No trip to Bali is complete without a trip to Uluwatu. The spectacular views from the temple itself across the ocean are awesome and, if you can handle the tourists, the kecak dance they perform here every evening is magical. We all piled into the van with our trusty driver Kadek and headed for Uluwatu. We'd left it a little later in the day so that we could be at the temple around sunset. Our first stop though was a surf check, the boys had left their surfboards at the villa though as this was planned as a trip with the 'chicks'. It amazes me how much this place has changed over the years, it is a far cry from the first time I ever saw it. Now, there are people everywhere, places to stay, heaps of restaurants and proper roads not the little goat tracks that were near impossible to navigate on a motorbike. The one thing that hasn't changed are the ladies that follow you around trying to sell you t-shirts of the same design that they were selling 15 years ago. We wandered down the zig zag of paths to a stone staircase that led us through the gorge to the beach. It was a really low tide and we made our way through the sunburnt tourists to the exposed reef to take some photos. We peered into the rock pools spotting a sea snake meandering through the water while some brave little fish took a few nips at it.

Soon it was time to move on to Uluwatu Temple. Uluwatu temple is a must see if you haven't been there before but if you are expecting to have a quiet and reflective wander around the grounds forget it. Pulling into the car park you are confronted by the sight of numerous large tourist buses, tourists with their cameras at hand wander in packs and you can often find yourself in a queue just to walk around the path that runs along the cliff top. On arrival you must pay a small entrance fee and stand patiently as they wrap a sarong and sash around you so that you are dressed appropriately for temple. Before we had even entered the temple some wayward monkeys were being shooed away from the entrance. This did nothing to put Mel at ease, she has a passionate dislike of monkeys and no amount of cute human like poses from them will break through her armour. The monkeys at this temple are very mischievous and will steal anything kept loose on your person, sunglasses, hairclips, cameras, nothing is safe. There are hundreds of them and it is best not to turn your back on them for a second.

Uluwatu Temple is built on the steep cliffs that have formed where the land ends on the South East coast of Bali and is dedicated to the spirits of the sea. It is one of the oldest and most important temples on Bali and owing to its spectacular setting a mecca for tourists of all nationalities. Swept along with the crowd we followed the path along the cliff top and indulged in a spot of people watching. Some people were terrified of the monkeys like Mel and others couldn't get close enough to them. We laughed at some ridiculous women with their Russian mafia boyfriends who tottered around on the paths in their stupidly high heels done up to the nines perfecting the pout as their photos were taken. The girls and I tried to replicate the poses without as much success.

That night we headed into Jimbaran Bay, the famous seafood spot, to indulge in a meal of fish, prawns and calamari cooked to perfection on the barbie. As the boys chose our seafood Mel, Gem and I settled ourselves at a table on the beach, kicking off our shoes and digging our feet into the sand. Once the food arrived so did our entertainment, a Balinese band that wanders around the tables picking your nationality and singing songs from your country. Most of the other tables were fairly subdued but arrival at our table heralded an energetic and raucous version of 'Land Down Under'. While the bass player kept falling asleep where he stood the young singer amazed us with his ability not only to sing any song you requested but in a dozen different languages! The perfect end to a perfect day!