What a day to take a tour of Ubud, we are talking rain of biblical proportions.
We even bought ponchos, or actually dustbin liners, at a whopping cost of £4.
Walking along the streets under 8inch of water in flip flops does take a little skill.
Meet Mrs “Imodium” Fogg
Wow, now this is a room
This is pure opulence here
We have one night of food at the Michelin star “Aperitif” restaurant, which does not allow trainers, flip flops or shorts. Despite our protestation that all our good clobber is on its own vacation (yes I have some).
Mrs Fogg has managed to get them to relent, providing we sit “away” from their posh guests. Wow do I feel speshul now, not allowed to sit at the toffs table cos I ain’t wearing Armani and Gucci. Should have brought a shell suit!
To me……
Apparently it was my birthday in January, so please have this birthday cake on is, for breakfast
And at checkout this morning from Sankara Suites to go to the Viceroy, a sheepish young man came to inform us that we have left a pair of white panties in the room and would we like them back. Now, if they were mine, they wouldn’t be white after turning them four times to extend the life. Just saying.
Last night we had our complimentary candlelit dinner surrounded by flowers. Oh wait, and because of the torrential rain they moved the fire dancers indoors. It meant that our romantic dinner was now a front seat view of the fire dancers doing traditional Balinese dancing while a bunch of Americans queued for their buffet..
They had to pay for the experience – we just had to turn up and be waited on. So we got a bottle of wine and settled in to watch. Quite good fun and lovely dancers.
Mrs Fogg wanted to do the romantic candlelit dinner at the hotel (oh boy). On the same evening they were having a traditional dance BBQ, paid for event. However due to inclement weather the traditional dance was moved to the same location. So as we sit romantically staring in to each others eyes, we get to watch the procession of our colonial cousins queueing at an all you can eat buffet “airport style”.
I’m sorry but having to sit and listen to 30 “Chandler Bing Wanabees” and “OH MY GOD Janice’s”, is not my idea of fun. Could this, be any more fun!
Starters orders, food is served as we sit on our makeshift “romantic pedestal” watching the meal queue
And now onto the BBQ course, your waitress is ready to cook it for you.
Oh what a contrast it is here. Sadly we only have one full day to spend at the Sankara due to the Dubai fiasco, but even just being here and we can feel ourselves relaxing.
The room is a touch different from our Dubai studio flat with the washing machine. it’s far more peaceful here with fish, butterflies, the birds and insects chirping, the sound of waterfalls and greenery all around.
Wonderful staff who are very curious about us and want to know everything (groan says Mr Fogg, I just want quiet!).
The grounds are lush (complete with a stack of mosquitos though and we already have bites – ah we’ll just get the Deet out, not! That was in the cases too).
I’ve booked a massage for today and another one for the morning. Can’t wait! Today is a chill out day – and an another call to the airline for the sheer fun of it. I missed the yoga this morning but I’ll be there bright and early at 7am tomorrow for it.
Well we made it over 48hrs later than planned and very late on. It’s been 9 hr flight, a 1.5 mile road trip but we are here!
We’ve arrived in a spectacular and perhaps a little scary thunderstorm with huge bangs in the sky and bright lightening but this is the view from the restaurant as we grab a late night dinner
We are so late in dining that we have the place to ourselves and a front row seat on the storm. Now this is already better than Dubai.
Oh and if you are wondering about the luggage…..well we wasted a further 2 hours in Bali airport looking through hundreds of bags deposited at the arrivals halls. While some were celebrating finding their cases (I’ve never seen grown men and women hugging and kissing their suitcases before!), we sadly had to fill in yet more pieces of paper to claim them now officially lost!!
Cocktail anyone??
Maybe…
Here’s the second attempt to get to Bali, still no-one can advise if the luggage will join or not, but now the stance is “you need to arrive at Bali, wait for the entire carousel to empty and if it’s not there, queue with everyone else to report it lost”. Roughly translated as, you’re out of Dubai and no longer our problem, bye.
So here we are in Dubai airport sat in the worlds largest Business Class lounge, with the worlds only Moet & Chandon bar inside it. Put it this way I’m drinking my suitcase cost tonight.
