Ubud Day 2

Sight Seeing in Sarongs

Following everyone's advise and with only one day left, we hired a driver to do a whistle stop tour of Ubud and it's surrounds. It sounds extravagant but at $40 for the whole day, it seemed like a bargain. 

stunning rice terraces

Worth every penny, we had our own list of places we wanted to check out and Wayan was very obliging, throwing in his own knowledge and personal experiences of his home town. Typically proud and flattered that westerners want to visit their island, an attitude that shone through everywhere we went. 

Temples featured on our list, armed with our Desa Seni Sarongs and looking like a couple of badly dressed lesbians we were ready to explore. Most impressive and surprisingly moving was Tirta Empul. Built around hot springs that still bubble in the central courtyard, this place was heaving and most weren't tourists. Now, on the rare occasion I have visited temples, never before have I seen them so in use as this one. The Balinese come here to cleanse physically and spiritually. 

beautiful Tirta Empul

Watching the young mothers lift their little ones in to the water, smiling at us tourists, completely unfazed by our stares and cameras (yes I felt guilty for snapping away) brought a tear to my eye. Seeing how the pools were full of locals of all ages queuing so neatly to wash under the springs was very moving. I felt I had a genuine glimpse in to Hindu life in Bali. 

eat prey lesbian

"Can We Eat it Yet" at Casa Luna Cookery School

After a day on the road and a sneaky $5 foot massage we prepared for our cookery class. 

pinnies

duck caught and killed with bamboo that morning-at least its fresh

The Casa Luna cooking school is held at honeymoon guesthouse in the centre of Ubud, set up by Aussie chef Janet DeNeefe. http://www.casalunabali.com/cooking-school/Our teacher for the evening was Janet's right hand man, Yudi. Yudi liked a chat, luckily so did the rest of our group. Yudi often went off topic, telling us about her family dramas and her stand up comedy group but you know what, it all added to the experience and I learnt a lot, not only about cooking but also Balinese culture. We were making smoked duck, a ceremonial dish, served on very special occasions and ordinarily cooked by the men. Men cook the dishes for important occasions, whilst ladies do the everyday dishes. Yudi was taught by her mother and grandmother and passed on her tips to us. I also learnt a lot about the ingredients-I never knew there were so many types of gingers! 

stand up comedian

smoking the duck

lovely hibiscus tea

Other than a good go on the pestle and mortar, we did more watching, bantering and giggling than cooking but it was a fun evening! We shared beers with our classmates and got to tuck in to the smoked duck feast, served with fragrant yellow rice, long bean lawar and carrot and cucumber salad. Followed by coconut ice cream. 

my one job-squishing the spices

Casa Luna Cooking school-twilight smoked duck class cost $45 each, not bad considering you get a slap up meal! 

Ubud Day 1

Riding Round the Rice Fields

It was a good 1.5 hour drive to Ubud, Bali's cultural centre, from Bingin. For a little island, I was beginning to see it was one of diversity, far removed from the surfy, beach scene of Bingin. Busy little streets clearly catering to the abundance of tourists with spas, jewellery shops, coffee shops and it's fair share of tacky souvenir stores. I liked the vibe, despite the influx of travellers, many of whom were obviously Julia Roberts wannabes starring in their own Eat Prey Love (much of the book/movie is set here) it remained authentic with lots of charm.

moody sky

We knew where we were headed! I'd done my research and heard of an organic cafe/farm set in the rice fields, the food sounded amazing and we were hungry! Our hotel organised a couple of bicycles, partly because yes, I wanted to be Julia for a day too and also the cafe is only accessible by bike or a long walk on foot. Bikes cost us just $4 for the day each.

After a battle with the Balinese drivers-lunatics! We took a swift right turn up a very steep hill and in no time we were jollying along past rice fields, yoga studios, rustic spas and home stays. 

organik lunch

The cafe was bustling, with wooden beams and benches opening out on to their farm and chicken coop, with yet more rice fields in the distance. 

Their battered little plastic covered menus were extensive with no end of specials to tempt us

We went a little mad, ordering dishes to share. 

fruity and refreshing tea

We started with a Bodag Salad, a mountain of leaves, beets, feta, peppers and cashew nuts, with a healthy serving of tahini dressing on the side, so fresh! 

Next came the fish kebab, coated in a nicely spicy sauce and served like most dishes in Bali, with sticky coconut rice and those tasty little fried onion and shallot crispy bits on top.

The traditional Balinese chicken Sate was my favourite! Skewers of minced chicken blended with coconut and aromatic Balinese spices, served once again with more rice and vegetables! Everything tasted so fresh and flavoursome and went down even better knowing it all came from their own farms and local suppliers. http://www.sari-organik.com/

fresh salad

balinese chicken sate

Full and happy we passed out on the comfy cushioned window seat with a brew, before hopping on our bikes. 

moody sky

Weird Monkey Dance Eyes

The afternoon/evening was mainly spent shitting ourselves encountering the monkeys at Ubud's monkey Forrest-pretty fucking scary little bastards, who also have no shame in shagging at the entrance gate. 

terrifying

More fear at the traditional Hindu dance later that evening. An extremely expressive form of dance, the eyes on those dancers troubled me, and as for the bloke in the mask, seriously, shit scary! I have to say it was pretty impressive how those girls move the eyes and the fingers like that, I later read the girls are taught the moves as soon as they are born and are played the traditional Balinese music in the womb. 

eyes

Hungry again, our lovely hotel driver (all free) picked us up and dropped us at Naughty Nuris for ribs and beer! Quirky little honeypot just off the main drag, ribs were cooked on the BBQ on the street and tasted divine! I particularly liked their "Eat Pay Leave" sign by the door. Margaritas are a signature here too but I was by now hooked on Bintang. 

beer and meat

It was home to bed and complimentary kaftans.

kaftan weirdos

We stayed at the Komaneka at Rasa Sayang, great location just off Monkey Forrest Road, lovely room, with huge bathtub and those complimentary kaftans. A filling breakfast and afternoon tea not to mention being chauffeured about Ubud cost approx $450 for 2 nights for 2. 

Staff were amazing here, yet more excellent service, they organised everything from, cookery class, bike hire and boat booking! http://www.komaneka.com/komaneka-at-rasa-sayang.php

Micks Place Bingin Beach Bali

Surfy chic in a treehouse on top of the ocean

View gazing at Micks Place

Now in full holiday swing and fresh as a couple of daisy's after 3 nights of clean living we were more than ready for a Bintang by the pool

standing on the ocean

So, no one seemed to know how to get to this place, pre accommodation nerves kicked in-what are we venturing in to. After paying a little old lady with her tits out (no joke, spaniels ears just hanging there by the taxi window, as I scrambled for 5000 Rupiah)to open her gate, we were faced with a wall of ramshackle wooden arrows and signs, pointing you this way and that to surf shacks, beach, bar etc... perched on the cliffs above beautiful Bingin beach on the Bukit peninsular, a stunning eye shaped infinity pool juts out in to some of Indonesia's best surf below. This is Micks Place and I was starting to wish it was my place for more than our 1 mere night.

A hammock in a treehouse

We were shown to our Treehouse, through a little gate in our own private garden. I felt a little guilty as the manager (also named Mick) hoisted my over the top/packed the kitchen sink girl case up the little wooden ladders, but again excellent service - folk here just couldn't do enough for us. 

Treehouse for the kids

simple yet chic

We took a walk through Micks back door, past surf shack accommodation and beach front cafes to Dreamlands Beach. Dreamlands has a more touristy vibe to it and although beautiful I just wanted to settle my self in that pool, stare out at the surfers and sip on an ice cold beer. So we did!

surfers paradise

Mrs Twix practised her new yoga moves on the edge of the pool, I was instructed to pap away until she achieved an Instagram worthy shot.

Bingin Beach

View gazing

Beach walking

Now, I do not know what possessed us to venture out of Micks for the evening but here was our main error in the holiday. We took a taxi to fancy schpancy Ayana Resort to visit the much talked about Rock Bar. Admittedly the view is breathtaking, set in the rocks 10 minutes from Jimbaran Bay, but it had a weird touristy clientèle that lacked any charisma much like the bar itself. All style and no substance, character or atmosphere. Never before have I queued to both enter and exit a bar (only accessible by Stannah stair lift), you are plonked in an assigned seat(ours being right outside the toilet) and you can't mingle about the place (not that you'd want to mingle with this bunch)desperate to leave and get back to our own breathtaking view at Micks, we had to wait another 20 minutes for the bloody stair lift, all the while being bitten to pieces by those mozzies! Phew, thank god we had Mick! Once back at the laid back comfort of Micks place, we grabbed a couple of Bintangs a box of Pringles and sat poolside in candle light, listening to waves crash beneath us. To the amusement of our fellow guests, who we were now chatting with over beers, Mrs Twix and I were staying in the Treehouse. Jokes ensued about sleeping with a giant and very noisy gecko and having to scramble down the ladder to visit the outdoor toilet. But this was all a plus for me, we felt like a couple of naughty kids camping out in our own back garden, far from the parents by the pool. And not to mention waking up high above the sea, with the sun rising above the mountains, I didn't want to be anywhere else.

Sporting vintage shirt and denim Zara shorts on our ladders

It has a relaxed and friendly communal vibe to it here, perfect for surfy types or just a couple of idiot holiday makers like myself and Mrs Twix. Sitting around the communal breakfast table atop of the ocean, munching on a delicious breakfast of fruit salad and eggs on toast, we all agreed we were among the luckiest kids alive! And no one wanted to leave.

Big mistake(apart from drinks at Rock Bar) only booking for one night! 

I hear Bingin beach has its own seafood BBQ, stay here or eat at Micks, no need to venture anywhere else ie touristy Jimbaran seafood BBQ-we only wish we had listened to Mick!

http://micksplacebali.com/

Desa Seni A Village Resort Canggu Bali

So happy to be dog patting in Accessorize hat, Primark size 16 tee worn as dress and Zomp sandals

http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_4.13/5910581100

The first stop on our Bali adventure, green juice, yoga and plenty of papaya- not the Twix's usual holiday shenanigans but I'm far from complaining

Fancy a dip-salt water pool

Up on entering the resort, I couldn't smile wide enough, rolling tropical gardens, a haven for the birds and butterflies dancing in pairs around hibiscus flowers and palm trees. Lamps disguised as vintage Parasols framed the stepping stone paths, I felt like Alice in my very own green, tranquil wonderland.

Our unique little house, set in own garden

Howard showed me to the accommodation, "This is your house Miss Amy, I think you are going to like it" he thought right! Originally from Java, the house was made entirely from teak, a traditional dwelling house, circa 1920. Lovely little touches like an amenities box filled with insect repellent (much needed), incense sticks, calming music, postcards and flower seeds to take away, not to mention the beautiful handmade batik sarong, to keep!

Our lovely house and Hindu offering

Still smiling, I began to unpack when there was a knock on the door, Howard with a refreshing welcome drink! I sipped it on our grand porch, overlooking our private garden and waited impatiently for my partner in crime, Mrs Twix to arrive! I couldn't wait for her to see this place.

I almost skipped to dinner along the stepping stone path to Desa Seni's restaurant, greeted by one of the 3 pet dogs, "Desa" sat by my side throughout dinner and as I tucked in to the freshest seafood and juiciest papaya, I watched the tropical showers pour down outside, it was a much needed and very brief shower that cooled down the evening and made for a pleasant stroll back to my house, followed by Desa the dog who curled up on the porch with me, a slug and a couple of geckos!

posing on our steps in Zomp sandals

walking the grounds in Primark Kimono

We both slept for 10 hours that first night and it was blissful to wake up to tropical gardens and rice fields in the distance. Men dressed in brown tended to the gardens every need whilst the boys in blue tended to ours, happy friendly faces greeted us and it really did feel that each and every staff member couldn't do enough for us, the Balinese laid back attitude was rubbing off on us, it was time for some yoga.

Growing their own greens

Now, I am no yogi, I can count on one hand the times I have attended a class, so I was a little apprehensive. I worried this place would be full of bendy pros in glamorous lycra and Mrs Twix had been on a meat free, booze free, gym vest for the past 4 months, so she really did look the part in her little crop top and tight leggings! Here was I, armed with beer belly and grotty, neglected "gym" gear , surely this would end in tears. There was really no need to panic, as soon as Jess our delightful Canadian teacher softly spoke "good morning" I was at ease. There are classes for all levels, some are definitely more beginner than others and I didn't venture near the level 2 class. I felt very comfortable amongst my group and before I knew it, I was twisting myself in to a "bird of paradise" and laughing like a big "happy baby"

Cleansing with a green juice by the pool

The rest of our time at Desa Seni was spent lounging by the pool, slurping on juices, scoffing seafood and making the most of without a doubt the best massages of the trip. We were so chilled we were in bed with a brew by 9p:m every night. We did venture out of the grounds just once, but got the fear over a pack of dogs and ended up at quite possibly the ugliest, filthiest beach in Bali. I hear echo beach in Canggu is stunning but we definitely didn't end up there.

3 nights, for 2 with unlimited yoga, breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus one complimentary massage cost us $950 (US), exceptional value for money!

http://www.desaseni.com/yoga.htm

Steve and Tamara's Big Day

My first post and I thought rather fitting that it should be about a wedding-new beginnings and all that! Enjoy!

Love Harts wedding and the rain won't stop play

Tamara and Steve's wet but wonderful wedding at Athol Hall cafe and function centre in Mosman NSW

The Big Day!

It just goes to show that even in Australia you can not be guaranteed a sunny wedding day! A picture post card setting, Athol Hall sits in Sydney Harbour National Park, boasting stunning views of the iconic Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Kookaburras perch in the lush greenery and there is even a secret beach beneath the lawns! http://www.atholhall.com.au/weddings What a wonderful spot for a Sydney outdoor wedding! IF THE SUN SHINES! Of course the sun will shine, its early Autumn, its Australia-its always sunny right! WRONG!

Lovely, even in the rain

The heavens had opened at 10 am on Sunday morning and they certainly weren't for closing! Armed with my umbrella, I tottered in my towering Zara stilettos down the winding paths towards the idyllic gardens, Set up in front of us were soggy white garden chairs facing the usual twinkling harbour waters and bright blue skies but today they were more of a murky grey and the harbour looked more like Manchester Ship Canal!

Manchester Ship Canal

It is said that if you get enough Northerners together it's sure to rain! There was a hefty bunch of us, not only ex pats but also the grooms family who had made the trip from Hull!

Kook watching the occasion

It was decided that the ceremony would have to be moved indoors.As soon as I entered the hall, it was clear this would be no great loss. Well this lovely little place had the feel of an English countryside church hall, very quaint with white washed wood panelled walls and little windows, decked out beautifully in twinkly fairy lights and draped tulle. Vintage inspired flower displays in glass jars dotted the windowsills and table tops and the best bit...Sweets or lollies for the Aussies! Retro sweeties including my favourite, flying saucers were on display and I couldn't resist getting a bag full! 

Sweet touch

Tamara entered very casually through the back door, this all added to the laid back, fun feel of the day. Tamara wowed Steve and the guests in a stunning lace dress from Karen Willis Holmes' Paddington boutique. 

The ceremony was conducted by the brides uncle who has a little celebrant gig on the side. He read a very moving extract from Captain Corelli's Mandolin and sure enough plenty of tears of joy were shed. Then the happy couple exchanged their personal vows (pass me the Kleenex)and they were man and wife!

Champagne and canapés were served as we all piled out on to the balcony for group photos and view gazing.

with my friend the lantern

opera house in the distance

Then, for a precious 25 minutes, the rain miraculously stopped, perfect timing for them to enjoy a romantic stroll on the secret beach.

happy couple and stunning dress

After a yummy steak and seafood dinner, followed by more champagne, it was dancing time! Music mixed by Sydney's answer to Rave-on, dressed in visor and bright white trainers! 

An afternoon of sloshing bubbles down my neck equalled in an over enthusiastic leg kick during New York, New York. The other half gave me his disappointed face and it was time for bed!

Whilst some guests braved the torrential conditions hailing water taxis to Circular Quay, we were happily escorted back to Bondi by road.

nice toilet selfie
Zara shoes

Vintage playsuit from Bondi Markets,
 Whistles leather jacket