Mercure Hotel Kuta Bali

... mall, where we finally managed to get a new rucksack for me. My old one sadly had to be replaced, with a big hole in the bottom and we finally figured out that all the sand that had got in was the reason it was always so heavy. Throwing away the old one by stuffing it in to a bin suddenly didn't seem the best thing to do, but luckily there were no security guards around to tell us off! The last few days in Kuta were spent soaking up the sun and planning the rest ...

... took even longer to get out but my ducking of waves I feel improved a little - instead of getting washed back into shore I discovered if I swam along side my board, held onto it really tightly and dived right under the wave it was far more effective and lessen the drag of the wave quite considerably and therefore saved energy. Not so much success with the waves though. Although saying that I do quite like just lying on a board out past them in the calm, looking like I know ...

... the culture outside of Kuta is a joy &#8211; beautiful temples, stunning rice terraces and palm tree lined beaches. Kuta is great too &#8211; a party town with lots of bars and restaurants and one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world.<br><br>Unfortunately we didn&#8217;t venture outside of Kuta, the laid back Balineses way of life affected us almost immediately &amp; we spent 3 very pleasant days relaxing by the beach and pool ...

... written afterwards!)[Rich: Correct. This is the version of events from mine and Andy's eyes, before we learned the truth ... ]<br><br>Bounty was the usual mix of fun, *****, and hilarity. Tom, yet again, did alot of dancing on the usual podium that we hung out around. However, this time, there was a hooker/dancer on the podium that really really grinded any guy that got onto the podium to dance with her. You really should have seen the amount of camp dancers that leapt on that ...

... the things you can't avoid in Ubud (or all of Bali really) is someone asking you for "transport." The government has outlawed meter taxis to try and ensure the locals get the job of transporting foreigners around on the backs of their mopeds. The result, unfortunately, is that people from nearby islands have flocked to Bali and you can't walk one block without being hounded by someone offering you "transport." I don't even know why someone would take a taxi ...

... always still come out smiling :-) We are still missing you all!!! Thanks for keeping in contact, we really do appreciate it wherever in the world we are. Its great to know someone is thinking of us. Lots and lots of love the de Gruchy's xxxxx Strange things about Indonesia/things we've seen: Corner shops have beer gardens, trees with fairy lights and beautiful picnic tables!!!! That would never work at home...it would be full of chavs ha ha :-) The amount of Indonesians we ...

... from the animal droppings, cleans them, then grinds them up and voile!- Kopi Luwak coffee. It sells for somewhere around $100/pound in uppity parts of the world (it's suspected that many consumers don't know how it's made, just that it's the most expensive you can buy). We got to try a cup for about $3. When in Rome... We decided to then head to the east side of the island for some beach time. Nyoman Kelid drove us a little town ...

... main strip of the shopping area, you heard a lot of shouts of "Hey boss, you want some sunglasses?", and "Hey mister, you want a massage?". I opted for the Oakley knockoffs. One thing I did realize during this trip is that if you plan on shopping or booking a hotel, it'll be a good move to have someone with you who is local to the area to barter and prevent from paying the higher tourist fees.

... sell us tickets. Because of the rain, the Kecak dance was inside a big pavilion. The only source of light was an array of candles in the center of the floor. Other than that it was dark. At the appointed time the Kecak "choir" piled into the pavilion. There were perhaps 30 of them. They circled the candles and started chanting. Soon enough the singing flowed into the trademark "Kecak Kecak." One guy chirps, "Kecak Kecak" quickly, which is ...

Friday (7th March) was Nyepi - The Balinese Day of Silence. A day that coincides with Shivarathri in India, Nyepi is the Balinese New Year. Its unique to the island of Bali and is the most intriguing display of Hinduism outside India. The eve of Nyepi is marked by mass processions where every locality marches through the streets proudly displaying their 'Ogoh Ogoh'. So like a good self-respecting tourist, I lined the main street with my camera and oohed and aaahed at ...