Jimbaran - Road Trip, Waterbom & Shopping

It’s been too long I know! You must all be missing me like crazy, I miss you!  My sister and her husband came for a visit and we were very busy playing the tourists again: which I love. It means shopping and adventure and food! So what have I been doing in this last week and a half since we last spoke, let’s see…

Saturday: Nusa Dua Jet Skiing

The kids were still fairly sleepy so we decided on a road trip so we could use the car as beds if need be. We started off in the morning with a trip to the Nusa Dua peninsula. We took a drive past a dozen or so beaches before deciding on a quick stop at the very tip.

We jumped out of the car onto a jet ski. 2 jet ski’s for 15 mins is $20 each, we managed to barter him down to $30 for both. Fit the lifejackets on the kids and hoped on with a Bali driver.

This was disappointing for me having done a 4 hour jet ski tour of Langkawi by ourselves last year to be riding with a guy on the back, however once he handed over the reins it was quite useful as he held onto my child instead.

It was a brief ride, but still as fun as the first time I did it. Miss 3 year old loved it and wanted to go again, Mr 2 cried the whole time and couldn’t wait to get off, poor fella.

Back in the car we drove around the South of Bali, past new constructions and grand resort’s until we finally started coming North again, finding our way to Uluwatu.

Bali is a major contrast. Every part of Bali is like visiting another country. In Perth there is not much difference in suburbs and they are much further apart. Here, well let’s go for a quick overview:

• Ubud – nature’s wonderland. A yoga, organic, green environment set in lush rainforest, filled with hippies and spiritualists.
• Kuta – tourist central. Busy, modern, restaurants, Wi-Fi, entertainment and markets.
• Nusa Dua – pristine. Paved roads, landscaped gardens, no garbage and loads of security.
• Jimbaran – the wealthy Balinese. Villas, supermarkets, seafood.
• Uluwatu – surfer city. Cliffs, beaches with surfing waves, very tanned westerners on scooters with surfboards and not much else.
• Sanur - tourist beach. Quiet and beautiful, the nice version of Kuta. 

Anyway where was I? Oh yes Uluwatu, we ended up following a winding road to Bluepoint. There we discovered a gorgeous little restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was absolutely spectacular.

A little bit further north and we were back home in jimbaran.

Sunday

Visited a few other local Christian Churches. The International Christian Church in Kuta & Global Church in Nusa Dua. Met some lovely people and really enjoyed what the American’s had to bring to Bali.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

We kept a low profile in preparation for the visitors arriving Thursday. Another gorgeous sunset at Jimbaran Beach & on top of the cliffs overlooking a limestone quarry & the bay: PepeNero’s.  Home made Italian food at its best, free Wi-Fi and stunning views.

Thursday

We went to pick up my sister and her husband from the Kuta Paradiso. We swam in the hotel pool for a while before heading out to lunch. After the kids nap we headed to Nusa Dua for dinner and a shop at Bali Collection – buzzing!

Friday

And then we are back to Friday again… Friday is a blog post all of it’s own with our most amazing adventure yet!

Saturday

Surf outlets, market shopping and malls. From 10am to 5pm we pounded the pavement filling my sister’s suitcase. After another sunset at Jimbaran Beach (eating at a Russian restaurant this time, best so far). Then we got our $1 Bintang Beers and $1.20 Smirnoff Vodka’s & spent the evening in our private pool and watching $1 DVD’s.

Sunday: Waterbom

Our visit to Waterbom was so different to last. Ever since Mia got her floaties her confidence has grown. She has even endeavoured swimming without them now.  Anyway she wanted to go on all the slides by herself and it was such a great day. Uncle Jarrad spent a lot of the day taking Caius on all the slides and soon became the favourite.

On the way to the massage parlour Caius fell asleep on daddy’s shoulders, while Mia fell asleep during her pedicure/manicure. It was quite amusing seeing her wakeup looking at her nails and a small look of astonishment as she realized they were all done. After massages all round we headed to dinner at my fave Kuta restaurant Bali Brasserie, $10 pork ribs with a all you can eat salad bar and $4.50 Nasi Goreng in a wok for the family.

Later that night I drove J&J to the airport. It was not at all as complicated as I thought it would be. When Mia found out they would not be there in the morning she balled her eyes out and refused to hug them. I felt like crying too as they stepped out of the car. My sister and I while close in age have never been the best of friends, but this holiday was amazing and I cherished every moment with them. 

That’s the thing about being away from home. The time you do spend with friends and family on the visits is quality. It’s real time. It’s not passing by or just hi, it’s in depth sharing, late night movies and actually bonding. I will miss them and am hoping they come visit us again soon.

And now we are up to date. Monday again. We will be taking it slow this last week in Bali. Make sure the kids are rested after our giant weekend and ready to move to our next location next week. I can’t believe we have nearly come to the end of our time in Bali. When I first got here I couldn’t wait to leave. Now I know it inside and out and I could gladly call it home… If only the Wi-Fi was faster and available at our house! I can’t keep eating donuts everyday!