Sunday road trip in Bali: part I

Ika told me on Saturday night that tomorrow was Sunday and that is her favorite day because we go somewhere. I did not have anywhere in mind but the great thing about Bali is its really easy to combine a touristy convenience thing with something more traditional. My thoughts were to take Ika to a nice place for lunch then go for a ride on the motorbike, exploring some of the tiny hamlets that cover the island. Sunday morning came along and I got dressed in my bike riding attire, long pants shoes, gloves, and long sleeves. With this out I can still be cool as the shirt is Dry-fit and the pants are a thin, loose cotton. Being a whitey sun protection is vital so no worries. Ika uses a sarong around her shoulders attached with a hair clip.

Our first stop was Café Seminyak next to Bintang supermarket on Jl. Seminyak, for a quick snack. I had a chocolate donut and a Kopi Bali, Ika a mixed fruit lassi. Our bill was 38,000rp.

I rent my motorbike for 400,000rp per month and it gets a free tune up from Nyoman the owner thrown in. Before a road trip I like to get the tires pumped up at a road place just up the street from Bintang. The Balinese guy who does it has a compressor and also sells bottles of petrol. To get both tires pumped up costs 1,000rp and greatly improves speed and mileage I reckon.

I told Ika I was taking her to Arys Warung, but did not say where Arys Warung was. The famous Ubud restaurant would take around 90 minutes to get to from my house. Ika asked if Ary was my friend and I laughed to myself knowing that Ika thought it was some roadside place serving nasi goreng.

We headed off in the direction of Kerobokan and I took the route towards Sempidi and then up to Mengwi and Ubud.

Arys Warung is located on Jl. Raya Ubud just before Casa Luna. The minimalist décor and thumping beat tell customer this place reckons itself.

Arys Warung has a nice central bar, lounge are and some tables on the ground floor. This area is open for lunch. The upstairs area looked much nicer but I was told it is only for dinner. The lunch menu features a 3 course selection for 180,000rp and a selection of starters. For main courses the menu is divided into fish and vegetarian, and meat.

Ika choose the chicken in saki and soy sauce with green beans and mashed potato. I went for the sandwich of the day. Ikas meal looked very nice and she said it tasted great. My sandwich was not good and I blame myself for poor selection.

We had a couple of orange juices and the bill was 155,000rp. I will try Arys some other time and get into the real menu.

…stay tuned for Part II

Tags: Bali Daily