J Boutique Hotel Kuta

... afternoon, drinking beers, playing paddle ball, taking occasional dips in the water, and having the usual "name the differences in our countries" conversation. There were about fifteen of us in all - a mix of Australians, Californians (one of the guys was from Ocean Beach in San Diego) and Swedish. Part of the group was Jared's brother, Benny, and his wife and their two girls who live in Kuta. His daughters, about seven and ten years old, were adorable - both with super blond hair and ...

... up most of that free space (fat bag is on a solid diet, no liquids for a week). We get chatting to the girls, Page and Maren (like Karen with an M). Both are quick to smile with a laughter that is infectious, I instantly warm to them both and begin to relax from my recent discovery that Shazza has been staying in the cottage at the end of the block ALL this time, "Hiii eee!", "How are youuuuu John?", "Wow, Hi Shazza, I'm fine, Still ...

Dear Philippines,<br><br>Oh what you could someday become. Your endless silky white beaches, protected and glorious underwater world, and friendly smiles which seem to adorn the faces of EVERY one of your citizens. You have all the makings of a top class tropical destination. And yet...... Your WELL below terrible travel infrastructure, absurd and sometimes bizarre pricing ($20 for a room, and then $10 for a meal? YOU ARE COMPETING WITH ASIA, NOT THE WESTERN WORLD ...

... hence the name 'Bounty')- ludicrously tacky!)<br><br> Before hitting the 2nd floor (we hadn't found it yet), Tom decided that he'd spend a song or two dancing in one of the bird cages. We found it pretty funny, but we did get the odd stare. Tom didn't quite have clubbing clothes on; he was fashioned with his glasses, baseball cap, and backpack - the definition of cool?! (Tom: Of course.) After taking a few photos of Tom, we found the stairs and headed up to the main dance floor ...

... victims just 50m from our "hotel" (which gave an immense chill down our spines), strolled around the markets etc but the beach itself wasn't up to much so as usual we planned our exit to somewhere nicer. We headed up the east coast to Sanur (otherwise known as Snore to the Ozzie youngins!!) and we are definitely showing our age as we loved it there. We got a gorgeous little homestay and decided to go on a date..as we dress like scumbags most of the time ha ha!! So we donned ...

Salut tout le monde, Nous allons bien. Encore une journee relaxe. Nous avons bavarde avec notre voisine tout l'avant midi. La temperature est encore couvert mais au moin il n'a pas encore plu. Hier soir nous avons eu droit la totale. Orage, eclair, tonnerre et surtout des tonnes d'eau. Il a plu presque toute la soiree et la nuit des trombes d'eau. Une chance nous ...

... Also, one thing to note is that you won't want to take any surveys as you're walking around since they'll sell your name to a service and you'll be called in your room to be informed that you've won a contest to stay in the luxurious and newly renovated Rat's Nest Inn or somewhere like that. Since the Kuta Seaview is close to the beach, you may want to also check out the Ocean Beach Club during the evenings, they had a decent fire and dance show.

... making sure that our parcel was securely sealed with plenty of parcel tape. Once he had finished, the member of staff took the parcel and bound it up in tarpaulin like material sewn up with heavy cord, ready for its journey by sea to the UK. The resulting package was a work of art. You don't get that sort of service from Royal Mail... The hotel offered a taxi shuttle to the airport, so we availed ourselves of the service and arrived in plenty of time to ...

... for now. i know i made some promises of calling, but until i figure out a cheaper way, i will continue to email. thanks for all the emails so far, its soo nice to hear what's going on at home. keep writing me! well, i think thats long enough for now. i'll write again soon. take care everyone. and family - please dont worry! i'm alive and well and very very happy to be in one of the most beautiful places on earth! love to you all, Courtney

... that I like...rather than staying <br>in one location or one country for 6 months I prefer to move...and <br>change. <br><br>Bali is obviously more of a tourist destination <br>than the rest of the country and there are plenty of touts. For <br>most, it only takes a simple terima kasih, or thank you, and they leave you alone. In general, I've found the Balinese very welcoming. <br><br>Not <br>much to ...