Bali: The Isle of Gods Day 4

21^st March 2010

I know it has been long and plenty have happened since I last updated the blog but since I have officially tendered my resignation and will be joining a new company on 1^st July, the remaining days in ComfortDelgro are less hectic as it used to be for I will only be required to do the handover work to my other colleague. Having said that, it meant I have more time to do blogging than resting after works… yay!

I shall continue with my Bali trip as there are still 3 days to go. Prior to having my in laws, my mother and sis joined us today in the afternoon, my wife + J + I drove to Kuta today after checking out of Astana Kunti to see the beach and the atmosphere there. The drive only took us a mere 10 minutes and the road is smooth, unlike the day before which is totally horrendous! Kuta has a long stretch of beach and littered with peddlers selling gado-gado, temporary tattoo (Hanna), bows, drinks, local street food and renting of surfboards. Generally, it is pretty much like Legian beach, which is situated slightly up north and the weather for that day… well, smoking hot! You literally feel the burn on your skin so remember to pack that SPF 50 sun block.

J, my brother in law. Avid angler and photographer.

Surf board for rental are all over the beach so no worries mate!
IF you are thirsty or needed to cold down,
there are plenty of makeshift stalls selling soft drinks like the one below

Chill at the beach with your loved ones
and read a book.

You could find a flea market in the middle of the stretch of Kuta beach and bargaining is the norm for the day. Some tips to those going to the flea market and to have a successful bargain is to go for ridiculous discount say 80%. So if you found the T-shirt you liked and the offer is USD20, counter offer by telling them you are only willing to pay USD4 and I have to tell you, even if at USD4, it may still be expensive. The haggling would go to and fro many times until you decided to use a few of the killer stance below:

1 – “The best price I am going to offer is USDxxx” while body turning slowly to leave the shop.

2 – “The other stall offered me USDxxx and still lower than yours! I will go back to that stall”

3 – “We are buying xxx number of pieces so you definitely can sell it to us at this price”

4 – Walk slowly out of the shop while still negotiating the price.

Those stances ought to get you the price that you want but a word of caution, DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. Sometimes when you really push it too hard, or too ridiculous, just leave the shop and move to another and use stance number 2 above.

Flea market at Kuta beach

Most of the population in Bali are Buddhist Hindu so you will see
many of them making offerings like what this woman below
is doing. Make sure you do not step on their offerings although
the offerings may looked like thrash after being baked in the sun
for the entire day. Just leave it alone, someone will clear it.

The sampans in Bali are beautifully painted with vivid colors.

After our shopping campaign, we headed to Ayana Resort and Spa (Formerly Ritz Carlton Resort prior to 1^st April 2008) to do the checking in and to bargain… yes, again. We utilize our Marriott Vacation Club points to redeem stays in this resort at 3,500 points per room per night, which will cost me approximately S$245 (Tax included). We further negotiated a bargain to upgrade our room, which is a Standard room to the Executive Club Level room at only US$100++ per night and the upgrade make a world of a difference! The service alone is impeccable. 5 meals are also included i.e. breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail and hors d’oeuvres and chocolates party for supper. One thing is sure going to give you all the worth of your money… if you are a drinker (Alcoholics, hello!), all drinks (alcohol or non) are free flow so you can drink the whole night at the club and not having to pay an extra cent. 

There is Internet access here as well as a laptop for loan but is restricted to 30 minutes per loan per guest. Oh one more thing! IF you are at the standard room, all your toiletries are those in-house brand i.e. Ayana Resort brand BUT if you are at executive club level… drum roll please… you are provided… L’occitane! And better still, they replenish everyday if you decided to keep these goodies every day! Sorry, I know I am a little auntie and cheapo BUT since I have paid the upgrade fee, I believe they have factored in the possibilities of having people like me staying there, no?

[Tips: When you are at the club level, look for Kastari, he is very very helpful and attentive. TWO THUMBS UP for his impeccable service]

Tents along Kuta beach for hotel residents in Bali Garden

Tipping. There is one thing about tipping and those of you who have worked in the service department before would perhaps know what I am talking about when I say that tipping is a powerful tool. When you receive a tip from someone, it gives you a morale booster and indication that someone appreciates your service and took the trouble to tip you.

There are two ways to do tipping and take note to do one and not the other. Always tip with a note directly to the person that you wanted to tip and make sure that you look into that person’s eyes and have a hand-to-hand contact e.g. cupping the tip into his hand or a handshake style will be great and ensure that the tipping is NOT too obvious. TRY NOT to tip by giving the change and DO NOT tip by taking out the tipping note, stretch it for all to see and giving it to the person by holding the notes with only your thumb and index/middle finger. Oh, please, if possible, keep the smelly and crumbled notes to yourself. Any tipping done poorly or badly will not give you the desired outcome and sometimes may turn out that it would have been better off if you had not tipped in the first place. Do this tipping and you will be rewarded with a great stay and great service

[Tips: Tipping should be done constantly if possible and do it early! TRY NOT to tip only at the end of your stay or at the end of the service]

Plenty of peddlers like the woman below prowling the beach
and offering on-side freshly made gado-gado (Indonesian fruit salad)
to you. I didn't buy anything from her... just want a photo.

After the checking in, we picked up the rest of the gang at the Airport and the distance is only around 10 minutes and best of all, the road to the airport and back to the resort is very straightforward. Just drive on the Ngurah Rai Road, which is really like their expressway for about 5-8 minutes and take a left turn when you see a few human statues on your right. Go further in for 2-3 minutes and you are there!

Ayana Resort and Spa is truly a beautiful place and I am sure everyone that comes here would want to come back again. Their website is HERE and if possible, do visit it during one of your stay in Bali. My mum was so happy with the place that she told me the following:

“I CAN DIE NOW… I AM SATISFIED…”

She was rolling on her bed while saying that and I felt very glad that she loves the place and the fact that she commented the above makes me felt that I have accomplished what I dreamt to do since young and that is to bring my mum to a holiday and not just any holiday but one that she enjoyed. She may not know how I felt of her but as a son, there is always a gap and it’s hard to say things to your mother if you know what I meant. She is perhaps the naggiest person in the world and at times just downright irritating BUT she still loves me, inspires me and also brought me up to where + what I am today. She gave me mixed feelings but I guess most mums are like that and she may just be more than the average mums. God, bless my mum I pray that she will come to know that only you alone can satisfy her, which no mortal could replace.

My lovely wife and my in laws

The beach at Ayana Beach Resort and Spa

All of us explored the place and one highly recommended place is the INFINITY POOL! DO NOT miss this for the world for it has a beautiful sunset view and the pool is filled with comfortably warm seawater sucked from the sea everyday. I ordered a fresh coconut during my first stay here and I would say that it was total bliss! The only downside is that… the coconut cost us USD5.50+ so it is the most expensive coconut I’ve ever tasted. If USD5.50+ is nothing to you and worth the value for that coconut, try it.

From left to right: MIL, Wife, SIL.

We spent close to 30 minutes just watching the sunset from the infinity pool as the view is truly breathtaking. Once done, we headed back to the club level, had our dinner, chatted, had chocolate desserts for supper, chatted again, drunk and chat again until it is near midnight then retiring to our rooms. Overall, the day ended well and I am glad that both side of my family could enjoy this.

Sunset view from the Infinity pool

That’s it for today. Till then, happy reading!

**Note: All rights reserved. If you like any photos found in this blog or would like to engage me in any assignment, please e-mail me for more details at seage79@gmail.com.