Gado Gado

4.10.08
Bali is hot...did I mention this before...I just got back from walking on the beach and even tho I was swimming in the ocean every couple feet I am dripping in sweat!! Surfed and boogey boarded this am with some Austrians I met yesterday at the pool, pretty fun waves, had more fun watching this little 8 year old rippin' he was sooo good!!1 I know if this kid is not already winning comp's he will be ...He was from Australia and was out in some sick surf for hours, I have been watching him every day and it is amazing!!Lots of really good surfers here in Bali, it's so fun to hang at the beach and watch....A little annoying getting sown to the beach with all the hawkers, you get swarmed and touched and bugged...

The sand on the beach is black, and glistens like diamonds in the sun..and it's black...so it is inferno hot when you try to walk on it...I was screeching as we walked up to the hotel...but the beach and the water here are lovely....

So after my walk I was trying to lay down under my umbrella and look at the sea...and people are calling my name..interrupting my peace...it is eta, from the beach she wants to paint my nails, and Jonah and Luka who want to sell me tattoo's and paintings....So I figure I will go let Eta paint my toes, cause I promised...well......we haggle and I get ripped off and end up paying her $15 when I could go into the spa at the hotel and pay $8, but I figure I am supporting the locals......but then every other beach hawker is grabbing me, one is massaging my shoulders, one is braiding my hair, one scrubbing the other foot Eta is not working on, one has my hand and is pumicing it with lotion!!and Jonah and Luka have moved in too!!!and the brow chick, telling me I need to have my brows plucked...help!!!!So I don't make it off the beach until I have dropped $35 and that was only 3 people!!! had to bargain with the other's to get away from me!!not so much fun..but I have cute little flowers on my toes and made some people's days!!

Dinner tonight at Gado Gado a restaurant I'd read about and wanted to try. It is set right on the beach and they have a spotlight on the crashing waves...so pretty...I ordered a tuna dish...wow.....it was fabulous..the chef came out after we ate, he had just changed the whole menu and only started there 2 weeks ago. He is from Holland and just took over the restaurant..we told him how impressed we were...it was lovely. Dessert was the volcano, caramel oozing out of some sort of cake with berry coulis..once again fabulous!!! Russ complained at first about the price, but there could be no complaining after the meal....