In 1988 I decided for my first overseas trip I wanted to experience a different culture. Sure, Sydney was only a 3 hour flight away, but that was too much like New Zealand for me, so I had decided to go to Bali.
I booked a package from "Garuda's Bali" staying at the Swastika Bungalows in Sanur. My flight happened to be the first week Garuda was running their second weekly direct AKL-DPS flight. There were a total of 17 pax on a DC10. Spent most of the flight talking, laughing and drinking with the crew.
Arriving in DPS - and being my first intl trip - I was amazed at the easygoing attitude at the airport. I even asked "aren't you going to search my bag?" (LOL) so the guy prodded my bag and waved me on. Outside, my hotel transfer was waiting for me. From the suffocating humidity into an airconditioned car, we whizzed through the palm trees and I remember how stunned I was with the beauty of it all. This was not NZ, that's for sure! I was in heaven.
That first evening I was relaxing in the pool and suddenly felt something on my shoulder. I amost jumped out of my skin! It was just a tiny frog, but I had freaked. I remember the bats swooping down too.
Over those two weeks, I met other really nice people from Australia, Europe and elsewhere. There was a woman who looked suspiciously like Frida from Abba staying there... but I was too afraid to ask, and I suspect Frida wouldn't have been staying at the Swastika.
Ketut, from the hotel, was my personal guide for a few of my day trips. He took me to Candidasa (wasn't much there in 1988) and to visit his family, travelling on the back of his motorbike. All that travel on the bike had left my face black with fumes - something I didn't realise until I got my photos back later. There's me, at only 5'8" (and yet still taller than his whole family) with my filty black face. I still laugh when I look at that photo.
I can't wait to return.