We've just got back from a short break in Ubud, Bali, staying again at our favourite place out in the ricefields with peace and quiet :-) Also warmth as it's been an unusually cold winter this year.

While we're in Ubud we usually visit Villa Kitty, a shelter/adoption agency for abandoned cats and kittens run by an Australian woman who now lives in Bali. We love cats and always miss our own back at home so going to play with the Villa Kitty cats is always enjoyable, and generally we leave a cash donation to help with running costs. Balinese cats are so tiny, especially compared to our two big girls!

This time, however, I had read on their Facebook page that they were in dire need of a particular kind of kitten food sold only in Australia, as they have found this is easiest on the kittens' digestions. So I thought, I'll get a couple of boxes to take with us.

When I went to the store there was none to be found, in any of the local stores. (Lots of other flavours, but not that particular one.) I emailed the company and asked, What gives? and was told they have stopped making it. So I made it a mission to go to as many supermarkets as I could, to check their shelves for unsold older stock. By the time we left I had accumulated 18 boxes, about 20kg, which I boxed up in a large carton for bringing to Bali.

Well. No good deed goes unpunished. First, the carton took AGES to come out of the luggage carousel (I think it was the last thing to be unloaded but I could be wrong as I was away from DH hunting for any other place it may have been unloaded to). I could feel waves of annoyance coming from DH, who otherwise was pleasant.

Went through two customs checkpoints- "What's in the box?" "Cat food." <Funny look, but waved through>

Then just at the final exit, we were stopped by a Quarantine officer. "What's in the box?" "Cat food." "Come with me." Once in a nearby office, we opened the box to show the kitten food. "All the same?" "Yes, it's the only kind the kittens can eat." I produced the letter emailed to me by Villa Kitty on their letterhead indicating I was bringing in a donation. All to no avail. "You needed to bring a form from Australian Quarantine."

While I was explaining that I had not been told of this requirement, I'm thinking, Why the heck would _Australian_ Quarantine have a form for something that's _leaving_ the country (I've since had it confirmed that this is in fact the case, they don't)? All being still sealed in the factory packaging should be some guarantee as to its wholesomeness. We were told to wait for a superior to come and decide the kitten food's fate.

After about 15 minutes or so, a lady officer appeared. Her English wasn't fluent, though a long sight more fluent than my Bahasa. It was hard for us to explain to each other what was going on. I tendered my Villa Kitty letter, also in Bahasa. She indicated we should follow her to her office in another building, where she would phone Villa Kitty to speak with them.

On the way we passed our patiently waiting driver (who we know from previous stays), and asked him to come with us to assist in translation and local custom. To be honest we were wondering if we were going to be hit up for a contribution to the retirement fund, but reluctant to suggest anything in case offense was taken. (As it turns out, this was a good plan, as there has recently been a crackdown on corruption and we would have been in a world of hurt.)

The Quarantine officer talked to Villa Kitty. We talked to Villa Kitty. The lady at Villa Kitty told us there had been some suggestion we were planning to sell the kitten food. (As if. Seriously, if I was going to sell something on the black market -and had any idea how to, it would be booze or something actually worth good money. I doubt any locals buy cat food, I get the impression that Balinese cats for the most part are loved but have to fend for themselves in the dinner department, or at most get any table scraps their people can spare.

In the end, after nearly three hours, we were handed a form which we were told someone from Villa Kitty would need to present to claim the cat food, since we were not going to be trusted to safely deliver it.

Through all this I could sense DH was not happy but accepts that things like this happen when I travel :-) Anyway, it makes a good story :-)

So, rather delayed, our patient driver delivered us to Ubud and we had a lovely holiday.

What happened to the kitten food? I hear you ask. Well, the next day we met with the proprietor of Villa Kitty (who was very apologetic and not happy that we had been messed around trying to help them) and gave her the paperwork. The day after that she messaged us to say they had been refused to have the kitten food. So I decided that if the authorities wouldn't allow it in I was going to take it home with me and donate it to a cat shelter here.

But, after six days, I had a message that with a letter from a vet (and not even signed), the authorities finally released the kitten food to Villa Kitty. Yay! They were so glad to have it, particularly as they had totally run out.

I suspect it was mostly an exercise in "because we can". But DH and I, without conferring, had worked on being as polite and helpful to the authorities as we could be, figuring that p***ng them off was not going to help our cause or Villa Kitty's. It was a good plan.

At least, it's unlikely to happen again, as they're not making that product any more.