My Xmas holiday

Back in December, I spent five wonderful days staying in a rented villa in Bali, an island in Indonesia. I've been to Bali lots of times - maybe ten or twelve. When I used to live in Jakarta, I went there quite a lot and have travelled around quite a lot. The southern part of the island is the most touristy - it's where all the package tours go and lots of people stay there and just drink and surf and eat for a week or two. Further north, Ubud is the cultural heart of the island, and lots of artists and sculptors are based there. It's very relaxed and chilled-out. On the north coast is Lovina. I haven't been there for maybe fifteen years, but when I was 25 or 26, I stayed there for a few days and went swimming with dolphins one morning, which was an experience I'll never forget. Anyway, this time around, I went with all my in-laws (my wife's family), so it was me, my wife and my daughter; my wife's mum and dad; her older brother and his wife and their two kids and her older sister, her husband and their two kids. We rented a huge big place, done in the traditional style. It has lovely. Very open plan and spacious. There was a swimming pool and you could hear the waves breaking on the beach maybe half a mile away. We also had our own cooks, which was a real luxury. The food was great, and it was lovely to eat all together as a family. It was also lovely wtahcing my daughter play with all her cousins. Bali is just a very special place: quite spiritual (it's manly Hindhu and there are lots of temples all over the place), and with a very slow pace of life compared to London. I could happily go there every year! Anyway, here are some photos of the island. I hope it encourages you to maybe think about going there sometime.

Looking forward to reading all about YOUR holidays. Best, Hugh