Well it’s been a week and a half of drinking and partying and wonderful food here in Bali. We’ve explored almost every warung (traditional restaurant) on our block and found our very favorites. In addition, we’ve started checking out the really nice places like Take Sushi in Seminyak and Tugu Resort on the beach in Canggu.

Tugu Resort was actually where the ladies from the Gu Guide took us to see a traditional Balinese dance performance. As you can see from the pics below, it was awesome and we had an amazing time. It began with high-class and super expensive (for Bali, cheap for LA) cocktails, followed by a fantastic traditional Balinese dinner. While we waited for the food to arrive, the xylophones started playing and the various dancers moved to the rhythm while wearing the most impressive outfits and contorting their fingers in ways that must mean they were born triple jointed. After the dinner and the four distinct shows, we wandered around the resort and checked out all their artifacts from the history of the island both before and after the Dutch takeover and WW2.

Over the weekend, Michael the owner of The Dojo Bali (where we’ve been working every day) took me zooming on his motorbike across the loud and busy town of Seminyak as we prepped for the upcoming Bali Dinner Club. As we gathered up the necessary dishes, flatware, burners, and ordered a suckling pig, it became clear that this was gonna be a big event.

I had made arrangements with a local chef to cook for us for free. He’s the owner of a business called warung on wheels that delivers alcohol, and I promised to encourage my guests to order their evening libations from his company. On the island however, everything runs slower, communication is sketchy, and the best of plans sometimes run astray.

By the day of the event, we were sold out. Just like in Downtown LA, about half the guests were people I knew and about half were friends of theirs or locals who had heard about the event from Dojo Bali members. I was getting REALLY excited, and super nervous as 7pm approached. Fortunately, chef Daniel arrived on time, and began reheating the five dishes he had cooked at his home nearby. Unfortunately, his company was understaffed that night and all the liquor orders got lost in the system. Thank goodness Michael was around to grab some local supply to hold us over as we waited for the drinks to finally arrive just before 8pm.

In the end, it was everything I could have possible hoped for and more. Wonderful local people, shocked to be enjoying a free meal, and the food was spectacular. Plenty of great things were said about me over dinner and between blushing profusely I made some new friends and awesome local connections. I also finally got a chance to hang out with Damea Dorsey (friends with my surfer friends in LA) owner of Dorsey’s Barber Shop at Deus Ex Machina (a motorcycle shop and party spot just down the road from us). He invited our small rag-tag bunch of travelers to join him on a boat this weekend for a day of drinking and snorkeling and swimming off pristine white sand beaches in Nua Dusa. Of course, we said yes. Stay tuned for more on that adventure.

Just a few pics of Bali Dinner Club #1!! More coming soon. Special thanks to chef Daniel Natakusuma, Dojo Bali , Warung On Wheels Bali - Alcohol Delivery 24/7 and GU GUIDE for sponsoring.
Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Balinese Dancing and Dinner Club Number One