Next stop Bali......Sanur to be exact. We were not to know, then, that Sanur would be one of our most favourite places to stay so....in the later part of 2019 we have decided to return for at least 2 months. However let's return to our stay of one month in 2018.
If you have ever flown into Denpasar airport you will totally understand what I am going to talk about.....there are literally hundreds of people waving names on scraps of paper at you as you walk into the arrival hall.......it is like a long wall of faces at least 4 deep and very noisy!!!! Sourcing our pre-booked ride seemed relatively easy for us though - he was the one savvy enough to stand well away from the main, heaving throng. Our ride from the airport to our hotel was uneventful but very busy - Denpasar airport exits are chaotic!!!
We stayed at Gunakaya in Sanur - one road back from the beach - the perfect place for us in the quieter section of this small township. We had our own large villa right by the pool, breakfast was served on our balcony every morning, it was peaceful and quiet and close to many great and inexpensive restaurants, cafes, and Warongs. Two brothers and a sister run Gunakaya and were only too happy to be helpful in any way they could. Gary asked about buying beer - the next day a crate was on our doorstep.
We loved all the food in Bali but especially Nasi Campur - a tasting plate of many of the different ethnic dishes Bali has to offer and Babi Guling - a local spit-roasted pork dish. The burgers they produce are pretty tasty too I have to say.
Another must in Sanur is Gelato.........from the shop on the roadside you can select from literally dozens of flavours. The shop is so busy you have to order, pay, take a ticket and wait for your name to be called - only then do you choose your flavours and only if you have been lucky to get close enough to see what you are able to choose from!!!! NZ$2 will buy you a ginormous cone of two flavours and when I say ginormous I mean ginormous. They are so busy there are times when the police direct the traffic to enable people to cross the road to the shop.
Whilst in Sanur we seemed to be always busy, walking, swimming, taking trips to the most amazing Butterfly Park, to Jatiluwih - an incredible area of rice terraces covering several acres - to a Luwak Coffee plantation (where the coffee beans are retrieved from the poo of the Luwak and is, by the way, delicious). We witnessed extravagant weddings and overwhelming cremation ceremonies and Happy Hour. Happy hour in Sanur would put a New Zealand Vineyard to shame!!!! A full large glass of wine for $5??? followed by a barbequed corn on the cob slathered in butter and pepper whilst watching the sun go down on the beach. How could there be any more "perfect" than that? Oh yes - - - coming across 3 talented young people singing Ed Sheeran's song whilst out for a stroll.......equal match perhaps!!
It was during this time however that I came down with Shingles which took me out of circulation for a few days unfortunately but, even that worked out OK because in Bali you can buy the anti-viral medication over the counter so I was able to get onto it very quickly.
A day trip to Ubud to pick up Neil and Foo alerted us to how Ubud had grown and changed and reminded us why we were in Sanur. We did have an awesome coffee there though and although it was a very hot day we all managed to walk "The Ridge Walk" ducking from one tree-cover to the next....lol.
We spent a really enjoyable few days with Foo and Neil at Gunakaya, having the two units together right beside the pool, it was great to have some company. We enjoyed showing them around, taking them to the different places we had discovered and drinking Gin and Tonic.
We loved our stay in Sanur and Gunakaya and as I said earlier, so much so, it is back to Sanur in late 2019 but, this time, we will rent a 2 bedroom villa with a swimming pool for ourselves..........lets hope it doesn't grow as quickly as Ubud..........then we won't have to put up with all the European young people!!!!!
