Day 6 – Sunday, June 26th
The apocalyptic booming of a tropical thunderstorm beating down on the clay-tiled roof shook me into consciousness. The dreary weather was a welcome excuse to stay in the comfortable confines of our room for a bit longer. Soon enough, hunger motivated us to brave the pouring rain.
I know I over packed for this trip with my 60-pound suitcase, but Mashrur’s bewildered look when I stuffed a yellow poncho in my bag that he never saw me wear before now fully justified itself. Mashrur on the other hand, was stuck with a small polka dotted umbrella. 🙂
Our villa garden flooded with almost an inch of water became the ideal frog playground.
We jumped around puddles and slipped on the tile sidewalks all the way to the Dusty Café.
I felt like I was stepping into a café in SoHo surrounded by the vintage glam ambiance. Gushing over every quaint detail, I instantly claimed the Dusty as my favorite neighborhood hangout.
Picture distressed woods perfectly blended with brick and galvanized metal accents. The chandeliers and royal purple chairs invite you to sit down and stay awhile whether it’s to kickstart your day over breakfast or satiate your craving for a mid-afternoon nosh served up on a wooden cutting board. You could sit here for hours tucked away sipping lattes with a good book at your antique sewing machine table adorned with doily placemats, black lantern, and petite floral arrangement.
Highly recommend: Iced Latte, “The Gate” (omelet), The Captain” (tuna tartare), “Art Car” (burger)
After breakfast the sky was still grumbling, but I threw on my wet poncho and we decided it was time to find the local grocery store.
Imagine walking into a grocery store named Budweiser… well, the name of our grocery store sounds just as odd since Bintang is the local brand of beer. We arrived with the agenda to pickup some basic necessities but sure enough as soon as we walked through the door I felt some level of ADD take over and couldn’t resist the urge to walk up and down the aisles gazing at all kinds of products I had never set eyes on and a surprising amount of brands that are common in the U.S. I was naive to think we wouldn’t be able to find our brand of toiletries here, so I stockpiled a 3-month supply of every bathroom product we can’t live without. Sitting on the shelf staring me in the face was a huge row of toothpaste including my favorite Crest Pro-Health Whitening for less than $2. These are the moments you shake your head realizing you weren’t moving to a different planet.
Our shopping adventure led to our first home cooked meal: Grilled chicken tenders with asparagus and mushrooms, not too shabby!
Today’s rain was a welcome respite after being on autopilot since we’ve arrived in Bali. I was pining to retire to bed early, but Mashrur had other plans. He rallied us to find our second wind, so I had a cup of coffee and got myself together for a night out. I’m not talking about the pub around the corner, we trekked an hour south to Uluwatu!
We reunited with our three Irish friends who told us this was the happening spot on Sunday nights. It’s awesome to reap the benefits of piggy backing off of like-minded travelers who meticulously research and plan every detail of their trip. Yes, that used to be me, but I’m taking things as they come these days and that seems to be working out just fine.
This frat house meets surfer beach bar is definitely the place to be for those single fish looking for a sea of fun. This isn’t our typical scene, but I’d like to think we’re not a boring old married couple so as they say when in Rome…
We missed the infamous Uluwatu sunset, but we almost saw the sun rise before our heads finally hit the pillows.
The In-Between 