Talked to Sean and Chris in Oregon this morning on my cell phone on BatuBelig beach in front of Ku De Ta restaurant. We talked about Chris coming out here on Saturday which I am greatly looking forward to.
I shot off to Café Moka for some bread and then got another call while at Global Xtreme café from Sean detailing some tech stuff. Amazing how you can stay connected these days..
I went home and surprise surprise who is sitting on a stool cutting the grass…..Made! He hasn’t been around as often as I like and I’m glad he’s back in the loop.
I whipped up some photos for my hotel reports which are moving along. We’ll debut them when they’re finished.
As I was about to leave I got a call from Barrie and we discussed our trip tomorrow to the Holy Land ( that’s the one in the highlands ). We are renting a car via Internet Outpost which will be good, even though I couldn’t persuade Barrie to get Chandika on a Honda Tiger. By the way I showed Chandika Pinball on my computer last night at Outpost which she liked and called it ‘game cantik’ ( pretty game).
As I was finally about to leave a young lady wandered into the garden and called out asking if I wanted a massage. I got rid of her and really got ready to leave. All of a sudden the phone rings and its my friend Komang who wanted to drop off a couple of honey dew melons. Arriving 5 minutes later with her friend she said hello handed me the fruit and I made sure we all left straight away.
Arriving in Kuta I hit Bamboo Corner ( travelers this is the place I tell you! ) on Poppies I for a nasi goreng ( 7,000rp) and watermelon juice (3,000rp ). The one waitress was hustling like crazy taking orders and serving everyone, but the food still came out reasonably fast, loaded with chicken, shrimp and chili as always.
At Internet Outpost Barrie and Chandika were already in position and planning their afternoon. Barrie kindly gave me an English / Indonesian phrase book. This one is perfect for a Londoner with a chapter entitled ‘How can I enlarge my English vocabulary’.
With some practice I should be making progress and rattling off sentences to any local who’ll listen. It did occur to me this could be a double edged sword. For instance having a girlfriend who doesn’t speak English can be a blessing sometimes if they know you can’t speak Bahasa. Once the cat is out of the bag they can talk your ears off.
Internet connectivity here downtown is again not happening for some reason. My schedule now is to get some spreadsheets sent off and meet an old friend called Armadi ( the waitress for Captain haddocks on Benesari ). She’s got a sample of a t-shirt designed for women with our logo. I will print up 100 of these and pass them out to likely candidates. I will meet her at 5pm at G-Land restaurant where she works. After that I may join Miguel in Canggu for my sausage roast, we’ll see.
Regarding the tourist scene here one of the guys in Circle K on Poppies II said he thinks he tourists are slowly coming back. I’ve seen more British people in the last couple of weeks.
Browsing through Barrie’s phrase book I picked out one term I like. It’s the equivalent of ‘porpoise’. In Bahasa they say ‘ikan coklat besar’ ( literally ‘fish chocolate big’ ).
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{ 7 comments }
G’Day Nick,
Hey ya got it!. Keep concentrating on that chocolate porpoise and you can’t go wrong.
Nick is spot on regarding Bamboo Corner. It would be without a doubt the best and cheapest place to eat, the food is an absolute delight to devour and always the freshest, and the staff superb and super-friendly.
I’m sure Nick would fully agree that the three restaurants which deliver the most with great atmosphere are Bamboo Corner, Warung 96, and Made’s Warung. These would be the places I would rate as ’10′.
Which brings me to the restoran Candika and I ate at tonight. It is located in Poppies Lane 2 and seems somewhat out of place for this stretch of bitumen.
Coral Reef Cafe
Poppies Lane 2 (nearer beach end)
This Japanese owned establishment has a decor more convivial in an area like Sanur or Nusa Dua. The slate floor compliments the sand-brushed beige two-storey interior, and I must admit that at first glance it reminded me of the lobby at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore!. Plush box-chairs with deep cushions and partially enclosed soft lighting on the walls creates a pleasant atmosphere in which to eat.
The menu is extensive – Mexican delights, Italian pastas and pizzas, a charcoal grill, and a few Indonesian dishes. However, when the choice came down to it (Enchiladas for Candika, and a Spaghetti Carbonara for me) we were politely informed they were not available at the moment!. So it was back to the Indo food.
We both chose the Nasi Goreng which I must admit was delicious. I have never had Nasi Goreng cooked Japanese style!.
The service was impeccable right down to the free orange juice once you were seated, to the rose tomato and frangipani flower on the large plate when the meal arrived.
The average price of food was Rp30,000 and the whole restoran reeked of opulence. Having said that, it was a delight to dine there.
Atmosphere: Superb
Food Quality: Excellent
Service: Excellent
Rating: 9.5
That finishes my review of restorans in Poppies Lane 2. However I will mention that Pub Bagus is still a good place to down a ‘coldie’ and watch videos on the many screens. It still has its warm atmosphere although I would rate the place at 5.5
‘How can I enlarge my English vocabulary’
Sounds like a subject line to one of the spam messages I’ve been getting these days.
Have fun in the Holy Land and great reviews Barrie…I love ‘em.
Just a question Nick, please tell me about the foreigners, are they still coming in despite the bombing there?
I am planning a trip to Nepal and would love to stop there (must’ve been Indonesian in another life) and though I’m not worried about being targeted, depsite my American passport, I look Balinese.
I just wanted to know what the feeling is toward Americans and if I come, should I speak with an Indian accent? No joke! LOL!
I would agree Bamboo Corner is a great budget place to eat in Kuta.
A great side trip from Bali would be to come to Lombok. I’m currently in Kuta Beach Lombok and it’s peaceful with good waves and wonderful people. Maybe 20 tourists max in this little fishing village. Driving by motorbike is the best way to go. Nothing but countrside, and little kids wanting to slap you five as you race by.
Nick, I’ll tell you all about this trip on Friday when I get back to Bali. Cheers!
It’ll be good for you both to be together awhile. I’m sure Chris is looking forward to participating in your life in Bali, Nick.
I send a hug with Chris. Take care.
Your posts are fabulous.
Peace.
G’Day Josh,
I look forward to hearing your Lombok experience. I was talking to Paul Callahan last night here and apparently there is big swells about to hit Sumbawa in 3 days. Look forward to having a chat when you return.
Thanks Mary, its great tobhear from you and I send a hug back to you.
Sharmila you have no worries here. THe Balinese are very friendly and welcome Americans as well as any other tourist. I tell people I lived in the US etc. and they are positive.
Tourism is still way down making this an excellent time to come. Seriously you’ll be reading the same old posts on message forums in a years time about Bali becoming too touristy, too overcrowded etc. Right now its not, so do take this opportunity and enjoy it.
I have noticed more Aussies and Brits lately.
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