Bridge, Socialising and Dinner with Friends

Well it's been 9 days since my last blog and it has consisted of:

• 15 sessions of VG commentating
• drinks and friends with friends
• socialising with the many bridge friends I have at tournaments like this
• IBPA Meetings and AGM
• A most enjoyable WBF President's gala(h) dinner

I managed to get back twice to the restaurant on the beach for two excellent meals, one with Klinger, the Haughies, Buchens and George Gaspar and another with Anna and Marina who work within the WBF secretariat.

 

With some reservation I also went to a dinner for the Bridge Press hosted by the Indonesian Bridge Federation at a nearby German Restaurant only to find that the veal schnitzel was amazingly good.

The quality of food in Bali is amazingly good. I'm not sure whether its fine chefs looking for a lifestyle or that the training is strong but I am yet to have a meal which I would not rate as excellent.

Chipmunks on the outdoor dining tables not uncommon but...

 

No, these people are not following the bridge on computers. Alongside the World Championships, all of the popular computer bridge software programs are battling it out for the title of Computer Bridge Champion.



Nothing much more to report except that Bali is a very special place which is as close to resort/holiday paradise as I have been to. This is my fifth or sixth visit and I love it to the point that I will try and get here more often hopefully with my family.

I leave it to last but the Australian bridge teams ALL performed VERY poorly and more needs to be done to ensure that we send competitive teams to these events. The Semi Finals start today while the Transnationals goes into the last day of qualifying - 68 Australians Playing in the event with a lot of players flying in for the event. They did quite well with an entry of 100 teams plus some drop-ins of losing quarter finalists.

The Semi-Finals are (my picks in Bold)
Open: Italy vs Poland and USA1 vs Monaco.
Women's: Netherlands vs USA1 and England vs China
Seniors: France vs Germany and USA2 vs Poland

I have arranged to get Saturday off and have booked a car (SUV) and driver to take us to Volcanoes, temples, Ubud for lunch, and some local craft villages. The driver/car cost is $A45 which I would be embarrassed to pay but shows how affordable Bali is as a destination. 

The tournament finishes on Sunday and I move to Seminyak for a week of relaxation on Monday.

I am told that there is a chef from El Bulli in Spain and Daniel's in New York who has opened a Tapas bar called CoCa at Jimberran Bay and I am hoping to try that before I leave as some friends have given it a rave recommendation.

Well, fond greetings from paradise and I hope all are well. 
XD