Highlights of the Bali holiday:

Sam after the wedding, playing with the fangipani carpet!



On asking Ian what was the highlight of the Bali holiday he said “spending quality romantic time with me” oh sweet….then the wedding, playing golf and spending time with the family. For me it was getting away & spending time with Ian, of course the wedding otherwise we all would not be here, sleeping in till mid-day or more. I have to say shopping, especially at the markets, (I missed being able to browse without the pressure to buy especially with the lovely materials) although I did not buy much except for DVD’s and enjoying the grandchildren away from their home environment.



Highlight for Jasmine was coming to Bali and the Waterbomb park (she really is a dare devil, she has no concept of fear) and for Dylan was the flight on the airplane. Seeing nanna and swimming in her hotel pool & the monkeys, also Waterbomb Park – the kids had a ball, they were very good considering they were all out of routines….. No seat belts in the taxis, different foods etc….

Rice Paddies:


Tanah Lot Temple:

Sightseeing highlights:
Ubud was lovely: The Rice paddies: Kintamani Volcano, Temples…Ubud, Goa Lawah (Bat cave), Pura Uluwatu & Tanah Lot.

Pura Uluvatu Temple


The sunset at Jimbaran Bay; driving & walking through the local villages and seeing real life. The monkeys and natural wild life…..
Shopping centers: Bali Galleria (very expensive), Matahari (reasonable), Bali Centro (Kutu), great bakeries; in door markets, & DVD shops; the markets…. However I got really tired of bartering…. I really did enjoy walking through the Nusa Dua markets; (they are smaller & the people less aggressive) and I have decided I am a soft touch…..





Food: the food was varied….some very different and western food was available however by the end of two weeks I am over eating out and am dying to prepare & cook my own food… I have missed eating salads because I was worried about getting Bali belly….



I was disappointed I missed supporting my woman through her labor and the birth of ‘Jack’… I hated the humidity of Bali…. And my clothes and hair constantly damp with perspiration; ….The kids could be tiring especially when they were hot and tired….

Kutu beach:


I didn’t enjoy Kuta beach, in fact I was not impressed with many of the beaches…. You just can’t beat Cottesloe beach WA. … I was extremely disappointed with the WiFi service of the Nusa Dua Novotel….. For a top hotel it was a poor service. Travelling makes you grateful for the life you have. I am thankful every day for my blessed life & family.



Overall it was a great family holiday…The Balinese people are very friendly and welcoming…………I am already starting to think about work as I have so much to do when I get home tomorrow, even peaked at my work email and a couple of reports. I don’t know what I would do without my phone and laptop…..sad I know. Would I come back to Bali…..? Well, I will keep an open mind…. because one of my mottos in life is “never to say never”, because you just NEVER know what tomorrow will bring, but it is not on my list of the top 10 places…………. Ciao from Bali.

Women making the offerings for the Temples:

The passion of football / Soccer

Last week I went with my husband to watch Perth Glory play Victory (Melbourne), it was a bitterly cold night, so we were both rugged up with our scarfs and hats. There was a crystal clear sky and thank goodness no rain. There was approximately 8000 people watching, and I have to say the majority were male, some women and children. The testosterone was clearly flying through the air; occasionally I felt its foul swipe.

I really do not understand the passion of football, come to think of it I do not understand the passion of totally loosing self control at a concert, I never have had the desire too, have watched others do it and just don’t get it.

We sat amongst the opposition. Out of the 8000 people who attended approximately 100 people had the Melbourne colours on and we were sitting next to them. This was not an all together pleasant experience. They started off very noisily, shouting all sorts of chants, which I did not find partially pleasing. It was at this stage I was pleased I took my ipod. Now we were all watching the same game, so when clearly play is in front of you and the Glory player gets smacked in the jaw and lands on the deck, and the referee picks up the Victory player for rough play (Melbourne) and gives him a yellow card, the Melbourne supports did not see the same action – and did not agree with the ref – how does this happen? It was as clear as the nose on my face, there in front of us all. Ian then explains to me that they can only see out of one eye, this seems preposterous to me, the play is there for everyone to see.
There was screaming and shouting at the ref, the shed was going ballistic, the Melbourne crowd were chanting, have you got the picture! in the beginning the Melbourne crowd were very vocal about wining and how Perth was a sleepy backwater town (in some respects I agree with this comment), the score was 1 all at this stage, but when Glory scored the second goal strangely enough the Melbourne supports changed their chat from we are going to win, to we will be in the finals. I do think this is rather funny, unfortunately there were a few men who had too much to drink and there bravado become more aggressive and abusive, this is when it becomes ugly.

Now the game was won by Perth Glory, and the badly behaved supporters for Victory started mouthing off to the Glory boys and like idiots they rose to the occasion and right in front of us they started, testosterone was flying, security was on hand and we walked away. It is very easy to see how it all gets out of hand - and on what a grand scale it is in the UK a country well entrenched in its football hooliganism.
Looking forward to the next home game, but will make sure we are not sitting with the opposition.