Bali '19

'Let's go to Bali for a girls' holiday! It'll be hot, sunny, and cheap.'

the amazing view from mount batur as the sun rose. we saw blue sky for under 

Hitting Bali in wet season was not our finest decision; nearly every famous/ insta-worthy view was cloudy, raining, or really, really, raining. From the very start, it seemed like everything was comically against us. Travelling from London- Melbourne- Bali in four days meant that I was ready to pass out as soon as we hit our hotel rooms. But of course, a local power cut meant that the air-con was broken, and in 33 degree weather with 90% humidity, the only way I could do it was on the floor, accidentally, whilst trying to work out where on earth we were in Kuta. 

Travelling with such an amazing group meant that all these hiccups were funny, our leader, James, made sure we had alternatives and kept us entertained, and to be honest, I was grateful to be back in the warmth after Christmas in the UK. 

Another thing that really helped save me from the disappointment was i really had no idea what I was getting into in Bali. I (stupidly) turned up at Denpasar Airport with barely any idea what the itinerary was, where we were going, or Bali was like. I'm not sure I'd even heard of it before Australia, which could have ended so badly, but somehow worked in my favour. The fact that we were on a beach and it was in the double figures temperature-wise was exciting enough that the actual view of clouds and not much else as the backdrop for the famous swings in the sea didn't bother me at all. 

practicing my new found surfing skills on some sick waves

Every trip we did, the weather seemed against us; surfing was surf-less, every beach dinner was rained off, and even our snorkel trip nearly ended stranded off-shore when our engine broke in the rain. 

love how the lights in the trees are reflected
in the huge puddles bc it was so wet 

  

 The only thing I actually didn't enjoy was the monkey forest, due to my hatred of the worst animal on the planet. I only managed one cool photo, several feet away from the actual monkey, and if you look closely you can see the panic in my eyes. Despite being ready to run and fight for my life in case one turned on me and gave me rabies, I did have a moment with a blind monkey called Nelson who I understood on a spiritual level.

me and nelson bffs 4 life x

Having such a fab group and guides meant that every day was still amazing, from getting one on one surfing instruction, and singing on the board with a local surf instructor, to skipping as fast as possible down a mountain (and stacking it several times), and cracking out the rain ponchos on Gili T.  There was never a dull moment, but that might have been because I kept screaming whilst watching Haunting of Hill House, so no one else could relax.

By far the funniest view was the Mount Batur sunrise trek. Getting up at 1 am, missing half our group for various reasons, driving an hour in the rain, to the base of an active volcano fully set us up for a hopefully amazing view at the top. 

Three hours later, one member down, and we waited in the cold for the sun to rise. The fog had other ideas, and we ended up sat in a cloud for the majority of the morning, seeing blue sky for a grand total of five seconds. I didn't realise how amazing the view is until I saw it on insta feeds a few weeks after, so again I wasn't disappointed, just glad to do some exercise after three months of eating out and sunbathing. 

the extent of our sunrise trek

view across the lake to the base of Mt Agung

never let anyone tell you you aren't graceful

At the end of the day, we made the most of the time we had; rain wasn't going to stop a group of mainly brits from getting a tan  ('if there's a shadow, you can tan' was probably the most said phrase), or doing everything possible. The two weeks were nowhere long enough, and I've spent most of the past month trying to convince everyone to do it. I'm not sure if it was the joss, cheap vodka, or incredible experience that made it so amazing, but it definitely made for a memorable introduction to backpacking in Asia.