A week of firsts

Seminyak

Because it's been such a long time between tours, it really does feel like the first ever one. I feel as nervous as my first day at a new job, and that's the way I’m looking at it to be honest.

The day finally arrives and i’ve been awake since way before dawn. I mentally calculate how much coffee i’ll need to stay awake without getting the jitters.

We pick up each of the ladies and after the obligatory introductions, we’re off! Im feeling totally in my groove, this is just like riding a bike.

First stop Bungalow Living where the closed borders mean things have been evolving, with a new cafe space being currently set up, so coffee there was off the menu. However we are assured it will be up and running in a week or two.

We are all chatting and laughing and before you know it we are at our next stop and coffee! After coffee we feel normal and can continue shopping.

Before we know it it’s almost lunchtime so we pop a bubbles and toast to Bali opening and our shopping and us. To be honest, do we really need an excuse to open a bubbles?

Lunch overlooking the rice paddies at Warung D’Carik was a lovely break. The meals are always delicious and we’re lucky enough to watch the rice being harvested in the paddy next to our table.

Off we go again, and it’s over all too soon. I’m having such a fun time, I don't want it it to end.

Tegallalang

Picking up the ladies and we are all chatting away like we’d known each other forever. This is what I love the most about the shopping tours, the connection with others.

We can hear coffee calling us, so we found a cute cafe that doubles as a shop selling traditional Bali doors. Caffeinated, we keep going to Tegallalang. This is a 10km road, with shops either side, so I’m glad I had an espresso to power me up.

There is so much to see that we are making slow progress, but we realise that we don’t need to go into every shop, and that speeds things up.

Lunch is a view of the famous Tegallalang rice terraces. We could have a swim but the cool breeze has kept the temperature down and none of us feel the need to cool down.

We park in front of empty shops really close to the cafe, where a tiny Ibu is lying in wait for us to buy bracelets, bananas and postcards as payment for letting us park in front of her shop. I bargain her down to about 20 bananas and some postcards for 50,000. Expensive parking lol!

As we head up the hill to lunch, we have shopped only one side of the road, so now we head down the hill and shop the other side of the road. More purchases are made, photos taken and laughs had.

Bubbles time! This cork flew out of the bottle of its own accord onto a shop roof. Lucky I wasn’t pointing it straight up into the back window of the van, or at anyone! Champagne finished, shopping continued until the shops were closing and it was time to head home.

It has been a huge day and tiredness is creeping in. Another day of firsts over. I'm excited now for the rest of 2022.

It’s been a long time between visits

The world, and Bali, is just opening up again. Life as we know it has changed, and we have to adapt.

I've already been over this year, and things were most definitely not the same. Ubud was only just opening up, with few shops and restaurants open, even the hotel I was staying in, didn’t have their pool ready. I stood in the middle of Jl Monkey Forest and not one car passed me for 5 minutes. And Seminyak was a ghost town, with the only life found on the beach for sunset.

Now that more is opening every day, I’m looking forward to the changes that have happened and are continuing to happen.

I will be blogging more while I'm there and more polished blogs when i’m home.

I’d love you to join me.

Leanne

Favourite eats

Bali’s culinary scene has exploded over the past few years and it seems that every chef worth his weight in spice has a restaurant or three there. You could eat at a different restaurant in Bali every day for a year and you still wouldn’t have ticked them all off your list. And that’s just the proper restaurants! You also have all of your warungs that specialise in a particular dish or ingredient or even cuisine from a particular region. The list is almost endless.  

I try to mix it up each trip by eating at some of my favourite restaurants, and some that I haven’t been to before. This trip was no exception. 

I’d seen Ukelan on instagram and loved the interior so wanted to try it. All the reviews were good so I booked it for lunch. We all had something different and we all loved our food. I had nasi campur to die for. With a Bintang (local beer) it was AUD9.00. The interior design of the restaurant was a huge plus too. It’s beautiful. And the toilet is air conditioned!

Serious interior styling points

Chez Gado Gado has been around for many years and is one of my favourite places to eat. Our escapes always begin with welcome dinner of Indonesian tapas to share. That way we get to try a little of everything. The service is outstanding and it’s position on the beach makes it one of the best places for sunset drinks and dinner.

repost - @mninghuanarissa

Another favourite is Nook. Good, cheap food that never disappoints. I love that the menu stays the same, no changes (or very few), so that eating there is like putting on an old pair of comfortable jeans.  

Views over the rice paddies at Nook

​Batik was a restaurant that I ate at twice on this trip, that’s how good it is. Excellent Balinese food in a very pretty colonial style space. The stairs are a feature of the restaurant with the different batik styles from the different regions on the step face. 

repost - @where_is_pamela

​Last, but by no means least is Indus​. The position of this restaurant gives wonderful views into to river valley below. I could sit and stare all day. On the other ridge is the famous campuhan ridge walk. The restaurant is owned by Janet de Neefe who has been living and cooking in Bali for over 30 years. She is the author of a number of books that combine Balinese life with recipes. The food at Indus is simple and fresh and the serenity is calming. At lunch, there are no loud noises to interfere with the birds and the muted sounds of Ubud life. It’s a restaurant with serious zen. 

repost - @cassiel_m_s_t

Part two, and I suspect parts three and four, maybe even more will be written later. I don’t want to overwhelm you all at once 

Til next time  

Enak sekali 

Leanne

xx

Growth is a good thing

How do we develop and change and adapt unless there is growth. Personal growth allows us to see things from fresh viewpoints, and from there we can be the best we can be. It allows us the opportunity to look at different viewpoints and find merit in each one. It affords is the mental space we need to change. 

My desire to host shopping escapes in Bali comes from my love of the island of the gods, and a need to surround myself with beautiful things. Some would say that’s because I’m a Taurus. But it has also grown out of a need to change my narrative, and to take control of my life in a way that I need to. 

Growth comes out of getting outside your comfort zone and this has definitely been outside my comfort zone. It has taken me quite some time to get over the “what if I fail” questions. It’s been quite challenging in terms of what I know and thought I knew, and as a result, I have grown and developed. ​The feeling of accomplishment is a huge rush!

I now want to expand what I am doing in Bali as this is the new ‘outside my comfort zone’ thing to do. My May escape will be a women’s empowerment escape, where they will challenge their status quo and develop the tools to live their best life. To write their own narrative. Itis a week of luxe accommodation, workshops, speakers, activities, spirituality, photo ops, dancing, singing, fabulous food, and a chance for some headspace to take everything in. 

Later in the year, I will​ host a culinary escape, to give women the opportunity to sample and cook some of the amazing and diverse cuisine that is in Bali. And as someone who loves food, I personally can’t wait for that! More details later. 

Nasi campur  

Shopping escapes will still be there too as I love showing people the bargains to be had, I’m simply branching out. 

As always I’d love some feedback. 

Leanne

xx

A trip of firsts

It always amazes me how many things there are to do, see, eat and buy in Bali. My list of things to do seems to get longer and no matter how many times​ I go to Bali, my ticked boxes are always outnumbered by the untucked boxes. 

So on this shopping escape I was determined to try to make a dent in the boxes ticked. Luckily, my lovely guests were up for it too. Because this is not all about me, it’s about what is interesting, relevant and just plain fun for the women on the escape.​

Kelly showing us how it’s done

Now, number one on the list was the swing, nest, boat and pod at Tegallalang. I must say, it was a challenge just getting to them. There wasn’t a distinct path and steps, more like a goat track. Suffice to say that I wouldn’t be giving it a go in the wet season unless crampons were supplied.

Anyhoo, we made it down to the platform for the swing. I took one look at the drop and decided against it. Yes, I was a chicken. Not so my fellow travellers. They all had a go. I did jump into the nest, looking and feeling very uncomfortable. The things we do for a social media presence.

Next stop was the boat. Of course I had to to a titanic impression. What else is the boat for?​

High tea at Biku hadn’t really been on my bali bucket list, but all reviews have been so positive, that I included it in our shopping escape, if only for some much needed down time. Well, I can honestly say that the Indonesian version of the high tea was one of the most delicious things I have eaten in a long time. And the bubbles that washed it down was excellent too. I can thoroughly recommend the high tea and now know what the fuss is about. Make sure you book as it is one of the busiest restaurants in Bali. They also have tarot card readers but as we didn’t book in advance we couldn’t have our cards read. Another really popular activity at Biku. ​

We all​ enjoyed our Bali firsts, and each of us enjoyed a different activity the most. Shows how different and individual we al are. 

Stay tuned for my next trip of firsts ​

Leanne ​

xx​

let's escape

We all need an escape of one sort or another. I know I do. I not only work in my day job, but I am mum and social secretary to two kids, spellcheck for my dyslexic husband, as well as host ellieandco bali trips. So these escapes are as much for me as they are for you. Shhhh, don't let the family know.

Our lives are so busy, and with most of the house responsibilities as well as a paid job to wrangle it's no wonder that we get burnt out.  There is only so much juggling you can do without something falling, and for a lot of us, it's our health and wellbeing.  So a sneaky escape in the sun, with cocktails and shopping sounds WAAAAY better than the psychologists office. And let's face it, it's probably a hell of a lot cheaper!

Rice fields of Umalas

When creating my Bali escapes I think about the things I like to do in Bali. Shopping is on the list of course! But I also love to try out all the restaurants that are there too, but at the rate they are opening, I think I'll need to live to be over 100 to try them all. I also like to chill by the pool, cocktail in hand listening to great tunes while I watch the waves roll in. High on the list are the amazing Balinese massages that melt away the stress. Photography is a new interest so I indulge in that as much as I can too. 

Sunrise in Sanur

The days fly by on our escape but not at a hectic pace and there is plenty of time to just chill and regroup. This is a holiday after all.  My favourite time is my morning walk along the beach, few people are about and there is a real sense of being grounded. That feeling doesn't leave me for days after my return. And although there is so much to do when I get home, I accomplish it all easily, and without feeling frazzled. And to me, that's the most important thing of all. 

Leanne

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