We Arrive At Last in Bali

We had 2 hours to wait for the flight to Bali. the Singapore Airport is very modern with all the right shops. Quiet and peaceful. Almost empty of human life. The flight was called. A BIG plane for a simple 2 and 1//2 hour flight. I sat next to two 25 year old English girls. One is a physical therapist's assistant. She is taking a 3 year course to become a licensed physio. the other is the manager of a shelter for homeless male addicts. They look SO young and plain and innocent and sweet. BUT, the LOVE to travel. They walked six months in East Africa. They just fly in somewhere and then hoof it around. They have never been scared. "Somethings I just won't eat--like cow's tongue." Nothing frightens them. "It is how you treat people, with respect." they are today's hippies, I guess. They just decide to go somewhere and then go.

For dinner, I had a steamed fish and boiled potatoes with beans and carrots and a roll and salad of tuna fish and a dish of chocolate chip ice cream. It was a full plane--full of happy tourists.

Then, we landed. the airport was PACKED!! It was noisy. It is the EAST!!! (reminded us of landing in New Delhi at 4 in the morning). Maybe 2,000 tourists in 10 lines for the 'Visa Payment". It costs $25 per person and takes 3 minutes. But, you have to shuffle forward in the huge lines. then, off with the receipt to the actual Visa Station. Another long line with customs officers. "In a frenzy, you come by individuals," a man said to us. The man looks at your passport photo and then at you. He even made Judy take off her glasses. Stamp, stamp. And out to the baggage claim. A mad house. And our two suitcases were there!! Wonderful, a happy feeling. All the way from Miami and here is noisy Indonesia. All the way with no problem. Now, with the two bags, our two backpacks, Judy's purse, out of "nothing to declare" into the madhouse. Still just a noisy busy Eastern airport I guess. We saw a sing "Money Changer" and there was a pretty lady beckoning to us. "Come here. Change money." We decided to change $100 just to start. There were, in fact, two booths and two ladies waving at us, smiling. We chose one (for her smile). $100 equals 1 million Rupiah. So, 50,000 Rupiah is $5.00. With the cash, bags, and backpacks, out to door into......WOW!! WOW!!!

Delhi, Tblissi--wild, hot, noisy, crowded: shouting people. Masses of people all shouting and pushing. A hundred men with signs--hand printed "Schmerzer" "Hotel Babi Pangang" "Rudolf". No one for us. I stayed with the bags and Judy started looking, walking back and forth reading the signs. hoping that our guide was there. She disappeared in the masses. And then, I saw a large professionally printed sign: "KENSINGTON TOURS--MR. FREEDBERG". I called for Judy and we stepped "over the line" to meet a man dressed in a traditional sarong, with his hands clasped in the Indian Hindu palms together welcome sign. And a bow. "Mr. Freedberg, Mrs. Freedberg, My name is Wayan (something very quiet). Please come with me." He took Judy's bag and we three trudged off in the madness of the hot, dusty, NOISY crowds. We got to the parking lot which was a honking madhouse. Policemen blowing whistles and no one listening to them was the music. There, incredibly, AT THE FRONT OF THE CROWD OF CARS AND VANS, was our van and driver In go the bags and we are given fresh water bottles. "It will be a drive one and a half hours to your hotel." Okay, no problem. But just to get out of the parking lot, to get out of the Airport driveway, to get on the main street with honking and loads of motorbikes, was a feat of driving. It was so exciting. Traffic in and out. Zipping around. Like every spy movie.

The ride out of the town was city traffic and then, suddenly, 45 minutes up and down tiny mountain roads, with stopping frequently for trucks or busses or motor bikes. DARK!!! The road was lined with local cafes and shops of all kinds, batteries, drink shops, pharmacy, kids hanging out.

We drove up and up a winding country road to the city of Ubud. The guide told the driver where to turn because there were NO signs, not even street names and we almost got lost. Suddenly, around the corner, the Pita Maha Hotel. Everyone started bowing to us: the doormen, the clerk and the security guard. We tipped $10 to the guide and the driver, and were told they would pick us up at 8 in the morning.

We checked in to Villa 103 (our own villa no less) and followed the clerk who had a man carry our bags ahead of us. We were tired but laughed out loud with joy when the clerk gave us a tour of the villa. Only photos can paint the correct picture. This is the photo of Judy waiting for the clerk to take us to our villa, in the main outdoor lobby of the hotel.

 The room was HUGE with a very high vaulted ceiling and a mosquito net over the bed. There was an outside lounge with a couch and a frog statue (we learned that frog statues were everywhere in Bali). There was a step-down living room with a couch and a chair and double doors out to the side patio. The bathroom was a step-down for the toilet and there was a large double closet for our clothing. AND, to add to it all, there was an outside shower and bathtub! After the long, long flight from Miami, this was a treat, a special room all for us.

This is the bed, strewn with rose petals in a pattern (square - the traditional Bali pattern for good health and a full rose in the center).We were exhausted but elated and knew that the driver would be there early in the morning, so we decided to take showers and hit the sack. The air in the mountains was cool, but pleasant, and the hotel had provided large towels and bathrobes for us. I took the first shower and it was heaven on earth. The air was so muggy, even though it was cool, that we knew the towels would dry by morning, but so what!

The shower was perfect. We jumped into bed at 11:00 and O U T! A great bed! I couldn't read even a single page. Bali!