BALI VIII: Kecak & Fire Dance and a Welcome Dinner at SUKU, Conrad Hotel

The Kecak and Fire Dance is done at the Uluwatu..situated on top on a small mountain or hill was it(?), where the dance is performed from mid-afternoon untill sun down. The dance is accompanied by chanting of a group of men....

..and acts from the epic Ramayana is incorporated in the dance.

We all had to wear sarongs and yellow belts while watching this unique Balinese dance. They express their feelings and emotions basically through their eyes and arms movement. The way they move thier eyes from left to right and right to left give that eerie effect on me ;P Makes me realize how every culture is indeed so fascinating!

We all went back to The Conrad Hotel for our welcome dinner.

It was set at the Suku restaurant, at the poolside of the Conrad. This was a dinner get together given to us by the Ros and Marc, the couple to wed the following day. The activities et up by the bride and groom is really great to bring their families and friends together.

I think everyone looked fantastic that evening. What a real change...from a rugged look from our trip to Uluwatu and come dinner time....men in suits...ladies in dresses...a sight for sore eyes! It was a time to relax...have lovely conversations adn enjoy scrumptuous dinner.

For starters...these are Skewered Mozarella and Cherry Tomatoes drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

...like a miniature Italian appetizer. It was great with white wine, red wine and/or cocktails that they served.

These were deep fried rolls, with a filling I could not recall because I couldn't tell what it was then ;P...perhaps cheese? ) and sesame seeds with a drizzling of sweet chili sauce.

How about a pair of Prawn tempura and Calamari drizzled with tartar sauce?

This was my favorite =)

This was my Smoked Salmon Salad, with Crispy fried Shoe String Potaoes.

That is not what it's actually called, but that is what it was made of. I love this dish...it can be a meal on its own =)

For my main course, I chose the Grilled Seabass.



It was served with rice tipped with crispy garlic slivers and a vegetable side dish. I could not appreciate this dish, sad to say, beacause it was SOOOOOOOOOO HOT!!!!!! By that I mean SOOOOOOOO HOT!!!! Can you see all that red bits topping my seabass? I surmise they are chilis!!!!!!! When you cut through the fish, these red hot chilis seems to be imbedded within! NO escape from the HEAT! Guess what, they even served a side dish of that HOT STUFF--just incase its' not HOT enough for your palate!!! WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH--- Too bad for me...I bet it was great!

Others chose the Crispy Suckling Pig

Served with a side of broth, veggies and rice. No escaping HEAT...I tasted my friend Chryl's plate..this was HOT too ;P Nonetheless, the skin was super crispy!!! I would love this too sans the heat =)

The wedding party people...well most of us here =)
(L-R) Nelly, Hani, Cheryl, Steve, Lotte, Marc & Ros (the couple to wed), Mario, moi, Lyn, Gwen, Pi, Sharmayne and Dexter)

To wine and dine was divine! The ambiance was elegant and personal. We all had a great time talking and getting to know eachother. Seeing everyone there who came from different parts of the world....from the Philippines, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Lebanon and so on...it was just so amazing for me realizing how the love of two people brought us all here together. Don't you think that is so wonderful? I think so. We are all here to be part of the very special moments in the lives of the couple who are very dear to our hearts. =)