Back to Bali After 28 Years

[aging one]

Well this October it was time to finally go back to Bali and put the past behind me. As some of you know from the thread Q&A with AO done by MeMock years ago I had a bit of a rough time at the end of my last Balinese adventure.

Well this October my kids turned 13 and it was time to go back and see Bali again. Especially to see the family I was living with when my last vacation ended abruptly.

So here we go beginning at Legian Beach Bali. We chose Casa Padma Suites as it had a great family room.

The landing, very exciting indeed.



The room at Casa Padma

bed side of the suite.




The living area.




The coffee nook.



First shot of Legian Beach, it sure was nice to boogy board again.



More to come.....

[aging one]

29 years ago my holiday ended very abruptly, I left a family wondering what had happened to me. The two people I missed the most were Wayan the son who was 12 and Nyoman the mother who was my age. Well I found them again. Wayan is now 41 and Nyoman 58 the same as me. This is my family and the family that thought I was dead.



another,



What I live for the beach.



I used to stay at a little small guesthouse or losman called Jangi Inn. 4 rooms run by a loving but poor couple with 3 kids. Well they succeeded, they now have 21 rooms, 2 are rented for 5 years, 2 for 10 and 2 for 15, this is the whole gang again in front of the family house inside the guest house compound. Wayan his mom and youngest daughter and my gang.

[Marmite the Dog]

Great pics AO.

And it's been too long mate, as the girls have grown up almost beyond recognition.

[aging one]

Thanks marmers, yup you have known them for a long time. The two families together. The pretty girl in purple is Wayan or Titti 18 in the first year of uni, and a Balinese beauty, the young boy in black is Made his son and the pudgy little thing his 8 year old daughter. We had just come back from a great Balinese feed.



I met this fat bloke in 74 when we were both student body presidents of our university. Had a few and then a few more on the beach at sunset.



For their birthday I took the kids to Water Bom the best water park I have ever been to.

The 3 super slides. Splash Down at a 75% angle, Dual Racers, and Kaboom on the right.







Start of the dual racer.

[aging one]

Time for dinner so we headed to the Hard Rock for a birthday meal. This is just before the gamelan orchestra came out.



The kids could hear the orchestra warming up but did not have a clue what was to come.





Up on the chairs you go.



they were shy, but got well into it.



My nutty friend leaving with the band.

[SEA Traveler]

Seems like it was a nice reunion trip and that all had a wonderful time. Good one on you aging one!

[aging one]

Time to head up to Ubud.

Suzuki APV, all the cars are manual there. 25 bucks a day and petrol in Indonesia is 11 baht a liter.



The rice terraces on the way up.



Our place was the one on the far left, behind is the monkey forest a 5 minute walk.



My mate place, they had the wood room and the sunset view.



View from the rice fields.

[aging one]

Time to head out and explore Ubud. The Market, Oka Babi Guling, or Balinese roasted baby pig, and then the kings palace.

Downtown Ubud, busy in the day, quiet at night.



Shopping, what a change. The first price is 400-800% over what you should pay.



The menu at Oka the most crowded place we ate, mostly locals, famous throughout Indonesia.



Delicious but sick of posing for pictures.



Kings palace entry for the tourists.



My kids play the Thai instrument the Khim, so the bell gamelan was a breeze. Lots of people came to listen.


The royal entrance, no tourists allowed.

[reinvented]

looks great

[Davis Knowlton]

AO: The 'if you take my picture again you're dead meat' photo is classic! Boy, do I know that look!

[aging one]

No shit Davis, half the photos from the last trip to Phuket were deleted. I prefer candid photos, but the kids forgot their camera we bought for the trip. They had the tripod, the charger, the transfer cords, and the underwater kit but no camera.

They got new Blackberries for their birthday and coming in 1 and 1 in their school. So we do have those to download still.

We ought to meet somewhere. One set of twins is a surprise to people, two would be even better.

[Davis Knowlton]

^That would be interesting, but mine are a boy and a girl - so obviously not identical. Even though I think you once said that yours aren't identical either, they sure are pretty close to it. I'll be over your way towards the end of November, and will drop you a PM prior to then - unfortunately won't have the kids with me this trip, due to school. I think to really appreciate that photo, you have to have a daughter about that age...my son never looks at me like that.....

[aging one]

Looks forward to that mate. Cool season as well.

[The Fresh Prince]

Great photo's AO. Do the girls always dress the same?

[aging one]

Not on purpose, and its getting less and less. Its a war when one wants to wear the same as the other. But Bali was peaceful.

We could not take all the luggage for 6 people in the van. So what they chose to take on the 4 night journey by car turned out to be the same.

[aging one]

Thanks for the red and calling me a tosser Master Cool, assholes like you are a major reason I rarely post.

Here is one of you. Didnt realize you were in Bali as well.

[Bower]

Nice thread, thanks.

[Begbie]

Great pictures AO, thanks for that

[Bangyai]

Beautiful looking place AO.... how do prices compare to Thailand ?

[Jesper]

Cool pics

[aging one]

Banyai, The big hotel suite in Legian was high at 90 bucks with breakfast for 4. The houses up in Ubud were 70 for the family one, and 50 for the wooden one which is spectacular. So I would say cheaper than Thailand for what you get. The food in the beach area is all the same price. 6-8 bucks for great steaks, fish, pizzas, ribs, chicken, and tons of avocados anyway you want for a starter. Up in Ubud its 30% cheaper.

As for local food its blander than here but a good deal. Fried rice, and noodles. Nasi Campur, is a mixture of meat and veggies with sambal their hot sauce. Soups carts are everywhere as well. All those dishes are the same price as here the equivalent of 15-40 baht max.

I am hooked again. Three season I saw in 9 nights. With Air Asia and a little patience 3500 baht will get you a round trip ticket.

[kingwilly]

great thread AO. glad you enjoyed it.

[aging one]

Met kids in Ubud that went to Jakarta International school mate. Said I had a friend that taught there, 'what is his name"? they asked. Some old dude that used to post here named willy. Mate I fucking missed Bali, and now over the top again. Thanks a lot .

[Bangyai]

Banyai, The big hotel suite in Legian was high at 90 bucks with breakfast for 4. The houses up in Ubud were 70 for the family one, and 50 for the wooden one which is spectacular. So I would say cheaper than Thailand for what you get. The food in the beach area is all the same price. 6-8 bucks for great steaks, fish, pizzas, ribs, chicken, and tons of avocados anyway you want for a starter. Up in Ubud its 30% cheaper.

As for local food its blander than here but a good deal. Fried rice, and noodles. Nasi Campur, is a mixture of meat and veggies with sambal their hot sauce. Soups carts are everywhere as well. All those dishes are the same price as here the equivalent of 15-40 baht max.

I am hooked again. Three season I saw in 9 nights. With Air Asia and a little patience 3500 baht will get you a round trip ticket.

Thanks for the info. Sounds more than reasonable. As soon as the pound comes out of Intensive Care I'll consider it for a visa run. Mind you, Mrs Bangyai is of the sort that she wants to go but as soon as she gets anywhere and has had a nights sleep its a case of " Kitung ban ! " ..

[aging one]

Thanks for the info. Sounds more than reasonable. As soon as the pound comes out of Intensive Care I'll consider it for a visa run. Mind you, Mrs Bangyai is of the sort that she wants to go but as soon as she gets anywhere and has had a nights sleep its a case of " Kitung ban ! " .. Bangyai is online now Add to Bangyai's Reputation Report Post Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!

The joint in Ubud would blow her mind as it did my wife. Addressed by name after the check in. I really think it would blow her mind. My wife is so nationalistic its not to be believed, but she was blown away.