In Reply to: JBR-the good and the not so good posted by laflafs on Friday, 30. April 2004 at 11:16 Bali Time:
Shopping; if you can get past the sh..te that constitutes "great shopping" in Bali (especially mens clothes) there are a few interesting buys, altho I realise this is a purely personal opinion; my two purchases for the whole trip were
1. WW11 German style "leather" covered motorbike helemet with attached goggles!Saw them at a roadside mechanics on the road to Canggu,stopped the driver when lo and behold 2 Swedes had stopped as well after the same thing; after the obligatory dont mention the war jokes, we all purchased one and I spent the rest of the bloody holiday looking for more(75,000rp)So if you espy more of them please post the whereabouts!Not sure what the Perth old bill will make of a fat bastard on a push-bike wearing one either!
2. a volcanic mortar and pestle from the markets in Ubud(35,000rp)
weighs a bloody ton but worth the hassle.
Oh remembered another highlight- the Tugu Hotel;Not normally prone to gushing but walked passed this place several times,and being used to snobby establishments with suitably snooty staff, were amazed to be invited in for a gander-not only us either, and they knew we had accommodation anyway. What a place, and what a refreshing change to meet staff who are obviously proud of their place of employment.As a fan of passive solar building style,this place was really impressive-even in the heat of the day the main bale was still cool-as opposed to most of the concrete/tiled monstrosities in situ or under construction.For honeymooners or people with more moolah than I, seriously consider this place rather than the Oberoi, Legian etc.we saw most of th erooms at various times and are saving up for a quick jaunt to stay here (cheapest rooms US 250)will be ages methinks.still will keep me going til the next time...
regards.