Weekend post #4

 It is always a joy watching your friends tie the knot with their partner - much more so when you are aware of what he had to go through to get there :) So happy for my friend and even more so for the opportunity to catch up with old ones!

Ceremony and reception was held at Chijmes, a lovely spot to get married in. The decor is so inspiring and the food is actually pretty good as well! Only thing that bothered me was that service was a bit slow and we only ended having our mains at 10pm so by the time dessert came, I was ready to call it quits and head home (After a rather big night previously, didn't want to overdo and push my boundaries).

 

Interior of the church - so pretty! 

 

 Picture of the day - show off those muscles Chris!

Sarah took this shot while we waiting for dinner and watsapp it back to the table - we were all so hungry!  

 Dinner - very very satisfying

 Group shot!

 It was really good to catch up with friends. Ended up sharing with S on how I thought I had grown after starting work and she commented that she like the new more amenable me. Such a humbling statement that it gave me resolve to be a better person.
Drove home and reached home in record time. New work week tomorrow and I have landings again - looking forward to it, though equally apprehensive at the same time.

Bali (6)

Last night in Bali. After a wonderful day in Ku De Ta, evening in Tanah Lot, we were obviously hoping that we would end off on a good note. Admittedly I was a little skeptical especially since G's fiancee expressed his displeasure at us going out to club in the weekend before 911 and what can one say when the man has spoken? So after we came back from Tanah Lot, the girls were desperate for one last spa and the spa ninny in me cried off at the last minute. So I promised them that if they still wanted to go out after their spa I was a willing party... and we did! Wow....we actually made it to a club in Kuta - again from another recommendation from G's friend, we went to sky garden - 3 levels of dance rooms each with different types of music and many many aussies.

 In all, a really fun night and at least we got to see the sleazy side of Bali - been there, done that, never going to do it again!

 Last photo in front of our villa....

 Photo before we disembarked - super sian face coz I'm tired. Got chastised so we took a proper one below.

 A peak at the memory lane look that L and I created for G :)

So the big question is, would I ever come back? Answer is No. Bali relies alot its history as the perfect tourist gateaway. Perhaps it used to be. However, I am willing to bet that Thailand is a close competitor in awesome beach gateaways. The good news about Bali is that it's so so so developed that I wouldn't worry about anyone going there for the first time - you can definitely get by. But the problem is when it is so developed that everything becomes overpriced and you know that you are always going to be paying top dollar for something which you could easily get back home for similar. Bali seems more inhibited with foreigners than locals these days which is probably why it is so pleasing when you see features of the hinduism faith in the city. From the daily offerings to the local dress, these features are endearing to the modern mind and are memories that I remember more than the modern amenities I visited. Thank you Bali for hosting me but it will be a while before I come back again.

Bali (5)

Visit to Tanah Lot - the only KPI I had for the trip. Initially, I wasn't sure if we could visit it, but it was good when we managed to fit it in - right after our morning at Ku De Ta. The first impression was like wow - there are alot of people here! Full of tourists and locals, it was literally impossible get a scenic photo by itself. Nevertheless, it was great watching the sunset along the shoreline, only made better by a seafood dinner with a live band :)

Bali (4)

Third day of the trip and we were determined to make up for the potatohead fiasco on the first day. Moment we had breakfast and were fresh and energised from the previous night, we took a taxi down to Ku De Ta... and wow we managed to get a day bed! (Sacarsm check). However, it was like wow.. the Bali indulgence as we all imagined it in the movies.
Cocktails - check.
Sunning on a day bed in Bikini - check.
Walk along the beach surf with a whimpsical on smile one's face - check. 
Lunch on a day bed by the beach - check
At least a 1 million Rupiah bill - check

Back to the villa pool to chill off before our visit to Tanah Lot - next post!

Bali (3)

Continuation from Ubud rice fields to Mt Batur for lunch and the views were just amazing. Stopped at this restaurant overlooking the volcano for lunch where we had really great views of the Volcano while having lunch - buffet; eat all you can for 100,000 Rupiah ++

 What would a scenic view be without a group photo?

 Thanks Lav for always taking nice photos of me :)

 An ode to our delicious lunch.... had at least 3 helpings of the satay! Local food delights are the best.

Our trip to Blue Lagoon which the girls were so excited about because they wanted to swim. We got there and it was like ok..... do we want to do this? Rocky ledge and lots of debris along the shore plus the sea was cold! Lol.... obviously we were very disappointed despite the pretty colours. A few photos and some attemps on relaxing on the beach later, we went back to Tonny to tell him that we rather go somewhere else and there began the long drive back to Kuta and then Seminyak.

Epic night after the Villa Spa pool and Ultimo - which started off very well and ended off on a low note. After the return to the villa, we indulged in cocktails/wine by the spa pool. No bikini pictures due to privacy issues.What we did not expect was the early retirement of the plans we had for the night. Barely made it to Ultimo where there more drama - L got hit on by an Aussie guy who bought us all cocktails and who had suspicious gay vibes. G spent most of the night in and out of a slump. Ended the night back in the villa watching the Bachelorette. Quite app now that I think about it.