Hot tip: check flight details early

Waking up this morning reality hit that it was all over and this was the last time we’d be waking up in this room. We had to check out by 12 and it was going to be a pain as our flight wasn’t until 11.15pm but we figured we’d be able to store our bags and still use the pool.

We went to brekkie and the housekeeper asked if he could make up our room but TAB told him there was no point as we were checking out today. He asked what time and TAB said 12 and the guy looked a little confused but said he’d wait until after we left.

I was undecided what to have at breakfast as it was the last chance to have anything. I think I was feeling a little hungover so I started with vegemite on toast then had a little bowl of Bircher muesli coz I love that stuff.

Straight after breakfast we went to the beach for a walk and to see Rudi and Rasta. We asked Rudi if he knew anyone who could drive us to the airport and he was going to get back to us. We looked over at the water and the beautiful pristine beach was littered with rubbish everywhere along the waters edge. It was terrible and so sad to see the beach looking so uninviting after how beautiful it has been each day. Apparently it is common at this time of year and more so in December/January.

We went for a short walk on the soft sand which I guess gave us a little bit of a workout. There was just too much rubbish to walk down along the water and there was also a fishing comp and the waters edge was lined with fisherman who I think were catching more rubbish than fish.

Our laundry lady was meeting us across the road from the hotel at 9am so we turned back to go meet her. Just working through our day while walking to her we thought we’d go back to the room to check the flight details to get the exact time so we could work back from that. I wanted to get some shopping done this afternoon and we needed to work out what access we had to faculties at the hotel after we’d checked out.

Sarah the laundry lady was there waiting for us and we received all our washing beautifully cleaned, folded and packed for just over $5. As per Asian prices, this was a bargain and definitely worth every cent. On getting back to the room TAB started to pack and I got up the flight itinerary and noticed it said departure was Monday night and arrival to Melbourne was Tuesday morning. I was confused as it wasn’t what we’d been working towards.

I asked TAB what the date was and showed him what I was looking at and it seemed that we were a day ahead of ourselves and we were actually going home tomorrow, not today #whoops. Well that really put us out of sorts and we needed a bit of time to process it so we sat and thought about what our options were.

The first option we looked at was trying to get an earlier flight home tomorrow but that was a fizzer as it was going to cost $570 to alter our flights. So we thought we’d try and book our room for longer so we didn’t have to check out at midday and TAB said he’d go shopping with me seeing as we had a full day that we hadn’t planned for.

We went via the beach to tell Rudi that the day was wrong and we weren’t leaving today as we didn’t know if he’d gone ahead to make arrangements for us to get to the airport. Then we headed up one of the main streets and turned down a road we hadn’t walked before. There was a shop that had ladies clothing with fixed prices and it had a dress for $13 that I’d seen around and was planning to buy. $13 seemed cheaper than what I reason I would have got it bartering and I didn’t have to do anything to get that price, I was wrapt!

I ended spending a fair bit of time in that shop and got everything I wanted for me, Steph, Ti and Sam and I spent $80. It was worth it instead of having to go from shop to shop bartering for a decent price and the same skirt and dress I’d bought for $10 each were in there for $8 so they were cheaper anyway. She can prob afford to put her prices down as people like me prob go in there and buy up big to avoid the market stalls. There were two other ladies in their doing the same thing.

We went past a shoe place and I got a couple of pairs of slides I’d had my eye on for $10 each and a fake pair of Adidas for Archie for $15. There isn’t really much here that’s worth buying him so I was happy to pay that, although they prob won’t fit him for another 12 months. I got Jack a tshirt and I finally got a couple of dream catchers at a price I was happy although I had to work had for them. I think TAB had had enough and I was done so we stopped at a bar for some beers and the toilet. We realised we didn’t have enough cash to pay as I’d spent it all so I had to go and find a mini mart to use the ATM.

When we left there TAB stopped at a barber as he wanted to get his hair cut and there wasn’t a very long wait. We walked in and AC/DC was blasting from the stereo and there were three seats, all full with guys getting funky cuts or shaves. A cut was only $12.50 compared to $50 I think he paid for his last one at home. We had a Bintang while we waited, which was quite a while. Once TAB got into the chair I decided to go for a pedicure as my feet were disgusting and I hadn’t had one since I’d been here. It would fill in time while he was getting his do.

I just stopped at the first one on the street and it was only $5 and it still surprises me how primitive their process is compared to home, but of course it works and they obviously don’t know any other way. And a pedicure at home is around $35-$40 so the cost is a huge difference. She hand-fanned my nail polish dry instead of me putting my feet under a UV light.

TAB had popped in but kept going to get back to the hotel for the toilet and I was going to meet him at the pool. I really needed the toilet to after that earlier Bintang and I had to stop at the disgusting paid one at the beach as I didn’t think I’d make it back to the hotel. TAB was chilling by the pool and I went to the room to change into my togs and join him.

We went to the beach to have a couple of beers and lunch at Kangaroo Bar and it was quite windy which wasn’t overly pleasant. I went to give the water a go but there was rubbish everywhere in the water and even letting the water lap at my feet ended up with plastic wrapping around my feet, it was really, really bad.

After two beers we decided to go back to the pool as it was so hot at the beach and without being able to swim it really wasn’t the best place to be. Besides Emmy was hanging around and we didn’t want any massages and all the other sellers continued to come past. But I did end up buying three more pairs of sunnies from Harry Potter and we bargained him down to lower than last time so it wasn’t too bad. We’d said good bye to Rudi as he wasn’t going to around tomorrow.

Back at the pool we caught some rays, swam and drank a couple of cocktails. It was getting late in the day so moved to the front bar to watch the sunset but it was only half a sunset as the cloud cover blocked the last part of it. On the way back to the room we stopped at reception to ask whether we could keep the room longer tomorrow and he said we could book it til 6pm for AUD$122 which I reason is expensive but it as going to make our day much easier so we did it.

After showers we headed out to find a tattooist as a couple of days ago I decided to get a tattoo while we were here. I was planning to get the kids names and it would be much cheaper here than at home. Although this was a rash decision, it wasn’t something I’d been planning to do at any time before a few days ago. I don’t know why, but why not.

We found one on the road heading to Kuta, but not to far away from the hotel. The guy ran through some options and gave me a quote of AUD$70 which TAB thought was reasonable so I booked for 4pm tomorrow as if I got it then and there I’d have to stay out of the sun and water tomorrow. TAB mentioned that the kids would give him a ribbing if I went home with their names and he didn’t - I hadn’t even considered this. So he’s thinking about getting one too but didn’t book, he said he’d decide on the day.

A beer stop was in order across the road but it was a really busy area. And we’ve noticed that schoolies are starting to arrive and we’ve already heard a few tragics on microphones as we walked past bars! So we headed back to Legian and I really. Ended the toilet so ended up back at the same bar we stopped at earlier in the day (Moo Moos Steakhouse) and the live music was cringeworthy. I’d read a review about Summer Queen having good whisky sours and TAB is always on a mission to find one so we planned to go there. But as we got closer we could hear a terrible live rendition of a Bon Jovi song and it was so loud that we didn’t think it was going to work for us. The guy at the front saw us going past and stoped us for a hello and a hug but we still didn’t go in - it was too much.

We decided Uncle Norm’s would be the best bet but TAB looked at the time on the way there and it was already 10pm. I don’t know how that happened and we must be getting old as everywhere that had live music was blaring and too loud to entice us in. And really, I think we were Bintanged out as the thought of another beer wasn’t really appealing.

There was a restaurant right cross the road from the hotel entrance so we stopped there for a bite to eat and called it a night, for what really was our last night.Read more