Bali to Brisbane

A very cheeky monkey!

a view from the Ulu Watu temple at the southern tip of Bali

Worshippers at the Holy Spring Temple

The Elephant Cave

The beautiful Bali Buddha organic cafe

bali goods for sale at one of the many market stalls Ubud

Enjoying the sunset at Gili Air

The beautiful pool at Sejuks, Gili Air

As you know from my last post, I had an amazing time on the Gili Islands. I actually ended up spending way longer than I had planned (this happens) and even had a few days on the quieter Gili Air where I treated myself to a couple of nights at a place called Sejuks (a bit more classy than most places I've stayed with a lovely pool- see picture). On the day I left to return to Bali I was feeling under the weather again and the long journey back to Ubud left me feeling exhausted. I had to make a decision whether to go to Java and in the end the journey combined with the little time left before I flew to Australia meant that I would have to give it a miss.

I went to see a show of traditional Balinese dancing at the Ubud Palace

Bali is a big island and I felt I hadn't seen a great deal of it so after having a day to recover and wander around the streets of Ubud once more and do some last minute shopping at the market (discovered a wonderful organic cafe called Bali Buddha- see pictures), I decided to book a trip to see some of the senery and temples of Bali. It was a lovely day with good company ( a German couple and French guy) and we visited the Elephant cave temple, the Holy Spring temple and the biggest temple on Bali, as well as a coffee plantation and viewpoint of Bali's highest peak, Mount Agung.
Once again I was travelling with nice people ( a girl from Austria and Polish guy) and we decided to go to the beach for our last days in Bali. Wanting to avoid Kuta, we headed to Jimbaran Bay. This is a long crescent shaped beach of white sand and is famous for its fish restaurants, where people come from all over Bali to experience. We were no exception and enjoyed a meal of fresh seafood by candlelight whilst listening to the waves. Before this Janush and myself headed to the Ulu Watu temple for the famous sunset and met the monkeys famous for stealing glasses (luckily not mine!).

a fantastic view of Bali's majestic Mt Agung

Ulu Watu at sunset

The beach at Jimbaran Bay

 Before leaving Jimbaran Bay for the airport I had my last massage and walked along the beach reflecting on the last 3 months I had spent in South East Asia. I felt emotional as there are things about Asia that I love- the hectic traffic, the scooters, the street food, noise, craziness, heat, the people- there is something so special about it. Australia was going to be very different. I was excited  but sad at the same time. But I know I'll be back in Asia before too long...
I said goodbye to Janush and Tanja before making my way to the airport for my overnight flight to Australia. The next stage of my journey was about to begin.
Next stop: Brisbane.