First few days in Bali

March 27/2012
Next morning was Bali day and we were excited to get going and move on to pampering and clean clothes.  Our flight left at 11am so we were off to the airport for 9 and arrived at our gate just in time to have a bathroom break and board.  We were starving when we got there and needed some breakfast but we couldn't decide on what to get (story of our life) so we were a little on the late side.  The first flight brought us to Kuala Lumpur where we only had enough time to ride the shuttle train to our gate and off we went again.  KL airport is a massive affair conected by super quiet light trains and automatic walkways.  Super futuristic!  But when I went to the bathroom and found the regular sit down toilet I was surprised, last time I was here it was squatsville and there were instructions for me on how to use it.  This time it was the other way around!  Bummer!
Airplane food really works well for us.  Chad usually really likes the sauces and the main dishes and I relish the desserts and fruit.  We usually do a switcheroo of our trays and both of us are left with a smile on our faces....only on Asian flights I might add.  North American plane food is disgusting and neither of us are ever very happy, especially on Air Canada (where they make you pay half the time for the nastyness). 
We flew over Bali at sunset and got a beautiful view of Lembogan and the three surf breaks we hoped to see up close very soon.  We arrived at the airport and we paid our $25 visitor visa and waited for our bags thinking this was quite the slick trip not having to wait longer than a few minutes anywhere along the way.  However with all of our travels and nary a lost bag it was bound to happen.  My luggage was lost!  I was in panic mode at first thinking this to be the worst thing that could ever happen.  And then the poor guy whose wheelchair and both suitcases were also lost sat beside me.  I felt like I had actually hit the jackpot compared to what he would be going through.  I couldn't believe they would leave a wheelchair behind.  How in the world was he supposed to get around now. 
We left the airport after filling out tons of paper work and them having promised that my bag would be returned to me in two days (as the next day was Nyepi and consequently a day of silence and even the airport was closed).  They would even deliver it to the house...not bad service I'd say.  Grandma and Putu were there to meet us and take us home.  We are definitely not used to this type of travel.  Was it ever nice to have a cold drink and a ride we didn't have to haggle or pay for to take us directly to the house without asking us if we wanted to stay somewhere better or cheaper or if we wanted to go to a jewelry store first.
We arrived in the evening and spent a bit of time chatting but having been pretty tired from sitting on our arses all day  we headed up to bed.  Our room is perfect and the bed beyond comfortable compared to Thai beds that are as hard as a concrete slab.  Even extra pillows so I can rest the ole gut during my peaceful slumber! 
The next day was Nyepi (beginning of the new year) and a day of silence and no one is allowed to go out on the streets and everything is closed.  You have to be quiet and not make too much noise so as not to bring evil spirits to your home.  Your not supposed to cook either because the spirits can smell too.  Lights out when it gets dark.  We spent the day lounging in the pool and reading.  For some reason or another in all our sitting and lounging I couldn't even find time to write a single word.  By the time darkness rolled in we had to make sure no lights were visible and we hunkered down and watched a movie and had an early night.
My Grandma lives in Bali half the year and in Canada the other half of the year.  This is her retirement even though when she comes back to Canada she still has a job to go to.  My Mom manages her business when she is not there.  Now you'd think retirement would mean a lot of staying home and reading and knitting.  Not for this Grams.  She is busy everyday and has an almost constant stream of visitors that she shows around the island.  She should write a restaurant review column for the local paper and needs a badge that says "tour guide".  I think she may have missed her true calling in life when she got into the insurance bizz.  She loves travel and loves to share those experiences with others.  So she has been to each attraction here on the island no less than 10 times each and even the staff are starting to know her by name. 
Our first day out and about was a rainy one and we figured what better day than to head out to Bali Safari Park and check out the huge array of animals and shows they have out there.  Having a driver is the craziest thing.  We call him and he comes to pick us up and takes us wherever we want and waits until we are done and then takes us back home.  It is definitely something to get used to.  It feels so weird to go into a restaurant and eat dinner while he is outside waiting to drive us home.  It feels like he should be in there eating with us and sharing Balinese stories and having a cold bintang too. 
We saw lions and tigers and bears....seriously we did...in that order.  There were asian elephants and an elephant show that talked a lot about conservation and how the populations native to Sumatra are being decimated due to fighting over habitat.  They figured that maybe if people and elephants worked together....try telling that to a hungry 1 ton elephant if your standing in the way of his bananas!  But all in all a good message and one I hope that people take to heart.  We also got to see the Agung Show at the theatre they have there.  It was a full on musical and dance production of a traditional Balinese story about how a couple of goddesses came to be.  It was beautiful and moving but definitely made by a white dude.  There were elephants on stage and a flock of ducks and birds flying everywhere.  Even a jaguar and a huge yellow snake.  The front of the stage was a river and the set was incredibly detailed.  All for $39.  I think the show itself was probably worth that.
Dinner that night: The Arena.  Where Chad would like to have dinner every night: The Arena.  Surf and Turf (steak and shrimp) for cheap and super delicious!