Baliiiiii and a short stay in Kuala Lumpur

So, I'm now back in England and after 3 weeks of getting used to being back (eating and watching trashy daytime TV) post Korea life is starting to come together. I have a house viewing on Thursday and a job interview on Friday!!

My plan is still to head to Vietnam come January/February time - but as nice as it has been stopping at friend's houses and watching Four in a bed - I needed something a little something to keep me busy and stop spending money of the next few months!

So, whilst I still don't have a job - here's my last vacation update! I had 12 day off school and I had been so jealous of the girls Bali pics from the year before that I had no doubt in my mind that it was where I wanted to go!

Seminyak

I started off in the Seminyak area which was described as Kuta's classier older sister. I was yet to explore the trashier younger sister of Kuta (that was next on my list!) but things started off on the right atmosphere in Seminyak!

I had heard so much about Potato Head Beach Club that it HAD to be the first place that I visited. I had read that it was best to get there as early as possible so that you can get a bed close to the pool! I rocked up at 9.30 am and was told that it actually didn't open until 11am...oops.

I decided to take a little walk around  the area and somehow found myself in a salon getting an hour massage for £5!

I then went and took my place in the queue and managed to grab myself a bed in an excellent position. The waiters made sure that I knew that there was a 500,000 IDR minimum charge per bed as I was by myself at that time (£30!), but with the food and cocktails, it was not going to be a problem.

I ended up meeting with some friends that I met in Switzerland and I was able to stay and watch the sunset over the infinity pool.

My hostel was within walking distance to the beach so the next day I spent a full day sunbathing (plus a beach massage) and drinking beer on the bean bag chairs.

Seminyak beach was really cool - I knew before coming that it was popular with families and honeymoon couples and I didn't take into account that it would make it harder to actually meet other backpackers staying here - but I managed to meet a friend to have some dinner and beers with - and it then turned out we were staying at the same hostel so could walk back with someone. We did plan on going for drinks later in the evening, but I was so tired after sunbathing all day, and Project Runway was on tv....

Where I stayed - Grandmas Hotel, Seminyak - Basic budget hotel - nicest available for the price range, great location, They quickly changed my room when I found ants in my first one, The 2 bed room might be a bit small for two people, but was perfect for me.

Kuta

Next - Hello Trashy younger sister (Kirsttty). I had heard VERY mixed reviews about Kuta - but April and Jo were in the area at the same time and it was close to the airport so Dan could make it to the hotel after his late flight arrived. Basically Kuta felt like you were not in Asia anymore, it felt like an 18-30's holiday surrounded by Australians. If that's what you are going for, you'll love it.

 Knowing this in advance I booked myself in a nice hotel so that I could get away from the madness if need be! Myself, Jo and April checked out the nightlife, after I had been given some free shots in my hotel by the side of the pool - and ended up in the famous Sky Garden 7 floor nightclub. We felt a little bit old and by 2am we headed for a pizza and then went home!

The next day, we checked out the hotel pool the headed to Tanah Lot in the afternoon to check out the sunset! This was beautiful, but we probably should have left a little bit earlier to avoid getting stuck in traffic! We decided to not ask the taxi to wait for us and to try our luck with just finding a taxi on the way back - and even though we had been told it would be very difficult, it was very easy!

Where I stayed - Bali Legain 101 - Excellent Buffet breakfast, on the main strip but doesn't feel super crazy, robes, slippers, hair dryer shampoo all included. Great place to meet people around the pool too.

Ubud

Once I arrived in Ubud I started to feel like I was finally in Bali! We took a Panama bus to Ubud and a short taxi to the hostel we were staying in.

Temple in the center of Ubud

Day 1
Ubud Monkey Forest - I was a little bit scared of the monkeys at first, but once I had one on my head and realised that they were not as heavy/scary as I originally thought - it was a much more enjoyable experience.

Until one of the cheeky monkeys bit me on the bum! There were some super cute baby monkeys - and some not so cute older ones! Def worth a trip here - a short walk from Ubud center!

Day 2
We hired a motorbike and headed to Goa Gaja (The elephant temple), Kuil Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul water temple. Some gorgeous temples and very easy to find, even without data/gps on my phone!

Day 3
We decided to hire a bike again as it was such a cheap way to get around, however we didn't really have anywhere in mind that we wanted to visit! I fancied seeing the sea again so I looked at somewhere on the map that seemed like it could be cool...apparently I'm not great at reading maps and it was mileeeees away! But after first exploring a not so nice beach - we went a little bit further and found a nice restaurant with an infinity pool and they let us use their pool! Score! This looked like an up and coming area and if I hadn't already pre booked into the Ubud hostel I would have liked to have stayed a night here! I think it was called Candidasa!

Day 4
Thinking that we were now motorbike experts we hired the bike for another day.....third day lucky...right?! The original plan was to go to The Hanging Gardens hotel and the pools looked awesome - however the hotel had new management and were not letting day guests come and visit!

The next plant was to head to the Hot Springs at Lake Batur - we checked the maps and went on our way! The first thing to go wrong was the one simple road that we needed to take was cautioned off and we had to take a detour, we were then stopped by a traffic cop for not having an international licence and fined.... and seen as all good things come in threes - the road to the like was a mountain road and really steep with sharp turns. One minute we were on the bike, the next we were on the ground! But nothing was stopping us getting to the hotsprings and we made it there - and the views were some of the best that I saw in Bali!

Where I stayed - In Da Lodge - Great Hostel, very big room, excellent bar and drinking area. However Kevin the rooster was very vocal in the morning!!

Kuala Lumpur

Next stop, Malaysia!! After not being in England for 2 years - I was soooo excited to eat a Nandos!
The hostel that we were staying at offered a 7 wonders of KL tour - and as we were only there for a full day - it was just what we needed.
Sights included the National Mosque, City Gallery, Memorial Site, Thean Hou Temple and Batu Caves!

This trip was definitely worth it if you have a limited time to see KL!
I was very excited to find that there was a Din Tai Fung Restaurant in one of the shopping centers of KL as I had been craving those dumplings for so long - so it was an excellent way to finish a great holidaaay!

Where I stayed - Reggae Reggae mansion - centrally located, offered the tours and graet rooftop bar

Writing this has made me miss Asia - maybe I will go and hang out in the Asian area of Newcastle tonight! See you soon Vietnam!!