My plans to sleep in on Sunday were dashed by the neighboring roosters. A few roosters crowing in the morning is always to be expected, but the fighting cocks in the compound next door seemed to be going extra crazy! Since they wouldn’t allow me to sleep in, then perhaps lounging by the pool would be pleasant. Alas, there was no sun by the pool; it was all shade. There was nothing to do then, but shop!
My favorite shoe store in Seminyak is E.T. Club. They have the cutest, most ingenious shoe styles, as well as equally unique accessories. I have tons of shoes from them, but can never resist at least one more pair. Trying to stay within some kind of a budget, though, I only allowed myself to look at the Sale shoes. I bought two pairs of pretty dressy sandals. Back across the street to Bintang Supermarket, I realized that they sold scented oils, at a price cheaper than I’d paid at the Ubud Market. Picked up a couple of those in lemongrass and frangipani. Unfortunately, I then noticed a jewelry store in that little strip mall area which I’d never previously gone into. So, yes, I fell victim to a few more shiny baubles.
A late breakfast at Seminyak Café gave me sufficient energy to make it back to my hotel room to put away all of my treasures! The mie goreng at Seminyak Café is neither the best, nor the cheapest, but it’ll do in a pinch!
Had the majority of my morning not been spent ogling blingy thingies, I would have had more time to spend at Cocoon. That place never bores me. I got there, sat at the bar and had a few drinks while people watching the other patrons swim in the pool and sunbathe. The bartender was telling me that his favorite place to go is La Favela, which IS on my list of places to try. He said that they have R&B music. Really? I’m not a huge fan of EDM and am fairly picky about house music as well, but R&B all the time works for me! La Favela wouldn’t be happening that night, however, as I had dinner plans, then needed to be in bed early to be at the airport by 4:30 a.m. for my very early flight to Siem Reap.
At the moment, though, it was time for another massage at Spa Bali. Having stayed almost exclusively in that area for the past 5 or 6 trips, I’ve tried most of the massage places up and down Dhyana Pura. Spa Bali remains my favorite, even though the prices are a little higher than many. After my massage AND the ultimate foot bath, it was off to Anantara to meet my friend, A., for sunset.
Anantara is a fancy schmancy hotel at the end of Dhyana Pura that A. introduced me to on our first meeting. The upstairs has gone through a few changes. It was originally called S.O.S. (Sunsets on Seminyak or something) and had a fabulous, accessible view from the upper floor of the hotel to catch the amazing sunsets. It was being renovated in October and has now re-emerged as MoonLite Kitchen and Bar. It’s still upstairs overlooking the beach, but is now more of a regular restaurant and less about the view. Gone are those big couches that you could just throw yourself onto and sink back to stare at the sunset, with a hefty cocktail on the little tables next to them. I had a few cocktails, but A. was going through a cleansing, which meant no alcohol for her! We talked about traveling, our love lives, new restaurants/bars in the area, the Bali 9, etc. Then she walked me partway down the street and hugged me goodbye. Don’t know when we’ll see each other again. She’s ready to leave Bali, but doesn’t know where she wants to go. I’ve always been ready to leave San Francisco and have wanted to live in Bali from the start, but worry about not being prepared financially. Even with that being said, we’ll probably both see each other in Bali next year – and still be in our current situations!
Dinner was at my favorite restaurant – Sarong, of course. They always seat me indoors in the same general area, right in the middle. My choices were the habitual betel leaf with scallop, coriander, lime and chili, then the butter chicken with rice and a glass of wine. That betel leaf has never let me down yet, but the butter chicken wasn’t quite as good as it’s been in the past. Service, of course, was excellent.
The temptation to go to Ku De Ta or Cocoon or Seminyak Italian for a nightcap was strong, but… I had to repack some of my things, ask the guys at the hotel to arrange a driver for me to go to the airport and get in at least 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Don’t you hate being responsible?!?!
The taxi was there at 3:30 a.m., as the guys had promised. I’d already been up at 3:00 a.m. to quickly shower and get my things together. One of the staff carried most of my bags downstairs and put them in the waiting taxi. “Bye, beautiful room,” I whispered, “Can’t wait to return to you!”
A. and Me at MoonLite Kitchen and Bar
Me after Dinner at Sarong