Day 25: Kuta and Waterbom Bali by Matt

We rose at 7 and scrambled to leave Ubud by 730, our mission to get to our hotel in Kuta as quickly as possible and maximise our time at Waterbom Bali, 5.1 hectares of botanical tropical gardens, waterslides, restaurants, gazebos and facilities.

After a quick check in, it was a short walk to the water park and we were in just before 10. Grabbing a locker before they sold out, we oriented ourselves and headed for one of the more popular rides, the Python, before the queue became too lengthy. 2 to a inflatable ring, the ride was mainly in the dark with a sharp drop at the end, though Millen and I got stuck. A fun but relatively tame start to the day.

Deciding we needed to up the adrenaline, we headed for the Pipeline and Climax. The former was a long twisting chute, fun but safe and familiar. With no queue at all, the latter slide involved stepping into a chamber, preparing yourself during a 3s countdown before the trapdoor opens and you drop. Over in seconds, it was a fast, twisting, shock to the senses, during which I kept my eyes firmly shut!

Feeling we'd perhaps gone in at the deep end a little early, we grapped some rings and floated around the last river, slowly bumping into each other. Ready again for bigger thrills, we climbed a tower with a choice of 4 slides, starting with Twin Racers, head-to-head on mats face first down a twisting chute. Then another double called Fast n Fierce, which was a traditional straight down, open air over a couple of risers. Double Twist was another chamber/trapdoor drop, with a short fall followed by 2 twists.

We climbed the tower for the 4th time to the top and waited in line behind a loud gang of drunk Aussie blokes covered in tattoos and sporting haircuts reminiscent of the orcs in Lord of the Rings. Smashdown 2.0 was another chamber drop though straight down and into the sluice at the bottom at wedgie inducing speed.

Needing a break for lunch, we watched the Flowrider instructor put on an impressive boogie board display, performing spins, jumps and even a forward roll in the continuous uphill stream of water. The punters after him not so impressive, clearly it was harder than it looked. We decided against the extra cost and waiting time to try it and sought out our next watery thrill.

Grapping a ring, we joined the queue for the Boomerang, in which you fly up a slope at the end before sliding back down into the pool. Tailspin needed a double ring, which seemed in high demand. Millen and Eashan managed to grap one whilst Simi and I repeated the Boomerang. Feeling parked out, and drained by the growing hoards of screaming tourists, we had one last slide on Climax and headed back to the hotel.

Kuta felt as though it was past it's prime and a package holiday destination for Aussie families. We did find some padel courts though and were tempted but too tired. Instead we grabbed some ice creams and walked back to the hotel to change into dry clothes. Simi quickly researched a couple of last destinations for our final few hours in Bali.

Krishna shopping centre has 3 floors of decent quality souvenirs and fixed prices. We picked out some t-shirts, coffee, biscuits, sarongs and a few other bits and pieces, before grabbing a taxi to Jimbaran beach to join the queue for a seafood dinner on the beach.

It wasn't long before we were ushered to table they hastily assembled for us near the shoreline. Simi and I chose to share a platter of lobster, fish, clams and squid, Millen tuna satay, calamari and chips and Eashan vegetable noodles.

It was a long wait for our food but the last rays of the sunset over the fishing boats made for a beautiful setting for our last dinner in Bali. Eashan bought some corn on the cob from a nearby seller to tide him over. The food that eventually arrived was tasty, the clams in a sticky sweet sauce a winner with the grilled lobster and tuna satay also yum.

Our taxi driver home seemed keen to chat and treated us to playlist of Coldplay, U2 and Elton John but we were too exhausted to keep the conversation going for long and were all half asleep by the time we hit the sack.Read more