Saturday, July 30, 2016

EER R&R: Bali Part Three

Just for good measure I ended my stay at Alaya with a morning spa treatment before meeting Kadek for the trip to Jimbaran. I was so glad he was free for the afternoon - what a wonderful connection to make. He took me to a local warung (food stall/restaurant) for some suckling pig. It was delicious, and I was glad he was there to order for me as he chose a selection of pig parts that I wouldn't have known existed but were delicious. He told me it is a place he often comes for lunch, and they did a brisk business while we dined, so it must be popular.

After that I wanted to check out an art market or two, but the heat was pretty intense, so we just stopped at a fabric store where I bought some sarongs and batiks to use as table coverings. Then it was on to the beach. I'm not really a beach person, but I like the water and thought it was a crime to come to a tropical island and not visit the beach, so I decided the last three nights would be at a resort. We arrived at the Intercontinental (I love IHG) around 2:15, and they checked me in and showed me to a lounge where I read until my room was ready. I was starting to feel the effects of the vertigo again by then and basically collapsed into bed. I didn't sleep, but my plans of seeing the sun set quickly disappeared in a cloud of dizziness. Finally I dressed and swayed my way to the hotel's Italian restaurant for their market evening, a sumptuous buffet. My favorite was the fresh caesar salad and the grilled calamari. I tried to take a walk around the resort and on the beach, but the dizziness was really impairing me by then - especially in the dark, so I fumbled my way back to my room and collapsed.

Saturday was a complete rest day. Other than breakfast and dinner (a Balinese buffet and dance show), I rested. I started Cipro, which made me feel better very quickly, and I guzzled water in case dehydration was the cause of the vertigo. I definitely felt better this evening and enjoyed the dance performance. It was too dark to get good photos, so I just focused on watching - though I was definitely in the minority on this, as my view was consistently blocked by others trying to get the best shot. Sigh.

I did a little bit better on Sunday (and felt MUCH better) and enjoyed a mani/pedi, a short nap in the heat of the afternoon, a walk on the beach in the waves, and a few hours of reading and nibbling at a cafe on the beach. The sunset was lovely, and we had a great view of planes landing at the airport. A perfect end to a tropical vacation! Tomorrow it's back to Taipei for two more fun-filled days and then a long trip back to Beirut.














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