Globe-trotting Adventures and Mouth-watering Eats: 2014

Although we only spent two nights in Pemuteran, it felt much longer than that. I think checking in at 9 AM had something to do with it. And well, Pemuteran is the place in Bali for R&R. We got much-deserved rest and were rejuvenated, ready to explore the rest of the island.

At 11 AM we thanked Pak Taruna and his wonderful staff for their wonderful accommodations and hospitality, and were picked up by Bapak Ketut of Ubud Transport & Taxi for our three-hour ride to Ubud, a city in central Bali rich in the arts and culture.

The drive consisted of narrow roads and some twist and turns, which reminded me of Maui's road to Hāna, except in Bali there is no banana bread to be bought along the way. Instead, we passed small villages, homes, kids playing outside. It was a picturesque scene as we rode past acres and acres of peaceful, green rice terraces, and even a huge lake by the name of Danau Bratan.

Before we knew it, we had arrived in Ubud. The driver drove us down a long, narrow, stone-path alley before putting the van in park. We weren't too sure where our accommodations were until a young Balinese man rushed out asking for a Dewi Aldrich.

"Excuse me, excuse me, are you Dewi Aldrich? I'm Wayan, the man you're renting the guesthouse from." Oh I see. We paid Pak Ketut, the cab driver, who helped us unload our bags, and walked up a set of stairs to our room with Wayan leading the way. His wife then presented herself and welcomed us as if we were family. It's the Indonesian way.

The room at Raka & Rai Guesthouse had everything that I had arranged in advance with Wayan -- plenty of room for us to sleep for the next six nights, a private bathroom, a small outdoor terrace with wrap-around balcony, and even a private kitchen.

Outdoor terrace for daily breakfast with coffee and/or tea

The guesthouse landscaped grounds

But my mother wasn't pleased. She pointed out that even though the space was large, nothing was clean. The bed sheets were old, the curtains were falling apart, and the kitchen -- from the plates, cups, and utensils, including the sink -- was filthy! In the morning, mom complained that her back hurt because the mattress on the bed that she slept on was so thin and soft that she could feel the springs through her back. She also said she felt very itchy, possibly from bed bugs. Even though the rest of us slept fine, she was appalled. Breakfast consisted of banana pancakes, nothing special, and when we returned to our room, we found cockroaches AND a lizard in the sink. That was it. We all had it, and mom broached the idea of walking around town looking for another hotel.

We must have gone into five or six different hotels along Monkey Forest Rd. -- some were sold out for the week, others were available but out of our budget -- when Sahara spotted the Sagitarrius Inn. It was a sign that one could easily miss while walking Monkey Forest Rd. Nothing pretentious. Just a man all alone in traditional Balinese attire standing by the doorway as if he was guarding a secret garden. My mom inquired about availability and the man lit up, happy to be of service. He led us down a long corridor to the hotel. In fact, many hotels in Ubud are like this, long tiled or stone-crafted hallways tucked away from the streets that you continue along out of curiosity only to come out and find yourself in total serenity. He showed us a few rooms at various rates that were available for the week, and we instantly fell in love.

We decided on the deluxe family suite and put down cash for the entire weeks' stay. Each night only cost us $55 USD and breakfast was included. We felt so at home we didn't want to leave. But we had to go back to the Guesthouse, tell the innkeepers the issues we faced with the room in hopes they would improve for future guests, and get our luggage. Fortunately, we had only paid for one night there.