KL and beyond part 1

Its been over 6 weeks since I last blogged, except for the previous one on Lucas' 3rd birthday. In case some of you do not know, Lucas & I have been away for a month, and although we have been back in rainy & cold Tarbes for the past 2 weeks now, I am still feeling out of sorts and maybe a little jet lagged...

On the day Lucas & I left Toulouse for Amsterdam & KL, we'd heard that there was going to be a strike at the airport. Lucky for us we were booked on KLM and could check in online AND choose our seats online 30 hours before departure which was exactly what we did. BTW this route is perfect, the departure time from TLS to AMS is late evening and then we immediately board onto another flight to KL (only an hour's wait at Schipol).

I made a mistake thinking we had a 4 hour wait at Schipol. On top of that I also left my stroller at the cityhopper plane (we had to catch a bus to the main airport) AND lost our boarding passes. After getting all of that sorted out, we had 30 minutes to run to the gates and board the plane to KL! I'd only realize I made that mistake about the 4 hour wait after I got issued the 2nd set of boarding passes.

It was a full, full flight and the seats we got were non reclinable :(

Lucas was too amped up to settle down and sleep so it was a bit difficult the first 4 hours but he finally slept til the plane landed in KL.

The first thing that hit me when my cousin picked us up from KLIA was the heat! In KL, Lucas & I were taking one shower after another because we would literally start perspiring the minute we got out of the shower!

I had planned to stay with friends who have invited us, but in the end we stayed put at Grace & Duncan's. Lucas fell in love with both Grace and Dunc, calling Grace "mama" several times...!

And the apartment was so convenient and so near to another friend, Theresa's place that Lucas could go "hang out" with his buddies Mikhele & Gio when we were not busy shopping.

We had a wonderful time in KL, spending precious time with friends who, inspite of the distance and time apart, remained true.

Bali started with one disaster - a so called friend who had just moved to Bali invited Lucas & I to stay with her - which was why I booked us tickets to Bali for a whole week. A month before our departure she cancelled on us (!!!) stating that she now has a "villa mate" and it was no longer convenient.

But Lucas & I managed to make the best of our extra time in Bali, thanks to our tour guide extraodinaire, Nyoman. He was not only a taxi driver, he was my meal companion, babysitter (he babysat while I went for my mani & pedi), baby carrier whenever Lucas wanted to be carried, shopping bags carrier, he knew the best places to shop and the best place to have nasi bebek! He was also there for us when we had a spiritual encounter in one of the hotels in Seminyak - Nyoman immediately turned back and came to get us and brought us to another hotel. Before that he tried to get a refund from the hotel for us as well.

For those of you who have asked me many times what I saw, I am not actually supposed to talk about it, so suffice to say a shadow flitting in the shower stall's smoked glass is all I can tell you.

The GM of that hotel apparently moonlights as a bomoh, cos he turned up at my room (Luc & I were waiting outside) with a bag of prayer stuff... He knocked at the door and asked for permission before he entered... And yet he denied that there was anything in that room! In fact, I think the whole hotel is haunted, because the GM changed rooms for us, stated that the room is clean AND safe; then said "but I advise you to sleep with all the lights on" (!!!!)

Anyway, next time any of you are tempted to stay in an authentic Balinese hotel, be careful when booking online. The photos are not what they seem. Honestly you are better off booking a Harris Room at the Harris Hotel. Lucas & I stayed there one night - it comes equipped with a living room, a kitchenette, a king sized bed, a kid's club where you can leave your kids there to play, a kid's pool and fantastic staff! All that, for USD78 a night.



Harris Room



Bedroom at Harris

The best time we had in Bali was of course at The Istana in Uluwatu where June's wedding was held. Lucas & I stayed there 5 days and it was truly paradise! I got Lucas a nanny (AUD45 for 12 hours) and I was able to rest a little and even go to the spa.