Crackers Bar Bedugul Review

[Sanurian]

I made it to Cracker's Pub today and here is a short description of my experience:

Arrived 9:10 am - not open yet
The next-door "Bakery" was and a few people looked busy making pastries
The sign for the "Bakery" listed cold beer on its menu
No beer there

To kill time, went on to Kebun Raya (the botanical gardens)
I wanted to see the "aerial walkway" over the tree-tops
The gate staff said it was on top of the hill and cost Rp 150,000 per person
It's NOT on top of the hill...it's just to left after you enter the gardens
Yes - it costs Rp 150,000 pp which seems exorbitant to me

Made it back to Crackers - finally open
Asked the waitress (Juni) whether she's late everyday, or what
She has to come from Pacung (about 15 minutes' away)
I suggested if she started 10 minutes' sooner, she'd be "on time" (probably anathema in Bali)
Claimed she was late only today
Told her that one of our posters arrived at 9:30am recently and it was just opening
Signed the guest book and suggested that Cracker renames the place to Crappers
If you buy a drink, the toilet is free

The place is nice enough - even uses hot water to wash glasses
Juni thought the hot water is there because it's cold in Bedugul
A small Bintang costs Rp 13,000 (large Rp 20,000) - a small Heineken, Rp 16,000
They don't sell food - just beer and soft drinks (the "juicer" wasn't working)
They're building an upstairs' level which will have food, a barbeque area, etc
Watched a bit of MTV on their Indovision satellite

And the "Deluxe Toilets"?
Just what you'd see in an up-market venue anywhere...excellent, in my opinion

Juni was hard to photograph because she reckons she's got small eyes
If she smiles, her eyes crunch up (that's what she believes)
She looked pretty enough to me...and friendly, too

So - overall, I think it's an OK place especially in Bedugul (although the toilets in the golf course might be better.)

The market at Baturiti (open 24 hours) has very cheap vegetables. Most of the vendors only sell in bulk: nearly everything is Rp 20,000 (including the basket). There is at least one woman who will sell smaller quantities and she's very generous. My car was full of vegetables on the way back home. Guess I'll be eating lots of salads for the next few days.

I will upload some pictures into the North Bali section. Hope it works.

http://www.bali-expat-pictures.com/cate ... ?cat_id=29

A very reasonable pit-stop for that area - if you're a realistic person, you'll appreciate it for sure.

 

[matsaleh]

Nice to see some new photos in the gallery. Don't know if the loos are worth the 5000 rup asking price, but they do look clean.

Thanks for the photos Sanurian, and for the review. 8)

 

[Sanurian]

Mats...maybe you missed something that I confirmed today.
If you buy a drink in the place you don't have to pay. The toilets are 'free'.

And I did a very quick and rough job on the pics - I took the 'loo' shots just out of interest as I was leaving.
I reckon they border on 'brilliant', especially in that market place. I'll go even further and say they're the best toilets in any Balinese market place! But they're not for the locals. Maybe the owners don't want foot-prints all over the seats...

 

[Bert Vierstra]

Dear Occasional Forum Reader,

You may ask yourself why people are talking about toilets all the time.

To be honest, I don't know. :shock:

You may ask yourself if it is typical for Bali Expats to talk about toilets, well although the last posts suggest this could be true, I can assure you its not.

Thanks for your attention,

your forum admin

 

[tintin]

Dear Occasional Forum Reader,

Don't believe the previous post by a certain "Bert": he is obviously new to this forum, otherwise he would know that the favourite topic of discussion on this forum is "toilets in Bali." It has been so for years, and, hopefully, will remain for years to come.

As you will agree, I believe, this is a most important topic, and your views on the subject are more than welcome.

 

[dug]

Sanurian, Yes,'jam karet' is still alive!! It is quite simple, buy something at the place and the toilets are free!!Footprints on the seat, classic!!
You did a nice job at Pasar Baturitti. Their is in fact a lady who will sell vegtables by the Kilo in a small Toko at the south end of the market.
Your review was hilarious, and balanced. Basically, its nice to have those buisnesses up there... the pace up ther is more relaxed and I like it that way..

 

[orang gila]

Yep, a good balanced report Sanurian.

Opening times and staff getting there late frustrates me immensley. I took a group of friends up there a few weeks ago and was embarrassed that the place wasn't open by 9:15. Maybe it's time I stamp my feet :roll:

But time doesn't seem to be a big issue in Bali. Moi & I have the same situ in Pacung; staff seem to roll in when they are ready. It reeeally peeves us, as we are sticklers for time. I'm too soft, so I'll get Moi to read the riot act and see if she can get the crew to understand.

Will also ask why no one has mentioned the juicer not working, maybe they forgot to mention it :roll:

Re; foot-prints on the seats... :wink:
It's not that locals aren't welcome, but the dunnies are NOT public toilets. the plan was (still is) to initiate the charge, (initially there was no charge; it was initiated to alleviate the need to have permanent cleaning staff mopping up after the masses) and offer a redeemable token that could go towards the costs of buying a drink, or snack, or product from the AdoptA outlet. It's just one of the many things that the partners haven't managed to get around to, but someday, it will happen.

As for the (non guests) fee to pee!! If I was in need, and had the coice of a decent dunny for 5,000 or a smelly squat for 1,000, I know what I would choose. Anyway, Moi would prefer to do her shopping alone and that I was a patron of the bar, so if I wasn't a partner in the project, we'd get free pees.. :wink:

 

[tintin]

Good work, Sanurian!

I particularly enjoy the pictures of the urinals. You have talents, my friend. Which brings me to a story about urinals, which made the front page of the Wall Street Journal (no less) in 1997, if my memory serves, which I was able to verify personally few years later (I can hear Bert roaring and cussing in the background: “What has this to do with Bali?” :evil: Well, it does, Bert, as I was on my way from New York to Bali, on that particular day). It also demonstrates the ingenuity and practicality of the Dutch people. :wink:

The New York Kennedy “International” (?) Airport, which every day looks more like the Dacca airport of twenty years ago, has been providing job security to several generations of construction union workers in the NY City area. They build and build and build, and nothing gets ever built anyway. But I am digressing…

Back in 1997, the NY Port Authority decided to refurbish the Int’l Terminal (an int’l terminal where one could not find a restaurant opened after 10 pm, and where the toilets looked and smelled like traditional Balinese toilets!). The bill added up, after the usual backshish and fees to the local Mafia, to more than US$1 BILLION. :shock: The Schiphol Corporation, which run airports around the world, including the one by the same name in Amsterdam (OK, Bert?), heard of this pending ripoff, and put in its bid: for US$1B, they proposed not to refurbish the building, but to build a brand new one, with all the latest modern facilities. Among these innovations was a new design for the urinals. The Dutch “engineers” had noticed that when an object was dropped in a urinal, man’s aggressive nature notwithstanding, one would aim the flow toward that object. So, in order to avoid the existing situation around the old urinals, which gave one the impression of putting ones feet on “fly paper,’ so soiled the floors were, these same engineers had the image of a fly incased in the middle of the pissoire. According to Mr. Kieboom, an economist who directed Schiphol's own building expansion "It improves the aim," says Mr. Aad Kieboom. "If a man sees a fly, he aims at it." His staff conducted fly-in-urinal trials and found that etchings reduce spillage by 80%, thus helping considerably in keeping the premises clean, and the cost to clean them down. It was said that "In Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport the tile under the urinals would pass inspection in an operating room," which now can also be said about the NY Kennedy Int’l Terminal. :lol:

For those of you with further interests in “urinal games,” please refer to

http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/ ... inals.html

 

[orang gila]

Heh, Heh, Heh,

Love the idea,, thanks tintin for the dunny research, will show our local artist and steal the idea. It does piss me off, the lack of direction guys have when in a dunny, I'm sure some just stand back let fly, better they let fly at a fly.

I did see a similar idea recently, world cup inspired. From memory, there was a little soccer ball and goals. "Score a goal for cleanliness"

Also liked the link, the interactice screen is brilliant.

As the topic seems to be dunnies, the most interesting urinal I've seen was in Darwin. As you walk into the restaurant, there's a huge mirror that attracts many women to it so they can touch up their hair and check their makeup. On the other side of the mirror is the urinal but from this side, you can see outwards, I've heard that many blokes get stage fright whilst doing the deed, or trying to, with women standing so close and seemingly looking straight at them.

 

[dug]

Roy,have you ever been to P.J. CLARKS in N.Y.C. now those are some urinals!! Big as coffins!!! Sorry about all this potty talk Bert.......

 

[Roy]

Roy, have you ever been to P.J. CLARKS in N.Y.C. now those are some urinals!! Big as coffins!!!

Oh yes, I’ve enjoyed many good nights at PJ’s that is for certain! For sure, they have the largest (and free) toilets I have ever seen.

 

[orang gila]

They are large,
but look as they could do with with a bit of a spit & polish.

 

[Bert Vierstra]

It also demonstrates the ingenuity and practicality of the Dutch people.

Hmm the Dutch. They live in Holland, right?

They are are very practical indeed:

A McDonald's fast-food outlet in the south east of the Netherlands has agreed to remove urinals that are shaped liked wide-open red lips.

Degrading to women or toilet cartoon fun?
The decision was taken after a shocked American customer complained to the McDonald's head office in the US.

Owner Giel Pijper said on Wednesday that the bright red, mouth-shaped urinals, named 'Kisses', are works of art. But a different view is taken of them in America. The urinals are being removed and will be sold off. "I'm not going to harp on about a pair of urinals," he said.

Virgin Airways was forced to scrap plans in 2004 to install two of the 'Kisses' at New York's John F. Kennedy airport after complaints they looked like women's mouth.

They are the work of Dutch woman Meike van Schijndel. She is the designer at the Utrecht-based firm Bathroom Mania!

http://www.bathroom-mania.com/

 

[Roy]

Bert! Nice to see you joining in with this great discussion! Personally, I'd be happier if she had no teeth, especially those very big uppers!

Orang gila, yup they are VERY large, easily six feet in height if not more. As for "spit & polish" they are 120 years old, so all of that now is referred to as "patina."

I guess back then in OZ they were still peeing "up wind" but leave it to an Irish New Yorker to do it right!

http://www.pjclarkes.com/htm/history.htm

 

[jogry blok]

This is not only toilet talk but I thought it was worth a good laugh.
The new Supermarket near our house has an automatic
water mister to keep the produce fresh.

Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant
thunder and the smell of fresh rain.

When you approach the milk shelves, you hear cows
mooing and smell the scent of fresh hay.

When you approach the egg section, you hear hens cluck
and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing
aroma of bacon and eggs frying.

The veggie department features the smell of fresh
buttered corn, but..........

I don't buy the toilet paper there any more.

 

[Roy]

I don't buy the toilet paper there any more.

Funny how all this toilet talk is bringing out the best of us guys!

Well done Jorgy. I did not see that "punch line" coming!

 

[quirkyartist]

Yes but.....
if you're going to appropriate the 'fly' idea for Bali - shouldn't it be instead a mosquito or maybe a little gecko?

 

[Bert Vierstra]

No,

a little picture of M.A.

 

[matsaleh]

Re: RE: Crackers Bar Bedugul Review

... a little picture of M.A.

I like it!

 

[bolli]

http://www.clarkmade.com/show.html
:lol: