Bali Escapade: The Idyllic Balinese Lifestyle

This was the reception area of the resort we stayed in. The overall feeling created by the Balinese art and decor was welcoming. The furniture pieces doubled up as decorative & functional items. Because of the craftwork involved in the pieces, they looked like exhibits in a museum too.

Unfortunately, our room was nothing to rave about except for its floor space, which was much bigger than a standard double-bed room. Clearly, it was the private-pool villas that were the signature accomodation in this resort.

The abundant greenery within the compounds. I wished the heat was less harsh. Walking in the gardens would have been totally unforgettable for me.

Trip over a stone & you land up at the beautiful beach. The pavilion beckoned for admirers of the deep blue waters that stretched endlessly ahead.

The tropical trees sashaying in the tropical breeze.

The pools were enticing & overlooked the horizon separating the sea & the sky.

A dining setup on the beach with a pavilion for total relaxation.

Here we go, right beside the sea with the music of the waves and the dancing wind. Can you forget this experience? I imagine no, certainly not for the money you pay ;P

The sparkling sand under the moonlight.

A sculptured column and lamps along the footpaths.

Bali Escapade: The Last Dive??

Prior to Bali, my last dive was at Phuket, at 2004 (we returned just days before the Tsunami hit). Between that & this dive, I had totally forgotten where my regulator was and how to inflate & deflate my BCD. So it took me a while before I got into the element again.

Buoyancy problems. I have always had that difficulty underwater & it had always killed the fun for me. Strangely, it wasn't so pronounced during this dive. At least, I didn't unwittingly float my way up to the surface halfway through. Fred is the more competent diver, between us. But this time round, he had a weird encounter. No, not with sharks but he had a nagging headache throughout the dive, which he couldn't put his finger on. It troubled him for the whole 50 mins underwater such that he asked the divemaster for us to surface. It was back on the boat that he realised his headache was caused by an overtight mask. Ha!

Will this be our last dive? We'll see...

Always jittery before any dive.

Bali Escapade: The Sand, the Sea & the Wind at Nusa Dua

Bali Escapade: Dining into the Sunset, Jimbaran

The seaside sunset dining experience was truly an awesome must-have, once-in-a-lifetime experience! For the price of Sing dollar 36, we had a 1.4 kg Red Snapper (ok, we assumed the scale was accurate, ha!) picked from today's catch, grilled & dressed with the most tasty sweet & spicy sauce. Indonesian style of course!

Starter soup was fine, fire-fried potatoes were a little miserable in presentation, but the main meal beat everything else hands down. Rice served in a little rattan basket was abundant, the vegetables were tasty but too little for us. When the fish was served, we exclaimed at how big it was & were pleasantly happy it didn't seem the kitchen had swapped our pick for a smaller one. Ha!