Meeting the British Consul in Sanur Bali

Vincent and Akari called me on Tuesday morning to ask if I was interested in meeting the British Consul with them in Sanur that evening.

I jumped at the chance and agreed to meet them at my place around 5pm.

I had some things to take care of during the day including some promo stuff. For lunch I swung by Warung Gossip for a lovely plate of their food, which included fish, chicken in coconut, nasi kuning and stir friend veg.

Vincent and Akari arrived at my house in Seminyak at 5pm in there rented SUV. They had just come from the Bali Deli and brought a slecion of cakes and 3 coffees, what nice people!

Vincent is getting used to driving over here and finds it somewhat stressful with the lack of attention to the rules that many locals have. He told me that he has to keep his mind on driving totally and can’t relax a bit like you might back home.

We drove down the bypass to the Diwangkara Holiday Villa on Jalan Hang Tuah in Sanur where Vincent and Akari are staying. They have been checking the area out, services, shops etc. and Vincent said Sanur reminds him of southern Cal a bit. While Akari got ready Vincent and I enjoyed one of the treats that Bali offers, a Bintang in a chilled glass.

They both said they want to move out to Karangasem and are looking for a place.

We took a taxi over to Jalan Mertasari to the location of the British Consul…The Cat & Fiddle Restaurant & Pub. Mark Wilson OBE was on hand and all I wanted to say was ‘nice one old son!’ His gig sounds like a dream, getting stationed in Bali and running the thing out of a pub. Mark who is from northern England had lived in Indonesia for around 20 years or so and soon told us his position wasn’t the idyllic situation I had envisioned. He doesn’t actually earn that much since his position is voluntary and as well as running the restaurant, is in the meat wholesale business.

We glanced at the menu which included English and Irish favourites. I ordered the Irish bangers and mash which came with tomatoes and mushrooms. Very good! Akari is also a British citizen after living there for a long time and likes some of the traditional food. She went nuts and started ordering every side dish available.

We were joined by the Italian Consul, Giuseppe Pino Confesa, who lives in Denpasar. Mark and Giuseppe get together every week for a jam session which includes English, Irish and Italian folk tunes. Mark’s brother plays guitar and sings, Mark plays accordian and Guiseppe subs on lead vocals and guitar.

After the first session a local lady came on and sung an interesting mixture of Balinese and John Denver songs. She had a decent voice and was good vibes.

Two other British fellows joined playing the flute / tamborine and harmonica.

The Cat & Fiddle opens onto the street and and by 8pm most of the tables were full of mostly European and Australian tourists. Members of the Italian community also showed up and everyone had a good time.

Luckily our table was at the front and we kept waitress Komang busy with orders for wine and beer.

We stayed till the end of the music and took a taxi home, me dropping off Vincent and Akari. This was a very fun evening and I recommend the Cat & Fiddle for good food and drink. Mark is a very down to Earth guy and has tremendous knowledge especially the logistics of being an expat.

Vincent and Akari will be heading back to Karangasem and I’ll probably make another expedition out there in November to see what they’re up to.