same watch she bought last week. Success at last.

Kuta Beach

We then split into groups, and Litsa and I wandered South into Kuta proper along the beach and through Discovery Mall. We’ve never been down this part of town, and it was interesting putting names to places I’d only ever read about on Tripadvisor. The walk around that part of town has convinced me once again that I am a Seminyak boy through and through. 

Litsa and I then hopped into a cab and headed back to JL Padma to Mozarellas. This is another place we missed out on last year, as it was always busy, or we were not close by at meal times. I’d read a lot about the place in regards to value and quality. Litsa ordered a salmon steak with vegetables and her words were “ AMAZING” .. She even went so far as to say its the best meal of the trip for her. I ordered crispy chicken, with fries and salad. It was drier than an old boot, flavourless, and probably the worst meal of the trip. Look, the menu is extensive, and there are some awesome looking meals, but just be careful in your choice. The Bintangs were also over $2, so I wont say the place is cheap either :)

Mozarella on JL Padma

The rest of the day we all just stayed at the Villa around the pool. We even went and bought some Californian Sauv Blanc at $26 a bottle from the Seminyak Wine shop next to Bintang. We also tried to finish off the Duty Free, which we gave a big nudge. We managed to almost finish off the rest of the food from the previous evening as well. 

I went to bed a bit blurry for my final nights sleep in Villa Kampung. 

And that ladies and gents is it............ this will be the last time I update the travel blog, and within a few days of getting back I will upload all of this to the blogger site and add some pictures to each days shennanigans. When thats done, I’ll post and let everyone know. I will also update Tripadvisor with reviews on restaurants and the villa etc.

See you all in 2014 ?    WE HOPE SO !

Our Favourite Photo from Seminyak Beach at Sunset

Bye Bye from Wayne and Litsa  :)

Bali June 2013 - Day 10 - Sushi, Kuta, Drag Queens.

Bali June 2013 - Day 10 - Sushi, Kuta, Drag Queens.

Not a huge reporting day today. Its now on the downhill slide to going home on Friday night. You can see everyones mind is tweaking towards the reality of winter and work back home. And to be honest, that truly sucks. For a couple of minutes yesterday, I was actually trying to work out how to stay another week. Alas, that simply is not going to happen.

Litsa, myself, Scott and Karen headed off on the bikes to have breakfast in Drupadi. Litsa did manage to get her Nasi Goreng, but they didnt out an egg on top, so she was out of sorts again early ! We ate at the Aussie Bush Bar ??  I think ??  The menu might be worth a look for dinner, but their breakfasts were awful and their coffee the worst of the trip. We paid about $10 all up for the two of us.

Litsa and I then went to get some more supplies from Bintang for the afternoon, as we had planned to spend it around the pool, swimming and drinking etc.... Those plans changed a bit  :)

I went up the alley to the main road, jumped over the road into Jasmin Spa. Litsa wanted to share the whole ear candle experience, so she went off to a room to have her ear wax melted and sucked, and I went into a room, stripped off my shirt and lay back for a FACIAL !  Yup... WOW... a facial. Last time I had one of these it cost me over $120 in a resort on the Sunshine Coast on my honeymoon with a previous wife. This one cost me $14 and was just as good. Fair dinkum, at the end, I felt 10 years younger. I would have loved to get a photo of what I looked like with the mud mask on LOL.

Litsa and Karen had booked Botox at Dr Made Ita in Seminyak, the website is http://drmadeitabali.com/  Apparently.... and like I would know or be able to find out... Its 30% cheaper here to have botulism injected into your face than at home. Off they headed, leaving Scotty and I to go across the road to Zushiya japanese for lunch. The others had all headed off on bikes to do various other stuff, shopping, organise tattoos etc etc.

I will give Zushiya a thorough review on Tripadvisor later, but in short it was great food. Not your usual Japanese. Japanese food is pretty at the best of times, but the chef here is a step above in his craft. Some great taste sensations. Well worth it. Scotty and I shared quite a few plates and had a couple of $1.90 Bintangs as well for a total of $18 a head. Highly reccomended.

The girls got home after having needles in their faces, looking slightly bruised and puffy, with strict instructions not to go into the pool for 6 hours. DAMN !  There goes the fun stuff this afternoon. A few of the girls took off shopping and I hung around the villa sipping on Mix Max’s and catching up on emails.

The Villa staff had been working as a 5 person team pretty much from lunchtime to prepare us a feast for dinner. It worked out at around $15 a head, and again, was the best Indo food we have had all trip. Thats 2 for 2 for staff prepared meals blowing us away. I’ve never been a fan of the advertisments at Villas suggesting you get the staff to cook. But, I’d definetely do that again for sure. We have enough left over for lunch too.

The call after dinner was KUTA to go see some clubs and have a drink. UGH... big mistake. We got there, went and looked at the memorial, paid our respects, had 2 drinks in some dives and then caught a cab BACK towards home.

This year, the place didnt have a good buzz. There were way more Gen Y’s hanging around than last year. The music coming out of the clubs was a lot more RnB, and not so much dance. There wasnt the “free shots’ on the doors of the clubs we liked. And all in all, we all felt we didnt like being there. 

So... we ended up at the drag queen clubs in Drupadi !   LOL

So much fun, too many drinks, and we danced and danced !

I feel ordinary this morning.  This is our last full day, so lots to do, lots of stuff to get pickup etc.

I am going to cherish every minute of the next 24 hours.

Bali June 2013 - Day 9 - Uluwatu day trip

Bali June 2013 - Day 9 - Uluwatu day trip

Rise and shine, today is ULUWATU DAY. Which means the drivers will be here around 9.30 to take us down the peninsula for the day.

Litsa and I got up early, did some work to make sure our businesses were still functioning and staff happy, and we set off on the bike to find some breakfast. She had hassled me for Nasi Goreng to eat, so of course, as we exited the alley onto Drupadi, I found the one and ONLY place that didnt serve it. BESTEST CAFE.. wow.. a fusion of Greek and Indonesian Food. Ummmmm..... thats never going to work for a woman with Cypriot upbringing right ?  The only thing they were ‘bestest’ at, was making coffee. I wont bore you with details, but yet another swearing under the breath episode occured, and Litsa only ate 4 mouthfulls of her ‘Full English’ before openly swearing at me again. Every year this happens, and I am sure it brings us closer together right ???

Back to the Villa. Everyone else is eating in house, and LOVING it... Litsa recounts how much of a bastard I am to everyone...just for good measure, and we sit and wait for the drivers to show up.

Its hot now.. and humid. So we crack a Mix Max drink for good measure. Its after 9am after all. One drivers early and ones late. Mick had arranged these guys, and Wayan, one of them is a real character. He is such a nice guy, he was the one who invited Mick and Deb to his sons wedding and daughters teeth filing (which seems like weeks ago).

Off we go. Off to Uluwatu. The trip down is without incident. The roads eerily empty at this time of day, and the its a lovely trip down in the 2 cars. The hilly farming areas are a stark contrast to Ubud, where Rice farming seems the norm. Up here, where there is less water flowing, it seems cattle and livestock are the go. Little Villages with interesting Warungs and outlets line the road. I am loving the trip. I snap my neck a few times trying to take it all in. Bali really is such a cultural shock for some people when they get here. I am well travelled, but there is always something that has me going..... WHAT THE ?  every 5 minutes.

Litsa loves Monkeys !

Our first stop is at the Monkey Temple and sea cliffs. I am first out the bus and bounding off to pay my entry fee. A lovely smiling Balinese chap reminds me I need a Sarong for my pasty white chicken legs, and he proceeds to feel me up... OH HANG ON... put my Sarong on. The rest wander over and he does the same. Mick stands back and bit, and has this... “Wayne.. what you doing ?”   kinda look on his face.  The lovely chap is now offering to guide us through the show, and will protect us from the ‘scary monkey’ with his rubber slingshot. OH GOD !!  I have been railroaded and snookered by a Local.  DAMN !!!  Micks laughing, but reminding me that now I am going to be up for 100,000 Rupiah at the end for the 8 of us going through. All I needed was Mick and the huge stick he had found, and I could have saved us all 5 Bintangs !!!  Oh well.. too late now, this guys sticking to me like Araldite. He was very friendly though, and kept reminding me how much I should pay him at the end for doing his job. 

Last year, it was pack rape Monkey style at Ubud. This year.. the little darlings were way smarter. Both Litsa and I bought bananas, just for the fact we wanted to steal a monkey, and of course you need BAIT... Bananas are good bait for monkeys.. trust me on this. They know if you have bait.. cough... I mean bananas in your pocket, and they will stay with you all day if needed. We got some really cool video and photos of both Litsa and I trying to steal the monkeys, but in the end, the hessian sack we brought with us, was just too small for the really fat cute one we wanted............... you know I am joking right ?   Of course we brought a bigger sack. SHEESH !

No really. We didnt steal one, the man shadowing me for his 100K kept pretending the fire his catapult, and the little darlings wouldn’t come close after we emptied our pockets of bait. I did see one monkey steal a ladies thong (flip flop) and run up a tree with it. An ‘attendant’... or really.. just a lady who trains monkeys to steal your stuff... offered to get the thong back for $$$, and she bribed the monkey with more bait. BANG... thong back on foot. Truly, the monkeys here are way more evil than the Ubud monkeys. Decision is made, we are back in Ubud next year to steal one from there instead.

Back in the bus and 100K lighter, thanks to Mr Slingshot, and off to Blue Point Villas we go. Mick and Debbie have been here a few times before, and we have always looked at the photos and wished we were there with them. It costs $24 to go. This includes a choice of set lunch, and use of the amazing infinity edge pool that overlooks the Uluwatu Surf Break. The food was OK for the money. Tasty, but with limited choices. My Mei Goreng was very tasty though, and funnily enough, Karin said her Spag Boll was awesome. Beers here were... wait for it........ AUS$3.75 each. You would normally lose me there, but it was so hot and humid with the offshore breeze, I sucked it up and sucked back about a dozen over the afternoon. I hate getting ripped, but the location is about as good as one can get for a seaview on the planet. I am constantly reminded... Location Location Location. When I get around to adding this page to my blog, I will post some shots. IT WAS AWESOME !!

Most of the crew hung around the pool, but I got adventurous. I followed the path down the cliff and .................. had one of my Bali highlights !  The whole way down, as the path meanders steeply are warungs, surf shops, more warungs and beer outlets. You get all the way to the bottom and there is the most amazing cave, that the surfers swim through to get to the surf. IT IS AMAZING !  if I say that... make the effort to get down there please. I don’t want to be the only stupid bastard who huffed and puffed his way back up in the 38 degree heat and almost died !! 

I fell into the pool... collapsed. Ordered a Bintang and sat and watched my crew laugh at me because of the colour of my face ( VERY RED) and then my body... (VERY WHITE). 

The rest of the afternoon we just sat by the amazing pool, and watched about 5 or 6 weddings process through the chapel behind us. I have never seen a queue for weddings before, but this place sure has it sorted. Got some great photos of Japanese and Singaporeans on their special day. 

In the cars.. head back.. WORST TRAFFIC EVER !  Sunset alone took an hour to navigate about 4 KM. Crazy stuff. I keep saying Bali is DEAD at the moment, but the roads in the afternoon are chaos. And I mean CHAOS !  best avoided if at all possible.

When we got back to Villa Kampung. The call was made to get down to the Legian Beach that Mick and Deb frequent and go visit Billy and his crowd on the sand for Sunset. Litsa decides, tonight is her WFN.. That “Wayne Free Night” and she will go to a spa, and then have dinner by herself somewhere and then bed early. I go with the rest on the bike (with Jodie on the back) down to Legian Beach. We have the obligatory grilled corn ( I had 2), that are so absolutely addictive its just not funny. Scotty and Karen order Bokso Chicken as well, to give the local snack a try, and we park ourselves in front of Billys fridge to watch the sunset and drink some beer and Mix Maxes. We then, as usual, attracted around 40-50 beach hawkers (well it felt that way), and even I ended up paying $5 for a back and shoulder massage. My strict ‘ NO BEACH PAYMENTS’ policy went by the wayside. It was a fun afternoon, and Jodie even got her hair braided. It took so long, we were the last people on the beach and they were finalising it under the glow of Billys fridge !

We then went on the hunt for a Wood Fired Pizza. The only one I knew was at Santa Fe Bar and grill in Drupadi.. so after a quick fuel stop, we ended up there for dinner.  Pizzas all around, except for Jodie, who had the most excellent nachos. While the pizzas took forever to cook, they were.....excellent.  The owner came up and apologised as he had ‘short staff’.... after 2-3 Caprioscas, I told him he should get taller ones, as I wanted my bloody pizza quicker.  It was a great meal and the music was OK.

NOW... I have seen and read all the posts about scooters in Bali. And I write this with much trepidation that like those before me, someone will slam me for my attitude. I am 48 years old. I often get called Peter Pan, but I rarely rarely if ever take a risk in my life (except maybe financially). Getting a scooter in Bali was a huge step for me. All of my friends ride bikes for fun on the weekends, ME... I have never considered it fun. Riding a scooter here has become one of my favourite things to do as far as a Bali trip goes. It will be the very first thing I do next time I get here... run off and book my scoopy. 

My plan after dinner, was to duck down the alley besides Santa Fe and go home to join Litsa. The rest then decided they wanted to ride down to Legian to Billys (Micks fave hangout) and have a sing and a drink. Jodie needed a lift down, so to save her a cab, I offered to ride her down, and then she could get an OJEK home (They drive you home on the back of their bike). Everyone took off, and as it was dark, and generally much less traffic, neither of us put a helmet on.... I know.. I know.. STUPID. However, the helmets given too us are pretty useless anyways as protection. I am an extremely careful driver on the scooter. The Balinese, see a foreigner like me, and they generally keep clear and give me advance notice with a blow of the horn as to where they are. Its a thrill, sure, but I dont feel unsafe, even as a relative novice. Heading down JL Seminyak, we go to Double 6, and not 30 seconds before, Jodie says to me... why are we the only people without helmets on. I was starting some diatribe about how Peter Fonda didnt need one in Easy Rider, when ..... there he is... Mr Fat Jolly policeman with the Red lit wand waving me down.............. OH DEAR !

The rest, with their helmets, not 20 meters ahead.. were NOT waved down. There is a lesson there for someone hey ?

So... I pull over, and as quick as I can, I empty my wallet, except for 100K and put the rest in my pocket before MFJP (for short) can see.

He comes over to the bike, all smiles. Asks me for my registration and license and I go to get the rego from the bike, then remember my International License is still in the Villa. Hmmmm whoops.  We then have a pleasant chat about the lack of helmets, the lack of license, and how beautiful Bali is, and if I am on my honeymoon, and then he says with a huge apologetic look... he has to write me a ticket. We head for his car, he opens the door, steps behind it, and Mick walks over........... Micks been here a few times. He knows the drill. No real details needed, but I am 100,000 Rupiah down and feeling a little sheepish.

Helmets on. I drop Jodie off at Billys and head home to the Villa. Litsa is all  “ Oh Babe” when I tell her we are now down 5 more Bintangs for the rest of the trip due to my stupid 5 minutes of channeling Peter Fonda..................

OK.... Back to the rental of scooters. Make sure you have an International Drivers license. This will at least allow you to claim on any insurance if you have a mishap. Do not be afraid of hiring a scooter. If you have been here a few times, you will know the drill with the traffic. Don’t attempt to drive long distances. The scooters are invaluable for getting to Bintag Supermarket, dinner, the beach etc... they do not replace cabs for long trips, or for me... trips into Kuta. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET.... obvious really. But it will save you getting pulled over, and fined. Always have your wits about you. For months last year, I was terrified about the Monkeys in UBUD due to reports on Tripadvisor.... they were wrong too.  If you are smart, conservative, Scooters can make a huge difference to your holiday. If you think thats garbage, please stick to the Taxis, but do not judge those who want to have fun....its hardly at your expense.

Night.. Its time for bed.

Bali June 2013 - Day 8 - So much wax, in my ears !

Bali June 2013 - Day 8 - So much wax, in my ears !

Sorry for the belated report. We had to leave early yesterday to get to Uluwatu (report to come) so I am a day late with the trip blog. Sometimes you just don’t get enough alone time to get into the frame of mind you need to put this together.

Scotty once again offered to cook us all some breakfast in the Villa, and he lavished us all with bacon, scrambled eggs, toast etc etc. He’ll be on the invite list for next time :)

As Jodie had yet to go get a scooter, Litsa, Jodes and I hopped into a cab and headed down towards Merry leather in Legian. I found it easily from directions taken from Tripadvisor. That part of town, is quite easy for me to get around now, thanks to Mick and the scooters. We have been up and down Padma Utara a dozen times already, using it to avoid the hectic traffic on JL Seminyak and JL Legian. The others joined us at the Leather shop, and Litsa and Karen ordered some jackets. From memory they were just on AUS$100 a piece. We have to come back after 4pm on Thursday to get them. After the leather, we then headed back to Miss Debbies as a larger group and all grabbed more big bags of clothes and trinkets. I managed to find a Maroons State of Origin Jumper for $13, so I was smiling from ear to ear. Apparently, ‘Blues’ Jumpers are half price at the moment :)

Someones happy at Merrys Leather !
But not so happy later in the week !

Then, as a group, we shot off to Bali Brasco on Sunset for some more clothes shopping. The girls once again said ‘MEH’... not much for them, but us fellas, we ran around upstairs and spent a good 45 mins trying stuff on. There didn’t seems to be the choice there was last year though, and I only managed to spend $85 on a few t-shirts and a couple of pairs of shorts.

We then dropped Jodie off at Warung Murah again on Double 6 so she could join the others for her first authentic Indo meal. Litsa and I went back to the Villa, grabbed the bike and went one street North to go eat at Santa Fe Bar and Grill. I felt like a burger for lunch, and this place looked like it would more than likely serve them. I was right :)  In fact, even though the meal sizes were not huge, it was perhaps the nicest burger in a decade ! I think from memory it was about $4 inc chips. On the way home, I spotted Santai Spa opposite the little alley we go home through. I knew Litsa wanted a pedicure and I had always wondered what an ‘ear candle’ would be like. I have shocking hearing, so I figured sucking at least a portion of any accumulated wax out of my earholes, couldnt be a bad thing.

It was really weird. An openly gay Balinese chap, wearing a face mask, due to his abhorent cough, spent 10 minutes each ear holding a lit piece of paper shoved into my ear canal. The noise the candle made was like ‘crackling’, and you could hear the hiss of the suction. At the end of each session, he unrolled the candle and showed me all the gunk. HIGHLIGHT OF THE HOLIDAY !!   I can attest that your hearing does improve. The drawback is, I have zero reason to act like I am ignoring Litsa any more. 

Santa Fe grill for a lunch alone - just 2 of us

Ear Candling !

Jodie needed a bike to be able to keep up with us all, so she hopped onto the back of my Scoopy and we headed off to find her one for the week. The traffic on JL Seminyak was just awful, so my first 2 options were out. We weaved in and out of the alleys, had a few back and forth negotiations with some obstinate rental places, and settled on a Vario at $4 a day. Its BLACK, and its FAST !  Apparently though its not fuel efficient !

Its been a bit overcast today, and raining on and off. The usual opportunity to head down the beach for sunset wasnt going to happen. So we all hopped onto the mopeds, Easy Rider style, in a light sprinkle, to go to Legian so the girls could have a ‘Fish Spa’. They set themselves up and us boys walked upstairs to a really horribly noisy bar. These places that blare out Aussie sport on the big screen TV’s to try and attract punters really annoy me. I am sure I am not alone with this, but seeing as Bali is extremely quiet, I guess they need to try ANYTHING to get people in. The type of people this bar attracted though... I dunno. REALLY ?  There really are ‘zones’ that attract a certain type of holiday maker - and we were in the middle of one. That probably sounds snobby, but, I have always made fun of loud obnoxious Americans all around the globe, but the loud Aussie, WOW, they leave them for dead !

Back to the Villa to get ready for dinner.

NOW... and you always know something bad is going to happen when I start a paragraph with NOW right ?

NOW.... Litsa has all week, been hassling me to STOP trying to organise my whole holiday around food. Last year, it was a full on gourmet experience. This year, due to austerity measures, and the fact that currently, I am technically ‘unemployed’ (even though I run 3 businesses - you tell me how THAT works !!) we have had to put the brakes on the 5 star dinners. I have of course been guided by mates who have been here before, and numerous reviews on food websites and Tripadvisor.

NOW..... Naught Nuris has always caught my eye. We missed it last year, and I wasnt going to miss it this year. I told Litsa, that I was going there, and anyone else, was welcome to follow me. So, all of a sudden, EVERYONE wanted to go. So once again, the worlds biggest responsibility, GOOD FOOD, has fallen on my shoulders. I checked the maps, and sure, I knew exactly where it was. With the traffic on JL Seminyak absolutely a disaster (at 7pm), the call was made to weave our way through as many back streets as possible, even going down Laksmana and up past the Oberoi and Potato head and turn right onto JL Pettinget.  When we got to Drupadi, with its limited street lighting, I almost lost it on the bike with Litsa on the back. The road is in a terrible state of repair, and its muddy with the rain. Mick behind me, says I recovered well, but geez, it sent the fear of all things unholy through my body for a while. The traffic along Laksmana was horrid. But it gave me a chance to wave at places we’d visited last year and show the rest of the crew the area we spent most of our time in. A massive new hotel now adorns the top of Gang Bugis, so I am not so sure our little 2 bedder from last year would be so private these days ?

When we turned right onto Pettinget.. we got as far as Sardine before I had realised we must have passed Nuris. Once you stop, and pull over, looking perplexed, the rest of your crew start showing signs of annoyance. We had travelled around 20 mins already. In this area, thats a MASSIVE distance on a scooter, and in some cases, can cause mild chaffing. Asking the lovely man with the traffic wand where Nuris is, he pointed BACK the way we came and said... ONE MINUTE. Trying to turn 5 bikes around on the busiest road in the area, was amusing. Its took 2 of the staff from Sardine to stop the traffic for us, so that none of us got run over by taxis or trucks. We headed West, back PAST the intersection with the road to Oberoi and kept going... for 4 minutes. About now, Litsa, who is holding onto my back for dear life, is starting to swear at me again... loud enough for me to hear over the scream of the bike motor. I then hear, “ Wayne, where the %$#& are we going ? “ from around 3-4 people....loud enough to hear of the scream of the bike. Screeeech..... pull up at one of the Circle K’s, run in and ask the man behind the counter. He waves down the road, ONE MINUTE..... well at least were going in the right direction.

We are, at this point, in what I can only describe as, THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Then like, Xanadu arising from the mist, I see the PIG SIGN !

We are HERE. WOW.. its packed !  There literally is a queue out of the door.  This better be good !

We park the bikes around the back, near the huge steaming kettle of bubbling masterstock, and head back to the door to queue. We are a table of 9, so we always have to wait. I had rung them earlier, but they only accept walkins unless you have 12 or more in your party. This is a big restaurant too. Did I mention it was packed ?  The guys have the grill setup next to the road, so you can see them finishing off the ribs. Pretty impressive amounts of smoke eminate from the setup, and the smells.... WOW !

We are finally seated, order jugs of Mojitos (30% off tonight) and everyone orders the pork ribs, corn and the wedges.  Thats it.. thats all you need. I can die happy now. Why go to Bali and eat ribs ?  I hear you say ?  These are NOT USA style ribs. These are genuine BALI style ribs. If you boiled ribs in the US, they would crucify you. These one are boiled in the most amazing tasting masterstock. Star anise, chinese 5 spices, you can taste them all. They are then lashed in a mixture of ketchup, Kecap Manis and assorted other goodies, including the runny honey thats on the shelves. We were drizzling that stuff all over the wedges too. Yum Yum !  The Ribs are finished on the grill.  These ribs are hot huge, but they are very meaty. The meats tasty, super tasty. 

I could not possibly eat all mine. The shrapnel bowl was full of bones, and everyone had that happy look.  Redeemed again for the adventure getting here.  I’d come back and eat here again.. and again... and again !

On the way home, we stopped at Flapjacks for dessert. A newish chain specialising in Waffles and crepes. It was nice, big sized servings and was cheap. Nothing special, but if you have a sweet tooth give it a go. I saw and ‘express’ version on Laksmana too. 

Flapjacks.... Plastic food !  Was OK though

The trip home was a lot quicker thanks to a more direct route, and way less traffic.

Bed and food coma !