Beautiful Bali was our next destination after Australia...time to kick back and relax for a week or 3...

We had to transit through Singapore Airport on route to Bali...for 10 hours! We managed a nap, a shower, a film in the free cinema, a wander round every conceivable shop...a trip to the next terminal, and food in those 10 hours! We eventually arrived in Denpasar at about 7pm and after getting our visa managed to track down a taxi for only 45,000 Rp to take us to where we (hoped we) had a reservation - Suji Bungalows on Poppies 1 in Kuta.

It turned out we did, and we managed to bag ourselves a double room with hot water, a fan and a TV for 12 pound a night between us. After the aussie prices we were in luxury. We spend the first...week pretty much relaxing by the pool and getting a massage..then heading into the chaos of Poppies to barter with the people over 50p! It was quite amusing.

We did mange to drag ourselves away from the pool one evening and headed for Uluwatu, a temple down at the bottom of the island. Here we wandered around the grounds, admiring the temple views over the cliff and the ocean below and trying to avoid the monkeys that follow you! We did not manage to see the amazing sunset we had been promised...it was too cloudy, but we loved the Kecak and fire dance we saw! Andrew was impressed with the white monkey....especially when he kicked fire into the audience!

We eventually manged to drag ourselves away from the pool and beach long enough to journey to Ubud for a week. The taxi ride was something else...so many motorbikes...they rule the roads over here, if a car hits a motor bike that cuts him up, its the cars fault! CRAZY!

Anyway Ubud is the arts and cultural heart of Bali, whilst there we went to see a Legong, a Barong, a frog dance and a shadow puppet show. We also managed to sneak in a days bicycle tour which was amazing. Fortunately it was mainly downhill, with only 2 uphill areas so we were pretty chilled out. We were taken to Kintamini and on to breakfast next to the big lake and mountain whose name we have forgotten....we rode our bikes for 25km along the back streets of Bali, looking in on a compound which is how Balinese families really live, allowed to have a peek at how all the family lives together and works together. It was really quite amazing. We also went to a coffee farm and sampled some (horrible) coffe, and some lovely lemongrass tea - lovely for Emma not Andrew! Our trip ended at lunchtime with a traditional Balinese feast consisting of smoked duck, traditionally served at feasts and ceremonies. This was truly a real glimpse into Balinese life away from all the tourists - we recommend it!

We also took in the sights of the Monkey Forest...where, shockingly, there are hundreds of Monkeys! Emma even got bitten by one...how rude, she was not impressed with the unprovoked attack! Fortunately it did not draw blood and Emma is showing no symptoms of Rabies...as of yet! Additionally we decided to get involved in the arts ourselves and took a music and dance class. We had a go on the Gambalan which is a bamboo xylophone. Emma was not too bad, but it's not easy to have two completely individual rhythms for each hand. Andrew caused great amusement. The teacher was in hysterics watching and listening to him play, well trying to play. We will upload some videos for you to see for yourselves! The dancing was very hard...Andrew took on the mammoth White Monkey dance, Emma the more genteel Welcome dance. Emma and Andrew were both drenched with perspiration at the end of an hour, Andrew collapsing declaring 'No more Monkey', Emma being pressured to come back and wear the traditional outfit and politely declining! Both gave us a deeper respect for the arts that these people perform and train all their lives in to perfect.

We headed back to Kuta for a final week in the sunshine. We finally managed to do our surfing lesson that we had missed out on in Australia. We felt a bit silly doing stretches on the middle of a packed beach, but even more silly when we found it so difficult to stand up on the board! Andrew managed to get the hang of it pretty swiftly though, but half way through the session Emma had still only gotten onto her knees! The trainers kept shouting at us to stand up...but its easier said than done. Eventually Emma decided to change the leg that her board was attached to, and earned herself a smack in the jaw with her surfboard. Spitting out blood but still determined she eventually managed to stand on her final attempt. Andrew has stood up a few times by now! Emma could have had a free lesson as she had not managed to progress, but with a slightly swollen cheek, she declined!

Our final day in Bali coincided with Emma's 23rd birthday! To celebrate the occasion we... chilled out by the pool and wandered round looking for bargins! We also had a mini feast for tea, enjoying a couple of different dishes and a jug of cocktail, all for under 10pound! We both felt the affects of the cocktail though after almost 8 months with a minimum amount of alcohol to see us through!

Bali is a beautiful island, and despite the bombings tourism does not seem to be too bad! It was prety busy! We arrived just before peak season hit, which was obvious by the fact that every hotel, restaurant and shop was rceiving a fresh coat of paint, so that they could charge an extra 10,000Rp a night! When we returned to Kuta westayed for one night in Suji bungalows again, but they had increased the price and put us in a horrible room They had also decidd not to be so pleasant to us this time around, as we were not going to be tipping all the time andmaking them money..so we moved to a cheaper, but just as nice place down the road.

The highlight was experiencing a less tourist filled area of Bali o the bikeride. To see how the Balinese really live, and to have children running out to you as you zoom past to say hello and hgh five yo, you feel like a celebrity and realise just how important tourism is to the economy! Surfing was also a rally fun experience, despite the fact that mma got smacked in the face and could not stand on the board!

I guess the lowlight was realising that in some places you are only treated well until they realise that there are other people who will pay more, but never mind!

Off toSingapore now...to buy some electronics!