Well, here I am in Bali and I'm off to a magnificent start, I must say. I spent Wednesday night at the Cairns Central Youth Hostel in preparation for my early morning flight on Thursday. Not a bad setup there and I got a decent night's sleep.
I arrived at Cairns International Terminal at 4.30am and breezed through checkin and customs to then set myself up with a coffee and indulge in some people watching. The Jetstar flight to Denpasar was pretty uneventful. However, some numpty turned up for the flight with less than 6 months left on their passport (who doesn't know about this???) and the flight was delayed by about 15 minutes while their luggage was retrieved before we could fly.
It was an absolutely beautiful sunrise and I got some gorgeous shots from the plane as we farewelled Cairns.
I was met at the airport by Madya, the owner of where I am spending my first week in Legion, and we had a pleasant drive back to Miss Debby's Homestay.
My room is lovely and I'm happy to report that the air-conditioning works well. I must say that it is HOT here at the moment. 5 minutes outside and I am ruddy of face and wringing wet.
Once I checked in, it was time to visit the beach for some Bintangs (Bali beer), down at Joseph's bar where I was welcomed back by old friends from last time I was here in Bali. One thing to note is that at this time of year, the winds tend to push all the rubbish from the surrounding islands right onto the Kuta/Legian/Seminyak beaches. It was also a king tide, which meant I was splashed more than once whilst I was reclined on my beach chair. The waves were certainly pumping!
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by the beach sellers offering everything from snacks to henna tattoos to bracelets and all sorts of knick knacks. A friendly 'no thank you' was enough to see them pass on. But when the lovely Mimi showed up with a big, friendly hug I was excited to have my nails done right there on the beach. This woman is a true artist - her flower art is so lovely..
After a few beers and a good catchup with Joseph, I headed to my favourite little warung, Warung Kampong, for some delicious eats. I have been thinking of their $2.50 mie goreng for the last few weeks so that's what I went for, but I'm sure I'll work my way through the menu before my time is over here.
I was glad for an early night in my big, comfy bed after the early start for my flight. It's a shame that I also woke up at 3.30am (it's 2 hours behind Qld time here) but I did manage to snooze for a bit more - damn that jet lag...
I hit my old favourite breakfast spot, Garlic Lane Bar and Grill, but was stunned to see it all fancied up. Glad to have visited again but the prices are no longer so budget friendly so I'm planning on heading a bit further up Garlic Lane for a better deal.
I spent a good portion of the day at Ari Spa where I was greeted like a long lost friend and treated myself to a keratin hair straightening treatment and a foot massage.
Tonight I am headed to Suriwathi (where I am staying for my second week in Bali) for their night of all-you-can-eat buffet and entertainment. I have been to one of these before and it was a great time, and being Friday night I might just have to go have a boogie down at the Legends bar.
No funny little travel stories as of yet, but it is but day 1 of my year-long adventure. I'm certainly starting off in a beautiful, if not extremely hot, part of the world and am very excited for what is ahead.
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