My flight doesn't leave till 10.55pm but i have to check out of my room by 11. Anna, Pip, Kerry and I quickly jump on the bikes and head down to a leather shop where Anna has ordered a bunch of stuff. It's got great bags and jackets, but nothing is really grabbing me.
Pip orders some boots, Kerry buys a really cool leather overnight bag, and it's back on the scoots and speed off to the hotel.
I pick up my washing on the way. This is a great thing to do in Bali before you leave. My clothes come back perfectly washed, ironed and packed, so i can slip them straight into my suitcase and come home to clean boxers!! My weeks worth of stuff only cost $4 aus, so it was well worth it.
Get back to the hotel and head to room 6, my home for the week, and sadly start putting everything in order. I seem to be leaving with a lot more than i came with, but i don't really remember purchasing that much...
I leave my bags in Pip & Kerry's room for the day, then head down to reception to pay my bill.
The Kiwis have organized a driver for the day to take us down to the Nammos Beach club, which is part of the Karma Kandara Resort on the Bukit Peninsula.
Kerry & Pip are going to follow us on their bike as we cant all fit in the one car, so we head up to Jalan Legian to wait for the others to arrive....
Nick, Tim, Cheese, Kelly, Anna and myself jump in the van as Pip & Kerry follow close behind. We wind our way slowly through villages till we arrive at the southern most tip of Bali. This place is spectacular...
We enter the resort up the top of a huge cliff, pay the equivalent of $35 each (which includes lunch and drinks), then 4 at a time travel down the 200 foot inclinator ride to the beach club....
We set up camp, go for a swim in the azure blue ocean, then settle down in the daybeds and lounges that are scattered across the sand. Pretty soon its lunchtime so we head across the beach to the restaurant and bar, that has the most spectacular views, and order ourselves a selection of tapas and drinks....
After lunch we all head back to sand for a swim, and a period of digesting. I have a little nap on my towel, and wake to find it's time to head off to our next location, The Rock Bar @ The Ayana Resort in Jimbarin. We take the inclinator back up the top the top of the cliff where our driver is waiting, then set off on the 1/2 hour drive to our next location...
The Ayana resort can best be described as a mega-playground. You enter through conspicuous security, then off down a long road through lush manicured tropical gardens, passing lane ways darting off left and right leading to private villas and compounds. Arriving at the entrance to the main hotel you are greeted with a series of wet edged pools cascading down the slope, they lead to a beautiful lawn with stunning views across the sheer cliffs, and down to the amazing beaches and inlets below....
There is another inclinator to take you down the cliffs to the Rock Bar, but we decide to walk down the stairs and take in the view. We pass another wet edged pool on the way and i am amazed at the amount of work that has gone into building this place....
We grab ourselves a large daybed and order ourselves a cocktail. I go for the Peach Daiquiri and it doesn't disappoint. The view over the ocean is spectacular and this is definitely one of the more beautiful places you can possibly experience. You can look one way, out to the Crystal clear Indian Ocean, or the other, to the volcano's towering above the island of Bali....
As I finish the last of my drink and watch the sun set over the ocean, i think about Bali and everything that makes it the place that it is. I decide it's an island of huge contrasts, you have all this western money, alongside children being dropped off at street corners and spending the day begging. Extreme wealth alongside extreme poverty. It is a beautiful place, but it can be a sad place as well....
I have enjoyed my 7 days here so much, and i hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures. I have to thank Anna, Kurt, Leah, Nev, Kerry, Pip, Jane, Dan, Nick, Cheese, Tim, Kelly and everyone else i met along the way that has made this trip such a great experience.
As the sun dips over the horizon, I hope that I will be back sooner rather than later, to explore outside of the confines of the island, to get to Lombok, and to the Gili Islands, and to who knows what else lies beyond......
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