Jimbaran Smoke

Jimbaran Beach,

Sounds bit tacky, isn't it? Like a title from a lousy B-movie.........

But it is quite the opposite.....the local Balinese have converted this beautiful stretch of beach into a popular dining venue, serving freshly bbq'ed seafood on the beach, and furthermore at very modest prices....

We were baffled when we were asked to sit on one of the numerous tables on the beach, fearing that when high tide comes in, we would be swamped, but since that Bali practically is located on top of the equator, the low and high tides of the sea barely cause any rise or fall (unless it is a tsunami ofcourse). Thus we were practically safe to dine on the beach, with the only illumination coming from candles put on the tables. How more romantic can it be :p?!?

And nope, it didn't cost an arm and a leg........prices were very modest, considering that we stuffed ourselves full with lobster, crab, prawns, fish, squid, clams.....25 euro/30 USD per head covered the bill......it's a steal, ain't it?

Ow, yeah, for the green anoraks amongst you.....the kitchen didn't utilize gas, electricity, nor charcoal to bbq the food for us.............it was using coconut husks instead to fuel the bbq pits instead.

Positive point = the coco shells don't wind up in the towering garbage mountain,.........Bad point = look at the below first vid, the smoke is horrendous,...I bet ya that this resto creates a HUUUUGE carbon footprint, not to think of those poor dudes manning the pits.....I bet their lungs are wasted after a few years of BBQ service....

Anybody got an idea of how to create a smokeless coconut husk fueled bbq? Please head to Jimbaran Beach.....the proprietor might give you a free dinner in return :)

Little piece of Heaven

Sunset in Heaven,

Granted, all sunsets are the same, 'cos after all, we all share the same precious real estate of ours, called Earth, and we all derive our 'nutrients' from the one and only Sun in our solar system........

But we have to revise our opinion 'bout sunsets.............

Balinese sunsets = a mix of year-round tropical weather, lovely breeze, beautiful people, delicious food and foremost, the wonderful hospitality of the local populace.......

No wonder that the 'Bali experience' has been hyped for decades......we have found out for ourselves that it is not a 'hype' nor a 'stereotype' after all..........it simply is AMAZING......

If God was to create Heaven on Earth, I bet that Bali would be high up there on his shortlist.......

KissBali

Bali,

Whenever or whoever pops this pronoun, be it either in a conversation or through mass-media, the word 'Bali' never fails to produce a 'happy' feel-good feeling.......

So, when we had the chance to go there, we practically jumped at the opportunity and find it out for ourselves whether all the positive news is 'genuine'......and furthermore, the exclusive KissBali resort was awaiting us........

Any arrival at any airport around the world, be they small or huge, is just a drab experience (for us common people that is)........rushing to immigrations/customs/transportation.........

So it came as a surprise to us that when we alighted from the plane, we were awaited by a nice gentleman who 'fast-tracked' us through immigration taking care of our passports, thus skipping the loooooong queue's...........all we had to do was pick up our own luggage and same same story again, going through customs was a breeze and transportation to 'KissBali' was already awaiting for us just a few steps from the terminal......

How fast was this process? Darn fast indeed........

Destination : coastal town of Seminyak, close to Kuta beach, and ultimately our lodgings for the length of our stay, KissBali villa resort..........

Ofcourse, thanks to the worldwide web, we already had a preview of what the place kinda looked like through the lens of professional photography, and most of the time, pictures are better than the real thing (darn photoshop!!!)............but in this case, the real thing proved so much better......

Abundant sprinkling of exotic flower petals on the pathway leading to our accomodations, the sound of the pool and jacuzzi enticed us to take an immediate dive into them and the rooms were breathtaking, every single standalone unit had a unique design, offering all possible amenities that we, comfort creatures, crave for...........Jess took full advantage of a relaxing session of Balinese massage and aromatherapy.......bless her, ladies heh :)

But don't forget the human factor.......the staff themselves (and in particular Elin, Johannes, Ramma, Kadek and many others....) performed their utmost best to serve us to our particular needs, shuttling us around town at short notice, not to mention the personalized butler service which was on hand 24hrs/day......and always, always doing it with a BIG smile......

What more can one ask for? This was an experience with a big 'E'......

KissBali = ultimate place to stay in Bali ?!?.....We are definitely game for another visit in the near future.......Terimah Kasih!!!

Beauty and Ladies........

Two nouns which definitely go hand in hand, and therefore it is no surprise that Jess goes to beauty fairs on a regular basis........to discover the latest fads regarding skincare, the hit beauty appareil of the day and so forth.......

Normally I wouldn't bother to even attend such things, but that particular day I was kinda interested in what makes ladies' hearts tick so fast when it comes to beauty products.....is it to please themselves, vainly trying to look younger, or is it subconsciously trying to grab the attention of the other gender by applying beauty enhancing products, hence looking more attractive ?!?

Aside from the usual stalls promoting all kinds of 'miracle' creams, Jess and Maggie in question stumbled upon a booth which has the so-called latest skin analyzing apparatus.....and sure enough, they tested the machine in question.......

Needless to say that their skins in question were dehydrated and the saleslady made the pitch to offload some creme lotions to them, not some ordinary creme, but golden nano nonetheless.......'what in a name'......

Still not being convinced by the lady's salespitch, Jess trounced me up as a guinea pig and being a gentleman I let them try the 'test' out on me.....

The machine itself produced an irrevocable result stating that my skin is way way dehydrated and needed urgent TLC (tender loving care).......that result convinced Jess and Maggie to flash their credit cards and purchase a ton of goods, to the merry satisfaction of the saleslady ofcourse....

Well, have the goods produced the results that the ladies wanted? I'm still skeptical about it, and no......the goods are exclusively for the ladies themselves, remember I'm just a mere lab rat!!!