Dirty 30 in BALI

Well well well where do I start? This trip was full of adventure, laughter, sun, fun, nature and luxury! 

So why Bali? First of all, why the hell not!!!! But for real we went around the houses before settling on Bali as our Dirty 30 destination! My girls and I are all turning 30 this year, I am the only one left to jump the ship and i'm rinsing the ish out of being 29 still LOL! ANYWAY for about 2 years we had been discussing where we would go for this blow out, shut down, party done holiday lol! I won't even bore you with all of the options we discussed, but the reason why it was so hard was because we wanted somewhere with nature & culture, great food, turn up parties and paradise beaches! Let me tell you BALI HAS IT ALL!!!! So this post isn't a 4 page letter (Aaliyah voice) I'm going to divide it up into those 4 sections! But first let me tell y'all some tips before you even get there.

1) The flight is long as hell! Be prepared! If you've never been to Asia just know it's not a short trip, our flight time was a total of 17 hours with a 3 stop over! I died and went to heaven twice on the way home. But if you fly with a good airline it wont be so bad, we went with Qatar Airways operated by BA. We had a few hiccups mainly to do with a volcano erupting and delaying our flight home but apart from that it was smooth sailing.

2) Do not, I say do not drink their water, don't have ice, stay away from salads and brush your teeth in bottled water. Bali belly is a real thing, I went to the toilet about 7 times on the flight on the way home.

3) Stay in Seminyak or stay there for a large part of your stay, that's where the partying happens and no one wants to leave the club and have a 2 hour journey home and while you're at it... Stay at our Villa!!! Literally the best accommodation I have ever stayed in on a group holiday. And let me tell you this is not an #ad!! We had our own pool, garden, 3 double rooms with en suites, huge kitchen and our own driver, masseuses at our house- yes we had it like that and for a price tag of £5 for an hour massage, what is there not to like!!! We even had our own chef one night but I will talk about that later :) 

4) Get a driver! Get Casanova! We honestly had the best driver, from letting us dance ratchet in the car, to waiting for us to check out a club before he left us, to just being the sweetest nicest guy ever! And his ride is pimped out!!! Here's his details use him +62 859 35383251 

5. Lastly put your phone on flight mode. Bali is such a beautiful place and although I took a ton of pics I never let connecting with loved ones at home stop me from connecting with my present. Bali is so beautiful and you just don't want to miss a second.

Right here it comes, and apologies in advance, it's gonna be a long one. 

NATURE & CULTURE

In Bali culture and nature come hand in hand, once you step outside of Semiyak and start heading north you will be drowning in it, as every corner has breathtaking views. With regards to Culture there's a real mix of faiths and religions in Bali but mostly people are Hindu or Muslim. So be modest when going around town, as it can be offensive to locals. But the benefit is there's temples and shrines everywhere. Even with the hip cafes and boujie poolside bars you still know you're in Indonesia. Most people stay in Ubud to get immersed in Balinese culture but because the weather in Ubud was horrendous-o while we were there, we only went on a day trip but my oh my was it all encompassing! Check out the Batur Trekking company, the whole itinerary was arranged by them and it was all done from the UK! Wayan (the owner) was awesome and all we had to pay was a deposit of £20 to secure this AMAZING package. He tailored the package for us so we were able to do everything that we wanted. 

This. Is how. It went. DOWN!

1.30am we were picked up from our villa in Seminyak and were driven past Ubud to the Kintamani District to start our sunrise trek of one of Bali's most sacred mountains, Mt.Batur - SIDENOTE!!!When they say mountain please be aware they mean VOLCANO! Yes an active volcano, which can erupt at any time. Oh yeh the "mountain" in the pic below erupted two days after we went up this so called "mountain".

This trek in my opinion is moderate, it's not that physically challenging but if you're not fit don't do it. If you're unsure, do it anyway as you can always hop on a motor bike the rest of the way up. It was a beautiful experience, I love trekking it really clears my mind and prepares me to be marvelled once I finally get to the top. After 2 hours we reached the top and boy was it breath taking, God showed up and said "ninja, you made it".

When you walk around the crater you can see steam puffing out of the sides! That's actually how they cook your morning snack they boil the egg over the steam from the lava- imagine!

After this trek we were beat so we were happy the next stop was the Hot Springs! It wasn't what we expected as it was actually a spa hotel that had water from the hot springs pumped into their infinity pool, but LISTENNNNN after a 2 hour car journey and 2 hour trek we welcomed this with open arms. A great moment to reflect and take in the scenery.

After we were fed and watered (outside and in) we were lucky enough to go to the Besakih temple (aka mother of all temples) here we saw 3 of the main types of temples they have in Hinduism Which is the Hindu trinity. Pura Penataran Agung in the centre has white banners for Shiva, the destroyer; Pura Kiduling Kreteg on the right side is with red banners for Brahma, the creator; and Pura Batu Madeg represents Vishnu, the preserver, with its black banners. 

This amazing temple was conceptualised in the 8th century!!!! We also saw the Swastik yes you heard right. So Hitler stole this symbol of divinity and spirituality from Hinduism and turned it 45 degrees and called it the Swastika and used it as a symbol of hate and genocide. Imagine just stealing the symbol of the cross from Christianity, twisting it and calling it the crossa- liberty! I remember seeing this in Nepal but wasn't educated on the history behind it.

Swastik- Peace and divinity

Swastika- hate and genocide

Piece of advice when you go into the temple you must wear a sarong, so if you have a wrap skirt/ or beach sarong bring it with you so you don't have to haggle at the gates.

The hat is obviously optional,  skurrrrrrrr let me re-phrase that. The hat isn't necessary that's just your girl being EXTRA LOLS!

Next stop was coffee tasting, now this was interesting, first we were educated on all of the different plants and trees on the land but the teas and coffees we tasted were very unusual....

We had the option of paying extra to taste a coffee that's produced by feeding the bean to a cat and then taking their poo to make the coffee.... yup.... I mean I would do a lot of things and for a second I did think about it but no just no. FYI it's called Copi Luwak if anyone ever tries to serve you it you know what you're drinking.

Anyway enough about Cat poop check out the view <3 hubba hubba!

Last but not least we went to a waterfall in a cave! Tukad Cepung waterfall was just beautiful again there's a bit of a walk (aka 1000 steps and many downhill slippery slopes) to get there but it's worth every second of it. 

We got back to Seminyak around 9pm, it was a long day but I would seriously advise it as travelling to all of those places by cab to and fro would have been so expensive! This tour only cost us £45 each and it included meals, water, and entry to all of the sights.

There are so many other places in Bali to experience Balinese culture to name a few the Monkey Temple, Rice Field at Tegalalang and Pau Lempuyang temple. I was even told you can eat at Pablo Escabars old holiday home!!!!! Like for real!!!! and I can't find it online anywhere!!!!!!!

GREAT FOOD

Indonesian Food has the spice and aroma of Thai food, and the freshness of Vietnamese. It is DELISH! Before I tell you about all the insane places we ate, I have to encourage you to get a local cook. We managed to arrange this through our Villa, we had the pleasure of two super lovely and talented cooks, they asked us what we wanted to eat, if we had any dietary requirements and our budget for the food shop and off they went. A couple of hours later they returned with an abundance of food and got started on our banquet. See pics and vids below.

This was one of my highlights! Mixing and learning from locals is such an important part of my holiday experience. For me this is the best part of travelling- learning and exchanging. Watching how they worked together and how important it was for them to reflect their culture perfectly to us was beautiful.

The hard thing about travelling in groups normally is that you have to try to please everyone, especially when it comes to food! Luckily Indonesian food caters to the meat eaters, pescetarians and vegans so we were all good everywhere we dined. 

Elgin cafe 

This place was such a treat literally right opposite where we were staying, they had everything you could want for breakfast or lunch. Ashamedly we went there about 5 times during our stay it was super convenient and the food was great! 

       

Ingka 

Again right near where we stayed! Gorgeous restaurant with authentic Indonesian food. They even have a beaut terraced area outside. The staff in this place were absolutely amazing, so attentive and friendly we even added them on insta :) This is an ideal spot for a low key lunch or dinner. 

W Hotel

By far the best food and service we received during our stay and it wasn't expensive. TBH when the waiter brought out complimentary miso soup and dumplings I was sold. The hotel is directly on the beach, they have DJ playing soulful house and the most comfy seating. If you want great food followed by an intimate chilled vibe this is for you. Alternatively eat and then head to the strip :) Check the pics, it wasn't just the food that was spicy ;)

      

TURN UP PARTIES

So, Bali is day party kind of destination. Thank God! I'm too old to be getting ready at 12am to get to the club at 2am. CHILEEEE this girl would have checked into noddy land by then. Tip: For most of these places the beds can be booked online so you don't have to queue when you get there.

Potato Head

This place is bad and boujie! It has great music right on the beach, it is a bit more chilled than the others but definitely a must because everyone we spoke to about Bali RAVEDDD about this spot, so maybe we just went on one of their quieter days. The house white wine was exceptional!!!!!! Max drank her cocktail out of a shell and bless Karla the non drinker managed to get a coconut at the bar?! So caters for everyone.

     

     

Mrs Sippy

Family friendly poolside bar with pumping house music! The food was really good here and the cocktails lethal! If you want to turn up, I wouldn't suggest this spot but if you want to lay on a bed poolside, with chilled vibes check it out! 

Finns

Now this was the spot! I loved this place!!!! A DJ with a live singer on the beach, with an infinity pool, shisha, great food and wicked cocktails!! I mean what more could you want??? Eye candy I hear you say? yes they had that too! We made a lot of friends at Finns- platonic friends, get your head out of the gutter! Met a couple from South Africa, a family from Frankfurt/Eritrea, the coolest girl from Thailand and a great group of guys from France. That's one thing about Bali that I loved, I interacted with so many people. 

La Favela

Saving the best to last! This is the only nightclub that we went to in Semiyak and boy was it good! hip hop, rnb, and whatever else they played. This night got wild!!!! You can eat here too, the food was good but not memorable. Beware the tequila shot will make you forget your first and last name! but hey do it anyway HAHAHAHHAHAHA! Here's a pic from google because well somethings aren't for sharing. 

ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION!!!!!!!!! alarm bells and all!!! DO NOT! I REPEAT DO NOT waste your precious time going to Kuta it's the devils playground there is nothing to be enjoyed there. Think Benidorm meets camden at 3am on crack!!!! Just don't do it! Honestly if we could get those 15 minutes of our lives back we really would. STAY AWAY! 

Moving on :)

PARADISE BEACHES

The Gili Islands... ahhhhhhh *wake up Nay* Okay so we went to Gili Trawangan, because frankly the other two although beautiful are a lovers paradise. We didn't go on holiday to feel depressed, we went to have a great time and appreciate our sisterhood. 

So Gilli T, firstly the journey is a bumpy ride! Bit of advice sit on the top deck otherwise you will be inhaling diesel fumes for 1.5 hours- it was torturous! By far the low point of my Bali experience! On the way back we sat on the top deck drank beers and endured the waves with a smile lol. After the fumes from the boat we were pleasantly surprised to hear that it is a vehicle free Island. Yup you heard right no cars, or buses anywhere. So how does one get around you ask...

Hahahaha! Getting around Gilli T was super fun, we rode our bikes to the beach, the club and the markets. It made the whole experience exciting and super fun. We rented our bikes from our hotel Wombat's B&B  which cost us a total of £12 each per night <3 and we got breakfast and free wifi!!!!! Honestly we really recommend this place, the family who owns it is lovely, literally can't fault it. 

Every beach on the Island is paradise so ride around until you find a spot you like. We lucked out and settled on the sun set point, and what performance the sun put on for us.

GO GO GO snorkelling!!! I was the only one in the group that wanted to do it so I hustled my way down on a deal I think it was £15 for 3 stop trip. Contact the company I went with Bukit Indah Office here's their number +62 878 64520318.  I swam with Turtles, saw blue coral reef, and a lovers statue in the bottom of the ocean. I really felt like David Attenborough and I loved every second of it! I think when you're on group holidays its important to still get what you need out of the trip, even if no one else wants to do it. From travelling solo so much I am used to doing crazy things by myself, and it's so rewarding- like I did that and all by myself - huh look at me go!

While you're on Gili T you have to hit the club and it's easy because they are all on one strip! Depending which night you are there will dictate where you go however, it's all so close I say  just roam until you hear your jam- hahahaha I just said jam! Damn Nay... smh. But Evolution, and Jiggy Jiggy were our faves.

So that my friends is Bali in a nutshell, there's so much more I could say but I'm not trying to write a book. I urge you all to go! It was a trip of a lifetime, it really was. A couple of my friends have moved away now so these moments wont happen as often, so when they do you have to grab them with both hands and savor the moment. This year I wanted to feel the grass between my toes more, meaning really experiencing the here and now. So far I think I have truly done that. These last few months have been such a beautiful transition into my soon approaching 30's so much so that i'm excited for it to start. Here's goodbye to my 20's, you've been UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!30's I know already that I will be more centred, focused, adventurous and loving! 

Ciao for now

Nay xxxx