If we're all being honest, my number one reason for choosing to stay at the Hotel Ombak Sunset was their infamous Datu Swing. That swing in the crystal clear ocean that you have seen all over Instagram and just want a picture on to complete your Bali photo diary. The swing did not disappoint, but the hotel was outstanding for lots of other reasons as well. 

Picture three tiny desert islands, fringed by white sand beaches and coconut palm trees, sitting in the middle of a turquoise sea - these are the Gilis. The Gili Islands have exploded in popularity in the last few years, with more and more people flocking to these stunning white sand beaches everyday. While we were in Indonesia, we spent two nights on Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three islands. 

Due to the traffic in Bali it can take significantly longer to get around the island then what Google maps or common sense will tell you. It can be frustrating and time consuming if you're not prepared. I found the best way to handle this was to organize my sight seeing by geographic location, to really avoid as much traffic as I could and spend more time exploring. Here are a few of my top highlights when visiting the Ubud region and the north of Bali Island. 

Although it's not recommended, it is naive to tell people not to rent scooters in Bali. I mean we did it, so why wouldn't you?! Rather than take a negative approach, I would like to share some facts and tips to make this experience easier and more importantly safer for you! I will begin by mentioning that Thom has been riding motorbikes for his whole life, so I was confident that he knew how to ride safely and was comfortable riding a bike. I would never have gotten on one of those scooters by myself.

If you do a Google search for the Sacred Ubud Monkey Forest there is no doubt that what will be returned to you is a long list of horror stories about naughty monkeys who prey on visitors and have no issue getting into your bags and pockets. In all honesty, that's not entirely incorrect! Hidden deep in the forest are a tribe of monkeys who rule over the sacred temples and run wild amongst the visitors. 

Set in the cliffs of southern Bali is Pura Luhur Uluwatu, which is also known as Uluwatu Temple. Ulu in Balinese means heart, and Watu means stone. It is one of the most popular temples in Bali, with hundreds of people flocking to the temple every day catch the sunset over the Indian Ocean and watch the Kecak Dance performance. 

There's nothing that screams luxury accommodation like an infinity pool overlooking the luscious green rice fields in Ubud and in my opinion there is no one that has achieved this better than Padma Resort in Ubud. Boasting an incredible 89 meter infinity pool, with some of the most tranquil views over the rice terraces of Ubud, Padma Resort in Ubud offers the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate in the Balinese jungle. 

Continuing on my tour of Japanese temples is the beautiful Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 the Golden Pavilion. Kinkaku-ji is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto, whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. The grounds of the temple are just as beautiful as the temple itself, with ponds and trees surrounding the paths and walkways. 

I've decided to start a new mini series on A Make Believe World, inspired by the notion of Throwback Thursday, we are going to have Throwback Travel Thursdays (#TBTravel). On Thursdays I will post a TBTravel post, that highlights some of my older trips from a few years ago, that I might not have enough photos of to make it a complete focus on the blog, but still definitely deserves a mention! Some of the information from when I visited might be a little bit outdated now and photo quality might not always be as good as my recent trips, but hopefully you still enjoy! To kick off, I visited The Big Buddha in Phuket, Thailand in March 2014. 

Visible from most places on the south of the island, the Big Buddha is an important religious symbol for Buddhists in Phuket as well as a great tourist attraction with amazing 360 degree views of the south of Phuket. 

When we were planning our trip to Arashiyama we had specific sights we were hoping to see - the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the Iwatayama Monkey Park. I was absolutely not expecting the beauty of the Oi River and it's surrounding areas. 

As we exited the Bamboo Grove we walked right into the middle of the Arashiyama forest that surrounds the Oi River. I'm pretty sure we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way, because there were hardly any other people around and all of the signs were suddenly in Japanese with no English subtitles, but I have never been more thankful. 

Arashiyama's Bamboo Grove is well known for it's beautiful extensive bamboo gardens, with stalks stretching up to the sky and swaying gently in the wind. As much as I tried, no photo I took could capture the bamboo forest the way I wanted it to! It was so much more beautiful in person, with wide walkways, geisha girls walking around, and endless bamboo as far as the eye could see. 

You can get to the Bamboo Grove directly from the main street of Arashiyama. It is located to the north of the entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple. You can either stroll along the pathways or rent a bicycle to enjoy the gardens. Another option to see the grounds of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is to take a rickshaw ride from the young Japanese men through the bamboo forest and around the grounds of Arashiyama.