Bali -- Day 6 -- Goodbye Bali!

This was my last day in Bali. After an early breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and made the long winding journey toward Kuta. We drove through picturesque highways and spent some time at a botanical garden. Incidentally, since Ayub was doing the driving and the navigating, I forgot the names of the places we visited. We stopped at a vegetable and fruit market, because Ayub and Dewi wanted to buy some for their families. Incidentally, I figured out that I could shoot 640 x 480 movie clips at 30 frames/second with my camera (Canon A610). Until this time, I was shooting at a measly 320 x 240 at 15 frames/second. Better late than never, I suppose.

On the long drive, Ayub played some popular music called dangdut that sounded very much like Bollywood music I was familiar with. Dandut has become more popular than ever. I was so intrigued by the music that I purchased a VCD for keepsake. We also discussed the origin of some of the Balinese/Bahasa vocabulary that I recognized as coming from Sanskrit. They were surprised that I could guess the meaning of many words. Wow, stuff that I learned almost a quarter of century ago came flooding back. As we neared Kuta, we dropped off Dewi at her home and Ayub dropped me off at Restu Bali Hotel to pick up my baggage. I repacked all my belongings and walked a few hundred meters to where Ayub offered a ride to the airport. With mixed feelings, I exchanged goodbyes with Ayub, compensated him handily for all the assistance and departed from Bali. Over the past few days, I came to appreciate his hard work, friendliness and honesty, and I leave him as a good friend. I shall definitely look him up during my next trip to Bali.

At the airport, I avoided the stalls inside and hopped over to a small cafe within the airport where the locals eat -- saved a whole lot of money. My flight for Hong Kong was leaving and the highlight of my trip came to a close. I shall return here someday. Terimah kasih, Bali and selamat ingal!