I awoke after a day exploring Balinese temples and the Ubud area bubbling to the brim with excitement! My best girl Tessa had landed in Bali and I was going to get to spend the day exploring Uluwatu with her. Her boyfriend Benno would also be joining us – but as he’s a pretty good egg, I wasn’t dreading being a third wheel like I normally would.

After a morning swim in my little plunge pool, I took a leisurely 10 minute stroll from my villa at Daluman to where she was staying – Acacia Villas. It was located in a bit of a rabbit warren and thus could have proven difficult to find – but Google Maps had my back!

Her villa was luxurious. As she was travelling in a group of six people, they were able to splash out and get something extra extravagant and split the costs. Gotta love luxury on a budget!

Our first stop of the day was the absolutely drop dead gorgeous Uluwatu Temple, which is about a 50 minute drive south-west of Seminyak. We once again chose to use a private driver for the day, which becomes even better value when you are splitting the cost amongst a group of three!

It was a gloriously sunny day, the humidity was high and I was bathing in sunscreen by the second – however, that in no way hindered our exploring.

After arriving and paying the entrance fee of $2 AUD, it was time to make sure we were correctly dressed. As I had done my usual trick of wearing a long maxi skirt, all I needed to wear was a small gold sash around my waist. As Tessa and Benno were wearing shorts – they both got to wear long purple sarongs.

There were many absolutely beautiful features in this coastal area – but the many trees adorned with bright red flowers were my favourites.

Then it was time to start the walk up to the temple!

Seriously. What the heck! How can somewhere be this stunning?!

There were heaps of striking tropical flowers growing untamed and unruly along the pathway, looking out onto the coast. This is what true amazingness is!

The views around the entire coastline are like nothing else I had ever seen! I have seen many unique coastal formations in South Africa, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland and Scotland – but this was completely different!

As much as I love travelling solo – I cannot deny how nice it was to have my bestie there with me to share such a wonderful experience!

As I write this though, I feel slightly sad! This beautiful human is jetting off to London to start a new life in the coming months and this was one of the last times I got to see her before I visit in 2017!

I am sad to see her heading so far away, but it gives me an excuse to visit! I have already told her that she will be meeting me in Copenhagen in February 2017 so that I can see her before I head back to glorious Greenland!

Anyway, back on topic! We continued to wander around this delightful area for another thirty minutes or so before my pale skin started turning crispy and I became desperate to find some shade for a much needed reprieve from the harsh sun.

On the way back to the car we came across more monkeys! Apparently they have made it a habit to inhabit any temples they can!

Then it was time for a short and sweet drive to the extremely popular Single Fin in Uluwatu. This place is popular for it’s incredible ocean views, delicious cocktails and healthy but tasty food.

It isn’t too hard to see why people clamber for the seats by the ocean!

Being in our early twenties and on holiday, it took us mere seconds to order our first round of drinks!

We had big plans to have a quick boozy lunch and head off for more exploring, but after settling in and getting comfortable, we became quite hesitant to leave! It was just so nice and relaxing to drink and eat in such a beautiful place!

After another jug of cocktails… or did we just order a few rounds of G&Ts? The memory is slightly blurry! Either way, after we became moderately jolly (inebriated) we finally gathered the will to stop our lounging and walk down to the beach.

The beach was pretty damn crowded – so after getting a few pictures we headed back to the car so that we could head back to Seminyak and head out for dinner and more drinks.

Our timing ended up being pretty damn impeccable! Not too long after driving back – the wet season lived up to its name and monsoonal rains ensued.

Once the rains eased – we headed out to Motel Mexicola for dinner.

The food was absolutely amazing, the drinks were perfect and the company couldn’t have been better!

After eating to the point of appearing pregnant, we caught a quick taxi to Potato Head Beach Club for a night cap.

After a few drinks we all began to get pretty drowsy – day drinking takes it out of you! So we headed back to our respective villas for a well deserved snooze.

The next morning we treated ourselves to amazing Balinese massages before I had to get my flight back to Darwin. Three days in Bali was not nearly enough – but as far as three day weekends go – this has to be one of the best!

T H E   L O W D O W N
Getting to Denpasar: AirAsia flies from Darwin to Bali almost daily and return flights can be nabbed for between $100-$300 depending on the time of year
Made Paul Artawan: This wonderful and hard-working Balinese driver can be contacted through Facebook Message – he is available for full day hire during school holidays and half day hire during school days
Uluwatu Temple: Located 50 minutes south-west of Seminyak – it is an easy day trip
Single Fin: Located close to Uluwatu Temple, this place is popular and for good reason! Make sure to try the smoothie bowls
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm M.Zuiko Pro Lens
Threads: During the day I am wearing a cute maxi skirt by Tree of Life and by night a gorgeous maxi dress by Aussie label Tigerlily
Remember: Sunscreen and an appetite for booze!