I Am Charlie: Travel: Discovering Bali

Sunset at the Rock Bar, Jimbaran 31.12.2015

Look past the Bintang singlets, the flip flops and the footy shorts and there is a beautiful country to be discovered and explored.

Bali taught me that not everything has to be perfect and it's kind of beautiful when things are a little out of place. To never take things at face value and to always look a little deeper. Good manners, being polite and taking a few seconds out of your day to smile and acknowledge a stranger goes a long way.

The Balinese work long days to make a few dollars to ensure they can put food on the table for their families. And maybe it's because we are the tourists that are giving them the money, but they never seem to be in a bad mood or out of place and I find that inspiring.

While I was a little disappointed to find Kuta so built up and commercialised, I found solace in Legian, Seminyak and Uluwatu. The sunset at Rock Bar was breath taking, the crystal clear water at Finn's Beach Club was refreshing and the endless shopping and restaurants in Seminyak were fulfilling.

I indulged in so many delicious meals while in Bali, which was great on the taste buds but not so great on the bikini waist line. While it is hard to beat an all you can eat breakfast buffet at the Padma each morning, which I ensured we never slept through, we also satisfied our hunger pains at many other restaurants scattered across Bali.

These are my must tries:

Sea Circus

Sea Circus, Seminyak

Sea Circus is nestled away in the heart of Seminyak and is the perfect retreat for recharging after a hot sticky day of shopping. I love the colourful and quirky interior and the funny signs in the bathrooms, where you can wash of the dust and grime of the streets with Aesop soap.

A must order:
Baked Parmesan Dip
Granny Smith Blended Juice

Motel Mexicola

Motel Mexicola, Seminyak

Motel Mexico is a good time! Even if you're not much of a party goer, you can pick a seat behind the bar and look on at everyone else make a fool of themselves. Dancing is highly encouraged here and to help out; a bit of liquid courage is passed around in the form of; free-poured tequila shots straight from the bottle and into the mouth.

A must order:
Esquites - grilled corn with chipotle mayonnaise
Any and all of the cocktails on the drinks menu

La Lucciola

La Lucciola, Seminyak

La Lucciola is a restaurant with a view! I highly recommend booking in a table at a time that you can enjoy your meal and watch the sun go down. And you should definitely book a table ahead of time! Otherwise you may be stuck waiting up to an hour or longer to get a seat at this popular spot. But should you get caught out waiting, there is a cute bar next door, where you can sit and sip on cocktails watching the waves lap onto the beach and the wait time will go by without you barely noticing.

A must order:
The beef
Bottle of Red

...... And places you must visit:

Rock Bar