After my first night in Bali...

First impression: everybody is smiling!  That bleak-looking and scruffy lot of Australians aboard the Airbus A320-200 (seating capacity 177 - and full up!) had already made me reflect on whether I would ever want to run a small hotel in Bali and have any of that lot as my guests.  I really delight in seeing all those smiling Indonesian faces!  Young Harry (everybody seems young here!), the driver from Harris Hotel, was right at the head of the queue, waiting for me at the airport after I'd been whisked through Immigration and Customs in record-time (it does pay to have an honest, if ageing, face!)  My 30-day visa cost me Rps 300,000 (or I would have paid $30 in US currency).  Walked along a whole string of currency exchange counters all offering the same rate of Rps 7,600 to the AUS$.  Changed AUS$200.  The drive from the airport was all over in a couple of minutes, that's how close the hotel is.  They had upgraded me to a poolside suite at no extra cost (which was sweet of them!) and it's lovely, too!  Went straight for a swim.  The water felt like velvet.  Did three laps before the girl who brought me my welcome-drink, apologetically and with a big smile, pointed to a sign that stated that the pool was closed for "chemical upgrade".  Nothing to die from but I did smell a bit like Chemical Charlie as I sat down for a spicey meal in the open-air restaurant before turning in for the day at 11 o'clock Bali Time (that's already 2 o'clock next morning Nelligen Time and I had been on the go since 5 o'clock that previous morning.)  Woke up, seemingly refreshed, five hours later at 4 o'clock, made myself a cup of black tea and sat down to write these notes.  An hour later, the nearby mosque started to call the faithful to prayer.  I' am praying for another beautiful day in Paradise as I head north to Lovina!  And top-marks to Harris Hotel in Tuban:  great place, great service, great people!