After saying a fond farewell to Thailand (for the second time) we boarded a flight feeling slightly worse for wear and headed to the Indonesian island of Bali. After a brief stop and much needed KFC in Kuala Lumpar we landed in Depensar and made our way to our hotel in the heart of Kuta. Our hotel was beautifully tucked away down a side street and after a quick dip in the pool the next morning - we set about exploring the island. The area of Kuta and Legian is hectic to put in mildly and is absolutely jam packed with bars, restaurants and shops. It has to be said that this part of Bali feels like Tenerife for Aussies and we felt slightly unnerved by the boystrous lot. We headed down to the slightly dirty, dark-sand beach of Kuta where Luke hired a surf board and got stuck in. It didn't look easy and he got taken out by a few huge waves and when they spat him back out and he finally resurfaced I smiled and waved pretending to have been engrossed in my book during the whole fiasco. Refusing to be beaten (or perturbed by the locals who were surfing on their heads - no joke) he kept at it and caught some amazing waves before long. He emerged from the sea triumphant but covered in grazes and we agreed it was time to purchase board shorts regardless of how much they 'hide his shapely legs'. Ever the economist he settled for a hideous pair of cheap boardies with a grotesque Bintang logo covering one leg.

Over the following days we visiting the small but perfect Dreamland beach, the manicured sands of Nusa Dua, the close shores of Legian and the gorgeous town of Seminyak. Seminyak was my favourite place; full of beautiful boutiques and high ends shops and as Luke saw my eyes widen at the scene he decided to drive faster and try to divert my attention to no avail. We did some great shopping and then finally made it down to the beach which was quiet and serene. I bought unnecessary bits and bobs from the beach sellers as they passed while Luke hit the waves for round two. After doing well for an hour or so he was forced to retire and reemerged with huge tears up both inside legs of his 'bargain' shorts causing a sight that made the beach sellers blush. Glad to see the back of those shorts we headed for shelter from the rain and grabbed some lunch in a posh hotel nearby. The creatively decorated plates but meagre portions didn't go down well and we vowed never to make that error again. We made it back in time to catch a gorgeous sunset from our hotel roof before heading out for some proper food. With full tummies we headed for one of the main bars and watched a live band who were great and covered some real classics. We dodged the numerous drunk Aussies fights and sang the night away, cheering from our table as they played our requests. A highlight of the night is was when a guy from a neighbouring table took to the stage. He was from a slightly intimidating table of 10 Indonesian guys who looked like the local mafia puffing on cigars and sipping neat Jack Daniels. Expecting a real manly tune we were both stunned as he belted out a flawless rendition of 'Always Be My Baby' by Mariah Carey in true diva style and he was fantastic. What a legend.