Bali Day 1

Well hello, how are you all doing? Been a while again...... Have had connection issues........ And I have been rather busy having my mind blown and inserting several springs into my step.....

What's been happening in your world? 

Fancy a trip into mine?..................... Let me take you away on a trip from Phuket to Bali - my last Sunday...... One of the best days that I have had in absolutely ages........ In terms of having my eyes opened to my hearts desires, well Sunday ticked a lot of the boxes....... If I could give a day marks out of ten, this would be one of the tens....... In terms of location, in terms of the great friendly people, the fun, the laughter, the chat and of course what I wasn’t expecting, the all important Wow factor...... TEN/TEN....... FACT.

So.... Saturday night I am in bed by 8 pm at The Happy Elephant as I am having to drive "Champion the Wonder Scooter" to Phuket Airport at 4am Sunday morning. About 70km And yes, I woke up on my alarm, picked up my bag and I was galloping up the motorway singing the theme tune as loudly as possible as has become tradition for me in an odd quirky way....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5i_pEYGe1o

Then after my initial burst of excitement, I decided to put my first ever “Favourite” album, the classic "Songs from the Big Chair" into my ears via my ipod, and just loved every second of the 50 minute ride,  "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" in the dark, in paradise, not a living soul in sight, at 90km/h on a scooter.... I was absolutely loving it!

Then after paying a small fine for a day long overstay in Thailand, I was on board my flight and then whizz bang I am in Bali and being met at the airport by a really good friend of mine Lady F and off we go..... or should I say here we go...... A delightful 40 minute scoot from the Airport on our way to Uluwatu.

First stop her friend’s house where she stays and where I’ll be based for three days..... I really didn’t know what to expect..... All I’d been told was that her house mate was a really cool bloke from Scotland who manages a holiday villa and that I’d probably like the villa....... I'll post a video here very soon. But what an AMAZING pad.... just incredible, classic Bali architecture, split over three or four levels, it's an inside outside home, you literally go from inside to outside as you go from room to room and level to level, the video will explain some more, but check out a few pics below.....

That's the view from the kitchen...... Yep the floor to ceiling glass doors unfold so revealing quite a stunning view in anyone’s eyes - I'll get the video sorted later so you can have a look. It’s a bit different from a “Normal” house, so it’s worth a watch. And if the video is already there... then lucky you!

OK then, here's a little sample of the pool area down on level three......

After we stopped here, essentially to drop off some Bombay Saphire, I was told that  “We should grab some beers and head to my boyfriend’s house”. Which was about ten minutes on the scooter...... A ride of heavenly bliss, as you take in the peaceful roads, lush vegetation and glimpses of bays just off of the road, like Padang Padang below..... A great little spot and popular with the surfers...... It was fast becoming apparent from the people I was seeing, the beautiful lush countryside, the clear blue sky, the crystal clear sapphire tinged ocean – that I was in the middle of a very special part of the planet that we all call home.....

Then we arrived at the aptly named Surfers Villas..... They looked a little unlike I was expecting whilst not knowing what to expect..........This is how the little alley entrance way looks as you come down from the small guest car park........

From the initial arrival at Surfers Villas, we walked down that stepped alleyway and as you can well imagine, I had no idea whatsoever that I was basically perched on a cliff top and how much I was about to be blown away by the simplistic layout of the villa, but most amazingly and quite simply the views......

This one is just outside the back door......

Then this is what you see when you look back at the villa from the outside.....

And here's one from when you are perched just atop the cliff at the back of the garden looking out on the ocean......

Tell you what, I think I've done a video clip here..... Have a look and see what you make of it...... Ask me and my answer  - “Well it's quite simply  inspirational stuff”

Turns out my friend’s boyfriend, a genuine, genuinely friendly and welcoming American bloke, is a also very keen surfer – and luckily for him – that patch of sea that you can see there in the view and the video clip is commonly regarded in the surfing world as one of the best surfing spots anywhere, yes, ANYWHERE on the planet....... One of the breaks is simply called “Temple”...... So all this chat you hear about surfer’s paradise..... Well, I had landed right in the middle of it, with a guest pass, a golden ticket and a soon to be ready-made bunch of surf fanatic new American friends and one Scottish chap, that were all to a man a great bunch of  “Dudes”...... Awesome.....

So..... We quickly sank a couple of beers and ran out, so I offered to go grab a few more from “Bobby’s”.............

The local newsagent/beer hangout popular with the surfing establishment as a place to have a quick beer in between surf breaks and beers and fish taco’s..... Armed with instructions, onto the scooter I hop, whizz off to Bobby’s..... I hop off my scooter, notice a few more friendly decent looking surfing types having a beer offering a few nods and smiles as they are joking amongst themselves and having a few laughs – a few American accents....... I tentatively ask the lady “Can I have a few beers, I’m friends with F and J”..... Then one of the guys at the table stands up, I vaguely recognise him, offering his hand shake “Daaaaave..... How you doing, I’m J, friends of F, you’re staying at my house, welcome to Bali! Meet T and Big D”.....

Well long story short, new friends made, these guys immediately sounded like a great bunch, Big D definitely sounded the loudest btw, we sank a quick beer, headed back to F and J's, and then I was invited to have a look around a rather special property – part of the surfer villas set up and it was a visit that may lead to a potential business opportunity, a new life in Bali?...... It's a long shot, we'll see.......More about that later perhaps......

Had you thought that my eyes had been opened to the maximum by the sheer beauty, magnificence and simplicity of the two villa’s that I’d already been in that afternoon.......... Well, hold your horses...... And hold them tight....... My eyes were about to be out on sticks, we’re about to go into outer space where Villas are concerned....... This pad my friends, well it’s a whole new ball game..... Heaven on earth would be one way of describing it...... It was simply that breathtaking a property and location.....

Firstly some excuses.......I'm going to end that here for now, it's 6:50am and I need to go for a swim and get back into that again....... Bali Day 1 tbc........

Over and out. x