Resto Review: Rumours

13 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel

June 12, 2011: Went for a simple friday night family dinner. We were originally going to another BBQ spot to have some ribs…mmmm, yummy! Even  for someone who doesn’t have all her teeth. Unfortunately, they did not have a high-chair for me, so we decided to try ‘Rumours’, a popular restaurant on the busy strip on Jalan Oberoi.

They have security guards directing traffic on both sides of the street, since the parking lot is across from the restaurant. It may seem like overkill to have people directing traffic for a restaurant, but when you see the traffic on Oberoi, you will understand why this is handy, and almost essential if you’re a resto owner on this strip.

While still riding on the motorbike, we were able to quickly confirm that they had a high-chair for me, before turning into the parking lot. Ah, this is one practical side of having open-concept restaurants in Bali – you can just shut out to the staff from the street! Maybe next time, I can order my drink and appetizers from the street before getting into the resto! Boy, I’m starting to get lazy now that we’ve been living in Bali.

As usual, it was already passed my dinner time, so dad quickly skimmed through the menu to order my meal first, while mom was putting me into the high-chair. I don’t know what they’re so afraid of, it’s not like I’m a two-year who’s going to throw a temper tantrum in public!! This has only happened a few times, and only at home (They may beg to differ though!). Luckily, they brought us some bread with garlic butter to keep me busy!

Apparently, the price for a beer here is so much cheaper compared to other places. So my parents felt they had no choice but to order 2 Heineken’s – it’s too bad I still can’t taste beer –  it looks quite refreshing. At least, I get to do a chin-chin with them with my glass of water!

My baked Eggplant Parmigiana arrived quite quickly and was very tasty. The portion was generous, but could’ve been a little warmer for mom & dad’s liking. However, for me it was just warm enough so I could eat quickly 🙂

Dad ordered the grilled chicken steak with veggies, which I had to taste of course. The chicken was tender, but unfortunately the veggies were not cooked enough for my 7-teeth chewing structure 😦 Boy, I can’t wait to have my molars out! Mom ordered the Special Rumours Sirloin steak, which is quite rare for her. Again, the meat was a little tough for me, but she seemed to enjoy it. But please bring on the creamy-buttery mashed potatoes from her plate 🙂

The mashed potatoes ended up being my dessert!! I liked them so much that the next morning, when I woke up, I was already salivating. Then, when I went down for breakfast, the first word that came out of my mouth was : PA-TA-TE! (French for Potato)

Food: ****
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ****
(out of 5 stars)

Rumours
Jl.Laksmana No. 100 Oberoi-Seminyak, Kuta, Bali 80361
Phone: 0361-738720-21 Fax: 0361-733269

No Really! I’m not drunk!

04 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Travel Tags:

Learning to walk is one of the coolest things around. It’s amazing how a little practice everyday can bring fruitful results! In less than 2 weeks, I’ve made significant ‘strides’ on my two-feet 🙂

This past weekend we went to Bedugul to see the temple by the water. It was quite lovely, one of the prettiest sites that mom has seen in Bali so far…(Just a note between you and me though, she hasn’t done much site-seeing since coming to Bali, so there may actually be many more beautiful sites to be discovered…)

The two things that I really LOVED at Bedugul were:

1) The funny animal sculptures laid out all about the garden. It almost seems like you are in Disneyland, but you just don’t recognize the characters. There were lions, a fish, a pig, a zebra, a tiger, and even Bambi…

2) The gardens had lush green grass that you could actually walk on…Trust me, boy did I take advantage of this space! The land was quite flat and I was able to cover quite a bit of distance (and there were no snakes – that we could see anyway). Unfortunately, since I haven’t yet perfected my technique, I was not too steady. Head bopping every which way, falling on my bum every few steps (but luckily I have quite a bit of padding to absorb the shock, and besides the grass is much softer than the ceramic tiles at home). So with my arms flailing everywhere, my head and hips swaying, I really looked like I was drunk! Who knows maybe mom put some Tia Maria in my milk at lunch…

I think I still have to develop some of my core and stabilizer muscles to be able to hold my head, neck, hips and waist steady. Maybe I’ll ask mom to give me some basic Pilates lessons…

So although I look like I just drank a pack of 24 beers when I walk, I must admit that I’m quite proud of my progress in the last week alone – and to top it all off, Grandma was here to witness all this 🙂

– Was able to stand-up by pulling on a chair or bench for support

– Started walking while holding on to two adult hands

– Was able to take a few steps without holding on to any hands (although it was pretty much free-falling forwards until someone caught me in their arms) – this is quite fun!

– Was able to stand-up doing a wide squat (imagine a mini-Sumo in the first position before doing a Clean & Jerk – ref. Olympic weightlifting)

– Was able to walk holding on to only one adult’s hand

Finally now, walking on two feet, no hands… and looking like a very happy-drunk 🙂

Resto Review : Deus Ex Machina (Canggu)

24 Mar 2011 2 Comments

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

March 12, 2011: We have just recently moved to Canggu, which is a beautiful quiet area still lined with many rice fields. Mom and dad have been exhausted and are not really in the mood to cook these days. Besides the kitchen is not yet ‘setup’, so they say,  therefore we had no choice but to go out to grab a bite to eat. Joined by our friend, we headed out to Deus Ex Machina, which is not too far from our new home.

When we arrived, we were nicely greeted and brought to our table. We had a few sections to choose from: by the bar, in the front where it seemed a little more crowded, or in the back, which was more quiet. Unfortunately, they did not have a high-chair for me, but no worries – my parents had already prepared for this likelihood and had brought along my portable chair. Anyhow, it didn’t bother me too much as I had plenty of free space all to myself to crawl around on the floor back there! Well, I didn’t actually have the space all to myself, but let’s just say I claimed my territory 🙂 Besides, I had already eaten and was bursting with energy…

Mom and her friend ordered the Seabreeze cocktail (Cranberry, Grapejuice, Vodka). They both seemed really happy with their drinks. Refreshing with just a hint of sweetness, and the right amount of alcohol…

They were starving so they ordered some appetizers to start off:

  • Fried Calamari, which sounded like an amazing idea. Everyone was salivating at the thought, but when the plate arrived, the excitement died down. The portion was a bit skimpy, as were the calamari, and they were simply not crispy…Not the best start to the meal.
  • Deus Three Ways: A sample of three dishes nicely presented in Chinese soup spoons. There were tofu, chicken and beef tasters. They were all yummy and got the taste buds going. Dad liked the beef so much, that he ordered it as his main course.

Mom ordered a whole fish with lemongrass, which was served with a bowl of steamed rice. It was tasty and not too spicy. Mom’s friend ordered the Green Thai Curry which was also delicious, and was served with ‘roti’ (sorta like flour tortillas). Note that the prices here are slightly higher than the average restos we’ve been to thus far…

Dad’s beef plate still tasted great. There were no surprises for him, since it was just a continuation of the appetizer dish. However, the surprise, or should I say the ‘Kick’ came, when mom and dad traded plates as they usually do. Mom was already familiar with the taste of the dish, but suddenly she started crying and ‘fan-ing’ her mouth. She grabbed her friend’s beer glass without asking and downed it all in a matter of seconds. She then took the last ‘roti’ and ate more white rice in search of relief for the fire that was exploding in her mouth.

It turns out the culprit to the burn-o-rama was the tiniest piece of red chili, which looked like a piece of red pepper. Poor mom! She immediately spit out the chili, but it was already too late. The damage was done and she no longer had feeling on her tongue, or her entire mouth for that matter, for a good 10 minutes! Feeling sorry for mom’s pain, dad and her friend each tasted a minuscule piece of chili out of compassion. It was indeed extremely spicy and all three were now suffering. Another round of Bintang for everyone to help soothe the burning tongues…

Meanwhile, I was having a blast on the floor crawling on all fours. Later on, when the drama had died down, dad decided to see if I could take a few steps holding onto his hands…Wow, I realized that this is pretty fun! Woo hoo – I can walk!!  This will definitely be a night to remember! First, mom’s burning tongue and my first steps at Deus Ex Machina!

Food: *** (minus 1/2 point for the killer chili!)
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ***1/2
(out of 5 stars)

Deus Ex Machina
Jalan Batu Mejan No. 8
Canggu, Bali

Office – +62 361 368 3386
Restaurant – +62 361 368 3385
Bengkel (workshop) – +62 361 368 3395

Blog : http://www.deusbaliblog.co.id/

Bar Review – Potato Head (Seminyak)

03 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel Tags:

February 16th – Some people had recommended that my parents check out the scene at Potato Head Beach Club in Bali. It opened not so long ago and is supposed to be the new up and coming hot spot to go out and have a drink or nice meal while enjoying the view from this beachfront establishment. Another option to the popular KU DE TA.

You might think that I’m too young or small to go to such a cool spot, but this ain’t the first bar/lounge that I’ve been to. I’ve been partying it up since a very young age, but not going too wild of course…Besides, you can’t party it up too much when your parents are attending the same party as you!

It was already passed my bedtime, but I tagged along anyways just for the fun. And the nosy busy-body that I am, I had to see this place for myself!

Since it was pouring rain, we took a taxi to get there. What a ride! The taxi driver had a rather unusual personality – we were quite entertained the whole way there. He looked a little clueless, so we had some doubts as to whether he knew where we were going, but we finally got there. There is a long driveway and a security check at the end (they made sure the trunk of the cab was ‘clean’), before they let us through the gates for the taxi to drop us off at the entrance. This Serious Business – not just any ol’ bar were going to here!

There is a boutique selling cool clothes and accessories at the main entrance, which stays open til quite late. It was still open when we left the bar at midnight. The outdoor entrance hallway is lined by a ‘waterfall’ wall which has a cool effect. Note that if your run your hand along the wall and through the waterfall (like some people did, I won’t name any names…), there is no towel at the end for you to wipe your hands dry. And be forwarned, that if you already need to pee as you arrive (and you don’t wear Pampers or Huggies, like me) then you might just want to run through the entrance hallway, cuz you may not be able to hold it in much longer afterwards…

The decor has a miami feel to it, with it’s semi-circle architecture giving you full view of an indoor courtyard, pool bar and of course, the Beach! Despite the rain, the setting was still cool. We were seated and the adults ordered some cocktails (approx 100 000 Rp/each) and a few snacks to nibble on. The drinks were pretty and tasty. Unfortunately, there were all out of chicken wing and ribs – Daddy was quite disappointed – Bummer 😦

Instead, they got:

  • Tortilla wraps, which were ‘just OK’
  • French Fries with parmesan, which were crispy but on the salty side
  • Stuffed mushrooms with blue-cheese sauce, which were tasty

At one point, we almost felt like VIPs since the manager of the establishment came to visit us at our table to make sure that we were having a good time and that we were getting everything we needed. She even greeted us in French, she must’ve heard the adults speaking French – No, she was not Indonesian… The rain had died down a bit, so we were able to take a walk around the grounds and even onto the beach. It’s too bad the floors and the giant sofas were still wet, or I would’ve had a blast crawling all over the place!! I’m sure on a clear night the ambiance would be incredible with the DJ spinning some cool tunes and people lounging around and enjoying their cocktails.

The slight downer came at the end of the night, when we got the bill and a short CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) survey. One question asked if the manager had come to our table to make sure everything was good…A blow to our VIP-moment 😦 It turns out the manager probably had to go to all the tables that night to get keep her scorecard up. “Checkmark, went to that table!”. Luckily for her, it wasn’t a full house otherwise she’d be dizzy from all the tables she’d have to go see…

Finally, it was time to go home. I was pooped and was already falling asleep in mom’s arms. Well, good luck getting a regular taxi here! We tried asking the ‘valet’ counter to call Blue Bird Taxi for us, but No Can Do! They offer their own taxi service, which we ended up taking – after negotiating a fair price. Mom didn’t feel like walking all the way to Jalan Petitenget with me in her arms just to hail a cab. So we hopped into their ‘fancy’ van and headed home.

This is a kid-friendly spot, with a cool setting and also a resto that serves brunch. We had a good time tonight, but we’ll most likely come back to try the food, on a nice sunny day and during my waking hours. These late night outings are messing up my whole schedule…

Food: **1/2
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)
Denpasar, Indonesia, 80361

The official website still only mentions the first spot which opened in Jakarta: http://www.ptthead.com/

You can also check out the blog: http://ptthead.com/blog/

Day Trip – Canggu & Uluwatu

01 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Beach, Fun Spots, Travel Tags: , , ,

Another day trip…wooo hooo!! February is starting to become a really fun month…Hope we keep this going!!

We made a quick stop to visit a friend in Canggu, which is approximately 20 minutes from Seminyak. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Seminyak, Canggu is a tranquil area for village life amidst the beautiful rice fields. You wake up and enjoy your cup of coffee (or milk, in my case) while admiring the views of the surrounding rice fields.

You can check out the surfers at Echo Beach and Berawa Beach. We were short on time so only went to Echo Beach. It seemed to be a quiet day as we didn’t see too many surfers. Or perhaps, was it still too early? The surfers may still be catching a few Zzzzz’s after a night of partying? Not quite sure how often I’ll be coming to build sand castles here, cuz the waves look pretty intense for me…

We then headed out towards Uluwatu to see the temple and more beaches. It was a very hot and sunny day so by the time we got to Pura Luhur Uluwatu (Uluwatu Temple), we needed to stop and fill up on liquids. As usual, milk for me, and whole coconuts for the adults…looks yummy! One day, I’ll get to taste one of those…maybe when my head will actually be bigger than the size of the coconut!

When we got to the entrance of the temple, of course we knew the drill by now. Pay the entrance fee, put on the sarong, make sure you meet the conditions for entering the temple (Refer to post ‘Day Trip – Ubud, Jatiluwih & Batukau’ for an example of the temple rules). Again, I had to wait outside, but luckily still got the inside scoop.

Apparently there are so many monkeys inside, when you first enter they have ‘bodyguards’ that offer their protection service. Mom apparently refused Pak Wayan’s offer to ‘scare the monkeys and give explanations of the temple’. She was willing to brave the visit without the ‘bodyguard’. First thing she did was take off all jewelry and sunglasses, put away the camera and all other things likely to provoke the monkeys, just like they recommended at the entrance. The funny thing is they warn you to beware of the fearless monkeys, but at the same time they sell you bananas to offer to them. So of course, if you show them a banana they’re gonna come running at you!! If you showed me a banana, I’d come crawling at you too, and crush it between my fingers right before your eyes (that’s my new Super Power)!

Mom’s friend found a large bamboo stick to scare the monkeys away. Looks like it is the ‘weapon’ of choice, as all the ‘bodyguards’ have a bamboo stick in hand. In the end, they had no incidents with any of the monkeys. The hillside view at the top is simply gorgeous and the water looks crystal clear even from up high.

Boy, it was extremely hot – it was time to hit the beaches!!

Two planned stops at Padang Padang Beach and Bingin Beach. We took the road along the west side to head back north and reached Padang Padang first, not with a little assistance by a Frenchman though! There are only a few signs indicating directions to the beach and often they’re just small hand-written signs, so you may wanna remove your shades and keep your eyes open.

After a small ride on a little dirt road, we arrive at what seemed like a parking to a local Warung (Small Indonesian food joint/stall). But as we got closer, we saw the staircase which led all the way down to the white sandy beach. I was scared to death going down, cuz mom did not feel too steady with her Havaianas flip-flops and the ‘stairs’ were quite narrow. At some point, we thought there was a ‘rope’ to grab onto for support, but it turned out to be a pipe, most likely to bring water down to the beach-front warungs. I was grabbing on tight, but we made it down safe and sound!! There weren’t too many surfers and only a couple of people sunbathing. So we pretty much had the beach to ourselves and took a dip in the clear turquoise water. Aaahhh…it felt good! Time to work on my tan too 🙂 The only thing I haven’t figured out is how to tan between my fold lines…

After a quick dip, we hit the road again to find Bingin Beach. We ask a local for directions and he tells us where to park and indicates that it’s a short walk straight past the parking. It looks kinda dodgy, we’re not sure this is the right spot. We ask another local, who points towards the same direction so we keep walking. Over a small wooden ‘bridge’ we go, past a field of cows, between some villa gardens, then through a narrow alley, then we hit a path with hand-made signs for different warungs and guest houses. We must be close! Going down these sets of stairs is again like a circus act, similar to the Padang Padang Beach. Mid-way down, we stop for a late lunch – mom needed the energy, her legs were getting wobbly! The warung is on the side of the cliff, so you get an amazing view while grabbing a bite to eat.

Then we go down for a dip. The water is clear and beautiful, but unfortunately the beach is not as nice as Padang Padang. This is truly a surfer’s beach. When we were there, the waves weren’t too high so there were no surfers 😦 The beach itself is rocky and not so great for sunbathers or people who can’t even walk yet, like me. I wish we could’ve stayed to watch the sunset, it must be beautiful, but we had to head back in time for me to hit the sheets. I’ve been exhausted lately with all the site-seeing and the days spent in the sun!

On the way back, we saw a whole bunch of tourist buses and mini-vans heading south towards Uluwatu…most likely heading to the Temple to catch the Kecak-Kecak dance at sunset. If you don’t mind the crowds, this might be a worthwhile activity to see at least once at sunset…

Day trip – Ubud, Jatiluwih & Batukau

28 Feb 2011 1 Comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Facts, Fun Spots, Travel Tags: , ,

Finally, after an entire month in Bali it was time for a ‘Vacation’, some actual site-seeing beyond the Legian Beach! We hopped into the van, and headed North…well, not so fast…

Just getting out of the villa seemed to take forever this morning. I was sitting on mom’s lap in the van waiting to get a move on, but everyone was still outside as if they were inspecting the van. Meanwhile, mom and I were already dying of heat inside. It turns out there was a staff meeting and morning prayer at the main entrance, so our driver decided to wait til the ritual was over before hitting the road…The security guard who opens the gate for us was taking part in the meeting, so we patiently waited.

When in Bali, you learn to take things easy and go with the flow. There simply is no reason to rush things. Their rituals and ceremonies are an important part of their everyday life and we have to learn to respect this. For me, it doesn’t change anything as I go wherever people bring me, but I can sometimes see for mom and dad, this is a bit difficult. They try to plan things (especially mom), and sometimes get frustrated when the plans change. They’ll learn! The rule of thumb in Bali, is never plan more that one main activity per day. If you have more than one activity, make sure that the others are of lower priority and can get flushed without causing you frustration…

We head out and about an hour later, we arrive at our first stop: Ubud. We weren’t originally planning to go there, but we were giving someone a ride. The first thing we see when we get to Ubud is the Sacred Monkey Forest (http://www.monkeyforestubud.com/). I’d love to go in and play with the monkeys, but we just drive by and see some monkeys relaxing in the shade on the side wall. This is enough monkey watching for mom…

Check out the baby monkey on the right who’s learning to climb, just like me 🙂

We get out for a short walk to see the many art shops. For people who like to shop, I think is cool spot to check out. Knowing mom, we’ll definitely be coming back and staying a couple of days to really see what the hype of Ubud is all about. The main purpose we stopped in Ubud is so the adults can get their dose of Starbucks for the day. Mom tries this green drink with a foamy cloud on top. It’s called a Green Tea Frappuccino which she seemed to enjoy, along with her raisin scone. One day, I swear, I’m going to taste their food. I’m working on my ‘Fast-Grab & Surprise-Bite’ Kung-fu move, but I still need to perfect my technique before attacking the Frappuccino!

Apparently, the stop at Starbucks was not so much so the adults could get a taste of American food. It just so happens that Starbucks is conveniently located at the Water Temple (Lotus Pond) so we can see the site, while they savour their American drinks. I still only get water…boring 😦 It’s true though, the view at the back of the Starbucks is quite lovely!

At the entrance of the temple, there is a sign advertising the Kacek-Kacek (Traditional Balinese dance) show that will take place tonight at 7:30pm. Be forwarned, that according to the sign, you may think that the show only takes place once a week…But fear not, when we went out back, we saw a slew of signs advertising the same show, one for every night of the week. So don’t worry, if you already have plans and you think you will miss the famous Kacek-Kacek, you’ll have the chance another night of the week.

Thank god we did not stay too long in Ubud, cuz the sidewalks almost got me killed. I was too nervous about falling into one of the ditches that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture…Just imagine some large stones that are off-kilter and look like they will collapse as soon as you step onto it. Then, there are metal railings that were all broken up, so one wrong step would lead you down into the sewage system (luckily not too stinky – from up here). Now I understand why the locals hardly ever use Strollers. They go for the safe and cozy Sarongs to carry us little people around. When you a see a family in colourful clothes and a bright-coloured stroller walking around town (usually a MacLaren), with Starbucks coffee in hand, you know that you have ‘TOURIST’ stamped in large print all over your forehead…

We hit the road again and head towards Jatiluwih to see the rice terraces. Our driver makes a quick stop to let us visit the Mengwi Temple. It may have been a common tourist spot, but I think it’s cuz he needed a break from driving. You need to have good driving skills, or just be crazy enough, to go behind the wheel in Bali. You have to be extremely alert at all times and be aware of the motorbikes (in front of you and coming towards you!), pedestrians, chicken, cows, other trucks/vans and of course, the numerous pot holes. Only 30-minutes, but our driver seemed exhausted – despite the Starbucks boost he got in Ubud 🙂

Here are a few shots of our driver passing a truck carrying coconuts, and then passing the bamboo truck…Sometimes, I wish I had my car seat like back home!

Throughout the drive, there are beautiful rice fields surrounding us. This is the true Bali feeling that you expect to see when you come here, not the hectic city-vibe you get in Kuta/Legian/Seminyak.

The Jatiluwih Rice Field Terraces are beautiful. There’s a reason why this landscape was nominated to be part of the World Heritage List (http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5100). We stop and take a walk in the rice fields. Mom has flimsy flip-flops on, so we don’t venture out too far. She’s scared that I’ll go rolling down the rice terraces, and possibly into some cow poop. We grab a quick bite to eat at Cafe Jatiluwih (Pecel Lele – Fried Catfish) while soaking in the view.

Had we known, we could’ve continued driving another 10-15 minutes to eat at the restaurant at the top of this hill – but no idea if the food is good/pricey, etc.

While in Jatiluwih, our driver asks several people for directions to Batukau Temple. The first person gives him the directions and says it’s approximately a 30-minute drive from Jatiluwih. The next person estimates 40 minutes, so if we consider Bali-time, it should take us about 45-minutes to an hour to get there. Well, we arrive only 40 minutes later…

As with most temples, there are customs of respect that you must follow. There are usually signs at the entrance listing the ‘rules’ to be followed for each temple. In this case, the sign is even more ‘strict’ than the one at Mengwi temple. Given rule #3, I obviously could not go in since I still have all my baby teeth. Luckily I still got the inside scoop anyways from my cool parents 🙂 It turned out to be slightly disappointing. If you’re in Jatiluwih and have an extra 1h30 (and you meet all the conditions to enter), you might consider going to this temple, but if you’re in a rush, it is not a Must-See…

Everyone slept on the ride home, but we all got woken up about 1-hour later when the road essentially became an obstacle course for our driver. Pot-holes after pot-holes on a very narrow two-way street caused us to have a very sinuous and bumpy 2 kilometers. Luckily, I’m still small so I didn’t have to worry about my head getting banged on the ceiling of the van.

Now, I can say that I’m starting to get a true sense of how beautiful Bali is…

Galeria Matahari – WooHoo! Finally some shopping

13 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fashion, Fun Spots, Travel Tags:

February 9th – Finally, time to go shopping! I am a girl afterall, so it was time for me to check out the fashion seen here in Bali. It was also becoming a necessity as my clothes are starting to get a little snug. I’m growing pretty much in every which way. Although I thought that the tight-fitting, belly-bearing Britney Spears looks was still in, Mom, and especially Dad, do not approve of my sexy look!

So, off to Galeria Matahari we went for some shopping. The timing was perfect, cuz I got to skip morning nap-time…hee hee 🙂 Mom was fooling herself when she thought that I would actually fall asleep in my stroller at the mall!

It took us a while to find a ‘Blue Bird’ taxi. Gotta swear by this taxi group, cuz they have a fixed rate that they advertise. Look out for the Blue Bird logo when hailing a cab. Beware there are other taxi groups out there that have blue birds as their logos, but they’re not the ‘real’ ones. The legit Blue Bird vehicles are generally blue as well…

The taxi ride was fun, but we quickly got stuck in traffic. There are motorbikes everywhere, and they ride without fear. They just zig zag between the cars, as they please…even when there’s only a few centimeters between their toes and the car beside them. Crazy!

When we arrived, I saw a whole row of my favourite Chinese Lanterns…We have one at home, but there were hundreds of them here – Wow! Probably to celebrate Chinese New Year which just passed on Feb 3rd.

The Bali Galeria Shopping Mall is quite big, and looks quite luxurious from the outside. There are many brand name shops, a duty free shop, a Planet Holywood and the Matahari department store, which was our first stop.

Mom searched through a whole slew of girly clothes and found some cute outfits – Nothing too fancy. I needed long-sleeves and long pants for bedtime cuz it gets kinda cool with the A/C. Then, mom fell on the ‘Frog Pants’!! They’re like weird ‘Diaper Shorts’ which, translated literally from Bahasa are ‘Frog Pants’. Mom was rolling on the floor of laughter when she saw these, but apparently they’re quite common here. Thank god, mom has better fashion sense than to buy me a pair of these…Phew! I’m sure if Baby-Vogue magazine existed, this would definitely not make the hot trends list…but what do I really know about fashion anyways! Besides, my sumo-thighs would never fit into these!

To top off my look, we picked up a few barrettes and elastics for my ever-growing hair (red and pink, of course!)

The cashier thought mom was Indonesian and spoke to her in Bahasa. Looks like we’re settling in quite well, since more and more people think we’re Indo.

We didn’t get the chance to go through even half the mall and it was already time to leave. It was almost lunch time so we had to head back home. We were lucky to spend that hot muggy morning at the air-conditioned mall, cuz we later learned that there was no electricity at home (seems to be a problem we face about once or twice a week around here).

The escalators have no steps. Whoever is holding my stroller better have a good grasp, otherwise I’ll go rolling down…

Looks like I’ll have to come back to the Bali Galeria mall to check out the other cool stores and see what the latest trends in Bali are…I have a feeling it won’t be too long. One of my new outfits is already too snug and it’s the first time I’m wearing it. Mom seems to be under-estimating the speed at which I’m growing, or perhaps she’s looking for an excuse to come back to the mall 🙂

For more info on Bali Galeria Shopping World, check out their website:

http://baliwww.com/bsg/bali_galeria.htm

Just chillin’ at the beach…

07 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Beach, Fun Spots, Travel

Lazy Sundays are made for chillin’ at the beach…

Chilling at the Beach

…especially, when you’ve traveled around the world to come to Bali.

Folks back home are all bundled up, trying to stay warm with shovel in hand. So I really can’t complain, but boy how I wish I could walk and be able to dip my feet in the water!

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