Long flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong. The uber ride to the airport was a pleasure. Watched a couple of movies, American sniper was particularly good. Found it hard to sleep, lots of fidgeting passengers. Ate pot noodles at midnight which was a first! Made friends with the very Afrikaans couple from Stellenbosh. They had some interesting stories to tell about a German professor Dirk who lived with them and passed away from a stroke.
The stopover in Hong Kong was uneventful, we had coffee and made use of the free internet. Around 10 Hong Kong time we boarded the connecting flight to Denpasar. Tried to read a bit but just couldn't get into my books. Watched the film 'A most violent year' which was pretty good drama. Eventually touched down at Denpasar Ngurah Rai airport, the landing over the sea was awesome to watch on the exterior camera.
The next hour or so was spent queuing for our visa US$35, immigration and then and additional bag X-ray presumably to detect drugs. Then we met up with our driver Ewan and waited for John and Bev. The tropical humidity poured in through the open front of the airport and we quickly made up our minds to change into some shorts. On changing I discovered that I had packed 2 left Jandals, so I popped into the nearest shop and purchased another pair. After waiting another half an hour or so, the driver got a call and announced that John and Bev's flight had been delayed until midnight! So we bundled into the transfer van and headed into the traffic.
It took us over an hour to reach the villa in Seminyak, a little north of the famed Kuta beach. Scooters weaved through traffic around us. Overall Bali is very clean. We passed beautiful temples, gardens with tropical plants in blossom. As we got into Seminyak high end boutique stores, spas and flash restaurants dominated the streets.
On arriving at the villa just off the main road through Seminyak, we met up with the family. Everyone was talking at loudly and all at once excitedly. We spent some time catching up and then unpacked. Dinner had been arranged at the villa so we were able to just relax and settle in.
On arriving at the villa just off the main road through Seminyak, we met up with the family. Everyone was talking at loudly and all at once excitedly. We spent some time catching up and then unpacked. Dinner had been arranged at the villa so we were able to just relax and settle in.
The villa was really nice, very Balinese style. Downstairs just through the entrance hall was a small ensuite bedroom on the left, and a wooden spiral staircase led up the bedrooms above. The main open plan living area included a large comfy couch and compact kitchen. The patio was dominated by the dining room table that had been moved from inside, beyond was a beautiful pool, a daybed and tranquil garden.
Dinner was a delicious Balinese feast of chicken noodle and rice dishes. We drank Binteng beers and chatted until heavy eyelids finally forced us into bed and deep sleep. Somewhere in the middle of the night John and Bev stumbled into the villa.
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