Bali - up, down, and all around

[heidih]

3 places live in my heart: Singapore, Corsica (Ajaccio) and New Orleans. You hit 1 out of 3- thank you!

 

ETA: corrected math - it is hot here- my excuse

Edited July 11, 2018 by heidih (log)

[KennethT]

We woke up early so we could go out for breakfast before coming back to pack, check out and get to the airport for our 1PM flight.

We got the last table, and after we sat down, there were a bunch of people waiting

 

They are best known for their bread toast:

Interior shot - there are two large pats of cold butter and a smear of kaya coconut jam type spread.  The bread is toasted over charcoal at this location.

 

kopi (coffee - thick with sweetened condensed milk)

 

teh (strong black tea with sweetened condensed milk)

 

They may be best known for the bread toast, but I love their chicken curry:

You can get it with french bread for dipping, or my favorite, the roti prata:

You can see how the prata are grilled, not fried as is typical.  Really flaky and chewy... just perfect with the curry.

 

OK, so back to the airport to go home...  boo!!!!!

 

This is the departure area for Terminal 3:

Beautiful living wall... and evidently, you could enter to win a car.  All over the place are kiosks where you can enter your feedback about the airport.  They're in the bathrooms, right after passport control, etc.

 

More features of Terminal 3:

There is a free swimming pool and changing area in the Transit Hotel.... but we like the butterfly garden:

 

All that wandering around got me a little peckish, which is convenient as we passed:

 

This food area is set up like a hawker center.  At the front is a counter where you pay for a prepaid card (none of the vendors accept cash).  When you're finished, you return the card and get the balance refunded.  There are a whole bunch of different stalls, with lots of the Singapore hits:

 

I decided I would get the bak chor mee - or minced pork noodles, since I haven't had anything like it in a long time.

 

Yellow wheat noodles with fish cake, fish ball, pork ball, liver, and a couple of whole shrimp.  Oh, and also the minced pork...  I asked for the noodles dry, so the soup comes on the side so you can add as much as you want to moisten...

 

lime juice, of course....  from concentrate.

 

4-1/2 hours later, we landed in Taipei and didn't have time to stop for dim sum before we had to make our connection to NY...

 

Hope you enjoyed the short tour of Bali, and even shorter trip to Singapore... I know I did!

 

 

[Shelby]

Thank you SO much Ken.  Really really enjoyed it.  Truly, it's like a vacation for all of us  

[chileheadmike]

I enjoyed reading along and checking out the pictures. Thanks for putting this together. 

[kayb]

Wonderful trip -- thank you! What were the walkers in the religious parade carrying on their heads?

[robirdstx]

That went by too fast! Thanks KennethT!

[KennethT]

20 minutes ago, kayb said:

Wonderful trip -- thank you! What were the walkers in the religious parade carrying on their heads?

I'm not quite sure.  But some of them were really impressive, carrying them on their head using no hands for stability.  One woman even walked up stairs with no hands!

 

We saw women carrying all sorts of things on their head - evidently it's very common in Bali. Women walking down the side of the road with a basket, on the head.  Hotel staff bring in a tray for room service?  No cart... on the head...

[TicTac]

Fantastic stuff, Ken. 

 

I doubt your intestinal bout was due to that chicken, as if it was, symptoms would have presented far earlier.

 

Most likely something from the same day....though who knows!!!

 

 

[KennethT]

@TicTac hmmm... research i've done in the past indicates that food poisoning can present itself even 36 hours after ingestion... some  bugs even longer after that!

From the mayo clinic:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/symptoms-causes/syc-20372058

Edited July 11, 2018 by KennethT (log)

[TicTac]

Kenneth - though certainly possible......most food born illnesses will present within 2-6 hours after eating.

 

 

 

 

[KennethT]

@TicTac Did you read the Mayo clinic article I linked?  They say that most food born illness presents in about 24 hours, which is about exactly the amount of time it took.  But at the end of the, that's the problem with food borne illness - it's practically impossible to find out where it comes from unless many people present who all ate from the same source.

[TicTac]

I did not - not due to lack of desire, namely, capacity!  I have a fair bit of first hand experience and through family members also in the field (lots of GI's in this brood).  It is rare that one is able to go to sleep and only the next day feel the ill effects of 'food poisoning'.  Not saying it does not happen, but typically food poisoning presents quite fast.

 

Either way, glad you have recovered and lived to tell the tale

 

 

 

[teonzo]

14 hours ago, KennethT said:

They say that most food born illness presents in about 24 hours, which is about exactly the amount of time it took.  But at the end of the, that's the problem with food borne illness - it's practically impossible to find out where it comes from unless many people present who all ate from the same source.

 

The culprits were clearly the morning pastries. It's called the Revenge of Montezooma. It happened because you did not make a photo of them and posted it.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[rotuts]

again  thanks for taking us along.

 

when is the next trip ?

 

Id like to note it down .

[KennethT]

@rotuts Thanks... probably not until next year!

[Kim Shook]

On 7/11/2018 at 9:35 AM, KennethT said:

 

 

 

Is that rice pressed into a heart shape?

 

Thank you so much for sharing this trip with us.  I confess when you first said that you all are not beach people, I wondered why you were in Bali, then.  How ignorant of me.  What a beautiful place with so much to see and TASTE!

[KennethT]

@Kim ShookYes, the rice was pressed into a heart shape... hilarious...

 

It's funny - we had been looking into going to Bali for about 13 years now (it was originally going to be part of our honeymoon) but never made it for one reason or another.  I had always heard that it was beautiful, but actually, many people I had talked to online, who spend time at the beaches, say that the beaches aren't that great, as compared to the Caribbean or something.  It is a very popular beach vacation for Australians, probably due to proximity if nothign else.  Also, some of the beaches get quite strong waves - so surfers like to go there.

[HungryChris]

Very nicely done! Thanks very much.

HC

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 10:29 AM, KennethT said:

 

Chicken satay.  Here's where things get... complicated.  I thought they were really good - very juicy, but I didn't notice that they were a tad pink inside.  My wife had one skewer but I had 3.... while we're not sure if these were the true culprit, stay tuned  to hear about the outcome the next day!!!

 

I am so sorry for the outcome.  (Or rather I guess outcomes since it was from both ends.)  I have to share I've been reading Daniel Stone's The Food Explorer, chronicling David Fairchild's treks around the world in search of exotic food plants for possible introduction to America.  Fairchild found Bali disappointing but elsewhere he contracted typhoid and his traveling companion came down with yellow fever.

 

When I travel I tend to have outcomes so mostly I stay home.  I almost died in Africa.  In Naples I got very sick.  I couldn't help but notice the dining establishment did not wash glasses between patrons.  Fairchild too had been in Naples and I was amused that he reported the silverware "only sketchily washed."

 

 

[sartoric]

Thanks @KennethT, always great to see your food porn. 

 

I badgered our hotel in Seminyak to direct me to a local place for babi gulang. Eventually they relented and told me about a place a few blocks away after a heavily emphasised disclaimer that we might get sick (we didn’t). It was empty, but we ate anyway and enjoyed it immensely.