I think today has been one of the most relaxing vacation days I have ever had on a trip with my dad. Charlotte kept the day free just in case any of us had jet lag, but so far it doesn't seem like anybody got it. This morning my parents and I took a walk down the beach past most of the bigger resorts in Nusa Dua. After looking at them all I think the Westin is definitely one of the best. When we got back from our walk we met Char and Stacy for the breakfast buffet in the hotel. The spread was pretty nice. In addition to the standard Western fare (omelets, bacon, sausage, cereal, etc.) they also had Indonesian soup noodles, chow fun, chow mien, grilled fish, rice with Indonesian garnishes, miso soup, jook, and fresh fruit, including a fruit they call salak or snakeskin fruit. It is very different than anything i've had before. The texture is a lot like a water chestnut, but the flavor is a less sweet, more subtle jackfruit/juicy fruit gum flavor.
After breakfast Charlotte, Stacy and Mom went to a three-hour spa treatment. While they were getting their massages Dad and I took a walk outside of the resort gates and into the town. There were a lot of little generic souvenir shops with a lot of woodcarvings. Oddly enough, I think every shop had at least one carving of a penis for some reason. After we walked around a bit we headed back to the hotel to workout a little bit, then around three in the afternoon Mom and Dad went golfing. While they were golfing I went down to the pool and lounged with Char and Stacy for a couple of hours. So far the only thing I don't like about Bali or the Westin is the sheer number of banana hammocks that are on display. Usually I can avoid seeing them fairly easily, but here there are sooo many that unfortunately you just can't help seeing 'em. Well on to more pleasant material.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called Bumbu Bali, which was about ten minutes away. From the outside the restaurant looked very ordinary with a concrete façade and the name in lights. Once we went through the entrance it opened up to a covered courtyard with pools surrounding different platforms where the tables were located. Stacy and I both ordered the Balinese Rijsttafel. It was a huge feast that started with sambel be tongkol or tuna salad, pork sate, chicken sate, seafood sate, cucumber salad, green papaya salad, and some rice cakes.
Then we had cram cam or chicken soup with shallots.
The main dishes included ayam betutu or roast chicken in banana leaf, be celeng base manis or pork in sweet soy sauce, be sampi mebase Bali or braised beef in coconut milk, kambing mekuah or lamb stew in coconut milk, ikan bakar or grilled fish fillet, pesan be pasih or diced fish grilled in banana leaf, and two different kinds of greens including water spinach or kangkung and it was all served with yellow, red and white steamed rice.
Charlotte, Mom and Dad all ordered the vegetarian rijsttafel. That started with sate tempe, a green bean salad, a green papaya and green bean salad, cucumber salad, crackers, and some rice cakes.
Their soup was gedang mekuah or green papayas braised in coconut milk. Then they had pesan wong or grilled mushrooms in banana leaf, ketipat cantok or warm vegetable salad with rice cakes, sayur mesanten or braised vegetables in coconut milk, sambel goreng tempe or crisp tempe in a sweet soy dressing, mie goreng or fried noodles with vegetables, and the three different steamed rices.
For dessert we all had bubuh injin or black rice pudding, jaja batun bedil or glutinous rice flour dumpling in palm sugar sauce, kueh Bali or Balinese cakes and fresh fruit like mango, watermelon, jackfruit, snakeskin fruit, starfruit, passion fruit and bananas.
The meal was a great experience and about a third of the way through a local band started playing and some traditional dancers came out and performed, which made the night that much better. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
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