Hey everyone. I decided to combine Days 7 and 8 into a single entry because, to be honest, the pace slowed down a bit, which is exactly what I needed. Day 7 was about enjoying the last bits of Seminyak, and Day 8 was the inevitable travel trek back home.
Day 7: A Slow Start and a Pork Feast
Day 7 started slowly. At 7:21 AM I had sort of woken up, or rather, I had opened my eyes at 6:30 AM and made the executive decision to ignore the world for another hour. By the time I actually dragged myself out of bed, the “morning rush” was long gone.
At 10:23 AM I finally headed out walking. One thing you notice when you slow down and just walk the streets here is the small details. At 10:30 AM I stopped to look at the canang sari (offerings). It seems that they put these little offering plates at the entrance to the narrow lanes and also sometimes right in front of gates. You have to be careful not to step on them, but they really add a unique character to the morning walk.
I arrived at Mr. Egg at 10:32 AM. It seemed like the right spot for a late breakfast. I ordered a chili egg thing, a soy milk, and an egg muffin. It wasn’t the most traditional Balinese meal, but it hit the spot.
At 12:14 PM I left, paying 158,000 IDR ($10.05 USD). As I was walking away, at 12:18 PM, I spotted a restaurant simply called “Pork.” I mean, you have to appreciate the direct marketing. I made a mental note that I might want to eat there later.
The walk also took me through an area at 12:26 PM that seemed to be the “home and garden” district; all these decor spots were just right there, more or less fighting for space together.
At 12:34 PM I arrived at De Gym again and paid my 200,000 IDR ($12.72 USD) via credit card. Honestly, more than the workout, it was just nice to get into the air conditioning. As I was working out, at 12:56 PM I was looking around and realized the clientele here is intense. There was a guy here with a huge back. To be fair, two days ago there was a different guy who was incredibly stacked. Actually, many of the people who go to this gym look incredibly fit. Then at 1:31 PM, that massively fit guy showed up again. It’s enough to make you feel very tiny, but I just kept to my routine. Another couple of things that I really like about this gym are that everyone is very respectful about putting the weights back after using them, and they don’t play any loud obnoxious music over the speakers.
I finished up at 3:10 PM and was back out on the street at 3:14 PM. By 3:30 PM I was back in the room charging my phone, only to discover a small domestic disaster. There was lots of water on the floor from where the AC had leaked. I spent some time trying to get it cleaned up…glamorous travel life, right? I then started to get ready to go out as I wanted to be at the beach for the sunset at 5:30 PM.
At 4:54 PM I took a bike taxi down to the beach. Despite the clouds, I was still able to get a bit of a sunset view.
I left the beach at 6:20 PM and headed to Naughty Nuri’s. This is a famous pork place (maybe this was the destiny I sensed earlier when I saw the “Pork” sign?). I was able to get in right away which was good, because I know it is often hard to get a spot here. At 7:50 PM I paid and left, somehow completely forgetting to note down the cost. I remember that it definitely wasn’t cheap by Bali standards, but as a farewell meal, it was more than worth it.
Then I decided to go walking to the supermarket. It was in the main tourist area, so the walk was interesting enough. I forgot to write down when I entered Bintang Supermarket, but I was there probably a minimum of an hour. I just enjoy wandering aisles in foreign supermarkets. It was 9:16 PM when I finally finished there. The damage? 806,800 IDR ($51.30 USD). I know, I know. I got lots of chocolates and some interesting snacks. To be honest, I didn’t really know what most of it was, haha.
Since it was 3 km to the hotel, I decided to walk it off.
I arrived back at the room at 10:10 PM, and by 11:44 PM I finally had everything ready and was prepared to sleep.
Day 8: The Long Way Home
Day 8 began early at 6:45 AM. I was up and getting ready for the inevitable slog of international travel.
At 7:48 AM I booked a Gojek, which is notable since this was actually the very first time that I used one of these driver apps on this trip; when going nearby I preferred to walk, and when going further, I was always on a tour. The car arrived at 7:52 AM and it was a large, comfortable SUV. I quickly discovered that I had evidently accidentally chosen the domestic terminal, but it wasn’t too hard to change with the driver. We arrived at the airport at 8:17 AM. The fare was a bit less than 150,000 IDR, something like 140,000, but I just gave him 150,000 IDR ($9.54 USD).
From what I can tell, the system here is to wait in the receiving area before going through the gate section. There are several restaurants, and I think inside there’s not really much. It’s a nice-looking airport, but at 8:30 AM I decided to just go through. Even if it’s only sitting, I can do that on the other side.
I checked in at 8:49 AM, discovering that my checked bag was only 15 KG. I honestly had thought it would be more given my chocolate haul from the night before. By 8:51 AM I was at security, which seemed very calm, and by 9:01 AM I was through immigration. It was all electronic, very low stress and even peaceful.
At 9:15 AM, I knew it would be a horrible exchange rate, but I changed my last 501,200 IDR for $28 USD. It hurt a little, but what are you going to do with leftover Rupiah? I guess I could have bought something to eat, but I had something else in mind.
At 9:18 AM I used my Priority Pass to access the Concordia Lounge. I really had not been especially impressed with what was downstairs even though it all looked fine, so I figured I may as well go here. I liked that the lounge wasn’t crowded. At 9:28 AM I tried the butterfly pea flower drink which is called Telang. It was pleasant and very refreshing.
Later, at 10:15 AM, I decided to get an iced mochaccino and a couple of pastries.
I left the lounge at 10:29 AM to go to the boarding area, Gate 9A. On the way, I saw people taking the elevator down one floor. I really don’t understand why perfectly healthy people take elevators to go one floor. At 10:37 AM I noticed there were actually quite a few shops and restaurants on the way to the gate, so my earlier assumption had been wrong.
At 10:48 AM I was seated in 7C. I bought a few things on Amazon while waiting. By 11:22 AM we moved into the starting position. I noted that I had only used 7.43 GB of data during the week despite having almost constantly used my data connection, certainly during the three long day trips. We were in the air by 11:31 AM.
The flight was uneventful. At 5:07 PM the pilot announced arrival, and at 5:35 PM Indonesian time (3:06 PM Indian Standard Time), we touched down. By 3:18 PM IST, while we were still taxiing, I noticed an older teenager near me reading The Song of Achilles; maybe I should read it? At 3:22 PM I was off the plane and onto the jetway, thinking that the cloth passport pouch I’ve had for many years is probably the best travel accessory I have.
At 3:26 PM I was at immigration. There were very few people working and also few waiting. I briefly considered checking out the fast-track immigration travelers’ program since I come here often but then realized it’s only for Indians or those with OCI cards. I sort of feel like it would make sense to open it up to those of us who have long term visas, but there’s no point in even thinking about it …
As always, at 3:34 PM, I was amazed at how long they take to process a single person. The system is clearly broken. However, they started with me at 3:36 PM, and by 3:40 PM I was through. So, sometimes it works alright.
I got my bag at 3:44 PM and headed out.
At 3:52 PM, I saw there was a significant waiting line for Uber Go, but with plenty of time, I decided to go with that option as it was more than 400 INR ($4.75 USD) less than other options and I really wasn’t in any sort of a hurry.
Well, at 4:25 PM I was still waiting. Time is money and all that. Was it really worth it? Still waiting at 4:58 PM, I fully remembered why I don’t generally do this. Finally, at 5:11 PM I got in a car. It ended up being a non-AC car, which was perfectly good with this lovely weather and the cost was even less. Still, it was an eighty-minute wait, so despite the more than 400 INR savings, probably something I won’t be repeating.
I arrived home at 5:46 PM. The ride was 688 INR ($8.16 USD), but I gave him 700. And just like that, the trip was over.
So that’s it for the Bali adventure. I know that these last two days weren’t particularly exciting to read about, but I wanted to finish up the entire trip. If all goes as planned, in just a day or two, you will be reading about my current new, and at times exciting destination!
Travels with Jay 