Couples Conference – Bali – February 11th -14th.
11 February 2008 – Monday
All the Jakarta couples – Piers, Marchants, Hashes, Kanes, and Walkers – flew on the same plane to Bali and we were joined by one of the Presidents brothers, his wife and their son and his wife. There was one interesting experience at the Jakarta airport. The younger woman was pregnant and before they would let her fly, she had to be examined by an airline doctor to make sure it was safe. It turned out costing $6 for the examination and her clean bill of health.
The flight went well and we were met at the airport by sister Mongan and a bus. When we get the hotel none of our rooms are ready so we sit around and talk to the couples from Eastern Java who have been waiting 2 hours for their rooms.
We do a little better and it is less than an hour wait to get our first floor room. The rooms in the Harris Kuta was almost identical to the one in Jakarta – that is very Plain Jane and not at all exotic. However the grounds were very nice and it was just across the street from Kuta beach. The plainness of the room was about the only thing anyone had a complaint about.
Sister Kane is ready to go shopping so we get a cab and go to the traditional market in Das… We have a great time walking, bargaining and buying way too many things. I have no idea how we will get them all home. We walk through the fresh meat section of the market and I decide that I will be careful of what meat I eat. The most beautiful part of the market is the flower section. Since the Hindu religion calls for offering flower offerings at least two times a day, this is a very busy section. The colors are amazing and they smell good also – hydrangeas and marigolds are my favorite.
When we get back to the hotel, Elder Kane and I decided to take a walk along the beach. It was not our best decision of the day. The wind was really starting to blow but as long as we walked on the wet sand it felt good. However when we went back up to the road to head home we got really sand blasted. I ended up walking sideways to try and keep the sand out of my eyes. When I got back to the hotel I had to take a shower to get the sand out of my hair. When I was done the tub looked like a beach. Elder Kane said the same thing about his experience.
In the evening we went to a restaurant that featured Balinese dancers. We had a good time and enjoyed sitting around a table with the Hashes, Marchants and Davises. The dancing was nothing great and went on while we were still eating. It was rather hard to eat and watch at the same time. I was surprised to see how the place filled up after we arrived.
12 February 2008 – Tuesday
The first day of the conference included presentations by a number of the couples – including ourselves and a presentation by the Palmers about public relations. It is always great to hear what and how the couples are doing. Most of their missions are very different from ours. During the week we had a number of chances to talk to the couples who are doing the High School English classes and they are all approaching it a little different which is what we expected. The important thing is all three couples are having positive experiences and the youth and parents seem to find it worthwhile. They had some good suggestions about providing better instructions about the use of the cards we gave them.
We had way too much to eat today. A huge buffet breakfast, two breaks with food, and lunch. I could feel the pounds being added.
The conference ended at 5:00. The Kanes, Bennetts, and ourselves went out touring the main street of Kuta. This is the area that was bombed in 2001 and we especially wanted to see the memorial to the tragedy. We also did some shopping along the street. I helped Sister Bennett do some bargaining for some souvenirs – she seem to appreciate my help. Once the sellers understood we knew the drill, they were quick to come down to fairly reasonable prices. I am sure they still made a fair profit – or perhaps a more than fair profit.
Mary was hungry so we stopped with the Bennetts at a sandwich shop. It turned out to be one of the best meals we had in Bali. It was very American with huge portions – I have some pictures – that were also delicious. Mary ordered a club sandwich with fries which ended up being large enough to feed all four of us. The Bennetts had smoothies which they said were great.
While we were eating the Kanes toured the streets and were coming back just as we finished. Mary and the Bennetts were pretty much walked out so we put them in a cab to go back to the hotel while the rest of us did some more sightseeing. We had no sooner closed their door than it started to pour – a true tropical rain. So after about two minutes of trying to stay dry, we hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel.
13 February 2008 – Wednesday
We are getting rain in the morning but it clears up during the day. Since it is mostly overcast, the temperature is not too bad. However the humidity is terrible so that I am sopping wet almost any time we are not in an air-conditioned room. I eat much too much from the breakfast buffet – but what the heck.
The conference runs from 8:00 until just after noon. The Palmers give another presentation which is very informative, Elder Subandriyo gives us some counsel on how we can help the Church and the members. President Marchant reminds us that we should not loan or give money to members because it set a precedent that they will expect the next couple to follow. This is a hard thing for some couples but Elder Subandriyo re-enforced the President’s counsel.
We all wore our mission ties and scarves and had our group picture taken. As I am sure I have already said, the best part of the conference is to see, talk with, and hear the experiences of the other couples. We have lunch together and the conference part of the trip is over. President and Sister Marchant must hurry back to Jakarta to meet with the new missionaries that come in today. There are three from the states – 2 elders and 1 sister and three elders from Indonesia.
After lunch the Kanes and ourselves head out to do some sightseeing and shopping. We rent a van so we do not have to look for taxis. First we go to a street of fabric sellers that sister Kane read about in her tour book. It is a wonderful place and besides material it has finished products and lots of jewelry. Mary finds a number of necklaces of beads and stones that she likes. We buy two for her. She also buys a great piece of material for a blouse or skirt. It has a beautiful pattern which is accented with silver threads. We do some hard bargaining but get it for our price. They are not going to let a sale walk away and chase us half a block to say OK.
Next we go to a big temple complex that includes an art and crafts section. It is closed but the temple itself is open and is very interesting to explore and of course to take lots of pictures. Our final stop is a restaurant along the beach that the Kanes know about from their last trip. The driver must wind his way through small streets to get there, but it was worth it. It is so close to the ocean that since the Kanes were there a couple of months ago part of their eating area has been reclaimed by the sea. The food is very good and cheap. We make our way home by taxi and happily head for our bed.
Jemmy Mongan took most of the rest of the group on a lovely tour that everyone enjoyed. I am glad that I had Jemmy help plan the conference. He knows everything that there is to see and how to get things done.
Thursday February 14 – Valentines Day
We had breakfast and then the Roberts, the Kanes and ourselves head out for a day of shopping and sightseeing. The rest of the gang go with Jemmy for the day. I kind of wish we had gone with the big group but we had a good time with our small group.
To make things short we saw a silver jewelry factory and their amazing store. The most tempting things were large glass balls that were free formed over old posts. They were beautiful but way too much money – $2500 each. I think I will take the pictures to BYU and see if I can get an artist there to make one or two for me. I doubt if the two will cost more than $500 at the most. Perhaps they will do them for cost and then use the idea to make some to sell to others for a profit. We than found a side street of gold and silver jewelry shops where we looked, bargained and bought more necklaces for Mary – I also got one on the sly to give to her as my Valentines Day present.
We made a brief stop at a glass shop where Mary bought a couple of small items. Then it was on to a huge traditional crafts market where we bought some pictures and other things. It was really hot and I sweat all the time. I did not get a couple of things I wanted because they would not come down to my price. I am now sorry I did not get them because one would have been a great present for Tom and Shauna. I think I will look for it here in Jakarta and see what price I can get.
We then went to Ubud, a tourist town about 2 hours from Kuta beach. The first thing we did was eat an amazing lunch at the Waylan restaurant that was recommended by our driver. It was basically a large and beautiful garden with eating areas cut into different locations. Each was almost private and you felt like your group had it all to yourself. The food was good but not as good as the atmosphere. We had a good time talking with the Roberts. In fact the whole trip gave me a chance to get to know Elder Roberts much more. He told me all about his career as a crane operator. I really enjoyed his stories and his thoughts about his job.
After lunch we walked down the street shopping along the way. Everyone seems to have found something. I even bought a couple of shirts including one make of Ikat – a handwoven material that is famous in Indonesia. We were able to see a woman making some on a small handloom. Once again I almost died from the heat and humidity but I did not let that stop me enjoying looking at all the crafts and art works. I think you could spend a week and all your savings and not see all the shops in Ubud.
Later I talked to the Noordas who stayed in Ubud for two days with their friends. They said they stayed at a wonderful and romantic hotel with individual bungalows over looking a waterfalls. Too bad we did not know about this before. It sounds like it would be worth going back and staying for a couple of days.
We finally headed home via the back roads. We only made a couple of stops. One to watch how thatch was made – I took a short movie and once to take pictures of a beautiful river gorge we passed over. The driver was great in all ways. The Kanes had used him the last time they were on Bali. He told us a little about the Hindu offerings from each meal.
After we got back I had to take a shower before we went to our special Valentine dinner that Jemmy had arranged. Everything I was wearing was soaked with perspiration and I did not think it was the way to smell when having a romantic dinner.
One thing to mention is that when the Kanes went for their walk on the beach it started to pour and both came back soaking wet. When it rains here the skies just open up. That was the way it was when we went to dinner. It just pounded the hotel grounds and it continued for almost two hours. If it had rained like that in Jakarta for two hours the city would have floated away. However Bali seems to soak it up and in 30 minutes after it stops it is almost dry.
The dinner was excellent – probably the best we had on the trip. Elder Hash was worn out by their day out sailing and snorkeling so Sister Hash came alone. We invited her to join us so she would have some company. We had a great time talking to her and hearing about her day. The two hours passed quickly and then it was time to collapse in our room. It was a very long and wonderful day.
I am happy to say I think everyone had a good time and about the only complaint I heard was that the hotel could have been more tropical – the apple green and orange decor and rather bare rooms did not seem to go with the rest of the island. But other than that it seems to have been a great success.