Day 260, Bali, Indonesia
We had one week to fill before we are due in Tokyo, and I’m so happy we filled it with Bali. Paul spent a good deal of effort finding exactly the right place here, and it’s amazing. It was later in the day we flew out to Bali.
Shuttle service to and from the airport was included in our villa services. When the girls heard someone was waiting at the airport for us they got all excited. It’s true no one has been waiting for us at airports since we began our trip, and even having a stranger waiting for us, was different good.
As we exited customs into the bustling gen pop of the airport, there were at least 50 drivers holding up signs for people they were picking up. It was a sea of white papers. We started at one end and read the names as we walked toward the exit. The girls liked it that our names were printed out in bold letters on a large orange clipboard. That made us special among the sea of white papers with pen and marker scrawlings. A good beginning, for sure. The nature of this airport is that the taxi drivers vigorously and somewhat aggressively try to steer you toward their car. It was great that we already had our guy.
When we got into the van the driver welcomed us with a huge smile, and pulled out four ice cold waters. I’m liking the Bali. We had read online that Bali has a competitive tourist market with many villa and hotel options, everyone has to offer great service or people will take their tourist dollars elsewhere. It shows.
The first observation when driving through Bali is the number of scooters on the road. It’s beyond quite a few and more like an infestation. The driver told us there is no longer public transportation in Bali, because the buses were dirty, unreliable, and uncomfortable. People stopped taking them and started buying scooters. Those of us in cars will stop at a light, and the scooter swarm will engulf us, packing in tightly. Then when the light turns, the whole mass seems to move forward without incident. The driver said there are rarely accidents except when tourists rent scooters and aren’t familiar with how to safely integrate into the fold.
He also told us that Indonesia is predominantly Islamic, but the island of Bali is 80-90 percent Balinese Hindu. You see aspects of this everywhere.
We arrived at the hotel and pulled up to the stairs leading to the open air lobby. Two security guards ran to the car. It startled me and the girls it was so sudden. But they were simply trying to get to the car to open the doors for us and take our luggage. We weren’t used to that kind of enthusiasm. They do take their service seriously.
While Paul was getting the keys, the girls and I relaxed on the couches. A woman brought us cold cloths and fresh juice. We were led down a pathway to a door in the outer wall. We opened it to our very own house with a pool. There is an open living room and kitchen that looks out onto the pool. The girls have the upstairs and we both have large outdoor bathrooms. Very fun. Cali was very excited about the place.
We didn’t feel like going too far so we ate in the hotel restaurant. We had the place to ourselves. Madi said if felt like one of those contrived perfect tropical settings they show in the TV show Bachelor.
We’re excited for our week here.