Bali ... fun, fun, fun!

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If I had to pick one word to describe the whole stay in Bali, I would say it was MAGIC ! A huge thanks to Maggie and Jude for picking what they call their 'little paradise' as their wedding location! A paradise it is and lots of great memories we all have...Great friends, lots of fun, a Maggie more beautiful than ever and endless nights AND days...
Second stay in Bali but the most memorable of all! After all, traveling is all about enjoying every moment, might it be a late night chat, a great meal, a walk by the beach or an encounter with Mantas! hahaha (coming back to that one after) And this week has been absolutely packed with those moments, so cheers guys!

Day 1: long day...

Singapore airline is great...but that was a long journey!! Shanghai/ Singapore /Denpasar...By the time we reached the resort it was already night...but just felt so good to finally be in Bali! Lay back, smiling, we were all ready for a great week of fun!
The private resort was absolutely stunning...17 villas only, each with two bedrooms, private pool and outdoor bathrooms...sweet :-)
The Papah villa was elected the party one so as soon as we were done with the check-in that was the place where everyone headed! The first pool party out of many!

Day 2: early wake up...time to go surfing!

Meet up at 7am (aie...), full breakfast and ready to go with the guys to Kuta beach where you can find some of the best spots for surfing/ body boarding in Bali! and those are truly monstrous! like big...
The driver drop us there and it took about 2mn before it starts pouring! hahah...well...guess, the only option is now to get in the water anyway!
You can rent super easily all equipment on the beach and it took us few minutes to get all geared up and ready to go! Surf for the guys, body board for me (a bit too early in the morning to start learning how to surf!), deep breath (water is COLD!!) and we were ready for it! and waouh! that was intense...hadn’t been in front of that type of waves for many years and the adrenaline clearly picked up ... Lots of fun until the moment I got drag away by the very strong current... took me more than an hour to be able to come back and really got lucky that a surfer was near by and able to help me to get closer from the beach as I didn’t take my fins that day... (which I did regret when I was in the open sea...)
Bali is as well an amazing destination for the sea food! So, right after this very active morning we headed back to Jimbaran for a lobsters/ shrimps/ fish lunch on the beach...absolutely delicious! So good, that in fact I had lobster nearly every single day during this trip! hahaha...

Day 3: THE day...

Early morning wake up...can’t help it! just too nice to wake up with the sun and the pool at 2 meters from my bed...quick jump in the pool, a bit of swimming and ready to start an other day in paradise!

This day was THE day for Maggie and Jude... formal tea ceremony in the morning for them with their family and it was time for all of us to head to the chapel for the wedding ceremony. 50+ guests for what got to be the most amazing wedding ever... white chapel overlooking the sea with a infinity feel thanks to the huge glass wall behind the altar, bed of flower petals covering the alley, and Maggie and Jude, happy as one only can be on this very special moment...
Following the formal ceremony at the church, we all headed to the Ritz for the wedding dinner... a traditional Balinese procession waited for us and escorted the entire group to the presidential suite and its breath taking pool/ garden overlooking the sea...just on time to fully enjoy an even more breath taking sunset...

Wedding dinner was a lot of fun, and Maggie being Chinese and Jude Singaporean/ Indian, we got the Asian style wedding... different outfits at different time of the night, from the white wedding dress to the traditional Indian outfit...love it!
By the time of the wedding cake, we all gathered by the centerpiece...and as Maggie and Jude exchanged an other kiss, a 3mn fireworks went on over the sea... so, one could think that this already a out of this world wedding...well...this was far from being the end...

Time for the first pool party of the year... and waouh...be ready... we all moved to the Ritz beach pool and as we arrived Andrea was already at the DJ booth mixing some really cool tunes and all the girls had changed to their best bikini outfit...for the one who forgot to take their swimsuit, well, they still ended up in the pool....😊 with a little help... 😊 Amazing view over the sea, great music & really a lot of fun!

Day 4: diving time! Nusa Penida!

6am...can’t help but think that every single night seems to get shorter and shorter... Transfer to Sanur where I met with my dive buddy and the other divers for what was going to be a stunning series of three dives by the Nusa Penida Islands 😉 Nothing crazy (this was the next morning of the wedding...so took it very easy!) but great corals gardens, lots of fish, crystal clear water, and .... a few manta ray!! (absolutely love those one...) including one that was entirely black and spent quite a while swimming at 2/3 meters above our head... Guess that this might be not very appealing to the non divers, but for the one of you who have fallen in love with the Grand Bleu, then you know exactly how magical that kind of moment is...
In between each dive, chill out time on the sun deck, before going back in the water for more sensations...the only down side, the currents can be quite strong & unpredictable and the water is COLD! 20 degrees max... which when you are used to dive in Asia (normally 27-29 degrees) is really cold! Did bring my semi dry but after the first dive still went back to my shorty ... slightly cold but more comfortable!

Back to the Ritz Carlton at 4PM, right on time for one more pool/Jacuzzi/brunch afternoon... Great brunch which after three dives was more than appreciated, and nice warm jacuzzi and champagne... don’t know how this could have been more perfect!

One more sunset...and time to get ready for a night out! 40+ party people from Beijng/Shanghai/HongKong in Bali...well hand up with a really long night, more champagne & half a small club booked for us :-) Sweet! Wont share more details on that one...long long night...

Day 5: mmmmm...anyone? guess the estate never been so quiet...

Five days non stop, a papah villa where you can hear the birds singing...well...most friends finished at 8 in the morning, the bravest of all went straight back to the beach for more surfing and well most of us had a really chill out day...walk by the beach, a few good shoots, plenty of time spent in the water...actually, nothing better than cold water to recover from a long night out!
Time to catch up as well with Anne, a great friend who lives in Bali 😊 not for more lobster but some nice Japanese food followed by a very chill out drink at Ku De Ta...THE restaurant/ lounge bar of Bali...a perfect place to catch up while lying on the huge beds facing the sea...
An other great night out in Bali and for a change back early to the villa ... well, ok, this was the initial plan... but finally ended up heading back to the beach for a long night of chatting with a great friend while enjoying a clear night where every single star seems to shine more than the other...

Day 6: last day in paradise...

Departure day...back to Shanghai...the head full of great memories...
Bali is a paradise on earth and has something to offer to any of us...might it be the beauty of the sea, its waves and underwater life, its mountains and rivers or its night life...Can't wait for my next trip there!
Few weeks before the next holidays... an other amazing destination and great sensations to come!!
Plus...camera is getting fixed so next time will be able to share underwater pictures! :-) Life is great!

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Photos

loving every second of this trip
short walk on the beach...three dives later!

the after after party...and first pool party of the year
THE most amazing pool party ever... great friends, an happy couple, amazing music (thanks Andrea...) and lots and lots of drinks/laughts in the pool! ...