Bali day 2 (Mon 8th June) - Kuta and Seminyak

Woke up at about 7am and joined the rest of the family for breakfast. The staff had prepared a delicious breakfast of Balinese noodles and rice dishes along with freshly cut pineapple, watermelon and bananas. We spent some time chatting and catching up before making plans for the day. We needed money so we headed down the street looking for ATMs, and found some in a mini market. Unfortunately non of them worked and so we tried another ATM and eventually managed to draw Rp 2M! 

Finally we got ourselves organised and headed for Kuta beach in the two compact taxis driven by Rama and Ewan. Even though it is relatively close to Seminyak, it still took us about and hour to get there in the Bali traffic. We passed the site of the Bali bombings of 2002. Kuta has a reputation for being a bit grubby, the "Khao San road" or Patong of Bali, but seemed ok as we were passed through. We parked and then strolled along the line of shops that flanked the street leading up to the beach.

The beach was pretty busy, tourists suntanning, swimming and surfing while an army of locals labored to meet every tourist desire under the sun. We walked along the tree shaded promenade sandwiched between the beachfront and a line of restaurants. We soon found a spot to sit, the locals pulled up chairs for us and starting taking drinks orders. Next thing a bunch of Balinese ladies swarmed over us offering manicures, pedicures, plucking, massages and immediately went to work once the bargain had been struck. Dave, John and Paul had at least 3 ladies pampering each of them!

I walked around negotiating prices for surfboard hire and a lesson. Eventually got a deal for Rp 150,000 for 1 hour tuition and 1 hour hire. The guide got me going on the basics, where to place myself on the board, how to push up and get up on my right foot and then the left. Next we hit the water with a large training board and after a couple of tries I managed to ride the whitewater! I spent the next two hours completely absorbed in the challenge of trying to perfect my technique and ride the waves for longer. Eventually I was completely exhausted and my eyes were burning from all the salt water and I had to call it a day. We spent some more time on the beach enjoying the delights of Kuta before heading back to the villa with our drivers. 

For dinner we booked into Mama San restaurant, one the top restaurants in Bali. The restaurant occupied two levels and was decorated in a sophisticated indo style. We ordered a bunch of starters to share including tempura calamari, sliced duck breast, and lamb gyoza. All the dishes were just amazing and packed with flavour. When we arrived the restaurant was quiet but as the evening progressed it filled to capacity due to its popularity. Next the main courses grilled fish, spicy lamb ribs, Asian vegetables. All the food without exception was mouth wateringly delicious and top quality. We ordered a couple of deserts to round off the evening. The bill was a cool Rp 5,000,000, but the big surprise was the 3 bottles of wine which amounted to about a 5th of the bill.