Fiesta Bowl at Sin City in Seminyak Bali
Tuesday morning I rode down the street to Sin City, the flashy sports bar on Jl. Dhyana Pura. My reason was a game of American college football was on tv and I was hoping to see some of it. The game was the Fiesta Bowl, played in Tempe Arizona, between Notre Dame and Ohio State. I arrived as the last quarter of the game started. Sin City was empty as usual and I ordered ‘eggs benedict’ for 14,000rp. Strangely the coffees they served were more expensive that the breakfast, with a latte being 15,000rp. I just stuck with the eggs.
Sin City has a large projector screen and the first channel they tried had the game on. The only problem was the bright outside light faded the picture, so it was partially visible. Better than nothing, but I’ll remember that projector screens needs a dark place. In the afternoons there is no problem at Sin City as the sun has passed over the building.
Americans in Bali right now might like some of the college bowl games or NFL games. The time difference means its either a breakfast or brunch date. Places to go are Sin City and Metro in Seminyak, Double D on Jl. Legian in Legian, Stadium Cafe in Tuban, Arena in Sanur. There are other places too. One of the problems I have always come up against when trying to watch foreign sports, whether its soccer, American football, in whatever country, is that shortly after I start watching, someone else wants to change the channel. When this doesn’t happen he starts out on a monologue ‘soccer sucks, its so boring, why bother?’ Exact same thing with American football overseas, ‘bunch of bloody poofters running around in motorbike helmets and pads, the game is all stop and start’. Wait 5 minutes and ask them if they like cricket and they’ll say ‘Oh cricket’s a great game’.
Ohio State won the game. I often look for places that I know will be empty to watch foreign sports.