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Wow, were we wrong!
Day five started with a trip to the Dolphin Lodge bat Jl. Tukad Punggawa | Br. Ponjok, Denpasar.
It was actually with a small amount of trepidation that June and I headed to the Dolphin Lodge, where you can observe, interact or swim with the dolphins. Given some of the stories that are told about dolphins in captivity we were concerned but our concerns were soon washed away.
It took about 45 minutes from our hotel in Denpasse to get to our destination, not including a detour to pick up four other people from another hotel. I should say, bookings are essential because there is an absolute maximum of six people per group in the tour/interaction. The company running Dolphin Lodge picked us up from our hotel in a very clean and almost brand new seven seater wagon and the driver was fantastic. He had a reasonable command of the English language and if you wanted to engage him, he would talk freely, but he also respected the times when we all just wanted to sit back and watch the Bali scenery pass by.
On arrival you are warmly welcomed and shown a short video that outlines the "do's and don't" of interacting with the dolphins. Lockers are provided for free to lock your belongings away as you really do not want to take them on the boat and have to cart them around to where the dolphins are.
It is also possible to purchase for 50KRp [$5], water tight bags for smart phones. So I left my camera in the locker and used my iPhone.
Now we were given little information prior to going on the trip and the brochures tell very little, so here are some tips to make your trlp go better.
There are changing rooms, so either wear bathers or shorts and a t-shirt (the sun can get hot) but bring a change of clothes as well. A towel is provided on your return from the Dolphins back at the main centre and if you are interacting and not just observing - and I HIGHLY recommend you pay the extra to interact, then you will come back wet (and very happy).
You are also given a life-safety vest to wear.
So down to the jetty and onto a boat that carries about a dozen people, and there is a maximum of 6 people per dolphin.
It's a beautiful trip and while it barely takes 10 minutes but there are plenty of things to look at, including old Balinese boats, people being towed behind boats attached to kites and some great beaches.
On approaching the "dolphin pens" we began to wonder if our concerns might be right as they look quite old and run-down.
The pens look quite unimpressive as we arrived
On disembarking you then understand that this is an old structure that must predate the dolphins being introduced, and that the actual pools in which they are contained, are very clean and in good condition.
Someone asked if the dolphins were let out, and we were told that they are let out everyday for up to 3 hrs, and that they always return.
Apollo and Pluto share a "pond" together
You are "given" your own dolphin and trainer and our dolphin was Apollo. We were encouraged down the steps into the dolphin pool one at a time and we stood about waist deep in water on a raised platform. The trainer then demonstrated the correct way the encourage the dolphin (who I will now refer to as Apollo, yup that was his name) to come to you, kiss you on the cheek, and then on the lips.
We were shown how to stroke and rub Apollo, who loves belly rubs, how to throw a specially polished stone for him to find and return and how you can then take it out of his mouth.
We were then shown how to throw a basketball and have him retrieve it and hand it to you with his flippers.
The whole time the trainer talked to Apollo and he was constantly rewarded with half pieces of fish the size of large sardines. The trainer joked that this is why Apollo weighed over 200 Kgs, and why he never ate the fish swimming around us in his pond.
We also got to do a lot of other really cool things including feeding him and it was, a lot of fun and permanent grins were a feature of everyone''s faces.
June hand feeding Apollo |
Dancing with a dolphin is pretty damn cool |
The trainer is incredibly gentle with Apollo and there was absolutely NO doubt in my mind that the dolphins are well cared for and seemed to absolutely thrive in their interaction.
Now, yes you can take your camera in the water, but a second staff member is in attendance up on the walk-way and he will take photo's with your camera if you wish. To my delight he also used the video function on the iPhone and we got fantastic pictures and videos.
They do request a donation be made to the dolphins back on land, and non of us hesitated as there was no way you could get the pics that are taken from above, if you tried to get them in the water. 100K Rp [$10] seemed to be very appreciated but do be careful, the people running the welcome centre have a tip box - that is NOT the place to donate, there is a staff member who will gratefully take that money.
Look it costs approximately $106Au per person to enter the water, but it is worth every dollar as the experience is seriously wonderful. The time with your dolphin in the pond lasts over 30 minutes and then you have the option of about 10 minutes to enter a pool with sting rays (minus barbs) or you can just watch more of the dolphins.
I spoke with the woman who supervises the trainers as I thought the one glaring omission was a lack of education for us, the visitor. She told me that when she took over she realised the trainers had very poor command of English, and so she has been making that her priority in order to maximise the experience in the water - and I think she is doing a good job. I believe her arrival is fairly recent. Her next goal is to add education to their bag of skills, and that would just crown off a seriously wonderful experience.
Having had that morning under our belt, we took a rest, had a beer down with Andy and a cocktail at our hotel in the evening and then ordered a taxi to take us to La Favela, which we had been told by very good friends was an experience not to miss.
Now bookings are not necessary, but, it can get so popular that you might queue to get in, so why risk it? Mind you, getting them to answer a phone is a test or trial of your determination to get in.
Between our hotel reception and ourselves we phoned over half a dozen times over a 2 day period before getting an answer and making the booking. We had the booking for 7pm and I googled the location and it looked like about a 15 - 20 minutes maximum taxi ride, so I asked reception to book the taxi for 6:40pm.
When the girl learned where we were going she said that she should book it for 6:30pm because there were reports of heavy traffic. That was fine because I figured even if we got there a few minutes early that would be no big a deal.
Our Bluebird taxi arrived, and I hope you have read part 1 of this story, because I talk about why you should only get a Bluebird taxi. I knew we were in for a long ride when we arrived at the feeder road that goes into Jalan Legian, the main feeder road through to Seminyak. The drive through to Jl Legian if the traffic is light is about 1 - 2 minutes and if busy it can be 5 minutes. It took us 15 minutes!
Then, it got really busy and it took us 40 minutes to do a drive that should have taken 10 - 15 minutes, and by the time we arrived it was 7:25pm.
But that was no problem and we were just pleased to get there and was Is it worth it? Oh yes - it certainly is!
The place starts out in the early evenings as a restaurant/bar where you can have a drink or have a meal and let your senses get saturated with the decor and lighting. The restaurant part closes around 10pm and it explodes into a music and dance phenomena.
But if the music side of things is not for you, just head in around 7pm, evening is preferable to get the full lighting experience, and be sated with food, drink and things to look at.
The place is full of nooks and secret hideaway places, all with amazing decorations far too eclectic to describe and the lighting is just amazing.
There are plants aplenty, and water features and paths leading in and out of everywhere. Before settling in for your meal you just have to explore it because there is a surprise everywhere, including above you.
Hey, even going to the toilet is an experience. We were told later by our waiter that they are just about to open upstairs in the next week, and this will add another brilliant dimension to this amazing place, because not only will that area be an experience in itself, it will mean a view down into the amazing 'world" where we were that night.
The toilet entry
The staff are really friendly and are quite used to be asked to take pictures of the guests, and are happy to chat if that's what you want. Our hostess was Katarina and she was absolutely delightful, full of information and just made us feel so welcome and they check on your needs without being intrusive.
Our hostess - Katarina |
I blend in well I think |
So, to the food and drink. Now the drinks are expensive, but if you chose wisely you won't quite go broke. The food is reasonably priced, a bit on the high side of reasonable and while there isn't an extensive menu, it's a good menu.
Now June had a Greek Platter which she said was scrumptious. She said the felafel's were a little dry, but overall it was delicious and the olives were really fresh and the dips fresh and tasty and the bread, just right. But she also said when we return she will try something else.
She said it was a good meal without being brilliant, but on cost was on the high side at $135,000Rp.
I had Fellini's Risotto - also $135K Rp, and I have to say, it may just have been the very best risotto I have ever eaten! Seriously! I have spoken of the riot of colour in La Favela, but there was a riot of flavour in this fish based risotto that just made it “the meal' of my visit to bali on this trip. This was a 10/10 dish!
June at our table near one of the water features |
Don't just look ahead, but above |
There are a number of people if you read reviews on La Favela who moan and complain about the cost. Yes it's on the pricey side but what you get for your money really is unique and as June commented, she would have gone there is they only served cheese sandwiches, she was so enamoured by the place and the staff.
It even has a resident dog |
The fabulous clock room |
Really, if you visit Bali and don't come to La Favela, you miss this experience at your own loss!
Next time we go we will ask the restaurant to book us a return cab. The streets outside were packed and the only time we saw a Bluebird taxi was when it had someone in it. We must have walked for 10 minutes before a Bluebird pulled up and we jumped in. He took off and when I told him where we wanted to go, he started trying to negotiate a price, it was then that we noticed - NO meter! He said 80K Rp and I told him he was kidding, that we had taken 55 minutes to get there and it only cost 49K Rp, so he said, OK 70K Rp and I said, whatever.
We got to the hotel, and I handed him a 50K Rp note and he started carrying on about his 70K and I told him he had no meter and he was ripping us off and I never had any intention of paying that much so he could just suck it in, and, I would report him. It was then security from the hotel came over and he took off.
We asked reception to report him, we had his cab number and later they reported that it was not a Bluebird taxi, which made perfect sense because all our experiences had told us that Bluebird was a reliable and honest company.
What did worried us was, that he had a Bluebird sticker on his windscreen and a Bluebird sticker in the cab. This has just become a game changer as it suggests that now we are also dealing with fake cabs!
My suggestion is, when you hope in a taxi in Bali, even a Bluebird, before you give an address check that there is a meter. No meter? Get out!
However, that was a small glitch in what was an amazing day for us in our stay in Bali and even though the rest of our stay was a little shopping, and eating and drinking, of course, day five was really, really special.