May 2015 be even better!

We welcomed 2015 in a simple way - just the two of us, at home (after a tiring day traipsing around the city, getting our new mobiles which were way overdue, and shopping). Simple, understated but really with the only one who matters to me.

2014 was a challenging year for us as we were financially stretched to our limits up to quarter 3. It also included a big move from one country to another and having to acclimatise to the weather, culture and the people. It also meant we were closer to our families, once again, and with it comes a lot more responsibilities and expectations.

Bali : Last days of May

How joyful we were when Sam's first proper paycheck came in towards the end of May. And again we caught ourselves having celebratory kisses and embraces as if it were something that just happened. Thus, we were having happy celebratory kisses all month long! 

My idea to finally hold our wedding reception at the start of 2016 meant we spent most of May looking at hotels and restaurants and possible venues. Nothing much came out of the search that has struck our fancy. Then we both fell ill with cold. Poor Sam had it worser than I did - with his fever and stuffy nose, he still had to head in to work. I, on the other hand, just focused on looking for a wedding venue. 

Sam had applied for his annual leave from work about 6 months ago for a period of 3 days at the end of May. His company had given him 4 extra days off and that was a real nice stretch. As his leave from work came closer and closer, we began fretting as we were both unwell and couldn't even think of where to go. Yet it would have been our first proper holidays since 2012 (on our own, without the company of anyone else)! We discussed over it several times and then decided that perhaps it's best to just cancel on our holiday and recuperate from our colds and then head back to our home country to look for wedding venues and maybe squeeze in a night or two of hotel stay. I couldn't bear to tell Sam that I felt quite sad that our holiday had to be cancelled. So I just kept mum about it. What I did not know was that he was feeling just as sad about it as I was. 

Three days before his leave was to begin, he came home from work and reflected on how he has been working since his graduation back in 2008 and only had one proper holiday in Thailand with me back in 2012. We had 3 short trips within WA during our time there with his friends and our family members, and another road trip within Malaysia last year and that was that within these 3 years. He was wistful as he expressed how he wished he could relate to stories of my travels. Oh, how I did travel in those years before I met Sam and how I do long for it. Yet, sometimes, regardless of your yearnings, if you can't possibly afford it, you merely have to stamp those longings away and make do with what you have. But now, for the first time, we could afford a holiday and we were just feeling so under the weather. Yet, when Sam expressed his deepest longing, it tugged at the strings of my heart and that's when I told him we'll just go on a holiday after all. He was overjoyed when he heard me say that. Unbeknownst to each other, we both wanted a holiday after all! 

We still hadn't figured out the destination and so I suggested that we each think of 3 places and then compare our list the day after. Yet the very next day, neither one of us prepared a list and I only had one place to suggest - Bali. And so Bali it was! As we didn't have much time to spare and we were both so unwell, we decided to split the chores to expedite things. Sam had air flight booking and car rental arrangements on his plate; whilst I had accommodation searching and arrangements for activities/attractions visiting on mine. I think Sam had it tougher as he had to work while I was done with all my projects. And it's a good thing that I visited Bali 10 years ago so I had a rough idea of what I wanted Sam to experience during our holiday. He initially said our holiday should be 4 days and 3 nights long, but I insisted that it wouldn't suffice. So he had another day to our trip. But hey, to me...5 days in Bali is never going to be enough. 

On our very night before we were to fly off (the 30th), things became slightly manic. Firstly, I wanted to travel with my 'chicken fillets' (silicone bra) but it gave way in the evening. We were knackered but decided that perhaps it's best to head out and get a pair. We had absolutely no idea where to get the fillets, as we rarely shopped in SG, and decided that it might be best to ring Alicia (Jordan's fiancee) for ideas. She suggested a mall close to her home and then proceeded to tell me that she was alone on her birthday. We felt bad upon hearing that and then immediately made plans to meet up and surprise her with a cake. So off we went, with our bag half packed and without bookings for hotel and car, to shop for the fillet and to meet Alicia. 

Managed to get the fillet (2 sets to boot!), surprise Alicia, spend some time with her and her family, make it back home, packed our bags, booked a car (and still no hotel), and then realised we only had 2 hours left to sleep before we had to be up and ready to get to the airport. Sam, who could easily fall asleep anywhere, knocked off almost immediately. I tossed and turned and before I could even sleep a wink, the alarm started blaring and off the bed we had to go. I was not a happy camper. On top of that, we booked a cab and it left without us! We were both still feeling poorly and chalking up a sleep debt. 

We checked in at the airport only to be warned that we might not get our meal as we did not inform them of our change in travel date. We laid our fears aside with a hurried breakfast. It felt great getting on that plane to kick start our holidays. Yet with our bonked up noses, we felt miserable during the flight and couldn't wait to arrive at Bali. 

First things first, bag collection! Bag handlers broke our handle and this was our last remaining perfect trolley bag. We were upset and to make it worst, it left sharp pointy ends that had to be pressed down simultaneously and was rather dangerous to do. The ends even left a deep impression on our phone covers when I decided that it was safer to use the covers than to risk cutting our fingers. While Sam lodged a report, I had to quickly make use of the free Wifi and get addresses of hotels for us to check out.

The car that we booked for SGD 18 a day was a pleasant surprise. It was only 5 months old, comfortable, fuel savvy and zippy on the road. We looked for the first hotel on our list and couldn't find it. I was relieved, in a way, as the place was just too close to the Airport. Motorcycles were absolutely everywhere. I was glad that I wasn't the one behind the wheel. So there we were, stunned by the heavy traffic without a clue of where we were headed!

In desperation, I suggested that we head to Kuta (pronounced as Ku-ter) in search of a place that would offer us free Wifi. We ended up at Beachwalk Shopping Center and ended up at Calais. I had an absolutely delicious honeydew and strawberry cream smoothie. We didn't get another chance to pop into another Calais for the rest of our trip but it will definitely be on my list of things to savour when we come back to Bali in future. 

The Wifi connection was intermittent and it was kinda frustrating to wait for things to load. In the end, we booked a room in a guesthouse in Changgu (White Dove Villa) through their Marketing person, Fred, who was absolutely helpful in assisting us in every way possible. The place was only a month old and a steal for SGD 15 a day, with the pool right outside our room and a shared kitchen. 

Our excitement did not last long. We took a shower, thinking we'd have a nap before starting off on our adventure. The hot water went off at the start of our shower and we ended up waiting for maintenance to check the pipes for a long time! Our plans to take a nap were crushed. And we decided to head out to Pura Tanah Lot instead. 

Pura Tanah Lot was the one place I regretted never visiting 10 years ago. Yet, as I stood there, taking it all in....I felt a bit let down. It was not how I had imagined it to be, despite all the numerous photos that I had seen of the temple.