Around the corner, the remains of last night's Mi goreng and Balinese suckling pig sate plus a few bottles of Bintang, remind me that we arrived here last night hot and frustrated only to be soothed by Balinese charm and the sheer luxury of Ubud Hanging Gardens Resort's 38 private pool villas and suites, located in the steep rice terraces of Ubud.
A great Virgin flight over from Brisbane (thank you boys and girls) was marred by a three hour standing wait in the Denpassar airport arrivals hall.When we entered the hall there was hardly enough room for our plane load and then seven planes landed behind us, their passengers crowding into the poorly air conditioned space. With no ropes to guide them, the simple queues quickly disintegrated as people tried to get through and things started to get ugly.
By the end of three hours I was dehydrated and close to fainting - I spent the last 10 minutes sitting on the floor - still in the queue. When we got to the front we realised there were four officers processing the whole hall. It was totally unbelievable for a country that encourages and relies on tourism.
Thankfully that memory is fading, swept away by the kindness and efficiency of those we have met since.
I'm loving my room at Ubud Hanging Gardens, which not only has a very private plunge pool but also an indoor and outdoor spa. How good is that!
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a Balinese cooking class. It just keeps getting better.
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| Balinese suckling pig sate |
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| Mie goreng |
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| Our room is third on the left |
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| The main resort pool hangs over the rain forest. |
Ubud Hanging Gardens
Desa Buahan, Ubud.
www.ubudhanginggardens.com