DID: Woke up early but so did Jason so plans to decorate foiled. Boo. Gavin made him a card and I bought him a pair of cufflinks in Bangkok (easy to hide/light to carry!)
Back on the 10am shuttle to the Grand Hyatt, this time hoping to charter a boat to do some snorkeling.
Before heading out on the boat, we walked out to a huge freighter that ran aground at a 10 minute walk from the Hyatt beach (at low tide, water never more than knee deep). While we were out there, met a couple of surveyors coming off the boat who told us it’s been there for about a week – they are trying to figure out how to get it back out to sea. Apparently there was an unlucky combination of wind, wave and current which caused the boat to get stuck. Saw a few starfish crawling around on the way back, that was a new one on me!
Snorkeling was kind of a disaster. The plan was for me to snorkel first with Gavin while Jason waited with Rhys in the boat and then we’d switch. But the water was really rough so Gavin didn’t enjoy the snorkeling at all, and then Jason was feeling really seasick while waiting on the boat. (I did tell him when we anchored that he should just get in and float rather than wait on the boat for that very reason, but whatever!!) For my part, the snorkeling was pretty awesome. The boat driver gave me some bread to feed the fish, so I was totally surrounded for a few minutes. Wished I had an underwater camera, but in a way it was nice to enjoy it rather than worry about getting the perfect shot.
Caught the boat in Benoa Harbor (where we had dinner on Tuesday night). Can’t even begin to describe the number of boats crammed into and zooming around this little harbor – seems like it’s the only launch point for water sports on this part of the island. Parasailing, banana boats, fishing boats, glass bottomed boats (like the one we were in), kayaking, and some crazy thing that is a big inflatable raft attached to a speedboat which becomes airborne as the boat picks up speed. I’d say a huge reason that the water in the snorkeling area was so rough was boat activity rather than wind conditions.
Back at the Grand Hyatt, more waterslide fun, then we let Jason sunbathe in peace. GnR and I rented bikes and rode down the shoreline path. The Hyatt had bikes that were ever so slightly large for Gavin but he did a really great job once he got the hang of it. I was kind of nervous because it only had a hand brake (his bike at home has pedal brakes), but he did fine. Rhys was in a baby carrier on the back of my bike. Slight bit of trouble when we hit a sandy spot, I tried to help Gavin push through it and ended up dumping my own bike (with Rhys on the back) in the process. Few tears but no lasting ill-effects (I don’t think!) Rode in all three available directions, concluded that the Hyatt resort is far and away the nicest compared to its neighbors (not that I had any doubts).
Rhys is doing something funny to get his way – he will say something like “go park?” and then smile and nod his head yes over and over again until you agree. He knows it’s impossible for me to say no to that cute face!
Headed out to Jimbaran for sunset drinks and dinner, more on that in ATE:. Perfect way to spend Jason’s bday and our last night of the trip – not ready for the real world just yet!
ATE: Breakfast – Hyatt
Lunch – Poolside @ Grand Hyatt. GnR had chicken nuggets, I had a chicken burger, Jason had a steak sandwich. Yummy.
Drinks – The Rock Bar at the Ayana Resort. Bar is at the bottom of a cliff-face on Jimbaran Bay. Lobby is at the top of the cliff, you wind your way down through the resort to the top of a cable car which then takes you down the cliff edge to the bar. Very cool. Experience confirmed that possibly it’s resort culture (rather than traditional Balinese) that is best enjoyed on the south part of the island. Lots of daybeds and lounge chairs from which to enjoy the views and excellent cocktails. I had something flaming, peppery and citrusy, Jason’s was lemongrass-y and coconutty. GnR were treated to a Sprite. Wow factor all around.
Dinner - Sangkar Restaurant at the Bvlgari Resort (http://www.bulgarihotels.com/en-us/bali/bar-and-restaurants/sangkar-restaurant/sangkar-restaurant.) I can’t even think of words to describe this place. Exclusive, secluded, romantic, ultra-luxe, sleek, don’t seem to do it justice. I think the security team was trained in Afghanistan – two rounds of bomb checks in/around the car including the trunk and under the hood. Lobby 1 at the top of the hill is basically just a fancy (VERY fancy) security entrance (pyramid shaped building, everything black and low-lit except for white cushions on low-level seating and billowy white curtains). From there you are whisked by golf cart to your destination. Cool but also necessary because the resort is steep, like top of the roller coaster steep. Couldn’t see much because everything was so dark. Restaurant was at the edge of a cliff with a beautiful view of ocean and stars. Almost wish we’d had sunset drinks here as well so that we could have seen the resort in the light of day.
All I kept thinking was whether or not we were going to have to re-mortgage our condo to pay for the dinner, and the slim likelihood that it would be the sort of place that would have chicken nuggets. But I needn’t have worried. Appetizers were $25, mains were a ‘reasonable’ $35 (outrageous for Bali but not for Sydneysiders!) and they even had a kid’s menu. I had the ‘ultimate nasi goreng’ – fried rice with wagyu beef satay and steamed lobster. Jason had pork ribs. Gavin had spaghetti, Rhys had fish and chips. Dessert was a chocolate/raspberry sacher torte decorated for Jason’s birthday (and the staff sang happy birthday to him). Definitely a meal/experience worthy of the occasion.
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