!My Journey to Bali !

August 2016 !!There’s no doubt that every time I go to Bali its magical, that’s why I’ve been back almost every year for the past 7 years. Desperate to escape the Sydney Cold I planned to visit my favourite Island after a very crazy and busy year! This year has been a challenging one but it’s also been a lucky one, I’ve been fortunate to land some of my biggest jobs so I felt I was entitled to some down time and a little time off! :P !!I wanted to go over there and really have a different experience from what I’d ever had before in Bali. I wanted to get out of the tourist areas and really see more of Bali, explore more and learn more about the Bali Culture. I did’t know how I was exactly going to meet these expectations but I knew that it would just happen!!!Week 1:!Puri Villa’s I arrive in Bali and head straight to Ulluwatu where I stayed at the beautiful Puri Villas - !The perfect surfer spot! (shame I don’t surf) It was heaven waking up to the sound of the Ocean, literally minutes walk along a small bush trail right to Finn’s beach! Puri Villas is situated right in the middle of nature with epic views of the Surf!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Puri Villas’s is very reasonable in price and has everything you need! Elena is a very accommodating host there and will tell you everything you need to know!!!Website: http://puriuluwatu.com/!!

Sunny Side up Festival - Potato Head Beach Club Later that weekend I went to the Sunny Side Up Festival at Potato Head Beach club where I saw some amazing DJ’s and my very favourite Disclosure!!The set up of the stage on the beach and the sunset in the background was simply beautiful. It wasn’t a huge festival so it felt a lot more relaxed which was nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!!Websites:!http://www.sunnysideupfest.com/#sunny-side-up-tropical-festival!http://www.ptthead.com/!!!!!!!!!!

Week 2:!My Stay at Villa M in Seminkyak !!Villa M in Seminyak I was very excited to stay at the beautiful Villa M where I shot well known Bali Swimwear label Andi Bagus and Australian label Maurie & Eve with the incredible photographer Alice Wint. !!The first night I arrived I had a high bubble bath in my giant en suite bath tub with a cold cider, popped on my robe and got an earl night before my shoot in the morning. My bed felt like a cloud! !!I kept imaging how cool it would be if I had all my friends over there with me! The Villa can fit eight people and is the perfect Villa for a big groups and events such as birthdays, bridal part ies, hens & buds parties or is even great for a big family.!!With an expansive outdoor area Villa M was the perfect Villa for a photo shoot. It has a feature waterfall wall, beautiful exotic plants a modern deck area and big pool lounge! All these features !made it impossible to not get good photos!!!!I can’t thank enough for allowing us to shoot in their beautiful villa. Big thank you to who ensured we had a very pleasant stay there. I will definitely deal with this agency again when booking my Villas in bali to ensure an enjoyable experience!!!Website: http://www.villambali.com/!Photographer: http://www.shecriedwolf.com/!!

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!!!!!!!I can’t thank enough for allowing us to shoot in their beautiful villa. Big thank you to who ensured we had a very pleasant stay there. I will definitely deal with this agency again when booking my Villas in bali to ensure an enjoyable experience!!!Website: http://www.villambali.com/!Photographer: http://www.shecriedwolf.com/!!!Aling Aling Waterfall !!This was a magical day! Another highlight of my trip. After a 3 hour drive to the top of Bali my friend and I hiked to the Aling Aling Waterfall and jumped in! Unlike a lot of the waterfalls known in Bali

this one is quite and there're not many tourists there which made it easy to enjoy and take some great pictures! You can do all sorts of different hikes around the area and there are smaller waterfalls nearby which you can visit.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!!!!!!!Hot Springs!After visiting the Aling Aling waterfall we drove down to where we made it just in time for sunset. As its much colder around the mountains we were keen to jump in to the warm baths, watch the sun go down and do nothing but just lay there soaking it all in! This was a sensational way to end an amazing day, I had never been so relaxed! I slept like a baby that night!!!

Website: !http://www.baturhotspring.com/!!Ubud!After my adventure to the top of Bali I stayed in Ubud for a few days. Ubud has always been a favourite litre place of mine. Originally whenI visited 5 years ago, before “Eat Pray Love” had become a blockbuster it was a small village with not many people and not many buildings, now it is very much a popular tourist destination with many people and many new business’s opening up. I stayed at Pande Permai bungalow’s which was cheap and conveniently located in the centre part. I road my motorbike around exploring each day and I visited the Yoga barn for mediation classes, massages good health organic food. I went to the “conscious dance party” they have there on a friday evening. It was a liberating experience and I’m so glad I did it!!Websites:!http://pandepermai.com/!http://www.theyogabarn.com/!!!Week 3!!Tinyar!I was introduced to a man named Louis during my first week in Bali. Louis told me that he planned on providing filtered water to villages in need of clean water with a company called Waves for Water who are sponsored by Hurley.There was one Village he mentioned in particular, Tinyar. Straight away I asked Louis if I could be a part of his quest. Louis and I traveled over 3 hours to

North East Bali where we visited the small village to educate the people there on how to use the

filtered water systems. Seeing the conditions in which those people lived was eye opening and

confronting. I found myself measuring my worries to theirs and my happiness to theirs and it really put things into perspective. Visiting the Village that day made me completely grateful for all that I have. We also visited a small school where children were learning to speak english. The kids were so adorable, I’ve never seen such light inside people.Their faces were full of joy and their energy was infectious and positive. They were incredibly affectionate and loving, always wanting to touch you, your hair, face etc. I left the town feeling moved and happy that I chose to be a part of that experience. I will forever be grateful for meeting Louis and being able to share that day together.I have kept a few filtered water systems so that whenever I am in a county which is in need I can set these up. It’s now can my mission to install filters around the world and prevent more children from contamination and disease.!!!

Lemobangan Island !Wow Wow Wow! Why hadn’t I visited this Island sooner! To end my trip I headed over to Lembongan Island where I saw the most picturesque sunsets I’ve ever seen! The Island is very

easy to get too, it’s only a 30 min boat ride on a fast boat from Sanua. I caught the boat with the company Marlin , they pick you up and drop you off from where you are staying which is very helpful and a good deal! !

!!I stayed at the Ware Ware Surf Bungalows which has a gorgeous high rise view of the bay and an amazing restaurant. I felt like I stepped back in time to what I imagine Bali must have been like 10-20 years ago. hardly any cars and hardly many people, it was just stunning! I snorkelled at one of the nearby coral reefs and at Manta Bay where I got to swim along side some high Mantas!!!If you want to go diving or snorkelling and you are staying at Wari Wair or nearby just ask around for Nemo, he is a funny and trustworthy guide who will tae you diving or snorkelling.!I scootered around the Island with my friend Lara and we found some pretty cool swim spots and small beaches. There is no such thing as time there and I really didn’t want to ever leave. I can not wait to go back and visit again! Until Next time Bali! !!Websites:!http://www.marlinlembongancruiser.com/!http://www.warewaresurfbungalows.com/!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!