Everyday Exploring

First time trying cola infused beer, rather sweet and syrupy.....and strange.  This is one of three "Prost" beers.  I've noticed it more in the supermarkets.  I probably won't have it again, Prost Alster tastes much better.

I was a day late for International Pancake Day but at least I was able to enjoy some cassava pancakes at Bali Buda. 

Beautifully landscaped garden as you enter the house.  It was done for a relatively low price by a local landscaping business in South Kuta.  Slowly, everything in this house will be complete.

My dad and I bought this umbrella almost 19 years ago on the streets of New York City during a sudden rainstorm.  The cost?  Only 2 dollars, it was a group of African immigrants that normally sell other small items on the street.  I'm not sure why but I have been holding onto this object for quite some time, but now it is time to let it go.  I guess things, even umbrellas, don't last forever.  I will still remember that first trip to NYC in the spring of 2002.

Valentine's Day dinner at Kenja Seafood House located in front of the southern gate of ITDC.

After nearly a year of this ongoing pandemic, the big resorts in Bali are barely able to cover overhead costs.  If the pandemic persists and tourism doesn't go back to the way it used to be, I see many of these resorts headed towards closure.  Walking around this resort, I felt that it resembled more of a nuclear fallout zone than a lively resort.  

I found a lap pool in front of the spa building at Nusa Dua Resort.  There wasn't a single person here, I had the entire place all to myself.

First time ever receiving a map of a resort upon check-in.  I loved the layout of the hotel as well the hidden gardens that surround the property. 

This was the first time for my wife and I to stay at Nusa Dua Resort and Spa.  This resort was built in 1983 and the first of its kind in the core ITDC area.  I could tell that the hotel was old by the fact that the main pool is over two meters deep (most modern hotels built today only have a pools between 1 - 1,3 meters deep).  It underwent a massive renovation in 1993 and still remains the same until today.  All of the restaurants and clubs were closed with the exception of the main restaurant, "Wedang Jahe".  

I surprised my wife by having the resort leave a cheesecake in our room upon check-in.  This was our first time staying at Nusa Dua Resort and Spa located in the core ITDC area. 

My wife and I took a short trip to Impossibles Beach since she wanted to explore a beach that she hadn't been to before. This was the first that we were able to experience low tide at a South Kuta beach, we could actually walk over to Bingin from Impossibles.

This was my first time exploring the area around Geger Beach, I was able to climb up to Pura Geger which resembles a castle up on a hill. This is the area that divides Nusa Dua with Sawangan.

I took a quick snap of the sidewalk area in front of the derelict "The Maj" Shangrila Nusa Dua.  I'm still unsure if this property is actually open to the public or it's just an abandoned project. 

This was the first time that my wife and I had ever stepped inside Starbucks located in the Sogo area of Bali Collection.  We were just strolling through the outdoor styled dead mall and stumbled across a "Valentine's Day" deal for two which we couldn't resist.  Also, it should be noted that this is the only café currently open at Bali Collection, I highly doubt even Starbucks will stay open at the current rate of tourists in Bali.  

Interesting diamond shaped pool with an island in the middle at Courtyard Nusa Dua. 

I had to wait nearly two hours for the rain to die down before heading back home after a massage at Courtyard Nusa Dua.  It had rained so hard that the courtyard itself become a pool as well as most of the Nusa Dua area.  Later I read that this abnormally hard rain has been part of the la nina effect which has effected much of Indonesia.

Enjoying ginger tea (teh jahe) after a traditional Balinese massage at C Spa located at Courtyard Nusa Dua Resort.  

Pushing Endang around in an innertube at Marriott Nusa Dua which is actually connected to Courtyard Nusa Dua (two properties in one).  One of the best pool experiences that I've had in Bali.

Endang and I taking a quick selfie at the pool bar located inside in the lazy river at Marriott Nusa Dua Garden hotel.  Even though we were staying at nearby Courtyard Nusa Dua, we were able to use the facilities at this hotel as well.  It was an unexpected surprise and one of the best experiences at a hotel/resort in Bali.