Arrival in Singapore and Bali

Our 29 hours of travel and 3 flights to get to Singapore, turned out not so bad after all... the last 8 hr flight from Tokyo was only half full so we were able to stretch out on 3 seats each, which made for a welcome relief. Our 12 hr layover in Singapore, before our final flight to Bali, was spent in the airport transit hotel, didn't have to worry about retrieving our checked in luggage and enjoyed the best shower and sleep.

If one has to be stuck at an airport, THIS is the one to be in... Changi is spacious, clean and tranquil, with many small gardens to enjoy... our favorite being the butterfly garden. Then there is the movie theatre, gym, swimming pool, abundant flowers and pools... very enjoyable, but it was time to move on to Bali...




Kebun Indah... translated .... "Beautiful Garden" and this is our accomodation for our first 10 days. Comprised of many individual bungalows set into a small hillside, ours happens to be located alongside 2 small rice fields. It is hard to believe we are steps away from the busy road in the town of Ubad, as one feels totally surrounded by tranquility. Each 'bungalow' has it's own porch where breakfast is served each day. A welcome addition is the pool set among the gardens and of course the massage spa.

Great care is taken to keep everything in balance/harmony with the spirits of those who have already passed from this life onto the next, as " offering" baskets made from the palm leaf containing flowers, rice and incense are placed in small shrines in the trees and at the entrance to each bungalow.




Late afternoon mosquito coils are placed either side of our door... geckos are encouraged to scamper in and out as they bring good luck to the house. Mosquito netting surrounds our bed, but thankfully seems to be unnecessary (the coils are doing the job).

Each morning we are awakened to the gentle swish-swish of the palm frond brush as our porch and patch of grass alongside us is being swept, this combined with multiple bird songs and distant roosters make for a fine 'wake up call'.

The Balinese staff greet us with gentle courtsey and beautiful smiles so open and friendly, we feel as though we are family. Several have worked here for years and are delighted to see the photos we have on our laptop and hear about our friends who have visited here before us, and were it not for them, we would have missed out on this very special location.