Getting Laurel off to Lombok and buying lamps in Seminyak Bali

Wednesday morning it was raining and we shot over to Global Xtreme internet caf� in Kerobokan for some high speed access and a large coffee.

Laurel is flying to Lombok and I dropped her off at Bali Java Tours on Jl. Benesari in Kuta where she was meeting 3 other travelers who were going to share taxi costs here and it Lombok.

I walked from Jl. Benesari to Papa’s Italian restaurant on Jl. Pantai Kuta to arrange an meeting with the manager. I want to get the inside scoop on what makes this place special and why people should go there. My meeting is for tomorrow at 11am which I look forward to.

Later in the day I got in a 20 minute workout at Ade Rai’s Hammerhead gym in Legian. I signed up to become a member on Monday (165,000rp initiation fee and 150,000rp per month). I’m used to this place now and know where all the machines are. Having worked in gyms I know how to get the most ‘bang for my buck’ as far as time and feel like I’m getting good results. Having spent the first year in Bali doing no exercise and spending many hours I front of the computer and on the motorbike I got quite skinny and this new move was a great idea. The 2 ladies at the desk Ika and Komang are friendly and when I go around 3pm there are only 3-4 other people, so no waiting around.

My strategy for weight lifting is simple…slow controlled movements, medium weights, only 2 machines per time (don’t want to screw around changing weights/ seats ), abdominal exercises between sets and no longer than 20 minutes.

Poppies II in Kuta is a little quiet right now. The staff at Taman Sari restaurant Putu and Putra told me they see new faces arriving but numbers are not high right now. Vendors have also said people are looking but not buying. With the numbers of art shops I can’t see any of those folks making a profit.

Later in the afternoon arriving home before sunset I swung by the lamp shop on the corner of Jl. Seminyak and Jl. Dhyana Pura. This place is stacked with all kinds of Moroccan lamps and some are about 2 ft tall. I have a couple that are glass and 1 ft tall and picked up 3 smaller ones (a clear, a blue and an orange) today for 120,000rp altogether. The girl had previously asked me for 85,000rp for one and let me walk away not going too much lower. After I spent 200,000rp for my 2 large lamps she knew I actually was interested in coming back.

At home I banged some tacks for the smaller lamps into some of my palm trees and used 6 inch nails for the heavier ones. They are all candle powered and definitely help to create a pleasant atmosphere. I’ll save them for my bbqs and other gatherings.

As it got dark I lit up 2 of the new ones and they looked good. I had to slighly adjust them to get them to balance and hang nicely, I felt all romantic with my Alpha Smart sitting outside on the porch.

Here at Internet Outpost in Kuta the place was packed at 10pm and that’s great for them. Good location, comfortable interior and decent connection and they are reaping the benefits.