Bali Day1

Today we arrived at Bali where we will be staying for 2 days.  As we got off the ship, the rain began, gently at first but as the day went on, increased until it was almost monsoon like.  No matter, we had a program arranged and had a perfectly splendid day.

We have a pre-arranged taxi driver for our 2 days here and today confirmed how much better it is to have a privately arranged driver than to go on one of the very expensive cruise tours.

Our friend D has been a Rotarian for many years and one of his group’s projects is right here in Bali.  Our first port of call then was Bumi Sehat, a not for profit organisation found in 1995 by the wonderful Robin Lim (who we were lucky enough to meet today).  Primarily this centre provides a safe place for mothers to give birth, providing also pre and post natal care.  They also endeavour to provide emergency disaster relief and there has been plenty to do following the eruption of Bali’s volcano.  A couple who are friends of D and Aare currently staying in Bali, visiting the project, so they were able to join us for a splendid lunch at a restaurant they recommended.

Still the rain came down and sightseeing was not viable, so where better to spend the afternoon than at a spa!.  Our driver, Jimmy was able to recommend the Orchid Spa (pictured here), secure bookings and get us a very good deal on treatments for the four of us. After body scrubs and soothing massages we returned to the ship for dinner

Note:  it is the wet season in this part of the world and I’ve shown quite a few rainy day pictures, but the temperatures remain extremely high, so it is not remotely like being at home in the UK on a rainy day!