Heliconia Villa Seminyak

... area
on foot and we're glad we picked this section to stay. Kuta is crazy
– cheap shop upon cheap shop with restaurants and bars in between.
The sidewalks are very narrow so you are constantly giving way to
others and the streets are congested with motorbikes. It's tourist
overload. From what we've heard 20 years ago this was a tranquil
laidback area – not anymore. The favorite question ...

... could not get out of there fast enough, a guy came around with a wheelbarrow of food, scattered it around & the monkeys came from every nook & cranny, we were told to fasten our pockets & hide our water bottles,she told us her dad was 50 years & looked much older than stuart, which brought a smile to his face, we then had to go to her shop, well her boss's shop, where was her boss, at another shop across the way,we did a lot of barganing ...

... hot that without wearing sunglasses the inside of your eyes burn. This time when I landed I felt like I was returning home... Scary or what? When I returned I was gutted to learn that I had missed Adi's teeth filing ceremony... That's right a ceremony where his teeth would be filed so they form a straight line... For some this is a symbolic momentary pull on a file across your teeth, for some a fairly major operation, performed in public with no pain killers and for an ...

... out the flights but also to escort Alex's family through customs at a much faster pace than is customary. The support between teaching staff has also been very strong and has shown me just how much of a 'community school' I know belong to. I feel both grateful to have been allowed to become part of this community and reassured by knowing we are here to support any issues that any of us might have. Jon was fully insured so his body should be ...

... say "happy birthday darling" which was also amusing. All that and we couldn't eat the cake because of the seafood extravaganza swimming in our bellies, so it (and the cake the hotel sent over yesterday afternoon) served as the most decadent breakfast ever this morning!!! We are enjoying our little pool now and plan to walk around town this afternoon before we settle down to watch the sunset over the beach. Sadly, it's our last night here ...

... it wasn't just that fact that i could barely walk (when did i get so old?!) but also the fact that my ear infection was back with a vengence that kept me out of the water. After a bit of shopping (more antibiotics and pain killers for me) We spent the day just chilling on the beach. That night, our last in Bali, we decided to splash out a little and walk up to Seminyak to find a really nice resturant. We walked up the beach and walked and walked. Then we walked through a river and walked ...

Today was just a travel and errands day. I took a 9am shuttle from Lovina to Kuta, and shared the ride with a nice couple from England that have been traveling for a few months as well. They were just in Thailand and Cambodia so I picked their brains for good spots to hit. The more I lean of it, the more I think I want to take a side trip from my planed route to Cambodia to see Ankor Wat. All I've heard from ...

... home. My trusty Lonely Planet told me astonishingly that 'it's flash, brash, phoney and filled with bony models'. I'm looking but I can't see any! The writer also told me that 'it's an elegant and sophisticated scene'. I've come to realise that I have to wait until 9 pm to eat dinner (or preferably later) so that I can kick on to a bar or club and not be home by 10 pm. The restaurants are packed at 9.30 pm and some of the ritzy restaurants (the best ones in ...

... I asked if we were going to make it. "If we are walking constantly and not stopping... maybe," he answered. This sparked a sudden burst of determination. I did not get up this freakin' early to miss the sunrise. "Let's go!" I said, jumping up and scattering pistachio shells everywhere. But when we picked up the pace, I was quickly exhausted. The altitude was killing me. I did my best to press on but still had to stop occasionally for short rests. It was a ...

Wow... so much has been happening this week, and i really don't know where to start as my memory is a little thin at the moment....with the combination of Very late nights / early / mornings and also the booze. It has been so difficult to stop partying over here as there are so many new people arriving each day, that it would be rude not to take them all out for a drink. My second surfing lesson started really well on Tuesday and i managed to stand up ...