Friends in town

Last night I went to the airport in Tuban awaiting Tina and Ron from Santa Barbara who had e-mailed me saying they were spending 5 days here after a whirlwind tour of Thailand and Nepal.

I didn’t have the flight number and Tina told me they were coming in on Thai Airways from Bangkok. I was not able to meet them and rode back to Kuta in a taxi to meet my friend Yumi at Armadi’s new restaurant G-Lands on Jl. Benesari.

We watched a very violent Brasilian independent movie about street kids and had something to eat. I ate a small steak and Yumi had a banana split.

This morning I made contact with Tina and Ron and we went to Made’s Warung on Jalan Seminyak. Ron has a case of Bali Belly and that can put a damper on your energy so we chatted for a while and they both went back to their hotel, which is round the corner from our house. I’ve known Tina since 1988 and she is the owner of a fine restaurant in Santa Barbara called Brigitte’s.

Tina and Ron have 5 days in Bali and as well as visiting myself and another friend, want to access some of the village type culture that Bali has. I quickly phoned Mick Turnbull, owner of Indo Bike Adventures, and we arranged a motorcycle tour in the hills tomorrow. Photos will follow.

I’m meeting Tina and Ron tonight and I hope he’s feeling better. Nothing a few Arak Madu’s won’t sort out.