Day 7 – Monday, June 27th
What is your favorite scent? I absolutely love the smell of clean laundry, ahhh.
It’s pretty tough doing laundry in Bali — you fill up a bag with your dirty clothes, walk around the corner, drop it off, and pick it up the next day (I hope you sense the sarcasm). The cost is based on weight, 10 pounds is ~$7.00. They did such an incredible job washing, drying and folding the clothes, I quickly forgot how anal I am about the way I do my own laundry. I really think it’s cathartic to fold clothes, maybe the calm repetitive motion is a strange form of meditation. Many Manhattanites get their laundry done as well, but I have always done my own until now when there is no alternative since villas don’t have a washer or dryer and I haven’t seen any self-service laundry mats. Hey, I’m not complaining; I’ll find a different type of meditation to compensate in the meantime.
Ok that’s enough obsessing about laundry, onto something more fun for you to read…
It was around 90 degrees and sunny, so this called for a beach day. Seminyak beach is strewn with surfers and sunbathers, but the waves can be rough and unpredictable, so it’s worth the ride down to Uluwatu’s turquoise waters and private white sand beaches.
Hold onto your swimsuit and get ready for a ride of a lifetime. Hidden beneath the Uluwatu coast lies a pristine beach calling your name, but I hope you’re not afraid of heights. You’ll ride a rollercoaster lift descending over a sheer cliff (Caution: May cause heart palpitations). All your fears will dissipate when you arrive at sea level. This beach club charges an entrance fee, but it includes a food/drink credit, beach towel, and access to the facilities (restaurant, lounge chairs, wifi, nice bathrooms and showers, etc.) – well worth it in my opinion.
I tore off my cover-up and ran into the ocean at full speed. It’s hard to believe this was my first swim in the Indian Ocean! Since arriving in Bali, we’ve been sticking to long walks on the beach and swimming in the pool. Although I’m a pretty confident swimmer, there’s rarely lifeguards, and I wouldn’t rely on them to save anyone if the riptide carries you out to sea. Needless to say, we’re being overly cautious as we begin to test the waters. This beach is nestled into the cove of a cliff, which offered a bit of shelter from the aggressive tide.
The warm ocean cleanses your skin as you buoyantly drift across the surface. It’s humbling to feel how insignificant you are in this gargantuan aqua expanse of crystal clear ocean and sky. You enter a zen state as you float on your back looking at the cliff looming above you… until an unexpected wave hits you in the face and your eyes are burning while trying to tear up to neutralize the salt.
I swam for a while until my fingers pruned and body fatigued from stubbornly going against the pull of the current. I washed up on shore and found a nice lounge chair next to Mashrur with an ocean front view where we could lazily admire the view.
We had once again met up with our friends Naomi, Lisa, and Chloe at the beach club (I swear we aren’t stalkers). They gregariously introduced us to a strapping group of Aussie guys here for a stag (bachelor) party.
The sun faded into night as we gathered around a bonfire in a circle of beanbags letting the stories flow in synch with the drinks topped off with some roasted marshmallows. One of the Aussie guys showed us how to navigate the constellations to find the southern cross. I was in awe appreciating the view of the night sky from this hemisphere. Some things you will never miss about New York/New Jersey – light pollution.
We decided to move the party back to Seminyak, so we arranged for our driver to stop by a Mini Mart for a few snacks and some cold travelers/roadies while Mashrur DJ’ed in the backseat making the Toyota Venza into a full-fledged party bus.
We arrived in style as the doors opened into the stag party’s baller villa tricked out with all the modern amenities of a Hollywood Hills celebrity McMansion complete with 24-hour security guard, private chef, home theater system, and illuminated Olympic sized lap pool.
The chef took one look at us and knew exactly what to do – in less time than it takes you to cook ramen noodles, she whipped up some incredible nasi goreng, mie goreng, spring rolls, and chicken satay that totally hit the spot.
Refueled, the fun ensued as we took turns controlling the playlist which clearly represented our individual taste in music with a strong influence on our countries of origin: Australia, Ireland, and America.
Here are some of the most notable song selections from each of our groups that had us dancing and singing the night away:
Australia: “The Horses” by Daryl Braithwaite, “You’re the Voice” by John Farnham, “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden
Ireland: Traditional Irish Jig (name unknown) and “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush
America: “Hells Bells” by AC/DC, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
The grand finale was a song that struck a chord for all of us and summed up a very memorable night — the Dirty Dancing theme song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
The In-Between 