Bali Days
In April just 9 weeks after returning from our South East Asia adventure we headed East again to spend 2 weeks in Bali! Kind of ridiculous but hey ho off we go! It was time for me to attend my first international Golden Keys congress.
Getting to Bali was a nightmare to put it mildly. The day before we set off, Dubai received record rainfall. We thought we were quite lucky when the day of our departure we got notice from the airline that our flight was delayed whilst we were still home. It meant we got to spend an hour with my folks who were using our flat again whilst we were away. When we got to the airport later that afternoon all seemed pretty okay. In the end we got stuck on the plane waiting for 3 hours before we finally took off. We were crushed as our original second flight was on the A380 and we had paid extra to sit upstairs. When we finally landed in Dubai we had notice from the airline they had put us on a non direct flight 24 hours later with no word if they were going to put us up in a hotel etc. Whilst we waited in line at their useless information desk I was texting with my childhood BFF who lives there who was offering for us to stay with her. After about 90 minutes they took our tickets and said they had put us on the other direct flight that day and it was leaving in 40 minutes. We sprinted across the airport only to see that the flight had been delayed. For the next 8 hours we waited and waited on the cold concrete floor with absolutely no communication from the airline. When we finally got to board I asked them if our bags would be on this flight as it was still showing us on the new rebooked flight the day after. They said they would see what they could do. We finally arrived in Bali at 4AM 12 hours later than originally planned. Because we were the only flight landing then immigration was a breeze and our miracle of 2024 was that our bags made it!!! All things considered people had a lot worse luck than us but we have vowed to not fly with that airline ever again hopefully. They were abysmal. We arrived to our beautiful resort and crashed hard into bed.
For our first 2 days we caught up on sleep, enjoyed the swim up bar happy hour and tried to get use to the oppressive humidity. It was so bad hubby's phone wouldn't charge with his cable because the jack was deducting moisture! Eventually we had to go to a mall to buy him a wireless charger. Our final free day before the congress began I had somehow managed to get us invited to the pre congress dinner. Long story short the people we met that night ended up all becoming our congress family during the week and I am so grateful we met them. They made the whole experience that much better. The kind of people you instantly click with.
The next evening was the Opening Gala Dinner. Walking in we felt like we were in a film! The Indonesian section went truly above and beyond in hosting the most incredible congress. Every night there was entertainment, food and nearly unlimited drinks. I met some great people that night too and I was delighted for hubby to finally meet the legendary concierge from Belfast. Needless to say they got along right away! For the first full day of the congress I had to attend a pretty dull workshop in the morning for first time attendees. We were meant to go meet the spouses than for lunch but traffic was so bad us newbie concierges stayed put. We hung out at the pool and then later I spent an afternoon resting and meditating. That day the humidity really got to me. In the evening was a seafood dinner on the beach. The restaurant we went to was pure chaos and was the only event I did not love. I did love the people I met that night though and the after party later was great fun. The second day of the congress was our Education Day which was very well organized. Some of the presentations were better than others but the workshop in the afternoon was well orchestrated. Hubby loved his 12 course cooking class on the beach that day! Late that afternoon I got an invite to the "Finnish Embassy" for some drinks and licorice. Later that evening was the "Country Dinners" which was a total hoot! For years the Scandi section has had it with the Kiwi's and Aussies. We were a lively bunch! I took part in my chugging initiation as did hubby! We did us proud. Also worth noting that the food that evening was excellent. The final full day was the General Assembly was pretty interesting but could have done with some more women represented on the board! I was delighted to learn that we are confirmed though for Madrid next year and Sydney in 2026. That evening was the most epic night of the whole week, White Night! Traffic is horrendous in Bali (we were there in low season I can't imagine what it is like in high season!) so that night the Indonesian section arranged a police escort to get us to the event faster. They had rented out a whole exclusive nightclub to us. Great music, wonderful view, the best fireworks presentation of the week and a swim up bar. It was so humid that evening we couldn't wait to get into the pool to cool off! Later in the evening I lost the husband at one point. I had gone to continue dancing and he headed back to the hotel by mistake with my phone. Thanks to technology after a panic inducing 90 minutes I reached him at the hotel. A whisky shot on the bus to calm my nerves. The only real downer was when one of my Swedish members spewed on the bus. The final full day hubby and I decided to skip the final excursion and have much needed slow day. We bought our gala Batik clothes, had a nice lunch and hipster coffee. After a nap and long leisurely self care treatment we were ready to go! We looked damn sharp and we had a wonderful evening. When we did our final loop around the after party to say goodbye to everyone it took us over an hour as we had made so many wonderful connections during the week. The following day our congress besties took us out for a final lunch. It turns out Tris was the CEO of one of the main sponsors of the whole week!! They have already offered us a free place to stay at their flat next time we are in London. That evening we enjoyed our last happy hour at the swim up bar and an early dinner with the Grand Hotel.
The next morning hubby woke up starting to feel bad but we hoped it was just temporary. Our private transfer picked us up and we headed into the highlands to spend our final 5 nights in Ubud. Our AirBnB was perfect! Hubby's guts not so much. Unfortunately he had succumbed to Bali Belly. He was able to join me in the mornings for breakfast on our terrace and in the evenings for boiled rice and ginger beers (Balinese ginger beer is next level amazing!) but I was on my own during the days. I had already planned to go completely offline and this took it one step further. After the intensity of the incredible congress and knowing I was diving right into high season when we got back I needed this time to completely unplug. I spent my days reading my books, (I got through 2 in 5 days) swimming in the pool and jumping on the back of Grab Bikes to take in the sites. I visited the beautiful Tegalalang Rice Terrace, visited some temples, enjoyed heaps of hipster coffee shops, fresh food and just really enjoyed the time with me, myself and I. Two really indulgent days were my 4 hour spa morning getting a 90 minute hot massage, 1 hour facial and 1 hour hair spa. Hair spas are definitely my new favourite! I also took my first professional meditation class. After doing meditation through apps the last 4 years it was really emotional to take one in person. I am hooked!!! I would love to find one in Gotland or the archipelago to take part in. At one point during the meditation I felt my body completely switch off like it never has before. The second to last full day the hubby was feeling a bit better so he rallied to join me at the Sacred Monkey Forest. The sanctuary is home to over 1200 long-tailed macaques who roam freely among you. It was wonderful and I am glad he got to experience it. The plan for the final dinner was a birthday present from me at a extreme fine dining restaurant that friends had recommended to us. Hubby wasn't up for it but I didn't dare miss the experience! I did enjoy the dinner but at times it felt a bit too forced and as if I was in the the film The Menu. But I was glad to experience it and it was my first time doing a fine dining experience totally solo.
Overall our impressions for Bali were pretty positive. We really struggled at times with the heat and the traffic really put a damper on things. Bali is a tad too discovered. But the Balinese folk are so genuine and the food incredible. We would love to visit more of the Indonesian archipelago one day.
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