Bali party

When Steve and his friend planned a Bucks for T to Vegas, I immediately got fomo. About a week later, I had found some girls to go on a Bali trip with me and booked it soon after that.

During the lead up to Bali, I was excited but nervous of what was to come. I’ve heard stories as I’m sure most people have and those stories didn’t paint a pretty picture. I needn’t have worried, because the place was amazing. Bali is nothing like Sydney. Footpaths are mismatched and everywhere you go, there are people sitting by the road waiting to sell you their goods. It is in this organised chaos (as I like to call it), that I fell in love with the place. With the people who are so friendly and humble, the many places to eat and the various places to see, I’m not sure that you couldn’t fall in love.

We flew in around 9:30pm, however didn’t arrive at our accommodation until about 11pm where we were greeted with cheerful reception workers and delicious fresh juice. We were upgraded to a deluxe pool villa, a welcome upgrade. The first evening was quite laid back since it was already so late. We wandered down the street in search for some bottled water and snacks and found a small minimart that also had Indonesian cider.

The creatures of habit that we are, we didn’t venture too far or wide for meals. By far, Biku, Seminyak was our favourite and we went there about three times during the trip. Biku offers both Indonesian and Western food and is open for breakfast until late. It seems to get booked out often, so if you go, make sure you book. They also have wheatgrass shots!

Frankenstein’s Laboratory was a fun night out. The drinks are served in IV bags and shots in syringes. Zombies come around to get photos with the diners or if you’re like me – to scare you every time you look away. They also have a live band and two cabaret shows per night making it a really fun night out. The food is mostly Western, but there are some signature Indonesian dishes on the menu.

Most nights, we also went down to the beach to try out the number of beach bars scattered along. My personal favourite was Capil Beach bar, probably because it was the closest to walk to. We ate dinner there one night and it was ok. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. I know everyone raves about La Plancha, but I just thought it was the same as all the other beach bars but with overpriced drinks.

A highlight of the trip was our day trip(s) to Finns Beach Club in Uluwatu. We almost skipped this to go to Potato head for the day and I am so glad we didn’t. Finns has a bar, restaurants, bean bags, beach umbrellas, water sports etc and most of that is included in the 250,000 rupiah ($25) entry fee. Finns doesn’t get crowded and it is spaced well so you don’t feel like you are surrounded by people. This is a big plus for someone like me who hates being near people at the beach.

Taken at Ku De Ta

Taken at Ayana

Seminyak markets sell basically the same things as most other markets you will find in Bali. You are given the price and then told they will do a good deal for you and then the bartering process begins. I wasn’t too in to bartering, so I didn’t try and go too much lower. I ended up with some dresses, a silk scarf and some other bits and pieces and each dress was around $10 - $15 or so. I also managed to get a leather jacket made for $130 on a whim. My sister in law went to a tailor to have some tops made and I was talked in to getting a jacket made. Glad I did, it turned out really well and for $130, it’s such a bargain!

I’ll definitely be back to Bali. It was such a relaxing and fun trip. I’m so glad I got to do a girls trip with two of my favourite people ever!