6 Week Gap Year

Royal Bali Beach Club's Temple specially decorated for the coming festival















2nd November (Thursday)
Today had another half day trip to firstly revisit Celuk where they make the silver and gold jewellery as I wanted to photograph a spectacular piece made of sterling silver and fashioned to look like a 747 jet. You can see the piece in my Snapfish album and the price? A mere RP5,000,000. Subject to haggling of course.
Then on to a special temple called Pura Tanan Ayun or vast garden located at Mengwi. This Temple and its gardens is fully enclosed by a moat and then an inner moat protecting the main temple area. It was built around 1740 by the ruling king Mengwi and his family and used for the usual ceremonies to the Gods and as ancestral shrines for the Mengwis. There is, however one other curious fact about this temple. In all Temples across the island they build pagodas as shrines to Gods but with an odd number of tiers. This Temple, and it is the only one, has a meru with 2 tiers. The story is that a ruler (and I have forgotten his name) had become noted for being invincible in battle. He was frequently fatally injured but never died and also survived a number of assassination attempts. He learned over time that his people were becoming distrustful of him and jealous of his power, so he arranged for it to be known that he had an “Achilles heel”. This was that his death could be assured by using a garrotte of string the thickness of a human hair, pulled tight around his throat until ….. Enough already I’m about to have dinner. In exchange for this information the villagers were to build a Meru in his honour of only 2 tiers. So with the Meru being there and in one of my photos I guess the villagers must have used the garrotte as instructed. Probably would have seemed rude not to.
And now on to the last place and Temple I shall visit on Bali, Tanah Lot. This is a Temple the Balinese are into promoting heavily I’m told, and whilst I agree it has a pretty impressive setting, I can’t help but feel there is a secondary motive. Firstly the Temple though. The Temple actual, that is the part where only the worshippers may go and only during a ceremony, is set atop a rock some 100metres or so from the shore. When the tide comes in the Temple is cut off from the mainland and no doubt provides for some extra mysteriousness to those of ages gone by. There is also a quite spectacular rock formation on the northern side of the whole Temple complex, again there are a few photos of this. But, and this is just my perception, at Tanah Lot there is a massive market of souvenir and refreshment stalls, just before the entrance to the Temple grounds and this obviously provides work and income for hundreds of locals and with out the heavy marketing ………..
Back to the Royal Bali Beach Club and a well earned rest. I have arranged to met Nusa for dinner at a restaurant on Jimbaran Beach as my thank you to him for the extraordinary time and knowledge he has put my way. I know he has already been paid by Mr Wayan but he is a pleasant and interesting person and his company is most agreeable.
So, a little sunbathing and swimming, a small pre-prandial before dinner and off to the beach. On arrival at Baran Sari restaurant I learn that Nusa has been delayed by a group of Japanese tourists who after seeing Tanah Lot wish to throw themselves back into the 21st Century and go shopping in Katu. He arrives an hour and a quarter late with said Japanese tourists and manages a small dinner with me. We do however get to choose our dinner, that is, I will have that particular lobster, or those 12 prawns and that squid whilst all the other diners get what they’re given! The squid was fresh and delicious by the way.
Back to RBBC and my favourite Canadian and US ladies were at the bar so settled down for an evening of drinks and good conversation.

3nd November (Friday)
Went off to get suit fitted at Tommy’s. Very nice, trousers great, jacket required a smidgen more fit and is great too.
Back to hotel 11.30 and bit of sunbathing. Problem is at this time of day the sun is too strong to stay out long. Spent a great deal of time each day in shade. In the sun you burn quick, sweat and dehydrate fast, in the shade you sweat the same and dehydrate. Had another 30 minute dry massage from Wayan including a little manipulation of the back and shoulder muscles- lovely.
The hotel is preparing for a Temple ceremony tomorrow and decorating the restaurant, creating offerings for the Gods and preparing the suckling pig roast. Pity I will miss it, should be interesting, fun and tasty.
Packing is in order at this point and have discovered that suitcase manages to increase its weight with every stop. Will have serious words with it to watch what it eats and take more exercise. When I arrive in Oz think I will post small parcel home of paper items like brochures and leaflets etc.
The day is running away from me and every time I make to go back to the room someone wants to talk to me and see where I’m going to next. The kindness of virtual strangers is lovely and I have met some very interesting people. I realise too that I have not written enough for my own satisfaction of the characters I have met. May have to do that separately. Eventually escaped and finished packing and just have time for last dinner in the restaurant bar. Say goodbye to the staff on duty, Made, (pronounced Marday) Kadek, Putu and Yomang my driver.
I have made a lot of good friends at RBBC and I am very sad at having to say goodbye. Mr Wayan has been most helpful and I wish him much good fortune in hi future business ventures. The girls have all made me feel very welcome and pampered and I will stay in contact with them most definitely. I will, without doubt return here sometime in the future with Ludy and enjoy the excellent hospitality they offer.

We reach the airport in good time and I make my way to check in desk 7. No information on the board about this being the correct desk so after 10 minutes I go and check with an official looking airport person. I have misunderstood the information board and am in the wrong part of the departures building! At the correct check in desk I wait behind 3 ladies who are waiting for 2 ladies being checked in. These 2 have obviously been shopping for Australia whilst in Bali. Each had 2 suitcases and at least 4 large store bags they were going to have to carry on board. One lady’s suitcase, 1 case only remember, was 41kg! Went through check in but no upgrade again , thanks Quantas, and went through to Customs. At Customs you have to show your immigration card which was for either 7 days or 1 month. I paid $10 for a 7 day visa. However I had been in the country for 8 days! The Immigration guy wanted me to pay a $50 fine to exit the country! I said no way I only paid $10 to enter. Showed him my wallet and said I've only got $20. He said Ok and stamped my passport. Bet that $20 didn't go to the Government.
Got on my Qantas flight Aisle seat 26B and looks like nobody to sit in the window seat so will be able to spread out relax and slee……… no I have a lady sitting there so will have to make polite conversation for a while. C’est la vie. My new travel companion makes a few sarcastic remarks regarding Qantas’s entreaty to us to “Have a relaxing flight” and settles down to ignore me. As we begin take off was a little concerned that she didn’t look too well or comfortable about the prospect of the take off but all passed well and off to Australia. Discovered over dinner my travel companion Donna, is a stone and marble sculpter and travels to Bali to buy art for her business. We discussed Bali art for a while, Australia and Melbourne and Donna invites my Aussie friend Jon and me to visit her and her partner Greg in Hampton, Melbourne if we are over that way. We exchange phone numbers and she makes me promise to phone them next week. People in Oz are so much more friendly and hospitable than in England. We settle into companionable silence and I look forward to Australian footfall. Wonder how long it will be before I hear “no worries”?