Bali has become more developed in the last 7 years since I was there in 2002 after the bombing incident. But I can still remembered it fondly from 1993; the first time I went abroad with my sis, Luc and Jamie (Hard Rock Cafe was all the rage then). Now Kuta and Legian are crazy crowded with shops after shops (all selling the same surf brands and local cheap wares) and ever more polluted with traffic. But the weather's great here - my heat rash's gone and my cough's soothed by the daily cold birra although I should lay off the sweet clove cigarettes.
The narrow roads were jammed bumper to bumper on Friday when we got off the taxi and gobbled down the crab n peas nasi goreng, squid chap chai, mee goreng and fried chicken wings in a sweet butter sauce at a local warung. Then we made a beeline for the extremely crowded beach and caught a magnificent sunset as the red glowing ball dipped below the horizon. I don't remember it so dirty and packed. The bali surf boys are still there trying to pick up lady tourists; some giving us the ernest glance. I kept a nonchalant mask on, to shopkeepers' greetings of 'hello darling'.
Naturally some spoke to me in bahasa Indonesia. I'm used to being mistaken as a local everywhere in Asia (but just recently I was mistaken for a Myanmar native by a cab driver in S'pore; that's a first!) We had soaked in our own private pool all Friday morning since the in-villa brekkie at 10am (for the record, I prefer my eggs overeasy). The damn cocks and hens on the property next door had woken us up early in the wee morning with their relentless cuckookooooo every freakin!%@ 2 minutes. Cannot tahan.
The night before, we flew in late and had supper at Made Warung in Seminyak (great gado gado and tongue-numbing chilli dip in nasi goreng). Anyway it has been bottle after bottle of chilled Bintang beer ever since we arrived. Bintang is great on its own or with food - in or out of the pool (M swore it has 0% alcohol content as she never got high.) We usually grabbed half a dozen bottles and plenty of chips from the minimart. I wish they'd carry Bintang in S'pore soon!
Just to give a quick lowdown on the company - F, M, S and I were college mates 17 years ago when we were 17 (yes, do the maths). The driver asked if we are students - terimah kasih uncle for the compliment - but the operative word is we WERE students before. Still, it's good to know we haven't aged much and can still pass off as youngsters. Heehee. This was out first holiday abroad and we were naturally excited.
On Sat, we booked a driver and car for US$50 and our first destination was Ubud - the cultural heart - an hour's drive away. Bali is a huge island but most people contained themselves in the southern zone spanning Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Sanur, then making a side trip up north to Ubud in the hills. We had 2 lunch stops - the first was Dirty Duck, a local institution for its bebe bengil; spice-marinated duck steamed and then deepfried to a perfect lightp-as-air crisp. We could eat a few ducks - and more Bintang beer please.
We also shared an octopus salad (passable) and Indonesian platter of stuffed tofu, spring rolls and sate' (not bad). The prices are more affordable than I imagined, the garden setting is lush and green against a backdrop of padi fields and the pavilion dining experience is unique (except after 20mins, my folded legs were numb). We were careful to save some room for the 2nd lunch stop, but first some shopping at the Ubud market to work up an appetito.
The mercato was as I remembered it. Inside we sieved through a mind-boggling labryinth of stalls selling local crafts, silver jewellery, pretty batik dresses, silk scarves, woven bags, intricately mosaiced mirrors etc. We all got souvenirs, losing no time at bargaining. The rule is mark down by at least 60%; if they don't give in, honey just move on (unless you really, really like it)! Anyway most of them sell the same things, so you're bound to find a willing seller. It sounds cruel but they really mark up by a lot lor.
Happy and thirsty, we proceeded to nearby Naughty Nuri's for their acclaimed spare ribs and cocktails. It was indeed a roadside shack as described in the reviews and the menu's scribbled on the wall for all to see. We ordered chips and ribs, with 3 whisky sour and 1 margarita. The waitress promptly grilled the ribs by our table after slathering them with a thick bbq sauce. I wasn't sure if the smoky flavour came from the cars or the grill, but hell they were superb! Very meaty and finger-lickin' good! Also damn cheap at 65,000rp so we decided to ta-bao another serving. The only gripe we had was the overpriced cocktails at 100,000rp (S$15) EACH! I double-checked with the waitress if there had been a mistake with the zero's, but nope the bill states 400,000rp for the 4 drinks! We felt ripped off - should have stuck to Bintang beer!
Luckily work eased up a tad for me so I can focus on getting everything ready for "Cats Of The World" exhibition that's opening next week! *Gulp* This year, we have some great shots from the past year contributors as well as many new cat lovers that I've tracked down from Flickr. You'd be amazed at the quality out there! And I'm proud that more sponsors such as Canon and Fancy Feast have come onboard to make it a better show. I'm already thinking of doing a cat flea market (cat & flea, so funny!) in conjunction with the exhibition next year! Hmmmm... Plus the media coverage has been very encouraging and Elle even included me in a story in July issue about 'Inspiring Women Who Make A Difference'. 
Talking about cats, Jarvis has been bugged down by a suspected bout of mites - little brown flecks that dot his fur from head to paws, so we finally brought him to the Animal Clinic and the vet confirmed it. Luckily all he needs is a dash of 'Revolution' applied once for the next three months (same goes for the 2 girls since they are probably carriers too). For the past couple of months, he looked listless and had been over-grooming himself. After the visit, he actually looked kinda relieved and went to lao sai in his litter pan after farting in F's car. He's such a puttycat; we love him to bits! 
