Villa Kampung Seminyak, Bali

These are some of the photos we took of Villa Kampung.

We had a wonderful time in this villa, the service and amenities were exquisite.
I loved all the antiques and curios throughout the complex.
We all loved the Boshe stereo system that was wired through the whole complex that we could plug all the iPods into (mine was banned...Ella Fitzgerald and then Frank sent every ones head spinning).
I loved the library filled with books in many languages as well as the complementry clothes washing and drying.

We had seven adults and ten kids in total, and could of fitted more......

These are the photos I collected months ago from the web when we were booking.

We booked through Paradise property, they arranged our last Bali trip and were very proffessional. Prices are negotaible and there are residents discounts.

www.ppbali.com | www.paradisevillarental.com

Georgias 10th Birthday

Georgia has made it into the double digits!
We have managed a few celebrations so far...
The first was a party at Ultimos Italian restaurant in Seminyak, Bali last Saturday night.
The next was at Hard Rock cafe in Kuta, Bali while we waited for our flight home.
Today was cup cakes at school.
The party is in the planning stage still...I will combine all the birthdays into one big party later on in the month.

What do kids remember?

I think it is the fun, games and family time that makes the best childhood memories.

My kids might not remember the fancy villa we stayed in in Bali, but they will remember 9 days of fun with their friends.
We were treated to nightly shows of gymnastics, swimming, plays, parades and fun. Ten kids all on holidays together makes for a great time.

Interesting things I have seen this week.

This drawing is on the wall at Ultimo's Italian restaurant in Seminyak. The more you look at it the more you see. It is simple yet very complex.
This is the way GJ drank his beer the other night.
GJ normally never drinks beer, a very unusual Australian male species. He added a glass of ice to make it more palatable , next he will be adding a straw and a slice of pineapple.
This truck has driven on a soft spot and the road has collapsed under it. This is common, what grabbed my attention though, is the women unloading the truck of concrete bricks. They were stacking a huge amount of weight on their heads and walking down a lane.

Jen at the beach in Bali

Bali shock

We managed to get every one back to the beach and in the water.
This was very important as the children (and adults!) were all severely traumatized from the rip, pounding gigantic surf, rescue, resuscitation, and hospitalization of some of our group on Sunday.

But all has ended well with everybody healthy and happy and home at the villa.
I still can't bear to talk about the details.

Happy news to follow....

I love Bali

I don't need to leave our villa.......ever

Bedtime success

Our kids have always been big sleepers, but over the last 18 months ALWAYS want to sleep with each other.
Now Ben too always wants to join in.
The new rule this year was each in their own bed for school nights.
On Friday and Saturday nights the kids can sleep in a huge puppy pile in any bed EXCEPT mine!

The main thing that has made this much easier has been the colourful mosquito nets we got in Bali.

The girls feel so secure and snug inside their princess enclaves.

For some silly reason I didn't buy Ben one......HUGE mistake that will be rectified (he has chosen Orange for his). He is now buried under a pile of soft toys and cuddlies to make him feel snug and secure every night.

These cost 200 000rp each, about AU$28. I am sure they could be bought for alot less if you knew how to bargain lol.

Booked, Bali villa

I am so excited...look what has been booked! (internet photos so only small size).

Six adults and eight kids will have 8 nights in this magnificent place later on in the year.
All three families now have something very exciting to look forward to!

If you get a big enough group renting a villa in Bali is surprisingly affordable.

Seminyak Beach Bali

This beach was cleaner than Kuta, the kids loved it.
It was how ever full of dogs. Unfortunately animals (CRITTERS) love me, so all the mangy, smelly mutts came and sat next to me, for the whole visit.
There was not as many hawkers as at Kuta, but they were just as persistent.
This beach has a lot of villas and restaurants on the edge of the dunes and would be a wonderful place to sip a cocktail and watch the sunset...next time for us.

I love this photo, its is like a silver road into the horizon...

I keep hearing the classic Led Zeppelin song, Stair Way to Heaven when I look at this.

I walked past a CD shop yesterday and saw Led Zelpelin greatest ever CD for sale and just had to pick it up....the good thing is it really is Led Zeppelin singing. (I picked up a compilation CD a few months ago and was in hysterics over the strong Asian accents doing songs from Air supply, Eagles etc.)

Kuta Beach Bali, Indonesia

I have been very insistent in the past about our families sun protection policy......don't worry I haven't let it slide. Absolutely no sun damage at all!
This was Kuta beach, looks great but there was an awful lot of rubbish in the water and the sand was full of stuff. We grew up on Australian beaches, they are pretty hard to beat!


I have just picked up a lot of these photos from the Kodak shop as enlargements, oh my they are wonderful.
It makes the risk of taking a good camera to the beach worthwhile.
There is one that I won't put on the blog that is just so glorious, it is like the essence of childhood. Three happy faces frolicking in the surf.

Blue point bay, Jimbaran. Bali

We asked our driver to take us somewhere with a view for breakfast and this is where we ended up, Blue Point Bay villas and resort on the southern tip of Bali
This place has the most wonderful infinity edge pool on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Beside the pool is a stunning glass chapel for weddings. It would be the most glorious place to get married, especially at sunset. (yes, I have already sent all the photos to 2 people as a hint LOL)

Breakfast was very nice (except the cold, bitter coffee) but at 500 000 for a few eggs it was a tad expensive.

Pura Besakih, Bali's "Mother Temple"

We had a quick visit to the largest Hindu temple of Bali, Pura Besakih.
This temple is located high on the slopes of Gunung Agung (Mount Holy) in the north east region of Bali. From the top of the temple you can see the ocean in the distance.

It was only after we had been that we started to hear all the scam stories.
The villas driver likened the guides to local mafia and suggested that allot of tour companies had stopped going there due to the scams.

I was a bit disappointed in the temple, the structure its self was magnificent as was the view but the grounds were un-kept and there was an prevailing smell of dog poo. It was especially noticeable since it was only three weeks since I had visited Borobudur monument in Jogjakarta and it is well maintained.

Our driver couldn't accompany us into the temple so we walked into the courtyard and were assigned our guide and wrapped in a loan sarong (even though our pants were long enough). The tour was great, the young man was very knowledgeable and I really enjoyed hearing his take on comparative religion.

I was advised to offer around 25 000RP ($3.00) for a tip but gave 50 000RP as I thought the guide was really interesting but was shocked when I was then hit up for more...I was told it is customary to give double, half for the temple and half to be shared by all guides. Bollocks, but what do you do in a private section of a temple with kids? I paid and then had to hand over more money for renting the sarong.

Mount Batur, Kintamani volcano area

This was our visit to the large volcano and crater on the north east of Bali.
It was spectacular and blessedly cool.
We drove to the top and were surrounded by very persistent hawkers and had a very dismal, overpriced buffet lunch. The kids thought the top crater looked very much like a throne .

We drove down to the lake to look up at the crater walls.
Inside the crater there was a large area given over to farming (this is where GJ got his great chiili shots) and some locals walking by with the fish they caught.

Ben really wanted to go into the volcano, I think he thought that it would be very interesting!

Chillies by Nikon DX40

I am just loving my new Nikon.
Even GJ is getting into it.
I was always the one who took all the photos, now I have to ask for the camera while we are touring.

I would really recommend this camera. I do want the 18-200 mm lens though, it would be so much more versatile (I don't like changing lens while out, I am paranoid about dirt and damage).
Maybe for next Christmas.

Ubud monkey forest.

Ubud monkey forest.

We have hired a car and driver for 2 days in Bali and one of the great places we went to was the Monkey Forest at Ubud.

I have a very sound philosophy on animals; there are humans, dogs and horses everything else is a critter and I don’t deal with critters.

I can admire some critters, look at them fondly, but have no desire to touch them.

Do a quick check of my archives to see how snakes, sheep, HUGE spiders, rats, mice etc like to come INTO my home.

The kids do not always share my beliefs…….hence a great visit to the Ubud Monkey Forest.

The monkeys are slightly evil…..they picked on Ben cause he was little.
Nasty little faces hissing and spitting with teeth bared. Whoops my bias is coming out LOL.

The grounds were wonderful, serene tranquil and oh so green.
There are few temples throughout the well maintained gardens.

The kids were spooked by a few big males and started to use their purchased bananas as missiles to scare away any monkey that came too close.

More adventures to come…….

Odysseys surf school, Kuta

GJ finally got to introduce the girls to his childhood passion…surfing!

We both grew up on the beach; me on Sydney’s Northern beaches and GJ on Queensland’s Bribie Island in a house 50 m from the surf. Going to the beach and surfing or watching friends surf was a way of life.

The girls childhood has been quiet beach-less.
Brisbane is on a river and a the closest surf beach is over an hours drive away.
Jakarta has surf beaches within a three to four hours drive….little bit too far for a quick surf.

We found a brochure for surf school on arrival at the airport, the girls were cautiously excited, GJ was filled with enthusiasm.

After leaving me with a tired, screaming, tantrum throwing, disappointed boy they set off in the surf school bus. Ben swimming is not up to Kuta beach and surfing this year, he was not impressed!

The instructor, Ketut was excellent; happy, friendly, calm and patient. Georgia was a little hesitant but soon forgot her fears and took to it like a pro. GJ went in too and helped one while the instructor was with the other girl.
I couldn’t watch……I prefer to have my kids in full life vests surrounded by a team of life guards in water no deeper than knee high. So watching them surf at Kuta beach was not so good for my sanity.

GJ was very impressed with the surf school, we would definitely use them again as well as recommend them. The girls now insist that we cancel all activities for the rest of our visit to Bali and just surf…….
The school also has a photographer and sells CD’s of images at the end. CD was 200 000RP ($25) for approx 90+images.



Chelsea surfing
Georgia surfing


I will update the photos when home, I need my colour balanced lcd screen to edit...... these look so light on my laptop.

First impressions of Bali

Blue sky
Flesh
Brown flesh….

We arrived in Bali at lunch and went straight to our villas (wonderful).
We all noticed straight away the lovely blue sky. In Jakarta the sky is perpetually filled with a brown haze of pollution.
The next thing I noticed was the amount of skin showing on passerby’s……I did not realize how accustom I had become to the modest Muslim dress codes. It was like walking down Surfers Paradise…..people in the skimpiest clothing all tanned to deep brown.

Our Villa is lovely, a private 2 bedroom house with a pool and cabana. The privacy is wonderful, we can lock the entrance gate and no one can come in or see us. I didn’t realise how much I missed true privacy.
It was wonderful to swim and lounge on the deck chairs reading magazines with out being watched.

We are staying on the “eat street” of Seminyak, the whole street is filled with wonderful restaurants.
Our first dinner was at Ultimo Italian Restaurant, DELICIOUS! The food was great and very reasonable. We definitely want to go back there.