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Bali and the Orient

January - February 2020
A long awaited excursion for Denis, Colleen, Paul and Cheryl. Time for R&R in Bali, on to Singapore for a bit, a 2 week cruise of the orient, ending with a short stay in Hong Kong! Read more
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  • Bali and the Orient
    1
    Day 7

    Ubud Bali

    January 25, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    So Saturday evening we just walked the strip to get the lay of the land. Had a great pizza dinner at Osteria. Near the monkey forest. We didn't go in the monkey forest as they were going to close at 6pm. We decided we weren't satisfied with Betutu villas and made arrangements to move to the Bali Spirit for the rest of our time here. They even came and picked us up so we were relocated by 10am. Much nicer room and resort. And if course more money!
    This is Colleen writing this from Den's phone to attach some more photos. I will write again tomorrow about our Sunday.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    2
    Day 8

    Sunday

    January 26, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We moved to the Bali spirit by 10am. It's a mu6nicer place . But lots of stairs to anywhere from anywhere. Beautiful pool so we relaxed, swam and had lunch. A short nap and woke up to a thunderstorm! It rained very hard for about an hour and then the sun was out again for cocktails on our balcony.
    Paul found the #1 restaurant in Ubud. Uname. It was fantastic. And a great price to. A short 10 minutes by cab. And the owner brought us back. Must review them on TripAdvisor. And hopefully we can get back once more before we go.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    1
    Day 9

    Monday

    January 27, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    Off to town on the shuttle. The boys for their walk and the girls to the marketplace. We did a little shopping and it sure is the barter system. Started at 200000 for a pair of pants. Paid 50000 ($5 CDN). We met the guys at the Lotus Cafe for lunch and it started to rain just before we were about to leave. Had a little walk in the rain which was actually cooling. From there we went over to the monkey forest. So cute. Then back to the hotel for a much needed swim! And cocktails. Red wine for cheryl. Bintang beer for the boys and bintang lemon radler for me. Dinner location TBD.Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    1
    Day 9

    Tuesday. Last day in Bali

    January 27, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    For our last day here we wanted to see some of the countryside. The traffic in Ubud is crazy. Especially all the scooters. The hotel got us a driver for the day and we were off at 8.30 am. First stop was a beautiful waterfall. A little hike down some steps to get there with alot of gorgeous foliage. Next stop was the coffee plantation with many types of fruit trees and spices. They gave us a sampling of about 15 different kinds of teas and coffees. But the Lewak (poo coffee) was $5 per cup. I tried it but didn't like it much. I don't think it was the poo, it was just very strong. We bought some saffron and ginger teas and vanilla coffee.
    Then we were off into the mountains to the volcano. He took us to a lovely spot overlooking the mountain and valley for an Indonesian buffet lunch. The clouds were coming in and it started raining hard as we finished. Our last stop was the rice terraces. You can zipline or swing over them but we just watched.
    Then back through much traffic and rain to the hotel. Just in time for a before dinner swim. We will eat our last dinner at the hotel do we can pay by visa. We may need to get some cash in the morning to pay the driver for today who is also taking us to the airport at 8.30 tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 11

    Wednesday fly to Singapore

    January 29, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    A Scoot flight at 2pm from Denpasar had us in Singapore at 5pm. Paul and cheryl treated us to the lounge before the flight for snacks and drinks ! The flight was a little rough and we landed in rain. Actually almost landed once but pilot wasn't happy so we went back up and around again.
    The Chengi airport is amazing. Jewel. We stored the bags and toured around and had dinner before heading to the hotel. $55 cab ride. The hotel is a high rise and rooms are small but it is clean and centrally located. Ibis on Bencoolan.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 12

    Thursday Singapore at the Ibis

    January 30, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    What a full day! We had breakfast at the hotel (included). Very good and something for every nationality. We were off by 9 to find the hop on hop off bus stop. We were unsuccessful so came back to the hotel and had a cab take us to the main bus area. Purchased a 2 day ticket each plus 2 attractions and it was $200. Singapore is not cheap. Their $ very close in value to ours. We took the yellow line around downtown and got off at Little India. Shopped and wandered then tried some Indian beer. A short walk from there was the Arab neighborhood. Lots of tailors and fabric shops and we had gelato on a croissant for lunch! Delicious. Much map reading and getting lost and we made it back to the hotel around 2.30 for a short rest. Den did a little laundry.
    The hawker stall5are only a block away so we went there and each chose a different something for dinner. Like the food court at a mall. Can't say I was overly in love with it but my $3 noodles with chicken was ok. Cheryl had a variety plate with fish for $6.50.
    We then made our way back to the bus to Gardens by the Bay. All built on land reclaimed from the ocean.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 13

    Friday in Singapore

    January 31, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Friday morning we got an email from Celebrity saying that due to the corona virus they were changing the itinerary to end in Singapore rather than hong kong. They will give us full credit towards another cruise and up to $500 credit to adjust our flights home. We could still go on the cruise with the new itinerary which omits Japan and adds Manilla phillipines. Unfortunately Paul and cheryl went to Bali through Hong Kong 11 days previous and would be denied boarding. They get 100% refund. We spent most of Friday trying to figure out what to do. Stay or go. Thought of new Zealand and other options but in the end decided it is safest to go home. I spent most of Friday night online changing our flights and soonest we can leave is Tuesday morning.
    So we spent Friday back on the HOHO bus. We visited little india and Arabia. Ended at Marina Bay Sands . Gorgeous gardens and cloud forest. Singapore is a beautiful clean city though a little expensive. Especially liquor. Rum $70 for a 26er.    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 14

    Saturday in Singapore

    February 1, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Saturday we shopped near the hotel while Paul and cheryl went back to little Arabia to find deals on grommets and sewing stuff. We regrouped in the afternoon then had a great Japanese dinner. In the afternoon we went back to Marina sands to the rooftop observation deck. 57 floors up on the waterfront. Sorry that the Singapore flyer isn't working. I would have loved to it.Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 15

    Sunday in Singapore

    February 2, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We took a cab to Chinatown today to explore and shop. Big bargains there! I bought a beautiful silk reversible jacket type thing. Red with a print on one side. Cheryl found it. We had lunch in a Chinese restaurant near the hawkers. Lots of new year's celebrations still going on. Dragon dances.
    We returned to the hotel to cool off with a beer before dinner. We have all of Paul and Cheryl's bags in our room as they have checked out. Walked to an upscale burger place for dinner called 26 degrees. Also spent sometime in the IT mall at the corner looking at all kinds of electronic gadgets. So hot and humid wherever we go. About 28c.
    Paul and cheryl left for the airport about 10pm but their first flight isn't till 6.30am. They have a lounge pass but it is only good for 3 hours. I guess they were asked to leave about 2am and spent the rest of the night in the departure area. Meanwhile we showered and had a good sleep!    Read more

  • Bali and the Orient
    Day 16

    Last Day in Singapore Monday Feb 3

    February 3, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    As Paul and Cheryl left on an early flight(s) home via Tokyo and Washington, Denis and I were left to explore one more day on our own. We decided against the ‘bamboo bikes’ and decided to walk. We headed to the National Museum and parks surrounding it. Quite a climb up to the reservoir. Then down to St. Andrews Cathedral which is actually multi denominational, primarily Anglican. Across the street was the Raffles Mall - lots of very high end shops so we just stopped fora cool juice. We quickly went through the lobby of the Singapore Fairmont (very modern - not like the ones in Canada) and then Raffles. We didn’t stop for the $35 Singapore sling but opted for a couple hats and a Christmas tree ornament. Back to the hotel to pack, out for dinner and to bed early. We were up at 6am Tuesday morning to get to Changi airport for a 10am flight to SAN Francisco (about 14 hrs), 2 hours in SF then 3 hours home to Calgary. Tuesday was a very long day as we picked up 15 hours! Total travel time was about 19 hours.Read more

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