Bali - Indonesia

After a long day of waiting we finally arrived in Bali late on Sunday 14 February. After a lengthy queue at immigration we swiftly picked up our bags off the carousel and headed for the taxi desk. We weren’t in the car long before we realised that our cab driver had no idea where he was headed and after stopping numerous times to ask for directions we eventually got out and waited for Greg and Clyde to come and find us.

We arrived at our stunning villa and were greeted by the girls who were cooling off in the heat (Bali is super hot in February). After dropping our bags, we (the Bali 7) had a few welcome drinks (Bintang Beers) and a game of Marco Polo in the pool (in total darkness so no cheating) before jumping into bed in the early hours of the morning.

We all had a bit of a sleep in the next morning and then Ali opened his birthday pressies before we made our way out for breakfast. Once our tummies were full we headed back to the villa for a day in the sun. As the rain clouds developed we got ready for our evening out and jumped into cabs for sunset drinks at Ku De Ta. After some lovely evening cocktails we were met by Greg, Angie, Aiden and Dillon and we headed to a great Greek restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed some great Greek salads and tatziki before heading home to bed.

The next morning we woke and headed out for breakfast. The heat was so incredible that we were all sweating before we even reached the top of our street. After breakfast Shands and I headed to the grocery store to do a shop for the house while the others spent the afternoon in the pool to escape the soaring temperatures. Once we were back we all prepared a divine steak dinner as a farewell to Clydo. After a tasty supper we played a few rounds of cards as well as a game of Marco Polo in the pool, and finally charades in the wee hours to finish the day.

Clydo was leaving Bali early on Wednesday so we woke to say our goodbyes before jumping back into bed to catch up on some extra sleep. Once it was a more reasonable hour, we got up and made steak rolls for brunch (very healthy). We then spent the rest of the day chilling in the sun and swimming in the pool. We decided on a movie night that evening so after another lovely dinner of pasta we each found a spot on the couch in the outside lounge and settled in for “The Blindside” Just minutes into the movie we were suffering from the heat. As the villa was built traditional Balinese style , the common areas of the house all sit in the open air, but without any fan which means SERIOUS temperatures. We then came up with the bright idea of popping wet towels into the freezer which we later draped over ourselves for some cool relief.

On Thursday morning we had yet another sleep in.....the heat was making us terribly lethargic and Lorna made us French toast for breakfast which was delicious! We then made our way to Seminyak beach where we spent the day swimming in the sea , body surfing, and catching some serious rays. Once we made it back to villa, we began preparing our prawn dinner which was delicious! Once again we settled on the couches with our cool towels to a movie night.

On Friday morning we jumped out of bed and took a walk through the town before we settled on a lovely Mediterranean restaurant for brunch and then took a long stroll back stopping in the many shops to make various purchases. We then all boarded taxis and made our way to the bar to watch rugby before being collected by Greg who took us back to his and Angies stunning villa for a great pasta dinner – so good we were up for seconds and thirds. After a really good night it was time to make our way home and to bed, although not before flopping into the pool again just to cool down a little.

Saturday was a very relaxed day but that night we made our way into Kuta for an excellent sushi dinner. We then strolled along to a massive sports bar which was showing some football, but most importantly for the boys some Super 14 rugby. The Bulls smashed the Brumbies much to our joy as there were plenty Aussies around cheering for the enemy. The bar suddenly closed so we had to rely on Shandy and Greg to lead us though the streets of Kuta to find another sports bar they had been to. We made it just in time for the Stormers rugby game which started at 1am. After another great win and many many beers it was time for a couple of games of pool before staggering home. Greg and I picked up KFC on the way for a late night snack!

Sunday was another of those tough days of relaxation, with plenty time in the pool trying to keep cool. The girls then cooked up a surf and turf diner which was a great final dinner in Bali. We finished the night with a few drinks and some cards before getting a good nights sleep after Saturdays big one!

We woke up on Monday feeling a little blue as we were leaving this wonderful island. We checked out of our villa and then made our way to Greg and Shandy’s villa to relax for the day as we were only leaving that evening. We chilled at the pool and soaked up the last of the sun before tucking into a very tasty lunch at the resort. It was ten time to say our goodbyes to Greg and Shandy who luckily had an extra couple of days in Bali. Fortunately we would be seeing them in a few days in Singapore so there were no tears yet!

After an amazing week on this stunning island here are our highlights and lowlights:
- Although a lot more commercial than last time we were here, this is still a stunning part of the world with lovely beaches and no shortage of things to do
- Our gorgeous villa which was picture perfect with a gorgeous pool
- Bintang Beer, hugely popular and our best beer on tour
- Nice home cooked meals for a change
- Plenty of time to chill and read in the sun
- No negatives, although it was ridiculously hot and almost unbearable at times!