Indah

...Beautiful! (if my school girl Indonesian serves me correctly)

I've just returned from 5 blissful days in Bali, staying at The Villas in Seminyak. Mr Calamity, 8 good friends and I all travelled together to celebrate a 40th birthday. And what a celebration it was - good friends, good food, good weather and no kids.

I haven't been to Bali since 2001, the year before the bombings. Not by any means a deliberate effort at avoiding the place, the opportunity simply hadn't presented itself. And boy did we do it in style this time around! No Aussie bogan pubs in Kuta, just the pure bliss of private villas, spa treatments and fine dining. (Well, and a bit of shopping). It was just heavenly.

Security has certainly been beefed up over the years, but beefed up in a Balinese way - friendly. Always, always met with a smile and a "hello", apologies for searching for bombs under your car, and a friendly "enjoy your day" or "many happiness" and you're on your way.

I took a moment's pause at the memorial. It's beautiful, a real tribute to those who lost their lives, as is the bare earth that was the Sari Club. Amongst all the hustle and bustle, the traffic chaos and the squeezed in shops, there it is - a vacant lot. It stops you in your tracks. I'll never forget the day the news broke. It was the 13th October 2002 when we heard of the bombings the night before. We were heading to a friend's house to celebrate our birthdays (hers on the 12th and mine on the 14th). One of our party was missing, having been flown out in the wee small hours to cover the story for an Australian news network. We all sat there dumbfounded. We had all been to that club. It could have been any one of us. It was the same group of friends who travelled there together this time around.

Sadness aside and back to Bali itself, it's so lovely to be greeted with a wide smile everywhere you go, you can't help but reciprocate, it's contagious. Nothing is too difficult - driving you somewhere, changing menu options or even *gasp* splitting a bill between 5 different credit cards at a restaurant (which fellow Perthites will know is practically a crime at home).

Speaking of restaurants, we ate at two of the best restaurants I have ever experienced in my life while Bali. I've eaten at some fairly swish places in my time and these two topped the lot. Even our travelling companions, who have eaten at some of the most awarded restaurants in the world, had to agree. They ticked all boxes - ambience, top notch service and food. Oh the fooood! So if you find yourself in Seminyak, do yourself a favour, check out some of their fine dining experiences. You won't be sorry, and neither will your hip pocket.

My two picks:

Blossom (Sentosa Villas)
This place has got style to boot. When you walk in, you know you are in for an amazing night, before you even look at the menu. I dined on vanilla poached salmon with creme fraiche and Black Angus fillet with black truffle jus. Mr Calamity had the degustation menu, all 7 heavenly courses (most of which I sampled of course!).

Breeze (Samaya Villas)
Located right on the beach, Breeze has a really relaxed but stylish feel. Because we had booked for a birthday, we were seated on a podium under a beautiful white canopy. This place does amazing martinis! (actually the martini seems to be a popular staple in Bali these days). I dined on shitake mushroom and goats cheese tarts and lamb done two ways with white beans. Mr Calamity raved about the lobster bisque.

The girls missed us terribly of course, but were consoled with the booty of fairy dresses and sparkly shoes at the bottom of our suitcases. I know their currency ;)