Today was a big day. I reunited with my girlfriend halfway around the world. It was 75 days since I last saw her, and I wasn’t sure what, if anything, would be different now. I hoped the rigors of traveling would bring us closer. We would spend 30 days together in Indonesia. I wondered what crazy adventures we would have.
I flew from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Bali, Indonesia this morning. I arrived in Bali about an hour before my girlfriend, Jameelah. I entered the airport and noticed it was not crowded. They must receive only a few flights per hour.
I hung around the baggage claim for awhile, waiting for her. A few airport workers asked why I was waiting. I replied, “Girl. Girlfriend.” They smiled and let me be.
I listened to the local, gentle, drum-based chorus playing over the loudspeaker. I sensed this would be a peaceful stay in Bali.
Jameelah came through customs and we gave each other a big hug. It felt unreal at first. We hadn’t seen each other in three months. We had talked by phone, but it’s not the same as being there with someone.
I had researched our initial stay the previous week. I wanted it to be special but not expensive. I found Bali Nyuh Gading Villas on tripadvisor.com, and it seemed to have decent ratings and great value. All the rooms are private villas with high stone walls and personal full-size pools. All for $80/night. Freakin’ awesome.
I told the taxi service at the airport that our hotel was in Kerobokan. The guidebook (published in 2007) said the rate should be $3-$4. However, the service quoted us $7.50. Hmm. This seemed like a legit service to me. I wondered if everything in Indonesia would be double the price.
We taxied over to the Villas. It was a few miles outside of the main tourist area, amongst some rice fields. It was beautiful.
We sat down in the open-air lobby. It was a sunny, 80-degree day. Gentle Gamelan music played over the speakers. A bellhop, named Nyoman, decked out in white uniform brought us each a cool, wet towel and fresh-squeezed orange juice. He said to let him know if we needed anything. And he meant it, too. Wow. I was impressed so far.
Then a manager lady came over with us with a fake smile. She asked for the name on our reservation. Then she gave me bad news. She said she did not confirm our reservation because I requested a “peaceful stay.” But she could not honor that since they were renovating two of the eight villas. Therefore, we would hear construction noise during the daytime.
I had written in the Expedia reservation, in the special requests textbox, that “I wanted a peaceful, quiet stay.” I wrote that because foreign tourist hotels are sometimes greedy–having rooms next to a noisy area without sound-proofing. And I wanted our first few days together to be peaceful above all else.
She said we could not stay there, but they would help us find a room somewhere else for our three-night stay.
I was not happy with this offer. I wanted to stay at the Villas. I did all this research, and it was a great value (private pool for $80/night). I wanted Jameelah and I to have the experience.
I pressed her to stay at least the night. I didn’t hear construction noise nor workers. She declined at first, but then submitted as I pressed her further. She called the owner for guidance. She replied they had availability for tonight only. And that it would cost $120.
Bulls–t!! I already paid them $80/night for three nights. Now they wanted to raise the rate 50%?! I was livid.
She said I would need to pay them directly and get a refund from Expedia for the three nights. That’s fine, I thought. But raising the rate on me was downright low and greedy.
I pressed her in a stern voice for the $80 rate. She repeated my offer to the owner on the phone. She replied back: $100. I raised my voice at her, demanding the original rate of $80. She spoke to the owner again. She replied: $90. I sighed and said OK. I had had enough. I just wanted to enjoy the day now.
Nyoman led us to our room. I could tell he felt sorry for us. And he said he would help us find another place to stay for the next two days. I thanked him and said let’s handle it later tonight.
Jameelah loved the room! She refreshed in the pool a bit and then went straight to bed. She had jet lag.
Nyoman called around town for a similarly priced hotel. He found the Mutiara Hotel in Seminyak–where the high-end tourism is. He and I rode out there on his motorbike. I liked the place.
I asked to see the room I’d get. It was a classy two-queen bed room with a balcony overlooking the hotel’s pool. $60/night. Nice. I reserved the room for the next two nights.
I ordered a pizza back at the villa. It was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Some Italian chefs must have migrated here 
