Memories from Sanur Beach , Bali 30 years ago

I visited Sanur Beach first time in November 1977. It was a quiet paradise with just a handful of tourists.In La Taverna Hotel , where I stayed then where a group of medical doctors from New Zealand with their wifes.
A year before at the Montreal Olympics the Finnish long distance runner Lasse Viren
had won the two Kiwi challengers Dick Quax and Rod Dixon in a fantastic run of 5000 meters, where those two had practically sworn to beat the Finn easily. It did not happen. Now, I probably was a very good one,thinking to be a fantastic runner too. The Kiwi doctors decided to have a new match. So one day I had to compete against their chosen one on the beach for a distance of one mile. I was 25 kilos or about 50 pounds lighter than today having a quite good physical form. So let's show them !
The Kiwi's sent some people to the goal area, and we started to run. What an easy thing, I thought after leading clearly after the half of distance, running lightly. Then suddenly there was a total blackout, my legs could just carry me, I did not know what I was doing, except I must just get to somewhere. Finally some people stopped me, and I did remember that it was a competition. I went to congratulate my rival, but he smiled and said, you might not know it, but you did reach the finishing line first.
I was too exhausted to be happy, I only thought it's over. The Kiwis half carried me back. But a couple of hours later, when I celebrated my win with those wonderful people from New Zealand on them of course, I was a very proud Finn, naturally.
New Zealand

About the names. Sanur Beach, Bali

The very charming German lady 28,who I did meet with her boy friend Alex in my last evening at Kuta Beach, was Madeline from Darmstadt. of course.
The names in Bali or Indonesia are very strange and sometimes funny. A pretty bar tender at La Taverna Hotel, where I stayed 30 years ago, has a name Musti. All the personal had fun, when I told to her that the word black is in Finnish musta, and that's why many black dogs in Finland have the name Musti. This word again here means
an Angel! My name Matti pronounced Mati, as they do here, means dead, happily anyhow in Greek language Mati is The Eye! In my opinion only very few languages have in their names or words the same consonant doubled like in Finnish. I just can remember Italians and Japanese having these occasionally in their names.
I celebrated on Saturday my 67th birth day, which I spent alone but enjoying of Hotel's dinner party with not so bad, but cheap local vine, and Frog Dance performed by beautiful dancers with Balinese big band of 23 drummers.
Yesterday I finally got some rain on this journey except, if in a bus (once) or at the night time, when sleeping. To my great surprise there was at noon a heavy tropical shower for half an hour, and then sun shine again.
Here I have been mostly alone. which does not bother me at all, but there is a nice couple from the middle part of Finland with whom I have been talking sometimes at the pool. But,now I guess it's the time for a cool Bintang beer.

Last easy and amusant days at Satriya pool bar etc.,Bali

So, I could not walk very much in last days except yesterday, and the days went by at the sunken pool bar, but with nice company always. There also were new guests rugby player Ray and his voluptuos girlfriend Henna both 19 from Wellington ,New Zealand.
On Tuesday I did have dinner with Annik and Manuel, whose surname is Dali, and very far, about 200 years ago related to famous Spanish artist Salvador Dali. Day before yesterday I then had the dinner with Nicole and Kenneth. Those both evenings were very pleasant, of course. Yesterday evening I went shopping some necessities, and did walk quite a distance, first time since last Saturday. I stopped at the popular Maccaroni Club for some glases of Australian and Chilean vines, just to compare,
and finished my evening at Satriya's restaurant bar with nice local and international live music. There I also met a very nice German couple Alex 34 and his girlfriend 28, whose name I cannot at this moment remember and I do appologize that
from her. It surely will come into my mind just after I have finished to write this.
Today, very soon I will move for another week to Sanur Beach on the other side of the island. It is more beautiful and more peaceful too.

Further very lazy days, Kuta Beach, Bali

The sunken bar in the swimming pool has been the meeting point of international travellers at the Sartriya Cottages. I've spent most of my time with Bruce from Calgary, Canada, who is my age and a sailing boat designer, with young Norwegians sweet Nicole and Kenneth, who is a professional soccer player but clever enough to study at the same time.Then I did mention last time a swiss couple, which is not a couple at all, just very good friends, who share together the costs,beautiful Annik 25 and very friendly Manuel 23. Then of course Josh and Armando, the American fire fighters from Afganistan, with Armando's girl friend Sandra, who all left yesterday, the guys via Macao and Singapore to their base, and she flew back to Texas.
I some days ago did see clearly, that Josh had a crush on Annik. He anyway did not do anything believing like me before that those young Swiss were a couple. I did play Cupido, and they soon were very much and deeply involved with each other.
On Saturday night Annik, Josh, Sandra, Armando, Manuel and me went to have a dinner in place I knew, then we had midnight bowling, me first time after 40 years, somewhere after a very long walk in my opinion, before moving to the most crazy night club I ever visited The Bounty, not to be mixed with my previous hotel. There I had to ask Annik to play also my girl friend because the local beauties were just too eager to catch me. Annik did play her role very well and the locals were wondering that this goodlooking girl did have two boy friends. We three then took a taxi back to the hotel around 5am, leaving Armando and Sandra, who had a small jealousy fight and Manuel , who did continue to somewhere.
On Sunday a group of seven Swedes, all relatives, arrived to the hotel and being from Northern part of Sweden they all speak at least some Finnish. One man,Lasse absolutely fluently without any accent.
I shall go now back to the pool bar which opens at 11am, because in Saturday night
I twisted my left ankle quite badly. It takes some days before I can again walk normally, so I do not have another choice.

Kuta Beach , Bali

I have enjoyed very comfortable and troughout lazy days in this busy paradise already over one week.
My last day in Australia was fantastic.It was the Melbourne Cup day, the day of horse racing, the biggest annual sporting event in Australia. The entire continent stops for some hours. Jane, Jeff, David and I took part in a champagne lunch at nearby Italian ristorante, with big screens to follow the races. The main start was at 3pm and everybody made bets for his or her favourit horse. I did put A$.20. for my
lucky number 24 horse called Mahler,named after a famous German classic music composer in 19th. century. Of 23 horses, still some few hundred meters before the finishing post, Mahler still did lead, but then unfortunately got tired and two horses did pass him. I had put my money only for the win,so I did not get anything, if I had bet for the podium I had doubled my investment. It was a lot of fun anyway, and a great experience.
Here I stayed the first week in Bounty Hotel, quite good, but somehow I wasn't totally satisfied. It was filled up with very noisy Aussies especially during night time. It did not disturb me, but I did neither socialize with them. Actually almost the only ones except the staff, I was talking with were two very pretty and stylish young ladies from the neighborhood of Perth, Portia 19 and Elle 18.
Day before yesterday I changed my accomodation to Satriya Cottages, a fantastic place very near to the beach with big swimming pool, and even cheaper than Bounty, only US$35 a night including breakfast and taxes. I can warmly recommend this hotel to anybody. Here I met immediately nice talking partners like Kenneth 22 and his girl friend Nicole 19 from Stavanger,Norway. Then there are two American firefighters on their holidays from Afganistan, Josh 31 from Decatur, Illinois and Armando 28, from Houston, Texas. Their station is just some kilometers from Pakistan border, and they know exactly that Taliban is fireing them from Pakistan side.
There is also a very funny middle aged couple John and Maria from Sydney, Australia world travellers too , with a lot of funny stories. With those people and with a Swiss couple, we had yesterday plenty of Bintang beers a lot of laughs in the swimming pool bar until dark.

Sovereign Island, Gold Coast , Australia

I have been spending luxury life since last Friday at my friend's David's luxury house on Sovereign Island. I also visited with him his other very elegant apartment on nearby Ephfraim Island and his country house in the Springbrook mountains.
In change I did promise sunny days during my stay, even the weather man promised heavy rain storm for yesterday, and David had to cancel his foreseen garden party.
I kept my promise, and yesterday as also days before, we had the most beautiful blue sky, not a drop of rain. Many of those people, whom I did meet on this journey do know that I will bring the sun shine with me where ever I'll go. So on this trip, now over 220 days, I did not have one single rainy day anywhere exept one in Florida, but then I was sitting in the bus the entire day. The rain or heavy storms, even hurricanes like in Yucatan and Hawaii, are there just some days after I did leave.
No wonder, that some of the passengers onboard of "Kristina Regina" renamed me as the "Sun Prince" a couple of years ago because I promised every day sun shine for the next day,instead Captain's rainy weather reports. And that was in Norwegian fjords for 6 days, where the rain is most normal. He later admitted to me, that he never before had so beautiful sunny days over there.
Yesterday we had a a nice lunch in Surfer's Paradise with Maxwell's good friends Jeff and Jane, and as always here I did have a good time and most easy life. I have to thank David, who kept me very happy with his good beers and red wines, but especially his charming wife Denise for their great hospitality, caretaking and friendlines to me.
Day after tomorrow I'll fly from Sydney to Denpasar, Bali, where my son Kristian has booked a good Bounty Hotel (hopefully) for me for one week. I might stay longer, but we'll see. I do not stay in Sydney this time because I have been there twice before.
And I now have visited all those other million cities of Australia, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. I cannot say , which one is my favourit, I like them all.