@travellingwiththeateam

A full day of KL sightseeing.

Andy started early with his first run in the city and was rewarded with a friendly thumbs up from the porter on his return to the hotel.

The view from our 35th floor room is crazy as is the number of cranes and new skyscrapers being built.

In order to get a feel for the city and its scale we booked onto a hop on hop off bus to tour the city and the ‘gardens’.

The transport system seems very ordered and advanced compared to the hustle and bustle of Bali. KL appears to be all about order and following the rules.

This part of the city is very characterful and more historic, as compared to the rest of the city’s skyscrapers.

From Chinatown we went on to Little India where many of the workers in the colonial days lived & worked.

Next stop was the relatively new palace for the King of Malaysia, built back in 2011. It’s on a massive scale, with grounds manicured to an inch of their lives. Whilst you can’t go in, we got to wander to the main gates and observed the changing of the guards.

Just in time to watch two of the guards switch over and depart on horseback.

Like Buckingham Palace tourists are everywhere, much to the annoyance of the guards, whose horses were spooked and resulted in one dropping his ceremonial sword!

Getting back on the bus we travelled past a number of mosques, museums and the botanical gardens before we arrived at our next stop the former colonial admin HQ, with prior cricket ground, now known as Merdeka Square.

The Merdeka 118 is the second tallest building in the world at 2,225ft (679m) in height and dominates the skyline.

After finishing Part I of the bus tour around the city, we returned to the hotel before changing and exploring the food options in the evening.

The Pavilion centre is just around the corner from our hotel and is like Westfield London on steroids, with 6 floors of shops and restaurants. We headed to the food court for some local Malay cuisine and were taken aback by how busy it was even at 8pm.

Post dinner we walked around the impressive Bukit Bintang with all its high end boutiques and restaurants marvelling at how beautiful it looks and feels.

Tomorrow is Part II of our bus tour. We plan to go on the colonial walk alongside the river before heading out for dinner at Madam Kwans a well known Malay restaurant.

After 30 days on the islands of Bali and Lombok, we are moving on to Malaysia and more importantly saying goodbye for now to our daughter Amelia and her friend Meg.

To celebrate our time together we headed off for an early brunch at our favourite Insta restaurant.

The girls have been such good fun and helped to make this part of our trip, more a relaxing ‘holiday break’, taking things easy and enjoying our time together.

As it was the girls last ‘paid for meal’ we pushed the boat out and went full indulgence, French bread and fruit for Amelia and granola fruit bowl for Andy & Michelle.

We won’t forget these last two weeks and will have fond memories of our stay in Seminyak and the fab meals out we had together.

We then had to say our final goodbye to Amelia which was so hard, but the good news is we plan to meet up again in mid-June somewhere in Thailand.

And then we were off to the airport and a 3hr 15min flight to KL.

The Air Asia flight was pleasant and quick, and before we knew it we had landed. Within a hour we were out and in a Grab to the bright lights of Kuala Lumpur.

Arriving into KL at night is quite the spectacle, so many high rises and illuminated signs everywhere. There is no doubt this is a city to be reckoned with.

Our hotel didn’t disappoint either, we are staying 5 nights at the Capri by Fraser, a relatively new boutique hotel from the owners of Hotel du Vin and Malmaison in the Uk. The hotel lobby is on the 40th floor and the views from there are amazing.

Our arrival at our room continued with the theme and made us feel extra special. Thankfully hotels in KL are very reasonable in price by UK standards.

After a quick unpack, we headed to the restaurant bar on floor 40M for a cool beer and as luck would have it the start of the Man Utd v Liverpool game. Andy was in heaven as you’ll see from the photos below.

After a late dinner, we had a quick wander around the hotel before hitting the sack and preparing ourselves for a day of tourism meandering tomorrow.

Today marks our last full day in Bali with Amelia and Meg. It’s been a wonderful 12 days together and we’ve both loved having our daughter with us for this part of our trip.

It’s been a relaxing break, with the cultural visits curtailed to be replaced by lazy days enjoying each other’s company by the pool. We therefore decided to follow this path again today and choose to stay at the villa.

The sun-beds and pool have been our home from home for the last 2 weeks and it’s been a real pleasure to stay in such a great setting. At times we almost forget where we were, as we enjoyed our family time together.

The last two Saturdays have provided the best of the sunshine, so it felt fitting that we indulged in an afternoon of tanning….

With tonight being our final dinner out, we struggled a little to find a restaurant, but eventually settled on a local Indonesian and went all in with fried rice & noodle dishes. Not forgetting the poached egg on the top – perfection!

As a treat after dinner, we wandered down to a gelato bar and it was double scoops for Amelia and Andy.

And of course mint choc chip for Michelle!!!

So that’s the end of our Bali family stay, we’ve loved having Amelia so much, and not forgetting Meg who’s a wonderful friend to our daughter. Thank-you to them both for helping to make this such an amazing time.

Tomorrow we fly to KL late afternoon, so hope to sneak in one last brunch with the girls before we head off on the next stage of our SE adventure.

Returning to a spot of culture.

We thought it was about time we ventured out and explored a little more of what Bali has to offer.

Before hitting the road, we tried out a new brunch place, Monsieur Spoon, a French themed bakery which was a hidden gem. Despite the modest entrance, it turned out to be a lavish Parisian styled affair.

We all enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the views back on to the rice fields behind. Everything had colour including the mock-tails!

After a little hassle getting a Grab, in part down to heavy traffic and confusion around the vehicle we’d booked, we set off for a hours drive to Tahal Lot Temple.

Thankfully we had a great cabbie, who agreed for a small fee to hang around for a couple of hours as we walked around the temple grounds and watched the sunset, before taking us back to the villa.

We weren’t to be disappointed, Tanah Lot Temple is set on a small island where you wade across to be blessed by the priests before marvelling at the beautiful setting and views along the coast.

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In order to get back to the main land you had to wade back, and whilst the girls and Andy were ok, we nearly lost Michelle but for the help from one of the Balinese guides!!

Back on dry land we were able to get some great photos of the temple island thanks to a friendly and helpful Swedish lady.

The girls were then asked to be in photos with an Indian lady – we think it was Amelia’s blonde hair that did it!!

The temples and coastline made for a beautiful backdrop to watch the sunset over the ocean.

Amelia and Meg made the most of the flowers in their hair and maxed out on Insta photos for the family album.

We all sat and watched as the sky slowly changed colour and the sun faded into the horizon. Another fab day that we will cherish spending time with Amelia and Meg.

Being Friday night, when we got back to the villa the girls were all up for going out and a return to the bars in Canggu. After a change of clothes and a dash of makeup they were ready for a night on the tiles. Both looked great and we waved them off as we retired to watch a Netflix movie and chill. How times have changed!!

Tomorrow is our last full day together in Bali, before we head to the airport and a flight on Sunday to KL and the girls start their adventures in the Gili Islands.

After the four girls late night in Canggu, we decided to treat them to a spot of brunch at Nook.

For Ellie & Rose this might be the last good meal they have before we send them on their way, as they head down to Uluwatu, before flying on to Australia this Saturday.

We have really enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and treating them to a Nook tropical fruit special seemed only fitting!

After one last group shot (make that two – Michelle was missing in the first), we left the girls to explore the Nook store before heading back to say our final goodbyes.

Due to heavy rain overnight, walking back involved dodging the huge puddles and of course avoiding the million and one scooters.

Due to the rain overnight which carried on into the late morning, Andy wasn’t able to go for his usual 7am blast, so instead sneaked a jog in mid afternoon, whilst Amelia and Meg caught up with some beauty sleep, and Michelle her clothes washing!

As the girls snoozed, we went out to a restaurant we’d seen the night before called Kynd. It’s a vegan Pink Insta themed place, which makes it sound very odd, but somehow it works – helped by their excellent fruit juices.

We enjoyed the place so much we thought we returned in the evening with Amelia and Meg who loved it too, especially the incredible pasta offerings – spaghetti bol & carbonara were big hits and so v tasty. We wouldn’t have known it was vegan, which we think is a big compliment.

As we left the restaurant and waited for a cab, Andy came across a great painting on a wall of a hotel, highlighting the beauty of the people and their heritage.

Tomorrow we are heading out for a change and plan to head north in the afternoon to see the Tanah Lot Temple and watch the sunset 🌅.

Early morning sunshine meant Andy was up and out by 7.15, for his run down along Petitenget beach to get his 10k fix!

The healthy start continued when we headed for brunch at Whitestone, the Insta friendly bar and restaurant around the corner from the villa.

Whilst we waited for eggs benedict et al, it was a perfect opportunity to capture the moment with a few photos of Meg and Amelia.

After a very enjoyable brekkie (helped by the free coffee offer!), we stopped at the entrance to get a couple more insta moments. It’s fair to say the girls were in their element.

After indulging in some photo pampering, we thought we’d keep with a theme and stopped at the nearby spa for a massage. Andy, Amelia and Meg went for the full body massage and enjoyed a relaxing 1hr of even more downtime.

Making the most of the sunny afternoon, we lazed around the pool and Michelle and Amelia had some mother and daughter time, catching up on the cuddles!

It was then father and daughter time in the pool, so plenty dunking and messing around together. Happy times.

With the girls planning a big night out with Rose and Ellie who were coming over for a nights stay, we headed to our favourite restaurant Nook.

The girls got into the theme early on drinking Mojito cocktails, whilst we kept to the more trusted and less ‘harmful’ Bintang beers…..

We had another enjoyable meal in the scenic surroundings, with the girls and Michelle keeping local and authentic, whilst Andy went for the less Indonesian chicken burger & fries. Back to fried rice for him tomorrow.

Rose and Ellie arrived around 9pm in readiness for their clubbing night out in Canggu, and after some liquid refreshment and a quick change the girls made for the exit and their taxi to the beach bars.

Their return around 3am, brought laughter and much chatting, suggesting a good time dancing & drinking the night away.

Today was a ‘young’ Abingdonians meet up.

By a happy coincidence Rose, and her friend Ellie, the daughter of our old friends from NCT class, are travelling through Bali on their way to Australia and arranged to catch up.

We got together in a roof top cafe, in central Seminyak called Shelter, another find thanks to our friends at Tik Tok!

It was lovely to see them both and to hear about their travels through Thailand & Bali over the last 2 months. They are doing so well, as this is their first time going ‘solo’ & being outside of Europe.

It was so lovely to see Rose and Amelia together, as they’ve known each other since birth, and were very close for much of their early years.

We enjoyed a relaxing catch up over smoothies, before the 4 girls went off together to find a yoghurt bar Amelia had found and wanted the others to try.

Instead we had a wander around the streets leading down to the sea, before relaxing on the beach and watching the horse riding tours meander past.

The late afternoon skys can be so vivid and make for some great photos as the sun sets – this is likely to be one of our lasting memories of this time in Bali.

Also it’s been the opportunity to spend time with Amelia before we move on to Malaysia and she travels on with Meg to Lombok.

With the girls happy to explore and do some shopping in the local area, we decided to treat ourselves to some comfort food and a pizza at Wild Habit, another great find on the main strip.

They’ve nailed it, such great pizza, basic ingredients done really well and a lovely chewy crust. Alongside a cool beer, there is little to beat this.

So another relaxing day done in Seminyak. We have 5 more with the girls before we head on to KL in Malaysia on Sunday and they start their tour of Bali and beyond.

A day for the girls.

We had planned to head north to see Tanah Lot Temple today, but after discussion, we agreed to put this back until later in the week and instead chill by the pool.

As the girls relaxed by the pool, Andy went out for a mid-afternoon run after suffering from unwanted Bali belly symptoms first thing. Due to the increased humidity, he didn’t go as far and was straight in the pool fully clothed on his return.

You see small shrines everywhere, decorated most days and adorned with offerings. This one was in front of a house and honours both good and bad spirits.

In the evening we decided to venture to Jalan Raya, the main area in Seminyak and a restaurant called Made’s Warung, a famous family concern that’s been there for over 50yrs.

We are all trying different authentic dishes, although Andy insists on ordering french fries on the side in the event he doesn’t like his main course!

Tonight it’s Nasi Gerong Special, an Indonesian fried rice with chicken and seafood, with chicken skewers in peanut sauce on the side and salad. It’s been a big hit and very reasonable at just £3.50!

After finishing with ice cream, and cocktails for Meg and Amelia, we had a wander around the street famed for fashion boutiques, jewellery, art & homewares. Unfortunately the rain started and to avoid the downpour, the focus shifted to finding a club called La Favela on Jalan Kayu Aya, the nightlife party central. Despite the weather and it being a Monday, the place was busy, but with a 21yr old policy and no flip flops, the girls had to accept defeat and reluctantly headed back.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with one of Amelias oldest friends Rose, who is also travelling around SE Asia and has been in Bali for a few weeks before moving on to Australia.

Until then.

Another relaxing day spent mostly on Petitenget beach enjoying the sun and waves.

With the girls keen to take things easy, we had a lunch time stop at Livingstone bakery, another recommendation via social media, for coffee and cakes.

We all tried something different, Amelia & Meg went for ice coffees with chocolate croissants, whilst Michelle held to her love of flat whites and banana bread. Andy went all out with his mixed fruit smoothie and vanilla bun.

After some light shopping in Seminyak village, where the girls bought some more books for reading at the pool/beach, we then headed to the water and body surfing in the waves. The surf was a lot stronger today and the rips meant keeping to a manageable depth.

After a hour of messing around on the beach, by universal agreement we returned to the nearby beach club for poolside entertainment and an ice cold coco cola. On days like this you just can’t beat it.

With sunset fast approaching, we hung around the beach club to enjoy the last hour before catching the sight of the sun going down across the ocean.

Certainly these are some of the most spectacular and beautiful sun sets we’ve seen in Bali.

We managed to get some great photos of Michelle and the girls in the pool with the sunsetting behind them. Definitely one for the album.

Before heading back to the villa, the girls enticed us to a restaurant come bar, called Mexicola which is a big favourite on Tic Toc. Essentially a themed Mexican affair with some Indonesian charm and much birthday celebrations thrown into the mix. So many birthdays, might have had something to do with the free shots provided along with a group of waiters singing happy birthday without knowing the proper words!! V funny.

We had a great selection of tacos, botanas, Los frescos helped down by lime infused beers. Great way to finish the evening – now off back to the villa for some Netflix viewing.

With today looking to be a hot sunny affair we agreed to take the girls back to the beach club to indulge in some worshiping.

Tomorrow the culture restarts, until then it’s all about the book, the pool and the view. As well as a great brunch and a cocktail at the pool bar!

Before getting comfortable the first order of the day was eggs Benedict Indonesian style and it didn’t disappoint.

Having got ourselves a day bed – possibly the most comfortable we’ve ever laid on, it was time to start to enjoy the ‘rest’ and view.

By mid-afternoon we had got the swing of this lazing around thing, and were expertly adept at doing very little, aside from ordering chilled coffees and the occasional Britang.

We hung around for the sunset and the girls went off to pick up litter from the beach 😘… in return for a drinks voucher at the bar!

Strolling along the beach with the sun going down was magical and picture book perfect.

As the sun dipped in the sky and our stay at Potato Head came to an end, we admired the view from our beds one last time.

We then said our goodbyes to the girls, who were off to explore the bars of Seminyak, whilst us oldies retired to a nearby Indonesian restaurant for our favourite dish, Nasi Goreng alongside a cool Bintang.

Our favourite restaurant, Nook is only 250m from our villa and has the extra attraction of views across the nearby rice fields. Not a bad way to finish a relaxing day together.