Bali – part two .. travelling cookies !! Huh ?!

Friends from the UK arrived today, to stay at the Villa, I was sooo excited as I have not seen them for about 6 months …  I initially new and had a relationship with them separately before they got together, and now I know them as a couple ..

I love them both dearly, equally and it is amazing to see them together .. I have travelled with friends lots, and on my own ..  I have never travelled with these guys .. and I admit, I was a little nervous about how we would get along 24x7 for 7 days, especially as a couple and a single, I also know, I could only ever deal with me in short doses …  I should not have worried … I loved every minute … my family is sooo small and these guys have without question become family to me, they are my pseudo brother and sister …

Airport pick up and then stopped in at Potato Head ..  this sounds like a casual place, but if you get the chance you must go, it is a bar on the beach with a pool, outdoor beds and cocktails … a great way to reacquaint … 

The next few days were full of tours, cocktails, temples, beaches, amazing meals and poolside swimming .. the following are some of the things we did.. in no particular order …

A morning at Goa Lawah (bat cave) … bat lady friend thinks they are cute, I think they are vile …  the pythons outside think they are tasty …  we came at the most amazing time though, as the cave is attached to a temple and we got to witness the most breath taking ceremony and offering ..(vid of Goa Lawah ceremony), there were hardly any tourists and whilst we were amongst everyone, they continued as normal ignoring our intrusion which was lovely …  we then headed to the amazing beach at Padang Bay ..  a tiny cove, through a steep walk through a cave, visiting monkeys on the way, with the greenest of waters …

We visited Uluwatu at sunset, this is an amazing temple in Bali on a must do, our guide Made took us to an area at Uluwatu that all the tourists avoid, so we had the best views of the temple, watched the most exquisite sunset ever .. all sitting on a hill overlooking the surf and surrounded by monkeys… my number one … not appreciated enough at the time, super appreciated now … in a life time of experiences, this will be hard to beat .. check out the sunset and monkeys here & a Vid of uluwatu 

1.5 hours at bali safari .. but because of one of the safari employees, we crammed in a full day, and got to hold macawas, orang-utans and see elephants, antelopes, wallabies, zebras, bears, white tigers, rhinos, aquariums, komodo dragons, lions, cheetahs etc … sooo much packed into such a sort period, such an amazing time … click here for pics of the safari and the bat cave

this was followed by a dinner at Jimbaran, a beach strip of about 3 kilometres that is full of ‘on the beach’ restaurants, where you choose your own seafood from tanks, that has been caught that day and grilled on the spot … I cannot believe that we had 1.5 kilos of red snapper for £7 ..  we also gobbled down a kilo of prawns and lobster …   yuuummmmyyyyy ….

An amazing day visiting Lake Bratan, possible the best and most beautiful temple in Bali .. why it was so quiet I will never know …  the grounds and gardens are also spectacular .. (pics of Lake Bratan)

We went to Tanah Lot (click here to check it out..)   the place is amazing, there are three points out to sea, and we sat in the middle one where we could view both temples, the bats leaving the cave and the sunset .. sadly Tanah Lot is not only overrun by tourists but there is now also a whole village dedicated to tacky tourist gifts and takeaway shops and the whole place is now quite off-putting …  (slightly dark vid of Tanah Lot here)

We had massages at Jari Menari .. dancing fingers … the best massage in Bali … in a wonderful and uber clean setting … slightly more than a normal massage .. but well worth it .. 

We ate at wonderful places ..  artcafe (local fresh, great for brekky) Breeze …  the best restaurant in Bali for service, views, intimacy and food, Chandi comes close to breeze without the beach setting, Warung Asia in Kuta … local, traditional, amazing food .. Ganesh Jimabaran … (Jimabaran is a must do if you go to Bali) … Junction Seminyak .. the freshest food, head here for brilliant western dishes when you are sick of rice .. lunch place … there is better settings for dinner … Karma in Seminyak, is a restaurant but has a great bar …  for opulence and setting try Ku de ta and Potato Head … (Potato head is larger and has a pool so take bathers and ask for a bed seat) …  Ku de ta has a stricter dress code, no pool, is smaller and is considered swankier .. but I think Potato head is ..  go there for the experience … it is also cheaper than Ku de ta …

The last day was a bit of a whirlwind ..  packing etc … and the farewells were a rush … in a way I was kind of glad … I just did not want to say goodbye …  how weird though is this … until the cookies arrived rain, rain, rain …  the whole time they are here, no rain … the day they leave … rain, rain, rain..

I love you guys ..  thank you - x