The Island of Gods

The Island of Gods is just three hours away by flight. It wasn't my favorite holiday destination but a unanimous decision by the family saw me tagging along.

I'm not a huge fan of idols and temples and the austere steely gaze of the dark idols unnerved me. The Hindu gods I was accustomed to were colorful and well ... cute. (As seen in greeting cards.) Therefore, it was with some reservation that we landed at Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar.

The airport wasn't impressive, which surprised me, since this is a popular tourist destination.  At the airport, we had for lunch, ayam percik, nasi lemak and dim sum. (Yes, dim sum.) How was the food? I'd say ... at the edge of mediocrity.

Immediately after lunch, we were assailed by a malapertness of private cabdrivers. At this point, my trepidation went down by a notch. We searched the airport for the taxi rental booth to no avail.

Men do not ask for direction. It's a gender thing. So I approached an amiable Balinese who directed me to the booth. My spirit went up two notches. I asked the cabdriver where I could buy the famous Balinese Kek Lapis, He told me he'd never heard of it. Traffic was dense. We were on our way to the hotel which, by the way is the Aromas of Bali Hotel & Reservation.

Don't be fooled by the picture perfect hotel images on the web. We booked a two-room apartment which came with a pantry, dining table, a balcony and a fabric couch facing an old TV. The couch was heavily stained from years of sweat and even stank from it. The TV wasn't very smart although the pantry was well equipped with kitchen utensils.

At the reception, I asked for a cleaner room. They were most accommodating. They showed me all available four rooms which were equally unappealing. I asked the Balinese at Reception if they knew where I could buy the famous Balinese Kek Lapis. They told me they never knew Bali was known for her Kek Lapis.

It was time to hit the beach.