My first “Trip Report” will actually begin with a pre-trip report. My family (5) flew to Tokyo 7/15 for my wedding ceremony 7/22. Pre-ceremony plans, pre-vacation work preparations, and a week of showing the family around all conspired for a busy July!

My parents and my sister’s family flew ROC-DTW-NRT on NW. Other ff’s berated my failure as a son to get them here on a better airline, but the flights all went fine, apparently.

The week in NRT was great –1st time for my sister’s family, 3rd for Mom and 1st for Dad since Iwa Kuni back in the early 50s! Time constraints made for “local” adventures, many of which focused on my 6 year-old nephew. Anyone planning a Tokyo trip is free to contact me for local tips.

One highlight of their visit was my wife working out a good deal with the Capitol Tokyu Hotel. Always friendly service and decent rooms, etc. The best part was the outdoor pool, especially given the mid/high-90s that week. My wife and I stayed at the Osaka Hilton in May (UA 50% cert.), and they wanted 2,000 yen (US $19) per person to use their pool. (A standard practice at the few hotels with pools.) The Capitol, however, had friendly, English-speaking pool staff with toys for the kids (and pseudo-kids) at no charge. A great break from the heat and the jetlag.

7/22 was almost 100 degrees, but a fine sunny day for a wedding. After 13 weeks with only 1 non-rainy Saturday, we were lucky indeed. The ceremony started at 11:30, and reception/parties went until 8:00 or so. Everything blurred by so quickly that we are hoping to see someone’s video to help remember the goings-on. We also stayed at the Capitol that night to get a few final hours with my family as our flight out was 4 hours ahead of theirs.

Soon to come: Having a ball in Bali.

Special thanks to Craig6z for telling me of his SIN/Bali report ( http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/000823.html ) I will try and limit the following installments to actual “Trip Report” info!

-KP back in NRT

kidpachinko: for my wedding ceremony 7/22.

I wish you a happy long life together!

(I am sure, that in other statements later on this thread, I will learn how to 'toast' in US-english to a newly wed couple properly!).

[This message has been edited by Rudi (edited 07-29-2000).]

Congratulations! And enjoy one of my favorite spots on earth...Bali!!

Can't think of many better spots to honeymoon than heavenly Bali!

Well it sure is good that you sent us the pre-trip report as I've a suspect that we will not get the rest of the trip report for sometime Congratulations kid.

btw Rudi - a proper Bestman's toast should include 4 points;
1) good attributes of the wife
2) attributes of the groom
3) how or why those attributes go together
4) some humor interlaced

Congratulations, kidpachinko.

Congratulations, kidpachinko! My bride has a sister that lives in Bali. We plan to go there to visit after visiting her parents in Chiba next year. I hear Bali is fantastic. Good Luck to you and the new Mrs!!
-RKG

Many thanks to Rudi, PremEx, Magic111, violist, RKG and everyone. Getting hitched went off without a hitch. -Being legally married in March helped us relax a bit!

We flew JAL725 NRT-Denpasar via Jakarta. My normal AA doesn't go that route, so it was a good excuse to try JAL again.

The JAL ticket agents were pleasant albeit not overly friendly. Osaka people are more prone to casual banter, and no upgrades were in the works for this trip.

Was interesting to see JAL's "self-service miles." You put your mileage card and boarding pass in the machine and your miles are (hopefully) credited. -Not sure how much time is saved by this, but was a quick process.

Our 10:55 AM departure started with a long shuttle ride from E70 in Terminal 2 at 10:35. Those interested in seeing various aircraft up close & personal would have enjoyed the tour.

Pushback was more or less on time, with takeoff at 11:10. We were given 44 A&B on the B747 (3x4x3) = just behind the wing. Not the greatest seats, but it is hard to offset a honeymoon couple's happiness. The JAL main movie screen seemed clearer than other flights I have taken, but it could have been just my good mood.

The menu for the flight out was as follows:
Lunch: Salmon and salami with marinated veg.
Hungarian Beef Goulash or Simmered Sea Bream & "Tofu" in soy sauce with rice.
Fresh Salad & Pasta, Muscat Grape Jelly, Roll and Butter. (pre-landing cookies).

From Jakarta was a snack of Lemper Isi Abon, Finger Sandwich, Potato Croquette, Fresh Fruit Tartelette, Indonesian Shrimp Crackers.

The food was decent, and the flights were smooth. The coach wine was Beau Rivage Bordeaux, and both the red and white were delightfully mediocre.

We had 40 mins in Jakarta before reboarding, so I changed some US $ (cash) to Rupia in case we met some immediate cash needs in Bali. I was surprised to find a large discrepancy between exchange rates for $ and yen cash/TC:

The Jakarta rates were:
$1 cash = 8675 Rp; $1 T/C = 7900 Rp; \1 cash = 72 Rp; \1 T/C = 62 Rp. If $1=\108, then \1 should have been closer to 80 Rp. I don't know about other currencies, but it seems US$ had the best rates. Once in Bali, the difference between cash and T/C was no so pronounced, but I am glad I took US$ T/C instead of (actually in addition to) yen.

The plane out of Jakarta was 1/3 full if that. We could have moved to a middle row, but were content with our 44 A, B and C.

Arriving in Bali was an experience - perhaps my first feeling of being in a "foreign" country since SIN 6 years ago. Upon leaving the airport we encoutered a throng of people holding signs and people offering "Transport." We fended off the various offers, and eventually found our own taxi to the Ritz-Carlton.

Taxis to/from the airport all operate on a flat rate, and taxis in general are very cheap in Bali. After confusedly tipping the guy who put our suitcase in the taxi and later the taxi driver, we arrived at the R-C.

Next: What's all the fuss about the R-C "Club"?

Much congratulations Kid. Please don't feel obligated to edit yourself because I posted a long report in the spring. My view of the world is distorted by my personality, and previous life experiences. How you look at the same situation as I did, is of enormous interest to me, and hopefully others.

Have a great time in Bali!

Congratulations, kidpachinko.

-A former honeymonner in lovely Bali

After a thrilling (my wife would say "frightening") taxi ride to the R-C, we were greeted warmly and shown to the Club concierge for check-in. The whole resort seemed filled with the scent of this tropical flower (white) which only blooms/smells at night. (Can't remember the name for the life of me.) The check-in lady asked if we had our voucher, which led to the realization that we were actually not supposed to have ignored the people at the airport holding up "JTB Tours" signs. Oops -there goes $4 for the cab ride. (Although amusement park rides cost less, don't last as long and are usually not as exciting. A bargain, if you ask me.)

New to the resort scene, I was very impressed with the R-C and their Club amenities. Slightly larger rooms and of course the free food and drink in the Club room. They also offered to clean and press 4 articles of clothing for free, so I didn't even need to use any of the "For Men Only" Travel Tips for clothes.

Perhaps this is standard, but the Club food goes like this: It is open from 7-11:00, with 5 different presentations of food. We managed to hit pretty much all of them, and everything was excellent. The beer selection was a bit lacking, with only Fosters/VB/Heineken and Bintang. The food (although only the breakfast buffet was probably designed to be a meal) featured a lot of local dishes, and everything was great - especially the fresh fruit and juices. Wines and "simple cocktails" completed the alcohol offerings.

Fresh fruit was brought daily to the room, along with flowers for the bed in the morning and the afternoon turn-down. A bouquet of roses with a "thank you for choosing to spend your honeymoon with us" was a nice touch. (And one that JAL could stand to learn from.)

Craig6z would be happy to know that they had CNBC, CNN, HBO and other assorted abbreviations, along with actual (or not) words like "Cinemax" on the tube. I even caught a glimpse of MTV - my first in years. (And a short one, as there are better things to do in Bali!)

The Wall Street Journal was brought daily, but somehow I managed to stay on vacation and not look at it.

We were charged an extra $50/night for the Club room as part of our package. Since I am in Japan (and the yen rate vs the Rp was so dismal), I am sure it could probably be arranged directly for less. I was told that the normal Club rate is US$218/night. At any rate, I had very little difficulty eating and drinking $50/day to make sure that we got our money's worth!

It seems all rooms/villas have an excellent view of the ocean. The R-C is located about 6-7 miles (?) due SW of the airport (a bit longer driving as you hug the coast). At any rate, the incoming planes fly East to land, and those so interested could have whiled away many an hour on the balcony watching the planes go in and out over the ocean. -Close enough to see well, but not enough to hear.

We got in around 9:00 PM, and after some beer/wine for me and dessert for Mrs. Kid we were ready to call it a night.

Tomorrow (or whenever I can post it): Club/Pool/Strolling and Lounging. Ahh, life's rough!

Anywhere outside of Australia with VB sounds fine to me

Actually I learned to really enjoy Bintang - maybe it's the heat - and the views!

I settled into VB (and wine/rum) near the end, after a thorough comparison of the others. Bintang would be a delightful alternative to Gatorade on those hot days!

<Report will continue soon>

Club/Pool/Strolling & Lounging: <aka "How do you get Bold/Italics in your post, anyway?">

Our first day in Bali brought perfect weather. We had a surprisingly good breakfast in the Club lounge (out on the balcony overlooking the ocean and the distant Denpasar airport), and then went for a stroll.

The resort grounds are very peaceful, and it seems new flowers bloom each day. We strolled down to the private villas, equipped with their own small pools, etc. A bit off the beaten path, the privacy might be nice, but we were content with our room. (Plus the villa folks no doubt have to put up with punk Kids like us traipsing thru their yard!)

We walked all around the resort, thru the spa and the tennis courts, the 1/10 or so scale golf course, etc., before settling in by the pool.

The pool is a two-tiered deal, with a waterfall going from the top to the bottom (and a small pool feeding the top). It is designed so that the edge of the water on the top pool looks to run into the (somewhat distant) ocean, with the sunset not quite directly across the ocean. Very picturesque, and refreshingly cool.

Under the waterfall on the ground level is a swim-up or walk-up walkway with a large (5 meter?) aquarium. Lit up at night, and kinda neat.

Dinner was at "Sami Sami," perhaps the best of the three resort restaurants we went to. I had filet mignon, and Mrs, Kid had a Scallop/Shrip Lobster Risotto. Excellent food, and reasonably priced (if Tokyo) at under $50 (with a drink or two).

Some kind of Mexican trio was serenading the people over in the smoking section. They were very good, but not good enough for me to take up the habit.

Back to the Club for dessert and some more relaxing.

Day Two brought clouds and our first Shopping Day. One aspect of Japanese culture (that I find both quaint and occasionally annoying) is that when you go on trips you have to buy souveneirs for people at work (whom you've inconvenienced by taking time off) and friends. You are also expected to get things for people who gave you wedding gifts (in this country, such gifts are usually cash). Although sincerely grateful and meaning no disrespect, we unfortunately spent about 2 of our 5 honeymoon days loading up on native crap for the folks back home.

Shopping Day #1 took us to Nusa Dua - a shopping center in the middle of many resorts. (Next to the Hyatt.) The bank there gave the same exchange rate as the hotel (8400 RP/$) - although the hotel uses 9000 as the rate when calculating Rp values of $ charges.

We found a local supermarket next to the Duty Free building, and supermarket prices are much cheaper than anything else you will encounter. We loaded up on a lot at the supermarket, and also at some of the stalls. I recommend people stop in to a Bali supermarket before haggling with the locals, to if nothing else get an idea for the normal Bali price of things.

Outside the supermarket, we were hit up to fill out a "tourism survey" and told we had a chance of winning one of their various prizes for cooperating. Whatever. It only took 1-2 mins, and I thought I'd help their quest for demographic info.

We took the hotel shuttle into Nusa Dua, but weren't ready at 1:15 to take the shuttle back. The driver informed us that a taxi would be less than 20,000 Rp ($2.25), so we opted to taxi it back after we finished.

TAXIS in Bali: The official "metered" taxis are the cheapest way to go, and are blue (Blue Bird group or Blue Bali Taksi). Others charge "fixed" rates which are invariably more expensive.

After we finished we asked where we could grab a taxi. The shopping area is apparently controlled by one group of taxis, and they were asking 50,000 Rp to drive us. They quickly offered 40,000 as a "special price." I said we were told it should only be 20,000, and the leader said (rather quick on his feet) "20,000? No way! You must mean 20,000 each." We said "No thanks" and went back inside, ignoring shouts of "35,000!"

Asking where a metered "Blue" taxi might be called, the information guy said "They don't come here because of problems with the taxi group outside. You could try and see if there are any Blue taxis waiting at the Hyatt."

Great advice! We were able to get back for 13,000 Rp + 3,000 tip. Although we had to walk over to the Hyatt (5 min +) to save just $3-4, it seemed like a small moral victory over the oppressive fixed taksi syndicate.

Back to the hotel for relaxing in the Hot tub (one by the pool, one in the spa), etc.

Dinner was at "Padi" - an acclaimed restaurant according to our guidebook. They served Indonesian food which in our opinion was just so-so and was overpriced. $75 for us, and not as good atmosphere/food as at Sami Sami. Another nice sunset over the ocean.

Tomorrow: A morning phone call, and Bali haggling tips.

[This message has been edited by kidpachinko (edited 07-31-2000).]

A morning phone call, and Bali haggling tips:

Awakening in paradise to the sound of a ringing phone, my initial fear was that people at work had some emergency that cold not wait until I got back. (They left me alone, except for two faxes that sent me scurrying to the business center and necessitated a quick call to the US. :rolleyes

Instead it was an enthusiastic woman who greeted me with the kind of conversation radio DJs will give the "9th caller" when they win something. A bit confused, I told her "Yes, this is KP. Yes, I remember filling out a tourism questionnaire yesterday."

Wonder of wonders, I had been chosen to receive the grand prize of a free one-week stay for 2 adults and kids at any of their assorted resorts around the world. (Valued at US$1,000.) Still half-awake, it sounded like good news.

Fully awake, it sounded like those marketing presentations I've heard about. I asked the Club concierge, and she advised staying away from the whole thing. "It's not dangerous, but other people have gone to such things and said they felt cheated."

I still have no experience of my own with such gimmicks, but we decided not to keep our 10:30 pickup appointment. The woman called back around 11:00 wondering what happened, and assured me they were not a timeshare group. When I asked her for a phone #, she only gave a cellphone, and we decided to forego the "explanation"/presentation and get on with our honeymoon.

Instead of going to Kuta - the other close shopping area (and coincidentally where the phone lady's office was) - for more shopping, we went back to Nusa Dua as we were comfortable there. Kuta has more shops, but we'd been told people there are more pushy, and it's hard to relax, etc.

Checking the Nusa Dua $ changer, I saw they were giving a phenomenal rate of 9035 Rp/$ (cash or T/C). Strange, as the morning TV reported the $ had slipped from 9100 to 9000 Rp. Unfortunately, I didn't have my passport on me, so could only use the bank that took my NY license. (8500 Rp.)

The first (and only) day of real rain fell today, so it made for a good shopping afternoon. (Kuta is more open, with more protection from the elements at Nusa Dua.)

Loaded up on more traditional Indonesian ware (aka local crap), before retuning to the hotel and learning a couple basic Bali Haggling Tips:

1) Japanese pay more. They/We just do, and there ain't much one can do about it.

2) When given the initial price, either laugh it off or act indignant before telling them that you couldn't pay more than ___. <-This initial offer should generally be less than HALF of what you were quoted. I was very surprised in Ubud (the first place we went after hearing this tip) when a guy wanted "120,000" for a simple (but nice) painting. Just to see if it would work, I said I wouldn't be interested in it unless it was 40-50,000. He said "How about 75,000?" and we settled on 60 ($7).
3) Try to get them to offer as much "good luck" as they can. It must be a karma thing, but as they lowered their prices everyone seemed to add "... for good luck." (As if to show they are being generous, when in fact the supermarket sells the same thing for 30% less.)

4)Whatever price you get them down to may well have them acting like they donated you a kidney, but rest assured they made out very well. (If you can offer the same agony at offering a slightly higher price, you will probably do okay in the Bali markets.)

Then it was back to the hotel. The evening featured a traditional Indonesian dance/performance and dinner. It was similar in theory to Japanese Kabuki, but much more clamorous. Or maybe it was like a Vegas show without Wayne Newton/Tom Jones. Whatever analogy works. -Worth seeing once, with interesting dancing, but not horribly enthralling, IMO.

Next: Our day trip to Ubud via taxi, and my slip-up at the money-changers.