Experiencing Bali 1

Three years my wife and I went to Phuket Thailand prior to me kicking off my tenure with CustomWare. Three down the track, needless to say, I have had a tremendous career with the company. Not only my technical competency advanced to a new level, but most importantly my people skills, managerial expertise and entrepreneurial flare has gone to a new high. The inspiration and mentorship

Upon my departure from CustomWare, my wife and I decided to spend two weeks in Bali before commencing on the new job. This time again, a tropical island that is extremely popular among international relaxation seekers. Given the experience with Phuket and CustomWare, hopefully my karma likes the combination of Bali and whatever venture I gotta take in the coming three years in my life.

We arrived in Bali hassle-free after 6 hours flight from Sydney. Given majority of the time was spent between Sydney and Darwin, Bali is really just at the door step of Northern Territory, about 1 hour flight from Darwin.

Had paid visa-on-arrival charge of 50 US for two of us, we got back a stack of Indonesia Ruphi as change. All of sudden, I realise, the country's main foreign reserve currency is the green paper. After the painful 1997 Aisa Financial Crisis, this thousand-island nation would do everything to increase their foreign reserve. Given the only people who are capable of turning a country into backruptcy are all living in the US, having the green paper as reserve currency is an inevitable choice. But hold on a sec, are you sure you don't want to stock some Chinese RMB?

Transfer arrangement from Destination Asia via Flight Centre was also flawless. Being greeted with a cold towel, the humidity outside the airport reminded us we are now around Equator.

We checked in The Villas Bali in Seminyak, a five-star property. Again, no good news or bad news, everything is as expected as it had taken place. The pool size is reasonably good for a one-bed villa. With paying average AUD 300 a day, we finally got a chance to enjoy some privacy in our own villa for at least, well, 7 nights.

There are many one-way lanes around Seminyak, Legian, and Kuta area. As a result, a short stroll from the map will likely take you 10 to 15 mins in a taxi. Of course, typical developing-country-style traffic jam can only add a layer of icing suger to this mismeasurement.

We went to a small eatery called Bamboo Corner for dinner. Map  shows the small rest. is located in Jalan Poppies I (Jalan means street in Indonesian). On a map from a seasoned traveller downloaded from the Internet also add a "helpful" comment to the location - Poppies I is a very narrow street. Wow, it is not only narrow, it is almost unnoticeable. It is as narrow as it can only allow one person to squeeze in. OK it can only allow a motorbike to squeeze in.

The food is extremely cheap but the quality is good. A variety of fruit juice they offer gives you a surreal impression that you are sipping fruit in liquid form. Among the varieties, mango juice is a must to order, so is avocado mixed with chocolate (yes, Indonesia is not only renowned for its Luwak coffee beans, but it is also a coco-producing nation). Main course? Try seafood basket and lobster plate. For merely 50,000 IDR (AUD 5.88), you have a fresh snapper, four shrimps, a handful of calamari, two or three soft-shell crabs, chips (well just to please westerner perhaps?), homemade lemon dipping source and a small serve salad. Mango juice, on the other hand, will cost you a fortune, 5000 IDR, yes, only 60 cents. What a bargain! Bali reassures me everything, goods and service, is overpriced in Australia, well if you ever lived in a developing country.