Once again, we’re back in Bali! This time we took Berwyn along to see the sights and enjoy the delights. Below are a few notes and highlights from our first few days.

Flights

We tried a new airline for this flight: Batik Air. They’re not quite a low cost carrier, but they’re not really full service either. I’m sure that others have done a better job than me of categorizing them.

The flight was uneventful, although slightly late in departing Perth. We arrived in Bali around 6pm on Wednesday, and were greeted with a significant amount of haze and a setting red sun. After taking a bus to the terminal, the VOA, immigration, and customs processes were completed relatively quickly. We checked in at the Klook Airport Transfer counter, where they now have a nice cafe of sorts to wait for a few minutes while your driver comes for you. I think this is an improvement on trying to find your name among the hundreds of placards being waved by drivers.

Hotel

We’re staying at the Mercure Bali Legian again. The hotel is largely the same as it has been the previous two times we’ve stayed there. We upgraded to a Privilege Room to provide access to some greater outdoor space where Samuel could stretch his legs. This has come in handy, although his favourite part of the space is the removable drain cover in the corner, which he proudly presents to me every time I join him outside.

Food

Besides the hotel breakfast, which is great, we have been enjoying a variety of cuisines. Berwyn has been keen to sample many types of food, and coupled with the reasonably busy schedule we’ve been keeping for these first few days, many of our favourite locations have been left unvisited.

So far, we have tried local Indonesian food at Warung Kampung, Indian food at Atithi Indian Restaurant & Bar, Thai cuisine at Lemongrass Thai, and Italian staples at Bella Italia.

Last night, Berwyn and I also visited the local Legian Food Court, which has around 20 warungs clustered around a central parking area.

Other Activities

Besides Waterbom and Bali Safari, which both warrant posts of their own, we have also visited the beach, which is certainly cleaner than when we were here in February. We have also spent some time in the hotel pool, and Berwyn and I have pampered ourselves with a haircut and a full body massage each. After a good chat with the hairdresser in Indonesian, when it was Berwyn’s turn for a haircut I had to tell them that dia tidak bisa berbicara dengan bahasa Indonesia.

Samuel has been enjoying his time with Uncle Berwyn!