On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 09:22:00 -0500, Reef Fish wrote:

Re:  Dinner and drinks evening after first day of diving

>>> ...but I'd like to
>>> propose a general gathering here on the evening after the first day of
>>> diving.  Fish barbeque, copious quantities of Bintang, and in extremis
>>> I think I might be able to tempt Sylvia with a Rambutan Daiquiri I make
>>> that some people say isn't a silly drink at all.  (No parasol, though.)
>
>The "here" refers to your house, Robert?

Yes, chez nous, Villa Iskandar, in the Batujimbar compound.  We're just
a few hundred meters up the beach from the Bali Hyatt.

Re: Bali Hai vs Bintang Beer

>>Strike:  You'll have to let me be the judge of that!  I love a challenge - and new
>>beer experiences always counts as a challenge!  :-)
>
>Me too!  What most drinkers consider undrinkable are usually the
>drinkable ones for ME.  :-))

Well, you're both welcome to try, I guess, though I'm not sure how I
feel about sharing a boat with anyone who could actually DRINK Bali
Hai.  The one-time I tried it, it reminded me of pre-1975 Taiwan
P'i-ch'iu, but without the character.   (Taiwan piss-jiu had to be one
of the worst beers ever made in the world until 1975, when one of the
Japanese breweries came in and and installed new equipment and adopted
new recipes and procedures.  Since then, it's been merely insipid.

Trust me, you'll like the Bintang, which, if unflashy, is still a very
decent, clean brew. If you must try Bali Hai, please do so in private.
We wouldn't want to risk undermining the group's "beach cred" by having
anyone drinking BH in a public place.

ITEM:

Another point that people should be aware of is that the carry-in limit
in Indonesia for alcoholic beverages is one liter of spirits OR wine,
and one carton of cigarettes for those who indulge, per person.  It's
definitely not worth trying to bring in an extra bottle.  You can
usually get medium-dark rum (Oro, or the slightly better and more
expensive 8-year old) at Duty-Free at Chang-yi airport in Singapore,
which is EXCELLENT for both rambutan and banana daiquiris.  The other
crucial bottled ingredient is Cointreau.  Hint hint hint hint.  (There
is also a duty-free booze shop near the baggage pick-up at Ngurah Rai
airport in Denpasar, if you forget to shop in Singapore.)

>Speaking of NEDfest gatherings, pending the available of my 120 sq
>meter Hyatt suite, it would be available for our gatherings on other
>nights.  I think what you save (not to mention making your homemade
>versions of drinks) on the bar bill (compared to gathering in some
>public bar) could probably pay for a night's stay at the suite! :-)
>
>Daiquiri's (banana or strawberry flavor) are the only drinks Sue
>drinks at Albert's Cozumel PRIMA (other than the margarita), which
>even *I* sink to the abyss of sipping them occasionally.
>
> I make banana daiq's using only pisang mas (a wonderful sweet, tiny banana), but since we should still be in rambutan season in April, I feel I have to recommend the rambutan+lime daiquiri.

>The Parigata is listed at $60 on the CO webpage.  So, $50 is about
>a 16% discount over that rate.

Their "official" rack rate is, as I recall, $120 a night.  Nobody
(other than the Four Seasons and the Aman resorts, and regrettably the
once very nice Tanjung Sari) have been charging full rates this past
year except over the brief Xmas/New Year high season, so I'm glad to
see that the Parigata now posting more sensible rates.

Item:  Backplate and wings users

If anyone coming is diving a back plate and wings, I've got a spare
backplate, which would be available if someone wanted to avoid carrying
theirs.  No spare wing, so you'd have to bring that.  Email me if
you're interested.

Item:  Water temps

Can't remember if I covered this before, but some of you may be aware
that water temps can be quite cold (20-22 C.) at Nusa Penida during the
mola season, but that shouldn't be an issue in April.  I wear a 5 mil
at Nua Penida from July through October, but 3 mil. is be more than
adequate now, and that should carry through May or June.

Robert Delfs

Tabula International Ltd.
Email:  <[log in to unmask]
Phone:  +62 361 282-743
Website:  www.tabula-international.com