Visiting Bali - some tips

#1 December expect some rain. Not so much it puts a damper but yes, it is a factor
#2 Carry $15 ($25 if you're staying for more than 7 days) for your entry fees.
#3 Keep aside $15 for your exit fees. Remember if you don't have the exact change, they will give you the balance in Rupiah, and sharply discounted at that.
#4 If you want to be in the center of it all, stay in Kuta. It's also cheaper
#5 If you want to stay surrounded by manicured lawns, and five star go for Nusa Dua
#6 Seminyak is somewhere in between. It's also got the best restaurants
#7 Go for the Bumbu Bali cooking class run by Heinz Holzen. It's $75 per person.
#8 Only change money at authorized money changers. The others cheat you expertly.
#9 Get a copy of Lonely Planet's Bali. It's the best guide to this place by far.
#10 Visit Tanah Lot. If that's too far check out the Uluwat temple at sunset (they have a very intriguing performance called the Kechak dance then .. be warned it fills up quickly, so if you want good seats get there by 5 ... the show starts at 6PM)

Top three things to do if you're in Bali

Rent a scootie
Those automatic hondas, yamahas, vespas et al are not only the greatest fun to run around in, but it helps you beat the traffic jams, and in Bali nothing is very far.
We stayed at Nusa Dua and it was fifteen minutes to Legian, Kuta beach, Seminyak and about an hour to the mountains. And it's by far the cheapest option. Rent is about 7 bucks, and gas is about a buck for two litres which will keep you going all day. If you don't have an international license, make sure you have fifty thousand rupiah in one pocket only as that's the er fees you'll be charged by the cops. They'll obviously ask you for more, but that's the time you pull out your pockets and say that not only did you leave your wallet home but the only cash you got on you is the fifty and they'll let you go ...


Go for the watersports
Very well organized and while not all that cheap they're very good value for money. The Parasailing experience was incredibly thrilling to say the least. The jetskis were also great. If there's a bunch of you, then the banana boat option is a cheaper way to go tripping over the sea. They also have surfing lessons, and while I didn't do this it looked like loads of fun.



Join the cooking class at Bumbu Bali
It's a nice way to meet interesting women er I mean people :) But the class by Heinz Von Holzen were also a fascinating compendium of balinese lore, cooking tips, market tours,
spice combinations, and of course a fantastic way to sample authentic balinese food. I didn't realize until this class that what I'd been eating till then was actually Indonesian and not Balinese food.

No longer there - The Cat Empire

Brilliant song!!!



And though you'd like to hear a song
That sings everything's all right
The temperature is warm
The fire horses sleep
So gently comes the night

You close your eyes and stare
The ground they're on is bare
But once it was as deep
As wildest giants dreams
It's no longer there

And all of our desires
They mirror skies with flames
And smoke out heaven's halls
Who was that you called
They're no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes again
Here it goes again

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

Would you sail to distant shores?
And hide within the hills
And softly close your doors
Pretend the world is safe
And wait for heaven's call

Or would you turn and face the seas
And come beside your cave
There's chance but if you dare
And swift as honour's steeds
Before it's no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes agaaain
Here it goes aga .. ain!

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind
When those who bear your name are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

To deny or to despair
It's really just the same
Everything between
It means we have to change
Cos when a one forgets
The world begins to fade
And all the shapes and shades
That made the colours see
When they suddenly turned grey
That they're no longer there

Favorite bumper stickers

#1 Don't believe everything that you think!

#2 Beer is now officially cheaper than gas. Don't drive. Drink!

#3 I worship the prophet margin

#4 Never believe generalizations

#5 My drinking team has a bowling problem

#6 Procrastinate now

#7 Never miss a good opportunity to shut up

#8 Thank god I'm an atheist

#9 Why do they call it rush hour?

#10 I'd rather be right than politically correct

MEC

Mountain Engineering Cooperative is an amazing store. Spend the last three days browsing, picking up stuff.

So many finds, here's my top three

A wee lantern perfect for clipping on to suitcases, to belts, great for those backpacker trips where you want to pack/unpack without waking everybody else up $5

Backpack with wheels, with a clip on daybag perfect for carryons, yet spacious enough to hold three pairs of shorts, 2 shirts, three t-shirts, one set nightwear, one pant, sandals. I used the day bag as a camera bag, the two side water bottle pockets are perfect for those bigger lenses, and inside there's enough space to put in your camera plus other essentials $112

Small rolled up towel that can easily fit in your pocket yet is big enough to double as a bath towel. Micromeshed so wicks moisture neatly $20

If you aren't a gourmet ... don't read this review

Gordon Ramsay's The Narrow

A few of my favorite wines

Do you have some cambembert and brie on hand that's had a chance to ripen? Then get a bottle of Pomerol. I was lucky in being able to grab about four of the last bottles of Chateau La Conseillante here in Edmonton at about 50$ apiece, from 1998 which was a good year for Pomerol. Anything from 98 up should be a good year mostly up to 2005. 82 was the best but can be difficult to find. If you do, make sure you order an Osso Bucco to go with it.

This is a variant of Merlot that's grown in a region called Pomerol. The wine is a velvety soft red that makes complex cheeses come alive in a marvelous way.

Another favorite is a white wine, an Austrian Gruner-Veltliner. I will dig up the notes and post more on this later. Also must remember to talk about some great German whites.

For more everyday sipping I've also found Joseph Drouhin's Pouilly-Fuisse hard to beat when paired with both cheeses and food.